I'm a fan of "Kakuriyo" by the same creator, so when I heard they made another series dedicated to ayakashi, I knew I had to check it out! It follows Nanao, a girl sabotaged and oppressed by her community, and how her life changes meeting and marrying Yako, the leader of another clan. If you like series like "My Happy Marriage", this one is definitely up your alley as well!

3.75 stars A good beginning for this manga. The art is nice and the story is intriguing so far, with room to grow. Looking forward in the plot advancing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC.

This is a pretty classic Cinderella story at its core. An abused woman is saved by a powerful man. This has been described as "Noragami meets My Happy Marriage," and that seems pretty accurate. I definitely get some strong "My Happy Marriage" vibes here.

Nanao, a young woman with high spiritual power, was set to marry Reito, the lord of the Byakurenji family, but a small mistake engineered by her cousin changed her life forever. Nanao was attacked by a vengeful yokai, leaving her cursed. Her fiance and family essentially abandon her because she is now tainted, but they "allow" her to remain on the family property as basically a slave while requiring her to wear a monkey mask and not speak. This poor girl endured so much abuse from her family that she has lost any amount of self esteem.

Enter Yako, the new head of the Benitsubaki clan. Her is a powerful demon hunter with a reputation for being quite fierce. One day while he is visiting the Byakurenji estate, he discovers Nanao, her beauty, and her powerful spiritual power and he declares her to be his wife. He whisks her away to his estate where she discovers that he's not as mean as the rumors make him out to be, but he does have quite the secret.

Overall I enjoyed this one. This volume throws a lot at the reader and it does feel a bit rushed at times, but it was still easy to follow. I don't find either main character to be super gripping at this point, but I do think we'll see a lot of character development for them in the future. I think I'll probably continue on with this series to see where it goes.

This was a good introduction to a series. The story is about a young woman with a great amount of spiritual powers finding a new place after being shunned by her clan. The beginning shows how she came to be “tainted” and then later cast aside. Time passes and a young hunter from another spiritual clan comes and is intrigued by her and upset with her treatment. He then states that the bride he has been searching for will be her. With most mangas each volume is a bit a teaser for the following and this is no different. I am very excited to continue this one as it has all of the factors needed for a good read, we will just have to see if the execution in the later volumes will rise to the task. 😎


Thank you to Kodansha Comics for the eARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion!

I received an E-Arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher, for this opportunity.

The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride follows Nanao, a woman with high spiritual power born into the Byakurenji clan, one of the five clans (onmyo) tasked with protecting the world from ayakashi (demonic spirits). Because of her high spiritual power, Nanao is betrothed to Reito, the heir to the Byakureni family, upsetting her cousin Akemi, who plots for her downfall. Attacked by a monkey ayakashi due to Akemi’s machinations, Nanao is scarred and deemed ‘defiled’ by the Byakurenji family, stripped of her rank, abandoned by her betrothed and forced to don the mask of the ayakashi who harmed her and work as a servant of the family she was once honoured by. The story starts years later, as Yako, the head of the Benitsubaki family, the highest of the Onmyo, arrives at the Byakurenji’s estate in search of a bride. Taking note of Nanao’s high spiritual power and harsh treatment by her ‘family', Yako takes Nanao as his bride, whisking her away to live with him in his city estate. This volume begins to follow Nanao and Yako’s married life, which no doubt will be the main thread of this series.

To start, this is a shoujo series, so the main focus is on the romance, and I would only recommend this series if you are interested in that aspect. However, despite the focus on romance, there are still a lot of elements that would appeal to others. Particularly, I liked the world-building in this series and felt like I came away with a good understanding of elements like the ayakashi, the jobs and tasks of the onmyo families and the role that spiritual power plays in the magic system. I still think there are ways that this can be improved on, but I think this volume provided an excellent introduction to the world while also balancing that with the romantic storyline as well.
I also really liked the care that the author treated both Nanao and Yako and their traumatic past experiences with, and I think that while some readers may be turned away bu the prospect of an arranged marriage forced upon Nanao, that the author makes it clear that Nanao enters the marriage of her own volition and also that while some of her behaviours are informed by her trauma that she still exercises agency in her relationship with Yako and that he encourages her independence and agency as well.

Additionally, I love the art style of this manga, it is really beautiful and I love the way that Nanao and Yako are drawn in specific, as well as I think the presentation of the different ayakashi in the art style was really unique and I am excited to see how the art continues to grow and develop with the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this opening volume, and I hope to be able to continue with this series and see it get more attention following its traditional publishing in English!

This was a good volume 1. Story set up and character introduction was done well with plenty of hooks to bring readers along for the ride. I feel that the basis os the story was unoriginal however as there seems to have been a lot of supernaturally powerful girl cinderella stories around, but this definitely has potential for growth but also for becoming somewhat ridiculous and I am hoping for the former.

Honestly this was an unexpectedly great read for me!

Nanao harbors a strong power within her, & has lived her whole life preparing to be a bride for her fiancé... until she becomes tainted by an Ayakashi. She is then shunned & ridiculed by her fiancé, family & clan. The engagement is called off & her ex-fiancé agrees to spare her life so Nanao can still work & serve the clan. However, she can only do so if she wears a monkey mask & never speaks to or touches anyone ever again.

Until Yako, a mysterious hero from another clan appears & takes interest in Nanao; seeing her true-self. He rescues her from her situation by requesting she in turn becomes his bride, & that she lives with him in the confines of his own clan. Nanao finally has someone in her life who desires to show her the love she truly deserves, & Yako finally found someone he needs in... his own way. 😏

Oh, THE ART WAS SO GORGEOUS, you can tell a lot of thought was put into the character designs of this manga. The world-building was believable & made sense without being too overly-informative or confusing. I never felt lost in the story or felt I had to reread in order to grasp better understanding of any aspect of the storyline. I really feel this manga may have the foundation of becoming really popular!

Also, our couple is very cute & I am sooooo rooting for them since I despised how Nanao's former clan was treating her. 💔

💘 Quick romance
👻 Supernatural / Paranormal
🦇 Vampires
👹 Ayakashi / Demons
🥺 Emotional
🎨 Beautiful art & characters
🏃 Fast-paced

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Kodansha & Mamenosuke Fujimaru for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The setup for this story is that a young woman, Nanao, was once attacked and is tainted by a demon, and thus shunned by her fiance and their entire clan. One day deep into her bullied and lonely life Yako, a demon hunter from another clan, visits and realizes what Nanao truly is and whisks her away, declaring her his wife.

The main issue I have with this first volume is that the pacing is incredibly fast. The entire setup is a roller coaster ride of a single chapter, and it doesn't leave any room for the story or characters to breathe. I was left with zero interest in what was going on in the end.

Also, the setup for this romance is highly uncomfortable. Nanao is very sheltered and traumatized and feels indebted to Yako, and Yako "saved" her for reasons that are spoilery to mention here. It's unbalanced, and while I'm sure Nanao will grow into her own against Yako, I have zero interest in following the story.

The best thing about this was the art, it was gorgeous. I wish more of the panels had better background work, but when there were full splash scenes of landscapes and backgrounds, they were beautifully done.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing a review copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for an advanced e-book reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride by Mamenousuke Fujimaru was a surprise for me! I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more manga in this series. The manga reminds me a lot of the female main character trauma in My Happy Marriage which immediately had me hooked - I was surprised to find out the secret regarding the ayakashi and was a little shocked the female main character was so okay with it, but regardless the storyline is very well done!

Rating 4/5 ⭐️

I loved this! I love me some shojo manga! This does not disappoint.

The storyline and accompanying art are so perfect. Nanao has strong dark spiritual energy and is set to marry the head of a clan but she is tricked by her cousin and is then tainted by an ayakashi which then leaves her to be ostracized and no longer eligible to marry. Her cousin marries him instead.

Years later she is forced to wear a mask, is punished, and abused treating lower than dirt. One day the head of a different clan appears and decided she is to his wife!

I cannot wait to continue with this series!

If you like My Happy Marriage you will definitely enjoy this as they are very similar.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

e-ARC from NetGalley.

After being betrayed by her cousin and tainted by a demon, Nanao is forced to wear a monkey mask and treated worse than a servant. When the famed Ayakashi Hunter comes seeking a bride, though, he is immediately drawn to her despite the scars & ragged clothing.

This was fast and easy to read. The art was well done, and I liked the concept. Unfortunately, as an introduction, it lacked that *thing* that makes me want to continue a series.

When I had read that this historical fantasy manga was for fans of “My Happy Marriage” and “Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits,” I immediately knew I had to read it.

The artwork is gorgeous. The storyline was great. Similar to the two other manga I had mentioned above, I love how this story explores themes of overcoming trauma, finding self-worth through supportive relationships, challenging societal prejudice views, and acceptance of ayakashi. Although I enjoyed the development of the main characters, I did wish there was more complexity to side characters. As of now they are very clearly defined as protagonist vs. antagonist. I hope we explore these characters more as the series continues, especially the ayakashi.

Overall, this was a great start to a series. I can’t wait to continue it and see how the story and the characters develop.

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

The ayakashi stuff and the world building was cool, but I don't like either of the male main characters so I don't know if I would continue reading this manga series.

I enjoyed this new manga! I like that Nanao had someone swoop in and save her from the horrible situation she was in. The new clan house seems so lively and full of characters. I can wait to read more!

The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride 1 was apparently a Webtoon. I had no idea! It has been ages since I read manga. Mamenosuke Fujimaru and Midori Yuma reminded me why I loved reading manga so much! I instantly fell in love with "The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride". I loved the historical Japanese fantasy romance trope mix. Characters Yako and Nano won my heart. Reading Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride brought back so many fond memories. I didn't realize how much I missed reading manga. Fujimaru and Yuma do no wrong. I give it a million stars!

First of all, i would like to thank the publisher and the author for the copy.
The story behind this narrative was interesting, however I don’t think it had the best execution. It was too fast paced and everything was happening in a confusing way, because there were too many actions at once to follow. Also the fact that it was too fast paced makes the narrative feels rushed and misunderstood. If the next volume follows this rhythm I don’t believe there will be much story to develop.
Overall 3 stars

I absolutely loved the story. It was paced well and I really can't wait to read the 2nd volume. The character Nanao was quite interesting. I liked how even despite being treated badly for years she still went to save her cousin and ex's baby. I really like Yako. He was a well rounded character who wasn't just there to save Nanao.

The only problem I had was the bonus chapter and how it switches from comic, to text, to full on novel mode. It was very off putting and took me out of the story with the sudden random shift.

Overall the manga was great! It was a captivating story, with moments of worry, love, comedic moments, and mystery. The art style was beautiful and the characters were well rounded and had depth, especially Yako.

Publishing date: 25.03.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

TLDR: Girl gets cursed, demon hunter meets her and "falls" for her after an incident. 2 stars, vibes were off.

A young girl (15 or younger at the start of the book????) is set to marry a young lord (age unknown). She gets tricked and cursed by a demon and the lord no longer wants her. One day she meets a demon hunter who sees her face after an incident and "falls" for her.

First of all, before I get into characters or story or anything else. The age here set off alarm bells in my head. Very early in it is mentioned that the main character is set to marry someone WHEN she turns 15. I was gagged. I do not care for your justifications for setting 15 instead of 18, I am not for reading that. Not a fan. Unnecessary age to set it at, up it to 18 and we can talk again. Also I know she is older during the events of the manga, but that setup has turned me off completely for my reading experience here.

Characters. fine. None of them felt really special, it was more of a setup and introduction kind of volume. Yes, relationships get a little flavor, but in general they are flat for now. Depth to come in later volumes.

Story was actually kind of interesting, I just wish it was a little more ... Yeah, just more. Also the fascinating choice to make smell such a central theme is creative. Liked that aspect, even if it felt a little silly.

The art is gorgeous though. Beautiful work.

Audience ... Young adult again. It doesn't have the right themes for a middle grade story even if it isn't that graphic in any way.

I am sadly giving this 2 stars. The initial age thing I mentioned set a sour tone for me. This is unfortunate, but maybe you won't mind as much and find a bunch to enjoy here.

This story offers a fascinating twist on the Historical Romantic Fantasy genre. Do you enjoy manga? Are sweet romances your cup of tea? Does mythology intrigue you? If so, this might be a perfect match for you!

When reading books and manga, I love searching for hidden concepts and deeper meanings beneath the surface. Digging deeper always makes the experience more exciting. In this manga, the underlying concepts explore a fascinating balance in life. Nanao's High Spiritual Power must be balanced by Yako's Light Spiritual Power, similar to weights on a scale or the harmony of yin and yang. One intriguing question that arises is: what happens if their powers become imbalanced in this world? Could something catastrophic occur? It's something interesting to ponder and a great incentive to continue reading the series!

If you're a fan of "My Happy Marriage," this manga will be right up your alley.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Mamenosuke Fujimaru for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy!

I enjoyed this! if you enjoy My happy marriage, I feel you would like this one too. it has the same feel to it. I like the FMC and I feel bad for her. I like the MMC and how he immediately takes her away from her horrible situation. it ends abruptly but I definitely want to read more.