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.

Set in an alternate Meiji-era Japan, where ayakashi exist alongside humans, Nanao is a pariah in the distinguished Byakurenji family of spiritual practitioners (onmyoji). After being "tainted" by an ayakashi in her youth, she has been relegated to less than a servant in her household—that is, until the head of another onmyoji clan decides to take her as his bride.

The basic premise is simple enough, a bit of a Cinderella tale where a fortuitous marriage brings our downtrodden heroine out of her dire circumstances (e.g. My Happy Marriage, Kimi no Koe, etc.). Mamenosuke's artwork is frankly gorgeous, and I've been a fan of theirs for over a decade since their work on the Quinrose Alice series. This first volume is charming and lovingly drawn, but currently has not quite distinguished itself from several other series with the same premise. It's got a solid start, though, so I look forward to following where this series takes us!

I love stories where marriage comes before love, and this one sets that up beautifully. There’s so much room for character growth, and I can’t wait to see how their relationship develops. Plus, the historical setting and folklore elements just add to the magic of it all.

Definitely hooked and already looking forward to the next volume!

A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this manga!

This story is truly unique and intriguing. From the very first pages, I was completely captivated by its fascinating world, filled with mystery, supernatural elements, and an atmosphere that keeps you hooked. The characters are compelling, and I was especially drawn to Yako—there’s something about him that makes him absolutely captivating. His presence and dynamic within the story make me even more eager to see how everything unfolds. Definitely a must-read, and I can’t wait to continue this series!

I read a lot of manga in middle school and never lost my enjoyment of them. They're quick stories and are usually accompanied by stunning artwork. The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride was a whirlwind. It had a crazy story and a wackadoodle premise. Our heroine was duped by a malicious spirit, or ayakashi, and ended up smelling like a primate for her troubles. I'm not kidding. The entire village shunned her and made her wear an orangutan mask. Turns out her former fiance didn't make her wear the monkey mask simply because of her tainted demon odor, but rather because she was so beautiful that he didn't want other suitors snapping her up. Lo and behold, an ayakashi hunter finds her bathing in the river and is beguiled by her scent. Our heroine's encounter with the orangutan left her with a dark spirit and our hunter perfectly matches her with his light energy. The whole premise was rather silly, but I liked the ayakashi elements and the absurdity of the monkey mask. This was a light, easy read and had me shaking my head at the crazy scenarios. I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series, but it was a barrel of laughs.

This is pure wish-fulfillment fantasy where everyone is SO MEAN to the poor virtuous heroine until a handsome hero shows up and immediately sees her innate value and rescues her… but it’s well done and the art is lovely!

While not wholly original, I really liked how this series starts. The powerful MMC finds and rescues the abused FMC, and he'll no doubt help her to grow stronger on her own. This gives "Happy Marriage" vibes for sure, but is already clearly its own story. I love the inclusion of the demons who help protect the city by serving the MMC too. Volume 1 did a good job setting up this world and I look forward to more to come.

I definitely want to read the next one of this series. The setup was good with hints of comedy ad well as more serious topics. The female lead is rather meek, but it seems she'll come into her own. Overall, not bad

I really loved this manga! The story hooked me right away, the artwork is simply beautiful, and it was a great opportunity to learn more about Ayakashi. If you enjoyed My Happy Marriage, you should definitely check this manga out.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Mamenosuke Fujimaru for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this title!

I wasn't sure what to expect when starting this manga, but within the first few pages I found myself already wanting a volume two! The art style is really gorgeous and the story is intriguing. I have so many questions that I can't wait to have answered.

While the characters are interesting enough on their own (even if they are the typical character archetype for these types of stories), the glimpses shown of the world itself have left me curious to know more about the ayakashi and the clans rolls beyond what we've seen so far.

I will definitely be continuing this series to see where everything goes.

"The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride, Volume 1" by Mamenosuke Fujimaru has my favorite the type of storyline in a romance manga. The rejected heroine whose gifts are instinctively recognized by a person who is above her tormentors. Sure it is cliche, but when it comes to stories, it is my catnip.

Nanao was once the fiancee to the master of her clan but she is marked by an orangutan ayakashi. Her betrothal is canceled and the community rejects her cruelly. Her cousin takes her place as the wife to the master. It is all very Jane Bronte-esque with a splash of manga vampire, which is fantastic.

To their village comes the head of the top clan of their land and he is looking for a bride. He makes his presence known in a very dramatic way that reveals how awful Nanao's fiancee and her cousin truly are and he declares that Nanao will be his new bride. He doesn't pay any mind to the whole 'she is tainted and reeks of monkey' stuff. She has real spiritual energy and that's what he's after.

The artwork is clean and easy to follow. Lettering is also very well done. It is just a nice mix of sweet and saucy. I look forward to finding more of this seris.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Mamenosuke Fujimaru for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this title!

What do you have left to live for when everything you've been promised has been ripped away? Nanao, formerly beloved of her family and betrothed to the future head of the Byakurenji family, lives masked, loathed, and unloved after she is attacked by a vengeful yokai spirit - an ayakashi. She watches from a distance as her cousin Akemi lives what should have been her life, married to Lord Reito, mother to his heir, and high-ranking wife of a powerful clan. When a rakish young lord from a different family pays a visit to the clan house, an accident reveals her face and spiritual power to him, and she is whisked away to be his bride - and the adventure is just beginning.

If you at all liked "My Happy Marriage", have I got good new for you! "The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride" has all the same vibes of that series, with more of a flair for the dramatic, a waaaay more devilish MMC, and a world where yokai can either be bad or helpful. I think the series has the potential for the MMC to be much more morally grey than he's currently letting on, and there's no way Nanao is out of the woods yet, facing plotting from both her new life and her old. I will absolutely be waiting for the next installment in this series and can't wait to see her come into her own power!

Just what I was looking for in a shojo right now. Excellent for those who like My Happy Marriage or wanted something different from the Bride of the Barrier Master. T/W for domestic abuse and obsessive behavior.

I like the historical mystery theme and the art style was also beautiful - although it didn't add up to the story in some places. For example everytime Nanao "fainted" it rather looked like she got attacked and lethally wounded or sometimes they looked really surprised without any reason and no further explanation afterwards.
I also didn't understand the purpose of the novel snippets at the back. It would have been ok for the diary entries but it was separate. Things that could have very well also been drawn so I don't know what I'm supposed to do with them.

Interesting story - I am curious to see where it goes, and the reasons for the mysteries & powers. Ill be continuing to read this series. Art is nice! I do wish it would have been in color, as the last scene - i would love to see that tree for myself!
it jumped in between & repeated itself, i wonder if that is the style or an editing miss.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

I loved the story and the illustration of this book. I enjoyed the interactions between the main characters, Nanao and Yako. I am excited to know more about Nanao's spirt Seal and to the the interactions between Nanao and Yako.

Looking forward to read the next volume.

Overall this felt like throwing a handful of shojo tropes at a wall and seeing what stuck. But I do in general thought that the tropes together made a good story. However, I do feel like the manga jumped around a bit too quickly, making it a bit difficult to understand the time like, and I would have liked to see it go into a bit more detail on the world before story and lore plot twists show up, like vampirism in a story about spirts. I also found the diary entries that reads like a light novel a bit jarring. But overall, I enjoyed the random vampirism.

The first chapter of this manga had me in tears. Everyone, including the person she loved hated her and treated her like she was worthless for something she was tricked into doing. I never thought I would wish for a knight in shining armor to come faster before reading what Nanao went through. The knight in question doesn't seem to be without his own quirks and flaws, but I think he genuinely hates how she was treated and wants to make things better for her. I will definitely be wanting to read the next volume.

The art style for this series is excellent. I love the amount of detail and the main male character is so handsome! The story is engaging enough that I am looking forward to reading more volumes in this series. I am familiar with the author's other work, Kakuriyo, and I see a lot of similarities between the two stories. However, they are different enough to make both worth reading. I believe it is accurate to liken this series to "My Happy Marriage". The elements of a handsome man rescuing a girl from her abusive family were there, but, again, the series is different enough to make it worth reading.

I read alot of Romantasy novels, so reading the synopsis of this, I was assuming it would be a slam-dunk. However 'The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride' didn't quite work for me. The story was quite disjointed in places (I know this can be common in building suspense in Manga), and the story it did tell wasn't great. Nanao is tricked by her cousin into becoming cursed, meaning her betrothed is no longer interested in Nanao. She then lives her life as a servant/outcast for his family, with no future in sight. However, she is whisked away and 'rescued' by the head of a rival house, to be his wife. We discover he picked her so he could feed on her blood, as an outast he assumed she would be happy for any attention. His assumption is correct and she is happy to carry out her 'wife duties' - providing blood, and making him breakfast.

The artwork was great though.