I love discovering new manga and there is a variety of series for all types of readers. When seeking out manga I decided to check out Volume One of Mission Yozakura Family by Hitsuji Godaira. Here are my thoughts on this manga from Shonen Jump!
Synopsis: Taiyo Asano is a super-shy high school student and the only person he can talk to is his childhood friend Mutsumi Yozakura. However, Mutsumi comes from a line of master spies with amazing powers. Her oldest brother, Kyoichiro, is obsessed with Mutsumi and out to kill anyone who gets remotely near her—and his next target is Taiyo! The only way for Taiyo to save himself from Kyoichiro’s murderous clutches is to marry Mutsumi!
Review:
Action-packed plot ✔
A rag-tag family full of spies ✔
A life where every day is a top-secret mission ✔
If all three of those elements pique your interest, then you may want to add Mission Yozakura Family to your reading list. The story follows Taiyo our main character who tries his best to navigate daily life at school all while coping with grief (his backstory is explained in this volume). Though he is friendly enough Taiyo is incredibly shy and struggles to make friends and find a place when belonging. But when he gets tangles up in the life of his childhood friend Mutsumi, it may just be the new start he needs in his life.
Mutsumi’s family is colorful and each member has their own special skill set that makes them top-notch spies. Though highly dangerous they are a tight-knit bunch who truly cares for each other and without much resistance welcome Taiyo with open arms (except for the eldest brother). Taiyo does his best to adapt to this new life of his one day at a time. Throughout Volume One readers slowly see him gain his confidence and start to open up to others, but we still know his journey is a long way to go.
Volume One is very fast-paced and most of it is spent setting up the world-building while giving a bit of background to its characters. Many of the scenes are heavily action-packed with few quiet moments, but at times it was so fast-moving that it jumped around in parts. I’m hoping the pacing will slow down in Volume Two as I felt a lot was thrown at me in the first installment. The artwork is incredible, and I love the special attention to each action scene. It felt throws the readers in the midst of the chaos and ramps up the overall entertainment aspects of the story. It’s an engaging story that will have you hooked from the first couple of pages.
Final Verdict:
If you are looking for an action-packed and thrilling manga, check out Mission Yozakura Family. It has comedy, a bit of romance, and themes of found family. This manga gets a 3 out of 5 stars rating from me. Check out this manga when Volume One hits stores on October 18th, 2022!
*I received this manga from Viz Media in exchange for a fair and honest review.
