by Lorie Lewis Ham
We are trying something new here on KRL—reviewing mystery manga from Yen Press. This week we are taking a look at Manner of Death Vol. 1 and Your Forma Vol. 1.
Manner of Death is a bit different from most of the manga I have read as it isn’t set in Japan, but instead in Thailand. This is actually a manga adaption by Yukari Umemoto of an original story and Thai TV series by Sammon.
Here is the description from Amazon: When skilled coroner Dr. Bunnakit is called upon to examine the body of a woman who allegedly hanged herself, he soon finds that all evidence points to foul play. That night, a mysterious stranger breaks into his home and demands that he rule the death a suicide—and after he confides in his prosecutor friend about the incident, that friend suddenly goes missing. Dr. Bunnakit pins all his suspicions on a man named Tan, but not only does Tan have a rock-solid alibi, he also volunteers to help uncover the real murderer…
The situation is complicated further by Bun’s attraction to Tan and the fact that Bun has been trying to deny his sexuality—even to himself. Be aware this one is just a tiny bit spicy. Manner of Death also has a little bit of a soap opera mystery feel to it with a lot of drama going on. The mystery has plenty of twists and turns, and like Bun, you don’t know whom to trust or what is actually going on—leaving us on the edge of our seats with a cliffhanger that has me eagerly awaiting Vol 2, which comes out in September of 2023.
Your Forma is more of a Sci-Fi mystery, with original story by Mareho Kikuishi, Yoshinori Kisaragi (Artist), and character design by Tsubata Nozaki
Here is the Amazon description: Your Forma—a “smart thread” installed directly into the brain that records all its user’s sensory perceptions and emotions. It’s Electronic Investigator Echika Hieda’s job to Dive into these recordings in search of clues to the world’s toughest and most serious crimes.
Unfortunately for anyone who’s ever been paired with Echika, her data processing abilities are so off-the-charts that she usually puts her partners in the hospital in the process. Interpol’s solution: assigning an Amicus—a sentient android named Harold Lucraft—to be her new aide. With the exception of his cheekiness, Harold would be everything Echika wants in a partner—if only she didn’t hate all Amicus with a burning passion…
Echika and Harold are investigating a mysterious virus that is infecting the Your Forma. The trail leads them to a young woman and more questions than answers. I love the interaction between the two main characters and I especially like Harold. Even though the storyline is serious, he provides some humor to the story as well. The version that I have, came out in January of 2023, but it looks like there might be some earlier versions, but I don’t know if they are somehow different from this release of the series. I look forward to reading Vol 2!
I enjoyed the artwork in both manga. Your Forma has a very colorful cover and Manner of Death’s cover is mostly black, white, and silver, with light brown and blond for the hair and eyes. My favorite cover of the two is Manner of Death—I like how dark and dramatic it is, which really fits the tone of the book. I look forward to reading more manga from Yen Press and reviewing it for you here on KRL!
You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the Amazon link. You can also click here to purchase Manner of Death, and here to purchase Your Forma.
Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. A new episode goes up next week.
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