Kill Blue

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Kill Blue
First tankōbon volume cover
キルアオ
(Kiru Ao)
Genre
Manga
Written byTadatoshi Fujimaki
Published byShueisha
English publisher
ImprintJump Comics
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Jump
DemographicShōnen
Original runApril 17, 2023 – present
Volumes4

Kill Blue (Japanese: キルアオ, Hepburn: Kiru Ao) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki. It began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine in April 2023; as of April 2024, four volumes have been released.

Plot[edit]

Juzo Ogami is a 40-year-old who works for the Z.O.O. assassin syndicate as their prized hitman. During a job taking out criminals working with the genetic manipulation company Mitsuoka Pharmaceuticals, Ogami is stung by a wasp that modifies his DNA, regressing his age to that of when he was 12. Unable to resume work as a hitman due to his stature, the head of Z.O.O. gives Ogami another assignment while they work on an antidote: attend a middle school the head's daughter is applying to and judge if it is safe. Ogami, due to having no formal education, turns out to love middle school, and must balance his time as a student and an assassin. He must also deal with Noren Mitsuoka, the heiress of Mitsuoka Pharmaceuticals, who may be the key to figuring out how to age Ogami back to normal.

Publication[edit]

Written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, the series began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on April 17, 2023.[3][4] As of April 2024, the series' individual chapters have been collected into four tankōbon volumes.[5]

Viz Media and Manga Plus are publishing the series in English simultaneously with its Japanese release.[6]

Volumes[edit]

No. Japanese release date Japanese ISBN
1 September 4, 2023[7]978-4-08-883686-7
  • 01. "Let's Go to School"
  • 02. "The Wisdom of Others"
  • 03. "Noren Mitsuoka"
  • 04. "You Can't Play Around Like This!"
  • 05. "Wipe Your Own Butt"
  • 06. "Morally Unacceptable"
  • 07. "Middle-Aged Obstinacy"
2 November 2, 2023[8]978-4-08-883737-6
  • 8. "I Ain't Giving You Noren"
  • 9. "Pacifier Battle"
  • 10. "Midterms and Mama"
  • 11. "And We Came Upon a Unicorn"
  • 12. "Sparks on the Soccer Field"
  • 13. "The Thrill of Futsal"
  • 14. "Is It So Hard to Say Thank You?"
  • 15. "Conclusions and Propositions"
  • 16. "Up Against the Wall"
3 January 4, 2024[9]978-4-08-883797-0
  • 17. "Doki Doki Double Date"
  • 18. "Doki Doki Tag Match"
  • 19. "Secret's Out"
  • 20. "Vs. The Brothers Rindou"
  • 21. "True Experts Wing It"
  • 22. "Drowsy Noren"
  • 23. "No Beating an Unbeatable Game"
  • 24. "Stark Raving Noren"
  • 25. "Death or Kiss"
4 April 4, 2024[5]978-4-08-883881-6
  • 26. "First Hitman Summit"
  • 27. "Don't Pat My Head"
  • 28. "Life Paths"
  • 29. "Warrin' Noren"
  • 30. "We're Gonna Do It!"
  • 31. "Home Ec Club Rides the Waves"
  • 32. "Noren's Revelation"
  • 33. "Home Ec Club Doesn't Ride the Waves"
  • 34. "Playing at Night When We Can’t Surf"
5 June 4, 2024[10]978-4-08-884109-0
  • 35. "The Beach Trip's End"
  • 36. "Determined Noren"
  • 37. "Mitsuoka Challenge Surfing Battle"
  • 38. "Ladies' Match"
  • 39. "Fight and Make Up, as Friends Do"
  • 40. "The Disciplinarian and the Killer"
  • 41. "Stuffies and Evil"
  • 42. "Sentimental Ogami"
  • 43. "Even if This Is the End..."

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format[edit]

These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.

  • 44. "A Ride on the Hit Man Express"
  • 45. "Yoshitsune and Johnny"
  • 46. "Keep Your Hands Off the Home Ec Club"
  • 47. "Keep Your Hands Off the Home Ec Club, Part 2"
  • 48. "Vs. JARDIN, Round 2"
  • 49. "The Legend vs. The Beast"
  • 50. "The Legend vs. The Beast, Part 2"

Reception[edit]

The series was ranked seventh in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2024 list.[11]

Kaylie Fielden of Screen Rant felt the plot was unique among other hitman manga and praised the beginning chapters.[2] Robbie Pleasant of Multiversity Comics praised the artwork and characters. Regarding the story, Pleasant felt that it has some worrying elements but nonetheless handled them well.[12] Kara Dennison of Otaku USA described the series as "Case Closed with added violence".[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Dennison, Kara (June 30, 2023). "Try These Action-Packed, Feel-Good Shonen Jump Manga". Otaku USA. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Fielden, Kaylie (April 18, 2023). "Shonen Jump's Unique Twist on Assassin Manga Could Be Its Next Big Hit". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  3. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 2, 2023). "Food Wars, Kuroko's Basketball Authors Each Launch New Manga in Shonen Jump". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  4. ^ 藤巻忠俊が描く学園アサシンやり直しコメディ、39歳の殺し屋が中学生に. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 17, 2023. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  5. ^ a b キルアオ 4 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  6. ^ Lada, Jenni (April 16, 2023). "Kill Blue Manga Starts in Shonen Jump". Siliconera. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  7. ^ キルアオ 1 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  8. ^ キルアオ 2 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  9. ^ キルアオ 3 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  10. ^ キルアオ 5 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  11. ^ 橘オレコ「ホタルの嫁入り」が全国書店員が選んだおすすめコミック2024の第1位に. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  12. ^ Pleasant, Robbie (May 31, 2023). "This Week in Shonen Jump: Week of 5/28/23". Multiversity Comics. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  13. ^ Dennison, Kara (April 18, 2023). "Fresh New Manga for Your Weekly Reading List". Otaku USA. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.

External links[edit]