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そのヲタク、元殺し屋。 #2
The Geek Ex-Hitman, Vol. 2
Marco, a former hitman turned anime aficionado, is going to Comisa, Japan's largest fan fiction convention, and intelligence officer Viviana and her colleague Andre are tagging along too! However, Marco may not get to enjoy the festivities for long, as an uninvited guest emerges from the shadows...
178 pages, Paperback
Published October 18, 2022
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40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 17, 2023
Marco, Andre, and Viviana attempt to sell their doujinshi at Comisu. Then the series' cast expands as Marco's old partner, Gregorio, shows up. He's supposed to take Marco out, but he admires Marco too much and puts even less effort into his mission than Viviana or Andre. Later in the volume, Marco interrupts some yakuza who keep scaring people off and ends up forcing them to show him their base of operations, which leads to Mei, aide to the Banba family's boss, also getting drawn into Marco's weird mobster otaku orbit.
I'm gradually warming to this series, although the art still makes me wince. Ko-dai's grasp of anatomy could be better.
Gregorio was new fodder to Viviana's fujoshi fantasies, and added to the overall humor by 1) being an old annoyance of Marco's (Gregorio thinks they're perfect partners, while Marco barely tolerates him) and 2) being extremely lucky. Like Andre, neither Gregorio nor Mei seem to be otaku themselves, although Gregorio is willing to use his luck to help Marco get rare otaku goods.
Everything in this series is over-the-top, from the heavy inking to the characters' intensity and reactions. For some reason it worked better for me in this volume than in the first one. That said, the volume ended on a much darker and more serious note than I'd have expected (a flashback to Marco's childhood), which leaves me confused as to where Ko-dai plans to go with this series.
Extras:
A page of translation notes, a bonus manga in which an otaku vampire invades a Hades Girl Eurydice event and encounters Marco, a few bonus funny comics, and the sketch version of the cover art.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
I'm gradually warming to this series, although the art still makes me wince. Ko-dai's grasp of anatomy could be better.
Gregorio was new fodder to Viviana's fujoshi fantasies, and added to the overall humor by 1) being an old annoyance of Marco's (Gregorio thinks they're perfect partners, while Marco barely tolerates him) and 2) being extremely lucky. Like Andre, neither Gregorio nor Mei seem to be otaku themselves, although Gregorio is willing to use his luck to help Marco get rare otaku goods.
Everything in this series is over-the-top, from the heavy inking to the characters' intensity and reactions. For some reason it worked better for me in this volume than in the first one. That said, the volume ended on a much darker and more serious note than I'd have expected (a flashback to Marco's childhood), which leaves me confused as to where Ko-dai plans to go with this series.
Extras:
A page of translation notes, a bonus manga in which an otaku vampire invades a Hades Girl Eurydice event and encounters Marco, a few bonus funny comics, and the sketch version of the cover art.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
January 25, 2024
A good volume two! Plus, what looks like the start on the backstory chapter at the end was quite intrueging
October 16, 2022
hilarious...continues to be so much fun. I love how this group of foreign otakus keeps growing. this is a great mix of action, comedy, and wholesomeness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2022
In Summary
Another Italian arrives in Japan! This time it’s Marco’s old partner, the hitman Gregorio. He comes to drag Marco back to Florence and instead winds up as part of Marco’s new otaku life. No, he knows nothing about anime, but that doesn’t stop Viviana from including him into her Marco-centric BL fantasies. As in Volume 1, Volume 2 is wonderfully illustrated and a ton of laughs for otaku types.
The Review
Volume 1 ended with our Italian trio headed for Comic Summit to sell their very own doujinshi. Despite having poured blood, sweat, and tears into the pages, it is a newbie work and sells accordingly. (For those curious about their creation, a hilarious excerpt of the doujinshi is included in the bonus material.) However, even though their doujinshi doesn’t draw fans, the trio enthralls the conventiongoers by defending the pride of otaku everywhere.
Then yet another Italian comes to Japan: Marco’s former partner Gregorio. The huge, hairy hitman is not at all into anime, but he is obsessed with Marco. So when he fails to compel Marco to return to Florence, he stays in Japan, inviting himself into Marco’s home and keeping an eye for different ways to ingratiate himself to his idol.
Thus the recurring cast goes up to four. Unlike the other three, Gregorio’s neutral about otaku. Or, more accurately, he’s completely ignorant about them. However, he worships Marco, so that adds another flavor of fanaticism into the Italian mix. Plus, his unique characteristic is that he has stupidly good luck. His arrival and familiarity with Marco of course puts Viviana’s fujoshi imagination into overdrive, though interestingly, his presence also backfires on her BL fantasy enactments.
As in Volume 1, the interaction of the Italian characters are energetic and entertaining, and the illustrations are excellent throughout, whether conveying the hard-hitting impact of a brawl, Viviana’s BL delusions, or the giddy delight when people discover they are members of the same fandom. However, as mentioned in my previous review, the series is best enjoyed by those well-versed in anime and manga. The translation notes will allow those unfamiliar with otaku culture to get the gist of what’s going on, but it’s a lot funnier when you recognize all the different series references.
The final chapter in Volume 2 takes a very dark turn. We’ve known from the beginning that Marco’s a former hitman and seen evidence of his strength and skill, but it’s not like he’s offed anyone in Japan. However, Chapter 20 delves into his past, and those pages get really graphic and bloody fast. Although this arc will likely lead to a better understanding of Marco, it’s a sharp change in tone from the goofy lives our Italian hitmen and special agents currently live.
Extras include first page in color, artwork on the inside covers, three pages of bonus comics, bonus chapter, and translation notes. Oddly, the honorifics list of the translation notes does not include the -shi honorific used by Marco and his otaku compatriots.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
Another Italian arrives in Japan! This time it’s Marco’s old partner, the hitman Gregorio. He comes to drag Marco back to Florence and instead winds up as part of Marco’s new otaku life. No, he knows nothing about anime, but that doesn’t stop Viviana from including him into her Marco-centric BL fantasies. As in Volume 1, Volume 2 is wonderfully illustrated and a ton of laughs for otaku types.
The Review
Volume 1 ended with our Italian trio headed for Comic Summit to sell their very own doujinshi. Despite having poured blood, sweat, and tears into the pages, it is a newbie work and sells accordingly. (For those curious about their creation, a hilarious excerpt of the doujinshi is included in the bonus material.) However, even though their doujinshi doesn’t draw fans, the trio enthralls the conventiongoers by defending the pride of otaku everywhere.
Then yet another Italian comes to Japan: Marco’s former partner Gregorio. The huge, hairy hitman is not at all into anime, but he is obsessed with Marco. So when he fails to compel Marco to return to Florence, he stays in Japan, inviting himself into Marco’s home and keeping an eye for different ways to ingratiate himself to his idol.
Thus the recurring cast goes up to four. Unlike the other three, Gregorio’s neutral about otaku. Or, more accurately, he’s completely ignorant about them. However, he worships Marco, so that adds another flavor of fanaticism into the Italian mix. Plus, his unique characteristic is that he has stupidly good luck. His arrival and familiarity with Marco of course puts Viviana’s fujoshi imagination into overdrive, though interestingly, his presence also backfires on her BL fantasy enactments.
As in Volume 1, the interaction of the Italian characters are energetic and entertaining, and the illustrations are excellent throughout, whether conveying the hard-hitting impact of a brawl, Viviana’s BL delusions, or the giddy delight when people discover they are members of the same fandom. However, as mentioned in my previous review, the series is best enjoyed by those well-versed in anime and manga. The translation notes will allow those unfamiliar with otaku culture to get the gist of what’s going on, but it’s a lot funnier when you recognize all the different series references.
The final chapter in Volume 2 takes a very dark turn. We’ve known from the beginning that Marco’s a former hitman and seen evidence of his strength and skill, but it’s not like he’s offed anyone in Japan. However, Chapter 20 delves into his past, and those pages get really graphic and bloody fast. Although this arc will likely lead to a better understanding of Marco, it’s a sharp change in tone from the goofy lives our Italian hitmen and special agents currently live.
Extras include first page in color, artwork on the inside covers, three pages of bonus comics, bonus chapter, and translation notes. Oddly, the honorifics list of the translation notes does not include the -shi honorific used by Marco and his otaku compatriots.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2024
This is such a weird series. I laughed out loud multiple times, and then it closed out with that incredibly dark flashback chapter, with Marco's adoptive mother (and everyone else in the nightclub) being murdered in front of him.
That's sort of the point, though. Marco had a highly successful hitman career born out of a horrific childhood where literally anything seemed better, as long as people weren't shouting at him or beating him. So retiring into an otaku life with an assortment of nice people who love talking about story progression and character growth and collectibles...of course he's happier now. He never had a childhood where he could watch fun shows or collect toys. He's basically reliving all of that now, as an adult with disposable income and the ability to make his own choices.
That's probably why he always speaks up whenever someone's dissing otakus. Not only is the otaku lifestyle harmless, but it's bringing people joy and friendship. Why should you stomp all over that? Just ignore the fandoms you're not interested in and spend time with the people who understand you and the things that bring you happiness. A lot of people could use a refresher on those fandom rules. Too much Marco's not around to enforce it more often.
Marco's ex-partner - at least in Gregorio's eyes - shows up in this volume, and I wish I liked him more. He's alright...he's just sort of a mix of contradictions. Huge and hairy and good-looking, with a scary face, even more scarily good luck, and a complete obsession with Marco. The latter part makes Viviana very happy, since there are a lot of extremely shippy moments with Gregorio in the picture now - literally telling Marco he can't live without him by his side - but despite his "partners" talk, it appears that he's actually a very terrible hitman. Clumsy, I guess? Escapes from disasters of his own making mostly because of his stupidly good luck.
There are an assortment of good scenes with him, and I like the setup of him living with Marco now, and him being the one person Marco gets visibly annoyed with, when most of the time now he's pretty cheerful and enthusiastic. But he just wasn't as interesting as I thought he'd be. And I miss Andre, who's still completely hilarious as a mostly background character in this volume. He is completely out of place in this otaku world and all the more wonderful for it.
We also get a yakuza (female) love interest for Marco, which amusingly got third-wall derailed by Viviana, who did not appreciate this het-baiting. And an introduction to a few more characters, including the guy I assume was Marco's mentor, who'll probably show up in the third volume.
Could've been a better volume, overall, but I still liked it. At least Andre's on the next cover, so maybe that's promising.
That's sort of the point, though. Marco had a highly successful hitman career born out of a horrific childhood where literally anything seemed better, as long as people weren't shouting at him or beating him. So retiring into an otaku life with an assortment of nice people who love talking about story progression and character growth and collectibles...of course he's happier now. He never had a childhood where he could watch fun shows or collect toys. He's basically reliving all of that now, as an adult with disposable income and the ability to make his own choices.
That's probably why he always speaks up whenever someone's dissing otakus. Not only is the otaku lifestyle harmless, but it's bringing people joy and friendship. Why should you stomp all over that? Just ignore the fandoms you're not interested in and spend time with the people who understand you and the things that bring you happiness. A lot of people could use a refresher on those fandom rules. Too much Marco's not around to enforce it more often.
Marco's ex-partner - at least in Gregorio's eyes - shows up in this volume, and I wish I liked him more. He's alright...he's just sort of a mix of contradictions. Huge and hairy and good-looking, with a scary face, even more scarily good luck, and a complete obsession with Marco. The latter part makes Viviana very happy, since there are a lot of extremely shippy moments with Gregorio in the picture now - literally telling Marco he can't live without him by his side - but despite his "partners" talk, it appears that he's actually a very terrible hitman. Clumsy, I guess? Escapes from disasters of his own making mostly because of his stupidly good luck.
There are an assortment of good scenes with him, and I like the setup of him living with Marco now, and him being the one person Marco gets visibly annoyed with, when most of the time now he's pretty cheerful and enthusiastic. But he just wasn't as interesting as I thought he'd be. And I miss Andre, who's still completely hilarious as a mostly background character in this volume. He is completely out of place in this otaku world and all the more wonderful for it.
We also get a yakuza (female) love interest for Marco, which amusingly got third-wall derailed by Viviana, who did not appreciate this het-baiting. And an introduction to a few more characters, including the guy I assume was Marco's mentor, who'll probably show up in the third volume.
Could've been a better volume, overall, but I still liked it. At least Andre's on the next cover, so maybe that's promising.
August 7, 2024
This one is another of my favorites and I was sad to see that there are only three volumes. Marco goes from being a hitman in Italy to an otaku living in Japan. His life it forever changed when he comes across a cute figurine that he becomes obsessed with. He leaves Italy behind to immerse himself in the world of anime, manga, and games! But those he left behind are not pleased and there is now a bounty on his head. However, every time they send someone after him they too are drawn into this world.
I absolutely LOVED this series and was so sad to see it end. The contrast of a former Italian hitman who becomes an otaku is hilarious and wonderful! Now instead of pursuing his targets, he pursues tickets to the latest anime con, new figures, and the latest manga. If you are looking for a manga series that is just plain fun and very unique, do not miss this one!
I absolutely LOVED this series and was so sad to see it end. The contrast of a former Italian hitman who becomes an otaku is hilarious and wonderful! Now instead of pursuing his targets, he pursues tickets to the latest anime con, new figures, and the latest manga. If you are looking for a manga series that is just plain fun and very unique, do not miss this one!
July 4, 2024
I have mixed emotions about the new character: Gregorio, I like the idea of his character but for some reason his dynamic with Marco irritates me a bit despite his underlying good nature. Although, I do like Gregorio’s dynamic with Viviana and find them both amusing.
I like this volume a little bit more due to how the one of the last few chapters reveals a bit of Marco’s childhood. It makes me curious if more will be revealed in the third and final volume, and simply what else can happen with Marco in this last volume.
I like this volume a little bit more due to how the one of the last few chapters reveals a bit of Marco’s childhood. It makes me curious if more will be revealed in the third and final volume, and simply what else can happen with Marco in this last volume.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2024
Another excellent adventure with my favorite ex-hitman otaku and his growing band of wild and crazy friends. Why does this combination of extreme violence and adorable nerd life make me so happy???
October 15, 2022
It's was good
It was almost to silly for me :(
It was almost to silly for me :(
January 28, 2023
It was fine. Sometimes a little over-the-top in ways I find a bit tiresome.
June 8, 2024
The past part with his past was really interesting. Hope there's more in the next one.
November 4, 2024
3.5 still fun
September 29, 2025
I liked this volume a lot more than the first one! I liked the new characters that got introduced, like Gregorio, Mei, and Banba. I’m also interested in finding out more about Marco’s backstory!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews