Handsome Must Die? Can’t the title be any weirder than this?

What kind of grudge that the main character has to the point where she wants every single handsome man to come into existence to die?

Do the handsome men that the main character has a keen interest in dumping her because she doesn’t fit the beauty standard?

Or do these people humiliate her in any way that causes her to wish them nothing but death?

What is she, the manga version of Belle Gunness or something?

Well, I won’t deny that the title itself can be a bit extreme.

But the story in Handsome Must Die isn’t anything close to Belle Gunness at all.

In fact, the story has nothing to do with holding a grudge against good-looking men and wanting them to disappear from the face of the Earth.

The story in Handsome Must Die is the polar opposite of the title

Will you believe me if I say that the story in Handsome Must Die revolves around not a girl who is seeking revenge but an idol otaku?

Yes, imagine that you’re a girl who is an idol otaku that mimics everything about the said idol to a T, from the way he talks to his fans down to his hairstyle.

That’s Yuri Rigami, the one whose girls in her school dub her the prince. Despite her facade, nobody knows that she’s an idol otaku who is obsessed with Ryo Kirigirisu from an idol group called Handsome Guys.

Yes, I know. What a sarcastic way to name an idol group that has a bunch of handsome guys in it, right?

What’s ironic about the story isn’t so much to do with the group name.

Rather, it’s more to do with what transpires to Yuri after she attended the Handsome Guys live at Tokyo Doom.

Nope, that’s not a typo there. It’s a parody of Tokyo Dome, I believe.

Sadly, the guy that she idolized all this time got killed right away after he saved her from being captured.

It was after she met with the ex-member of Handsome Guys that she decided to enter the Handsome Academy as a male idol trainee.

Her goal is to save the idols from having the same fate as Ryo.

The strange premise evokes an eerie feeling about the idol industry

So, what makes the story in Handsome Must Die a strange one?

Is it because you’ll see the word handsome being mentioned throughout the manga?

Or is it because the story is a total whack to the point that it ends up becoming strange?

To be honest, I don’t see those issues that we see in the manga to be strange considering those issues are legit.

The fact that idol agency was controlling every single move of the idols to make sure that they don’t get involved in a scandal or love affair.

The manga somehow nailed it perfectly on that part.

So, what makes the manga strange then?

Well, I should say it’s the head of the Handsome Guys Idol Agency.

For some reason, he seems to have an eerie resemblance to the late Johnny Kitagawa, the founder of Johnny Entertainment.

From the way he exerts control over the idols and the media as a whole. I can’t help but notice the ironic resemblance to the late Johnny Kitagawa.

Of course, that isn’t the only thing that gives me an eerie feeling about him.

His philosophy about the handsome must be willing to risk their lives is somewhat rather extreme.

If Johnny Kitagawa is still alive, I hope that he doesn’t take anything from this guy’s playbook.

It’s not your typical comedy manga

If you read the manga description on MANGA Plus, it says that it’s a comedy manga.

Well, it sure is a comedy manga where you have the story of a girl who has to accomplish her task by disguising herself as a male idol trainee and enrolling herself in an all-boys academy.

That doesn’t seem unusual since there are plenty of manga that has a similar premise.

But unlike those manga, Handsome Must Die is more of a dark comedy manga.

Sure, it can give you a chuckle here and there. But the comedy can be violent, for the most part.

For one, seeing your favorite idol being decapitated right away after he saves you from being captured.

That was what happened to Yuri when Ryo came to save her.

He was decapitated after that.

Of course, he didn’t miss his chance to take a selfie with her and bid her farewell just like what he did onstage before he died.

What comes after the incident pretty much follows the same dark comedy.

Imagine having to sing while being in a death match with another trainee in a steel cage.

Sure, any of them can die during the death match. But I find it hilarious to see the steel cage comes with a disco ball.

How about having to look good in the paparazzi photos regardless of what happens in their next test?

What’s more, they have to look good all the time too while the idol assassin is on the loose at that time.

Having just one bad paparazzi picture will cause them to get the boot.

I won’t deny that it’s a fun read albeit it’s a strange premise. But it can be too much when it has violent comedic acts in between.

It’s way too early!

Okay, I admit that it’s too early for me to dub this manga as being strange considering that it only has ten chapters so far as I write this.

But judging from the direction of this manga, I won’t be surprised that the manga will continue to be strange like it always does.

Will this manga get to see the light for another day is something that I can’t be sure of.

But I won’t be surprised that the manga will be here for a long time since many people find the manga interesting despite its strange premise.

Should you give the manga a try? Well, why not if it sounds interesting to you?

If you’d like to give this manga a try, you can read the manga for free right here on MANGA Plus:

Read Handsome Must Die manga

Will I be changing my mind about this manga someday? Maybe, but I don’t see my opinion about this manga will change anytime soon.

P.S. If you love to read a story related to the idol industry but prefer something more on the serious side, then you may want to give the first book of the Trigger Locked series a try.

Wondering what the story is all about? You can take a look at the light novel right here on my Payhip store:

Trigger Locked Book 1: The Mind Control Assassins

Use the coupon code SEKINAMAYUBLOG to get 25% off on your order.

Just to let you know that the book is also available in print and on other retailers such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books.

But you can only get a discount if you buy the book from my Payhip store, though.