New Flavors: 12 Nin no Yasashii Koroshiya - LEO MURDER CASE -

12 Nin no Yasashii Koroshiya - LEO MURDER CASE -
by Takahashi Ryouou
Seducing the guests to make them pay the most, that is the job of a host. Takashi, currently the No. 1 host, is an apparent professional when it comes to being a host. One evening Takashi is bought off by a special guest and Takashi is obliged to follow her to the "after" part of the night. However, Takashi overhears a young girl screaming for help, and he declines his obligation to help the girl. Takashi asks why she is alone, and the girl replies saying that she seeks revenge on a guy who killed her older brother. As Takashi lets her sleep at his friend's home, he suddenly appears in a mysterious meeting among 12 people, the Persona XII, where their supposed next target is the man who the girl is seeking to kill. This is the moment where we witness Takashi's destiny becoming the hit man of this mission take flight! (Manga Helpers)

I already knew that I'm definitely going to like this series just from the title and the first chapter cover spread alone. Hehe~ How could the word "murder" not get my interest? Hehe~ It sounded like a detective or police series to me, and I'm a huge sucker for that. And the cover has a pretty bishie with a rose, then behind him looks like an assassin with a mask. Good-looking bishies associated with fancy masked assassins are hott! So of course I gave it a try~

And it turned out to be even cooler and more interesting than I expected! I love it!

This series is like Ouran Host Club wherein the "Tamaki" of the manga is not only the most wanted Host but he's secretly a twisted assassin at night who works for an organization that kills bad people. Targets are chosen according to what's written in the stars. In a way, it also involves divination and fortune telling. So it's not simply about flirting; it's got action and mystery, and even supernatural!

Only the main character has shown that he has a badass side so far. The other main character that he's close with knows about his other job, but I'm not yet sure if he does that kind of job as well. The other Host Club members don't seem to be aware of that secret.

Though Kotarou and Toru's personalities and relationship are very different compare to Ouran's Tamaki and Kyouya's, they had still been really similar in a way. For instance, both Kotarou and Tamaki are the most popular Hosts, and they act like perfectly gorgeous knights that say flowery and flattering words when around their customers. But when they're around Toru and Kyouya, they show their childish/immature side; and Toru and Kyouya actually spoil them. You could say that Toru and Kyouya are the "motherly" ones among the pair, and they act as the main character's shadow . . . helping them from behind . . . always there when needed . . . the one who understands them the most . . . and many more. I like seeing my favorite duo from Ouran (aside from the twins) in this manga~ Kotarou and Toru are like the older and badass versions of Tamaki and Kyouya for me~

As for the story, all cases had been very interesting and intriguing! They are complex too, and some character relationships/connections/interactions are even more complex. Characters involved in the cases are kinda . . . overly dramatic and emo though . . . but their roles fit in the story. Nothing got me annoyed or bothered in this series concerning the storytelling and characterizations, except for one thing: Though the cases here aren't exactly repetitive (like it's always about the main character's customer, or it's always the leading guy saving the day, etc.) but I noticed that whenever our assassin, the main character, has a new mission, his mission is always, so far, related to people he just met or people he knows. Hopefully there'll be a complete stranger next time, please? Don't copy Detective Conan on this, please.

Art had been nice and pretty~ Some people may just read it for the art if the story's not they're kind of thing. Haha! There's violence though . . . and there had been mature topics (like prostitution, serious obsession, etc.), . . . there are some twisted scenes too, like with how the main character looks like in this panel:

Overall, this had been a good mystery series. Its story had me impressed, and main characters have been very entertaining for me! Kotarou and Toru's relationship is just so cute~ (I don't think it's BL, but it's faservice to such fans I guess *sweatdrop*) And Kotarou can go "Hot Bishie" mode when working, "Badass Assassin" mode when doing his other work, and "Adorakable Idiot" mode when he wants to act childish (which he does especially around Toru)~

I think Ouran Host Club fans will certainly adore this, if they are alright with violence and pretty mature topics. Mystery fans, and also those who are fond of stories that involve"assassins that do justice" stuff will most likely appreciate this too.

Sapphire Pyro	READ: 5 chapters out of 1 scanlated (3 translated) chapters of a new ongoing manga VERDICT: Following
It's like Ouran Host Club with a KILLER "Tamaki", both figuratively and literally~ It's more of a serious series but it does have a little crack (Blame it on this series' "Tamaki"). It's awesome! Totall my type! I love it~