When a death god appears before Aibi, a girl suffering from an incurable disease, he expects her to cry and beg for her life like all the other humans he's brought to the afterlife. But she simply smiles and thanks him for coming to her. After a lifetime of suffering—and with only seven days left to live—will Aibi finally find happiness in the arms of a reaper?

This is the story of a death god who was welcomed for the first time and a young woman no longer welcome in her own world—a tale of love that even death cannot part.

Bride of the Death God has art and story by Hako Ichiiro. English translation is done by Nicole Wilder and lettering by Dietrich Premier. Published by Square Enix Manga & Books (September 9, 2025). Rated T.

CONTENT WARNING: Domestic abuse and body horror

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

If there is such a thing as body horror by way of beauty, Bride of the Death God has it. Heroine Aibi is suffering from a mysterious disease known as “bouquet syndrome,” which causes flowers to bloom all over her body. At first, it's lovely to look at, but as the disease progresses, creator Hako Ichiro adds more and more flowers sprouting from Aibi's flesh. It's overwhelming, something that should be breathtaking and turns out to be unsettling instead.

That's a decent way to describe this volume. We first meet Aibi when a death god (whom she eventually nicknames Shii-kun, presumably short for “shinigami”) comes to tell her that she only has seven days left to live. He's hoping to see her cry, but instead she's delighted to meet him. As the first chapter unfolds, we begin to see why that is: Aibi's life has been one long exercise in disappointment, both her own and her mother's. Aibi's mom blames her for her illness, for her father leaving, for not being perfect enough, and while Shii-kun is in Aibi's room, he hears her mother screaming at her through the door. He, and we readers, begin to realize that Aibi's fixation on smiling and being a “good girl” is in direct response to her mother's abuse, and by the time the seven days are up, Shii-kun is realizing that maybe he doesn't want to let Aibi go gently into that good night after all.

From that point on, the story is a bit more pedestrian. Only Aibi and a classmate with supernatural powers can see Shii-kun, bad things creep out of urban legend to hunt them, etc., etc. But despite the familiarity of these story beats, something is fascinating about the book. The longer he spends with Aibi, the more about his past Shii-kun begins to remember, something that shouldn't be happening. Was his arrival at Aibi's window really just a chance? I'm beginning to think not, especially as it sounds more and more like bouquet syndrome isn't a disease, but rather a curse. That adds the potential layer of Aibi's own pain, causing it, or possibly her mother's anger to unleash it on her daughter's unsatisfactory body. Body and soul appear to be inextricably intertwined in ways that aren't apparent at first, and the art does a very nice job of showing that – especially since each new flower that blooms on Aibi's body seems to have symbolic significance. Here's rosemary for remembrance, indeed.

Equal parts horror, mystery, and romance, Bride of the Death God is off to a fascinating start. It isn't perfect, but it's more than enough to make a second volume worthwhile.

Jean-Karlo Lemus
Rating:

What a curious love story we have here! A Death God who has forgotten his life as a human finds himself embroiled with a girl who preys on his kind nature to prolong her life. There are a lot of twists and turns between the main cast, and while this first volume takes a few detours I don't really care about (the arc with the exorcising classmate honestly drags the story down), the rest of the characterization is choice. Aibi's backstory is gutwrenching, the story of too many people suffering from chronic or terminal illness. She's a victim of her circumstances, for sure—but is also willing to manipulate Shii-kun for all it's worth, even if at the end of the day she just doesn't want to die alone. The best parts of Bride of the Death God explore her many facets as a person, as well as the curious Bouquet Disease that makes flowers bloom all over her body. Incidentally, those same flowers make for some stunning panels.

There's an ongoing mystery regarding Shii-kun; his name, his past, why he's even a Death God to begin with. Not to say that his mystery is uninteresting, but it certainly gets overshadowed somewhat by Aibi's story. Although in their own unique way, these two make for an engaging couple. He, a would-be nihilist who claims he just wants to see Aibi cry; she, a woman resentful of the world who is latching onto the only source of validation she can find.

As mentioned earlier, the pacing for this volume goes to pot once Aibi transfers to a new school, but even so, I'm certainly hooked on Bride of the Death God and its many plot threads. I can't help but gnash my teeth in desire at learning what secrets Shii-kun is running from—as well as how Aibi will coax them out of him. Mildly recommended—with a major content warning for terminal illness and suicide.