Tsubaki Koton is a monster — a violent delinquent with a chilling past and a terrifying image to match. No other student dares to approach him, not even now he's transferred to a new high school. His anti-heroic acts of selflessness end only in bloodshed and rumors that spiral out of control. But one night, he's followed home by a stranger who sets out to change his life for good. This boy, stubborn and hauntingly beautiful, is the pure-hearted Kabuto Yuuki, with his stunning jewel-like eyes that see past Tsubaki's fearsome charade. But although someone finally sees Tsubaki for who he truly is, Kabuto cannot be seen at all. After all, Kabuto is a ghost.

Monster & Ghost has art and story by Himemiko. English translation is done by Massiel Gutierrez and lettering by Vibrant Publishing Studio. Published by Tokyopop (October 14, 2025). Rated OT.

CONTENT WARNING: bullying

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

Ghost romances truly arrived in 1945, when R. K. Dick published her book The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. It's a great book, and while there were certainly ghostly love stories before its publication, it really set the standard going forward. Himemiko's Monster & Ghost may or may not know what it owes to Mrs. Muir and her captain, but it's easy to see the tropes Dick laid out in 1945 in the pages of this BL manga. The primary way is through the interactions Tsubaki and Kabuto have. Like Mrs. Muir's captain, Kabuto gives Tsubaki a lot of life advice, helping Tsubaki to get his life on the right track and showing him how to better interact with others. And like with Dick's story, the real tragedy here is that Kabuto and Tsubaki can't really interact or be together, because Kabuto is already dead.

Or at least, we're meant to think he's dead; I'm not entirely convinced because I've read too many ghost/human manga romances where the “ghost” is actually the disembodied spirit of someone in a coma. There was even one in the previous guide, 23:45. But that doesn't really matter for this volume, because the main drive of the story is that Tsubaki is big, scary, and socially inept, and only Kabuto realizes that underneath all the muscles, shark teeth, and protruding veins beats a heart of gold. More interestingly, Kabuto's the only person to see that when Tsubaki acts out (i.e. punches someone or stabs them with a broken bottle), what he's actually doing is saving another person. Most bystanders just see an act of violence, but Kabuto recognizes the root of Tsubaki's actions. That doesn't mean that the book handwaves away Tsubaki's tendency to resort to extreme violence, but it does allow for readers to see how Tsubaki flourishes with just one person on his side.

As you might expect, this is a fairly dark story, although creator Himemiko says in their afterword that it's going to have a happy ending. The art is very dark as well, with little white space, which does allow Kabuto to stand out, but also can be tiring on the eyes after a while. I'm not a huge fan of the art style, either; there's something uncanny about characters' eyes, and Tsubaki's got so many protruding veins that I worry he's got some kind of disease. I also don't love his pointed teeth, but that's a design choice that never really works for me. The story comes with a warning for violence and bullying, so do be mindful of that going in. Monster & Ghost isn't going to work for everyone, despite some good thematic elements, such as Tsubaki's design deliberately contributing to everyone's perception of him as monstrous, and it does feel like what it is: Himemiko's first serialization. But I want these two to have their happy ending like Mrs. Muir and the captain, so as with most ghost romances, I'm willing to overlook the issues to see what happens next.

Erica Friedman
Rating:

This volume was impossibly adorable. There was no way, honestly, to dislike his story about a “monster” with a heart of gold and the ghost who pushes him to interact more with the people around him, who gets a little jealous of him when he does.

Tsubaki is much like Frankenstein's monster. Aware of his difference from the people around him, he avoids human contact, but when forced to interact, he has a strict code of behavior. He assumes he'll always be an outcast. Immediately, Kabuto sees that Tsubaki is not the aggressor in the many violent situations he finds himself in, and notes that Tsubaki does try to help people; he's just really awkward at it.

For his part, Tsubaki helps Kabuto engage with the world around him more. He “makes offerings” of food to the ghost, which Kabuto can then eat (they learn in a sweet movie date scene). Tsubaki cleans up nicely, wowing the students around him, while Kabuto is cute and lovable.

This is genuinely a heartwarming story. Creator Himemiko warns us ahead of time what we're in for, so we can sit back, relax, and enjoy the BL without stress. Art is solid, with a strong focus on detailed looks at Tsubaki's hot body and repeated statements about how hot he is, in case his chiseled torso and face aren't obvious enough hints. Kabuto is adorable, sincere, and cutely jealous as Tsubaki makes new friends.

There are a lot of backstory shenanigans, “you killed my sled dog….but I know you were saving my moose” style, so there is plenty of meat for future volumes. We've already learned some convoluted goings on in Tsubaki's life, but we don't yet really understand Kabuto, and, of course, how this monster and this ghost will manage to live happily ever after is up in the air. I'd bet on a well-timed truck-kun being in Tsubaki's future so they can spend eternity together, but I'd be happy to be wrong about that.

Super cute, go ahead and read it.