Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards

oh fuck, oh shit, oh... GODDAMN!!

If there were a genre called whiplash shoujo, this would be its undisputed queen. What starts off looking like a typical protective-romance manga quickly flips into a high-drama, twist-heavy rollercoaster where no one is who they seem, and everyone has a tragic past ready to emotionally wreck you at any moment.

The story is classic shounen in spirit, with its “everyone has a reason, everyone is redeemable” vibe - nobody is truly evil, everyone’s just extremely traumatized, and the power of friendship, trust, and throwing punches with your feelings will ultimately overcome everything. It’s classic shounen in spirit—loud, emotional, dramatic, and full of characters yelling their convictions mid-fight while the background explodes. And? It works. It really, really works. Because yeah, it is dumb sometimes. Gloriously dumb. And honestly, that’s the charm.

The art adds a lot to the experience. Akabane’s style balances soft, slick with intense action sequences. The action choreography also deserves a shoutout too. The hand-to-hand combat is tight, snappy, and full of weight. You feel every punch, dodge, and slam. While some panels can get a little chaotic or hard to parse—especially when the angles get experimental—it still still delivers that spectacular, over-the-top energy. Even in its messiest moments, the art keeps the story fun and visually engaging.

But it’s not all dumb fun—there is one recurring issue that drags it down: the harem/sexual harassment bits. While the dynamic itself isn’t the issue, the way it’s handled definitely is. Girls kissing Ibuki out of nowhere, or randomly getting all over him for laughs, crosses into straight-up sexual harassment territory—especially since he’s still a kid compared to Masachika. It’s played for comedy, but it lands weird, and honestly sours the mood when the rest of the story is pulling off such impactful arcs. The manga doesn’t need these moments, and it’s disappointing that they’re there at all especially in this day and age. I know it might not be the biggest case for everyone but it did make me feel uncomfortable at times, however if you can look past that, then its golden.

That said, Akabane still shines when taken for what it is: an emotionally explosive, twist-heavy drama packed into a ridiculous action(-romance) package. It's not trying to be deep. It’s the kind of series you pick up when you're burned out on serious stuff and just want to feel something—even if that feeling is confusion, betrayal, or pure joy at how dumb and dramatic everything is.

Also might be a personal wish but honestly, this manga deserves an anime adaptation. It feels like a no brainer to be honest - it has everything that makes for a great seasonal hit: high-stakes action scenes that would absolutely shine with fluid animation, dramatic twists that are perfect for episode cliffhangers, and a cast of lovable characters who are just begging to be voiced. The hand-to-hand fights are already intense on the page—animated with good choreography and sound design, they’d be insane. The emotional whiplash, the betrayals, the unexpected gut punches followed by dumb comedic relief? That chaotic tonal balancing act is exactly the kind of thing anime excels at when done right. It’s loud, dramatic, heartfelt, and completely unhinged in the best way. Give this story an opening theme that slaps, a cliffhanger around episode 9 that breaks hearts, and a beach filler episode that makes you scream—and boom, we’ve got the next hit (or at least a sleeper hit) on our hands. (And honestly anything to replace the isekai slops).

Fingers crossed for an anime adaptation!!