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Looking for something new to read? Grammy Award-winning musician The Weeknd recommends Kodansha’s assassin thriller manga, Nezumi’s First Love.

Starboy Meets Assassin: The Weeknd Endorses Nezumi’s First Love

First serialized in Kodansha’s Young Magazine, Nezumi’s First Love is a gritty, assassin-in-love crime thriller with its third volume in English set to debut on March 24^th, 2026. The manga boasts more than 1.5 million volumes sold worldwide, and has even caught the attention of renowned singer-songwriter, The Weeknd.

A Vicious Descent: Analyzing The Weeknd’s Take on Riku Oseto’s Work

After a recent visit to Kodansha headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, the “Blinding Lights” singer offered his praise for the series, stating:

“A vicious descent into violence and vulnerability, Nezumi’s First Love grips the throat and refuses mercy. Through carnage and despair, Riku Oseto clings to a fragile hope—where love cuts deeper than any blade. Beautiful, brutal, and unflinching, this dark romance is not for the faint of heart and leaves readers desperate for a happy ending.”

Riku Oseto Responds: A Message to Worldwide Fans

Nezumi’s First Love’s author Riku Oseto responded to The Weeknd’s feelings and endorsement of the manga series with humility, remarking:

“I was truly astonished, and it’s an honor. I was deeply moved that The Weeknd expressed, through his beautiful writing, thoughtful sentiments about themes in Nezumi’s First Love that I hadn’t even put to words myself. I will continue drawing this manga until its conclusion and strive to create something worthy of the praise it has received.”

Volume 3 Arrival: What to Expect in the English Release

Nezumi’s First Love has released two volumes in English, with the aforementioned third volume scheduled for debut in March 2026. All English-language volumes are available in both print and digital versions. Fans can also purchase and read all Kodansha digital manga directly on kodansha.us.

The Story So Far: Nezumi and Ao’s Heartbreaking Choice

Series Highlights: Recommended by Grammy Award-winning artist The Weeknd! This series depicts the brutally cruel and heartbreaking first love between a girl assassin named Nezumi and an ordinary young man named Ao, surpassing 1.5 million copies sold worldwide!

Publisher Synopsis:

“Nezumi was raised by the yakuza to be a killer. It’s all she’s ever known. Love is something she’s never experienced or even contemplated…until she meets an ordinary, hapless young man named Ao in an arcade during a hit. Suddenly thrust into the simple bliss of shared dinners, video games, and bashful intimacy, Nezumi is happy for the first time in her life.

But her masters were never going to allow the dream to last forever. Now Nezumi has to make a terrible choice to save Ao’s life—and her own. How far will this killing machine go to assert her humanity…?”

Print editions can be purchased at physical and online book stores like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and more, while digital editions are available across all participating vendors including Bookwalker, Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play, Nook, Kobo, and MyAnimeList, among others.

Note: The information above was sourced from a press release.

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