A review of the first volume & first impressions
So, I read the first volume of the erotic thriller Who Wants to Marry a Billionaire? (Tamarowa) by Mikoto Yamaguchi and Mario. First off, I'm not familiar with Mikoto Yamaguchi's work. I haven't read Tomodachi Game, which is now an anime, and a quick glance shows that a lot of his work is on the bloody, gory side. Not a fan of blood and gore. Easy pass for now.
Secondly, I wasn't interested when Seven Seas first announced Who Wants to Marry a Billionaire? I thought it was going to be another trash harem series for their mature Ghost Ship imprint. (Yeah, I said it.) However, I reconsidered that thought when Seven Seas teased the front and back cover on socials. That's when I read the synopsis, sought out some more info, and realized, "Oh, it has a PLOT."
So, Who Wants to Marry a Billionaire? is basically The Bachelor meets murder mystery. We have a 27-year-old NEET named Yuuna Gotoh who unwittingly signs up for an underground "dating game" to marry a billionaire so she can pay off her debts and live a carefree, easy life. The other 5 contestants aren't who they appear to be, and the billionaire describes himself as an "egotistical, disgustingly perverted b******d" with a few conditions for the lucky bride-to-be. The conditions are: 1) the bride must love him because 2) they are not going to divorce. It's death do they part, babyee.
There's definitely Among Us/survival game vibes as everything turns deadly super quickly. About half of the contestants are ex-cons, and these girls are playing for keeps. Have a pen and paper because there's a lot to keep track of; the girls create "House Rules" to protect themselves and trip up the other contestants; they form alliances with each other. All of it seems for naught as the volume ends on a nice cliffhanger. I'm really looking forward to the next volume.
Check out the manga via Seven Seas.