Reviews
(3.88/5)It's very easy to consume and pretty quick to read, but I'm a bit in the "little text does not mean easy text" camp, I went into this expecting something I wouldn't be challenged by at all, and within the first few pages I was immediately like "wowwow, this doesn't look like a N5/N4 word".
Mangas that have less text risk this thing that the moment you miss one word, you miss the whole context of the scene: there have been a few moments when a big word appeared on the screen, and unless you know its meaning, you would be stuck.
Luckily, I personally didn't get stuck on any of the words though, but I did look up a few things with Mokuro just to make sure I have it all right.
I found this manga easier to read than other “beginners’ mangas” such as よつばと! I didn’t have to look many words in the dictionary and there aren’t as many contractions, colloquial expressions and such as in よつばと. The story is more mature and interesting, I’m definitely going to read band 2.
GOOD BOOK!
Really unique and complex, thoroughly enjoyable. The characters are written really well, and the themes are painted so beautifully across the story. I felt connected to or at least sympathetic for every character, simply because they're all written so well, even if said character is an irredeemable monster.
I cried reading this book; I laughed reading this book. I hated some characters with all my heart; I loved some characters with all my heart. Sometimes it's kinda weird, sometimes it's kinda confusing, but when it's all tied together, it's just really really good.
As for language, if you're N4 or nearing N3 you'll be fine.
WOULD RECOMMEND !!!!
A good manga to start out with
The vocabulary wasn't too difficult using a dictionary/WaniKani bookclub's word list. The grammar wasn't difficult for me (I'd say I'm early N3 level.) The onomatopoeia sound effects were a bit tricky to work out at times, sometimes because of the font. But it didn't take away very much for me.
I've only read volume one, but liked the story itself - it got a bit intense at times and I love most vampire media so I'm happy that there's something readable to me that I enjoyed at my level. This is the first manga I've read in Japanese and it was a good one to start with.
A very unique manga at this level
Language learning: After reading the usual "first manga" recommendations yotsubato and flying witch I saw this manga recommended as a very good first manga and I have to agree. There are plenty of panels without any dialogue, and when there's dialogue it's relatively simple and with N5/N4 grammar. The only grammar point I can think of right now that is a bit above that level is the Vmasu+たて。
So while it might be a bit too easy if you've already read other manga, it's perfect for someone who has never read manga. Unlike yotsubato and flying witch, the dialogue is very standard, with very few word contractions or weird non-standard dialect expressions to throw a beginner off. In the first two volumes, the only "word" where I was genuinely lost was たふけへ which turns out was simply たすけて but mispronounced.
Entertainment:At the beginner level most manga are slice of life or aimed mostly at children, so the completely different genre here is a breadth of fresh air. The story starts a bit slowly, but by the time you finish the first volume, you are eager to start the second one. It's very interesting and certainly a page turner. Overall highly recommended, even if you are already above its level, just for the entertainment value.
A very good first manga
This was the first manga series I every read (albeit, I didn't finish the whole series). The story is interesting, the art very nice, and the language wasn't hard to understand. I would recommend it for an easier foray into manga. I'll probably come back to the series at some point.
Short and easy
Read it in under 40 minutes, and the vocab was fairly common. I didn't read the premise ahead of time and was a bit surprised by the genre!
A great first manga
Reading manga can be somehow much more difficult than novels or graded readers, mostly because of all the abbreviations, colloquial expressions and so on. I felt like ハピネス was a great way to get started with such material.
I find the story much more interesting than any other beginner-accessible content I found. The art is beautiful, there’s a real story, and it felt like actually reading for pleasure.
The grammar and vocabulary used can be much different from what you’re used to at a beginner level. I recommend using WaniKani’s book club vocabulary sheets to learn all the new vocabulary in advance (you can find spreadsheets for every volume which is really convenient).
Challenging, but a great first read to start with manga!
Very accessible, very interesting!
Good choice for your first manga, if you like horror, vampires, etc.
I wasn't all too interested in Yotsubato or other slice of life manga, so it was nice to find something with a story and a bit of 'teeth', if you'll pardon the pun. I'm reading the second volume now and enjoying it! Don't have to look up much, and can guess based on context mostly. Full furigana which makes lookups easy if you do need to.
A wonderful option for anyone who enjoys and is not scared of those tags. As one of the very few on this level offers a solid plotline with no compromises. Volumes read rather fast, thus the number of volumes is less scary than it looks. The author, Shūzō Oshimi, seems to be very consistent — suggesting several other of his works to be read after enjoying this one.
If one enjoys them that is. Well, his style is very specific. Recognizable... both in visuals as in plot. But the meaning and weight of this psychological horror/drama is something to be judged very subjectively. For me... I got lost in the meta story. Almost to a point to questioning if there is any. It did not make this work a slog to read, but almost.
There is also a faint smell of late XX century C-segment story writing, which I am allergic to.
Language is not, however, as consistent as the style and story. Sometimes one has to go through the chapters despite the written part. A lot of text is pretty crucial and skipping anything might lead to getting lost. Silent panels pose less help than one would expect.
Content warnings are well deserved, and out of place.
I have rated this book average. But the contents are nothing but average. It is very specific, just my enjoyment was... okay... nothing special... no impact on my life... but there should be. Or at least it seems that there should be. Something that hits like a hammer. And I somehow dodged all the hits.
Fun
レズビアンとして、『ハピネス1』は楽しくてセクシーで、怖くて読みやすいです。
As a lesbian, Happiness 1 is fun, sexy, scary, and easy to read.
This manga sucks so bad it turns into a comedy but I can see the appeal for beginners
So, this was not my first manga. But I read the first 8 volumes with my language partner (who had never read a manga in JP before).
To put it simply, the story sucks ass. The vast majority of characters act so stupidly and irrationally that it makes you want to close the tab. Nearly none of them are sympathetic in the way that the author is going for, and the series tries way too hard to make it seem scary to the point that it just ends up like a comedy.
But for language learning? I can see the appeal. The vocab is simple, full furigana, and the grammar is also easily N4 territory. I'm around an N3 level with several manga under my belt and I can knock back 2 volumes in around an hour or so.
If you're a beginner, this isn't a bad beginner's manga in terms of learning... but in terms of writing, it's ass.
When I started ハピネス I was maybe N4 level grammar-wise and had about 1000 cards in my Anki deck. I got through it just fine by looking up words and (very occasionally) grammar. I had to look up ~10-15 words per chapter. Previously I read からかい上手の元高木さん, for which I had to look up ~5-10 words per chapter.
There's only a handful of manga accessible to beginners. Happiness brings much-appreciated diversity in storytelling to the beginner level, by being a violent thriller about teens becoming vampires.
The manga has a lot to offer to learners:
- Short overall length - only 50 chapters and you get the whole story!
- Generally short sentences and simple vocabulary.
- Easy-to-follow story and small cast of characters.
I really can't review the actual content of the story because it's so far off from the genres I generally like, it just has nothing in it to appeal to me personally. But I'm glad just knowing that it exists as an option for beginners.
a great option for starters
I have had Shuzo Oshimi on my manga list for a long time now and I was surprised to see that Happiness was at such a low level. I didn't think I would be able to read a manga with more adult themes until I had reached a higher level in my Japanese. I found the topic intriguing and the story as a whole was interesting. It is definitely a great option for those getting tired of slice of life or more childlike stories. I'm adding more of his works to my list for sure!!
Would reccomend as a first horror/psychological/thriller manga
A very gripping and intense story, though I would stay away from it if you are squeamish. Vocab was surprisingly not too difficult considering the series deals with vampires and is very psychological, and features furigana which is a plus. Every volume had me at the edge of my seat. If you love thrillers but find most to be too difficult, definitely read this manga.
An interesting start
Interesting start to what seems like a dark, psychological vampire story. My brain needed to read anything other than Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear for a bit and this is just about as far as it gets from that. Someone mentioned it felt a bit like a dark version of Spider-Man's origin and I definitely got that vibe.
Language-wise it is fairly easy as many have noted, though I did still have to look up a fair few words. Most sentences are pretty short utterances rather than lengthy dialogues, but there is a bit of slang and a handful of uncouth words you probably won't just know from straighter-laced fare. One character has a habit of weird sentence endings as well, but you get used to her speech style pretty quickly.
I enjoyed the art, both the stark graphite pencil drawings that open the story, and the more traditional inked manga lineart. The parts where the protagonist is overcome by his vampiric urges have a great visual effect and you really feel how overwhelming it is for him.
Intrigued to continue.
Perfect First Japanese Book
You can learn various aspects of Japanese grammar per chapter with a decent pace. The vocabulary is for beginners, with a perfect level of difficulty for someone that wants to read it's first Japanese book and has already builded up some vocabulary on it's own in general.
Great as a first manga
This is great as a first manga. There's not that much text, which can make it a bit less daunting, but there's enough so that the language learning value is decent, unlike some beginner manga which have very little text.
The Wanikani vocab list is particularly helpful, so I recommend checking it out. And the few times I got stumped on grammar, it was in the notes on the google sheet, I reckon because other people must've gotten stuck at the exact same spots.
As for the story, I don't necessarily love it so far, but it's not bad either, so I'm planning to continue reading this series. I hope it'll develop more, as it did feel pretty slow, but that's to be expected what with the simple language.