Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts Volume 1 Manga Review (Spoiler‑Free)

At a glance

Spice: 4/5
Mosaics: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Content Warnings: Sexual assault and suicidal ideations

It was supposed to be any other day for Mashiro–go to school, hang out with her friends, then go home. So, while the detour she took to help an old lady wasn’t planned, she never expected it would lead to her being hit by a car.

Mashiro wakes up after her accident to a strange man with wings scooting uncomfortably close to her face. Before she can ask where she is or what’s going on, the man tries to kiss her! All of a sudden, three more strange men who are obviously not human come and tell her that she’s the last human alive. As if that wasn’t enough of a shock, all four men want to mate with her and have her bear their children. How will this young woman who’s never even had a boyfriend deal with four hotties all vying for her?

The Good

Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts immediately caught my attention for two reasons: one, it was one of the first josei titles announced by Seven Seas Entertainment; and two, the art blew me out of the water.

Every page in this manga is beautifully illustrated. Mashiro and her two handmaids are absolutely adorable, the environments and scenery are incredibly detailed and fantastical, and the four male MCs are jump-in-their-arms, throw-caution-to-the-wind, house-on-fire gorgeous. From design to personality, each one is wonderfully unique. Whether you’re into golden-haired pick-me boys with wings, older gentlemen with horns and bodies built like linebackers, mysterious pretty boy dragons that look nowhere near their age, or stoic protectors with ears who clench their jaws often, you’ll find all those options here.

The first volume does a great job of setting up the story while also hooking readers immediately. Great detail is paid to Mashiro and her internal struggles while she navigates this strange new world and what those around her expect of her. It’s hard not to care for this young woman and her dilemma or be enthralled with the world she finds herself in. I even caught myself flipping through the volume after I finished reading it just to gaze at some of the artwork all over again.

While we don’t get a ton of time with the four male MCs, the scenes we do get do a great job of showcasing each of their personalities. Each of these men are leaders for their respective tribes and nations, and they are the ones who poured everything they had into saving Mashiro. While they tell her the reason for this is so that they may produce strong children with her, there are hints that each of them may have different motives that they’re keeping hidden, as well.

Despite being a spicy manga, the story is very strong. While the general plot can be found in many women-oriented 18+ content, the worldbuilding, character development, power dynamics, and political intrigue are top-notch.

The Bad

This manga is filled with themes of sexual assault and dubious consent (more information on this can be found below), which is unfortunately a common theme in 18+ content geared towards women. While Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts is not the most egregious manga I’ve read with these themes recently, it’s enough for me to put a warning for people who are not comfortable with these kinds of stories.

The Spice (Slight Spoilers and Content Warnings)

This title does not lack for spicy sexual content. There are three scenes (four if you count the bonus content) that go beyond a heavy makeout session, of which there are also many. This manga does use mosaics to hide the more sensitive bits, so expect to see blank spots in place of nipples and other body parts.

Themes of sexual assault are prevalent in this title. While each of the four male MCs have different personalities and methods to achieve their goals, their goals all remain the same: keep Mashiro alive and, eventually, impregnate her. Part of this includes curing her of Celestigen poisoning daily, which involves her partaking in their bodily fluids to neutralize the poison. This plot device leads to scenes of some of the male MC forcing her to kiss them to relieve her pain and prevent her death. Alfred, in particular, attempts to force himself on her twice–once towards the beginning of the volume where he is pulled off by another male MC before anything can happen, and again at the very end of the volume, which ends on a cliffhanger. In many of these scenes, Mashiro attempts to push away the male MCs and tells them, “No.”

In one scene, Mashiro is confronted with the reality of what has happened to her family, friends, and humanity as a whole. She is then asked if she would have rather died with everyone, or if she wishes to live on despite her current situation, to which she replies that she wants to live as she’s afraid of dying. There is some inner dialogue where Mashiro thinks about death and whether or not she actually wants to live knowing she’ll be used as a tool by those around her.

The Verdict

Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts is the kind of story that I picked up for the boys yet stayed for the plot. Don’t get me wrong, I would have also stayed just for the boys. But it was a pleasant surprise to find such a thought-out and detailed story behind all of the very steamy scenes. Unfortunately, this isn’t a story I can recommend to everyone due to many of the themes found within the book. However, I enjoyed my time with Mashiro and her boys, and I’m looking forward to finding out where the story will go next.

If you liked Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts, you may like…

• Fire in His Fingertips
• Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way with You
• Villains are Destined to Die

Credits

Story and Art by Tohko Tsukinaga
Translation Minna Lin
Adaption The Smut Whisperer
Lettering Mercedes McGarry
Cover Design H. Qi
Proofreader Leighanna DeRouen
Copy Editor Dawn Davis
Editor Kristiina Korpus
Production Designer Christina McKenzie
Production Manager Lissa Pattillo
Prepress Technician Melanie Ujimori
Print Manager Rhiaannon Rasmussen-Silverstein
Editor-In-Chief Julie Davis
Associate Publisher Adam Arnold
Publisher Jason DeAngelis
Published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment