Mujina Into The Deep Volume 1 by Inio Asano. Translation by JN Productions. Viz Signature, 2025.9781974749997. Publisher’s Rating: M Mature,
Ninjas fight on rooftops; the deadliest look like teenage girls. Some work as bodyguards or escorts, others are assassins. The most popular seems to be Tenko the Mujina, a blond (I think) assassin who is also a social media influencer and flaunts her status as a mujina rather than hiding it.
(Mujina are not part of society. They gave up or have no human rights. They can’t use hospitals or transit or anything else associated with society — they’re not considered people — which means they also can’t be arrested. And it’s also not a crime to kill them. They’re nothing, basically.)
Imagine deadly, sword-wielding young women leaping from rooftop to rooftop with swords drawn and you’ve got the stunning “splash pages” of this manga. There’s also a story developing involving an innocent girl who ran away from home, Ubume the legendary assassin, the aforementioned Tenko (she’s obsessed with Ubume after they have a fight), and the director of a small gaming studio who takes in two of the other characters before the end of this first volume.
This series is, so far, much more immediately adult than other books by Asano that I’ve read. The opening pages feature graphic nudity, sex, and an older man trying to take advantage of a young runaway. The book also contains graphic violence. I note all of this just in case it sounds like your thing (or not).
The second book in the series develops the world a bit more — it’s a bit confusing here, but it’s clear Asano is going somewhere and I’m in.
