This review contains spoilers. I will start by saying that Red Hood probably doesnt deserve as high of a score as I have it at. The series is very clearly created by a newbie mangaka and being Kawaguchis first series has a bunch of flaws that he hopefully learned from and wont have in his next series. However the series is just plain fun for me. Mileage may vary. Red Hood is set in a high fantasy world where werewolves giants and all those fun denizens of folklore and mythology exist. Velou is a kid living in a small hamlet plagued by werewolf attacks until the mayor of the hamlet hires a member of the Hunters guild Grimm to exterminate the werewolf. Velou winds up fighting the werewolf alongside her and is recruited into the Hunters guild. Some pretty standard shonen stuff but with a somewhat unique Western fairytail premise and potential for a darker story. The big selling point of the first couple chapters is just how well they manage to be plain unsettling. Im not saying Red Hood is a true horror manga but the contrast between Yuki Kawaguchis sketchy almost cartoonish art and the bleak world he creates already has a creepy feeling before the werewolf even shows up. The way Kawaguchi draws the werewolves is even more unsettling as theyre a strange mix of creepy and hilariously cartoonish that makes them more weirdly scary than the majority of monster designs in Jump. Im also a fan of the absolute chaos that is the fighting and the way its used to showcase both the amount of options in the Hunters toolkits and the sheer power of the werewolves. All in all the exposition chapters worldbuild just by atmosphere and Im a big fan of that. On the other hand the first few chapters have a couple flaws. For example Velou initially refuses Grimms offer and the way the author solves that is by simply burning the hamlet Velou loves so much to the ground. I dont think there was a point to Velou refusing honestly as he refuses because he loves the hamlet and well theres no real solution to that aside from the completely over the top destruction. Something as simple as Velou killing the werewolf that was plaguing the hamlet and then going off to try and help others like his townspeople safe in the knowledge that theyll be okay for now would have worked just fine and not been such an awkward flipflop. The first couple chapters dont have big issues in my opinion its just that they feel a little indecisive. The manga then transitions to the part that probably caused it to drop in public opinion enough for a quick axe and thats an exam arc. The arc doesnt start super bad theres some worldbuilding were introduced to some characters could have done with less characters honestly the first big amateur mistake Kawaguchi makes and we also meet another active Hunter Debonair whos a muscle girl waifu bait character that also has been cursed to perpetually be blazing hot to the point where Im somewhat surprised none of the other characters try cooking an egg on her for a quick gag. Unfortunately after explaining how the exam period works each year and introducing characters the series presents the exam itself: a game of cops and robbers with the examinees versus Grimm and Debonair. Yeah. In a series about hunting monsters the exam to be a monster hunter has nothing to do with hunting monsters. In my opinion the game of cops and robbers is an interesting and creative exam arc that could work in a different shonen series more along the lines of My Hero Academia or any other series that yknow involves people fighting people. The thing is it has absolutely no place in Red Hood. The exam could have been tracking down a werewolf or something like Demon Slayers surviving a bunch of monsters for a few days literally anything that fit the series. Heck the story even could have just said that since Velou was scouted by Grimm he doesnt have to pass the exam introduce the characters who did pass the exam and then have the training trip on the boat used to introduce a couple of those particularly talented individuals. It would have been less bloated not had the forgettable side characters and also have made more sense. On top of all that it would have given Red Hood time to get into a new arc that could have been interesting enough for the series to not be immediately axed. Aside from just being a dumb decision the arc is chock full of trying to give side characters some of which are admittedly interesting such as one who uses fungi to fight which would have been really fun to see throughout the series backstories and personalities and its definitely not needed. Particularly when we already know that the guild is perfectly okay with sending out one Hunter for an incident and not several on the same mission so why do we need a bunch of side characters all at once? All in all the arc is full of amateur mistakes and it isnt too surprising that Red Hood enters a rushed ending arc immediately afterwards. The ending arc oh man. its an absolute train wreck and I love it. Theres a bunch of surprise info dumping and plot twists but Kawaguchi is clearly not too happy with the series getting axed cant blame him and he uses the final arc as a meta exposition makes fun of the series not getting readers to like it sneaks in what seems to be a samesex kiss in Jump off panel cause unless youre Ayakashi Triangle Jump doesnt like same sex kisses i tell c did the same thing followed by a character saying I did something I knew youd absolutely hate talks about plot falling apart and just overall is an extremely fun meta closing that cements the series as my favorite member of the U19 club. As far as art goes Red Hood has some really unique sketchy art. The characters are cartoonish and the monsters have great designs that are a mix of creepy and cartoony that works really well. Overall its not amazing art in the typical sense but its really interesting and unique and it works really well with the story. The characters themselves well most of them dont get enough screen time to have a personality. Velou Grimm and a beefcake named Bonkers why not are the ones who get real character development which is frankly shoddy. The characters do their jobs but Velou isnt a super compelling protagonist and the rest dont really have time to shine. As a strong mentor/call to adventure Grimm is probably the best character but she is by no means well written. Yuki Kawaguchi is currently an assistant for Yusei Matsui so he should hopefully learn how to develop interesting characters and write a better story. Overall Red Hood is a story with a strong premise mediocre execution thats compounded by an awfully crafted arc and a super fun meta ending. Though not a particularly well done manga I enjoyed it quite a bit for what it was and Im extremely excited to see what Kawaguchi can create with a year or two more of study under his belt. As for your enjoyment of the series? Mileage will definitely vary but I recommend you read it anyways.