Killing Me!: Research Notes

Tucker

Title: 

•  Killing Me! 

  • This is just the English phrase written in katakana

Author

• Akiyama, Enma

  • Ah-kee-yah-mah, Em-mah

  • (when you see N and M together like this in Japanese, the N assimilates the following sound and becomes pronounced like an M sound as well. The spelling is the same, hence why it’s still spelled like “Enma” despite being pronounced closer to “Emma”)

Characters

• Kujou, Miyoko

  • Kɯ-joe, Mee-yo-ko

• Fujimiya, Saki

  • Fɯ-jee-mee-yah, Sah-kee

• Sono’ike

  • Soh-noh-ee-kay

• Reizei,  Chiharu

  • Ray-zay, Chee-hah-rɯ

MaxyBee

Manga Details

• Author: Enma Akiyama

  • Notable people they were an assistant for

    • None known

  • Notable people they had as assistants

    • Hikari Komaru (adult comic artist)

      • helped on Killing Me!

  • Other works

    • Killer in Love (2020-2022, 5 volumes, MangaONE/Ura Sunday)

      • A chance connection made between college students escalates into murder, violence and intimidation. How far will a man sink for love?

        • Available in English from Comikey

    • Noa is My Senior, and My Friend (2023-present, 2+ volumes, Weekly Young Jump)

      • An exceptionally normal guy, Rihito, forms a close friendship with a senior at his game company, the buxom human train wreck Noa, who maintains a cool appearance at work but is in reality a huge dweeb prone to embarrassment and tears. A very cute and funny series personally recommended to all listeners by Maxy Bee.

• Publishing

  • Magazine:

    • Comic Cune (said like kyoon)

      • a seinen magazine mostly known for 4-koma, and a good bit of yuri.

  • Run Dates: 

    • September 27, 2017 to May 26, 2018

  • Series it replaced

• Choco Basket by Kasu Komeshiro

• Series that replaced it

  • Shouan to Hibi. by Asa Kuwayoshi (not a planned replacement, just a coincidence of timing)

• Series that started at the same time as it (well, one month before):

  • Bento Yabaiyo Minase-san by Dark

  • God-chans by Yukiwo

  • It’s Tough Being Neeko by Alde Hyde

• Chapters/Volumes: 

  • 10 chapters/1 volume

Manga Itself / Misc thoughts

• Enma Akiyama is very online, so I’m including a lit link to all of their socials and pixiv and stuff. It’s here, it’s this whole sentence. 

• The intention of the title is to be like “you’re killing me” in English, which Akiyama interpreted as being like “I love you to death”. English is not Akiyama’s strong suit, but I kind of get it. 

• Chapter ten, which is not a part of volume 1 (which had already come out), is only six pages, and is immediately followed by a cancellation notice. 

  • This cancellation is described as being at the author’s convenience, and in a long-since deleted tweet Akiyama explains that it had become difficult to continue due to their circumstances, and apologizes to readers. No further explanation has ever been given. 

• Despite its cancellation, volume 1 was picked up by Yen Press, and available in both digital and physical forms.

• Vampirism and lesbianism have a long history, from Carmilla to Dracula’s Daughter to Hammer Horror to (ugh) Lesbian Vampire Killers, and manga is no exception to this. Vampeerz, The Vexations of a shut-in Vampire Princess, Kiss the Scars of the Girls, I Won’t Let Mistress Suck My Blood, loadsa stuff out there.