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Grammy-winning music icon The Weeknd has provided a glowing endorsement for Riku Oseto’s Nezumi’s First Love (Nezumi no Hatsukoi) manga.
The singer’s recommendation came in the obi of manga’s 9th volume, which released in Japan on March 6, 2027.
The Weeknd, known for his cinematic and often dark musical themes, noted that the work is not for the faint of heart and often leaves readers desperate for a happy ending.
A vicious descent into violence and vulnerability, Nezumi’s First Love grips the throat and refuses mercy. Through carnage and despair, Riku Oseto clings to a fragile hope—where love cuts deeper than any blade. Beautiful, brutal, and unflinching, this dark romance is not for the faint of heart and leaves readers desperate for a happy ending.
The Weeknd’s recommendation for Nezumi’s First Love
Oseto, expressed their gratitude and surprise following the artist’s recommendation. “I was moved to see Mr. The Weeknd express aspects of Nezumi’s First Love in such beautiful writing—things I hadn’t even been able to put into words myself. I will continue to draw the manga until the very end, striving to live up to the comments I received,” Oseto said.
The Weeknd has been a supporter of the manga, with the Canadian born singer sharing a photograph on his Instagram Stories showcasing his personal collection of Nezumi’s First Love‘s physical volumes. This public display of interest quickly caught the attention of Japanese publishers, who thanked him for his support.
Written and illustrated by Riku Oseto, Nezumi’s First Love follows an ordinary young man named Ao, who lives a mundane life until he falls for a mysterious girl named Nezumi. However, the sweet romance is quickly upended when it is revealed that Nezumi was raised by the yakuza to be a cold-blooded killing machine. When her employers discover the relationship, they give Nezumi an ultimatum. She must either kill Ao or train him to become a professional assassin like herself, leading to a spiral of violence and obsession.
Oseto started serializing the manga in Kodansha’s Weekly Young Magazine in November 2023. The dark romance series has been nominated for several awards including Next Manga Awards and also ranking in 2025’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi list for male audiences.
