The Devil Does Exist, Volume 1
by Mitsuba Takanashi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mitsuba Takanashi is one of my favourite character fashion artists. Every day the characters have a new look, a new hairdo, a new style… even the boys. This just proves to me what a great artist she is. That she can actually vary a characters appearance but still not confuse the reader. There are some artists who just do not have the skill to pull this off.
The other thing that’s great about Takanashi is that she seems to have a great handle on human-nature. Her angsty series seem to actually come from somewhere, rather than just being angsty because that’s what teenagers do. Her teens are thoughtful and actually change and accept new situations. Her series are always satisfying, if not a little frustrating while we wait for characters to resolve their issues.
This is a series about Kayano — a typical teenage girl in her second year of high school. In her group of friends she’s the dopey meddlesome friend which they eventually label as the “heroic” type — and Takeru, a first year student, the bad boy of the school and also the principle’s son. As it happens, Takeru’s father and Kayano’s mother have decided to get married, which means Takeru and Kayano will soon be brother and sister. The story begins when Takeru finds out one of Kayano’s secrets and starts to blackmail her. But eventually she realizes he’s not as bad as he seems. And, as Takeru and Kayano become closer, they must try to resolve what that means for their future happiness as a family.
Love love love, this series! I don’t care who you are, this series is worth the read.
manga hoarder 