You’ll have to forgive me, dear reader, for I have not updated this site in two months. Life gets in the way of us creative types. In fact, I wasn’t going to do a review today since I hade neither the drive nor the topic to write one.
That changed when I finally read that comic I bought at Xaverian High School Comic-Con back in May. That comic is called Lovely Demon: Demonic -Reaper Chronicles #1 by Zanny Lane. Apparently, it’s the physical version of the webcomic. That title and the fact that it looked like an American manga is what made me drop $5 (it came with a bookmark and is autographed) to buy it. After reading it, I liked it, but with a few grievances.
The first issue is about Takumi (Tak,) a software engineer for a robot toy company who is unhappy with his line of work. He wants his own company where he can design his own toys. After a chance meeting with a mysterious girl named Yaffa, his career starts to skyrocket and he keeps meeting Yaffa after every success.
It’s an interesting story that at first will leave you confused as to what a demonic-reaper has anything to do with a story that reads like a slice of life. Then the ending comes along and there’s the demonic-reaper. It does come across as mean that someone who just wants to get recognized for their talents ends up in a horrible situation, but it can also be that maybe Yaffa is evil. The writing is strong enough to make readers want to see more people interact with Yaffa. Maybe even a continuous storyline with Yaffa and an antagonist trying to get in her way.
The art needs a bit of work. It has that manga feel to it and the character designs look nice, but the facial expressions and linework have a ways to go. The action scenes also need a bit of work due to it not being 100% clear what’s going on. The biggest complaint is when Tak runs to the rooftop and we see Yaffa behind a bit away from him and then the next he’s much closer. It would’ve worked better if she only appeared in the smaller panel when Tak realizes she’s behind him.
Lovely Demon: Demonic -Reaper Chronicles has a lot going for it. With some tweaking of the story and better facial expressions/ line art, this comic could go places. This is one of the better American manga I have read in a long while.
Categories: Comics
Tags: American manga, Lovely Demon: Demonic -Reaper Chronicles #1 Review, Zanny Lane
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