THE DEVIL DOES EXIST (Akuma de Soro), by Mitsuba Takanashi. First published in 1999 and first published in North America in 2005.
PLOT:
Kayano just wanted to finally confess to her crush, Yuichi. Instead her letter gets intercepted by Takeru, who uses his looks and his status as the principal's son to get away with all sorts of bullying. Now Kayano is his new favorite target, and his determination to mess with her only increases when Kayano's mother and Takeru's father get engaged. Will Kayano ever escape his torment? Or will she discover that this devil isn't as tough as he looks?
STORY:
Why does shojo manga keep forgiving bad behavior for the sake of a plot? I ask this because The Devil Does Exist follows an all too familiar format. It's yet another story about a weak-willed girl who is endlessly, emotionally steamrolled by a manipulative, arrogant little brat of a teen boy because he's got issues. It's a type of story I've covered here more than once. It's a format that was old hat even when this manga was brand new and it's one that has not radically changed in the thirty years since that point.
Like so many others before and after, Takeru's backstory has plenty of tragedy, even if it's fairly modest compared to others. His parents are divorced, his father (though loving) is often absent, and he conveniently does nice things for other people off-screen that other people can tell Kayano about. It doesn't seem like enough to properly explain his particular brand of douchebaggery, much less excuse it. Yet Takanishi expects Kayano (and by extension, the reader) to do just that because it's up to her to somehow cure him of being a sad and angry little boy.
Maybe the dynamic between them wouldn't feel so egregious if Kayano was allowed to exert even a little control over her situation. It's one thing to be anxious and uncertain, but anytime she's met with the slightest bit of conflict she folds like a house of cards. On the rare occasion she manages to muster up enough bravery to confront Takeru, he inevitably whips the metaphorical rug from under her feet, leaving her powerless yet again. It's hard to root for a couple when their dynamic is essentially a one-sided battle of the sexes that's rigged against one of the players from the start and that made reading this volume excruciating.
ART:
At least Takanishi's art is interesting. Her faces tend to look the same across the board, but it's a cute face with striking eyes and pouting lips. She also clearly loves fashion, dressing her cast in loads of looks that actually change from day to day. She puts a lot of care into the detail and texture of their hair and clothing. Based on Takeru's stylishly tousled hair, smoky eyes, and the time this manga was released, she's also clearly a visual kei fan. Honestly, in many ways it looks like the love child of Nana and The Wallflower, although Takanishi's cast is a bit more gender balanced and not nearly so lanky.
That being said, she's got the same problem as that series in that her dedication to style makes everyone come off as stiff mannequins. She also uses wide thin lines drawn completely over the face to indicate blushing, something that looks more like she's trying to scratch them off the page. At least her pages are well structured. Her artwork wouldn't look half so good if she didn't give it the space and sturdy panel structure needed to really show it off.
RATING:
The Devil Does Exist is an apt title, because the devil must exist to ensure that manga like this keep getting made and keep getting licensed. This is one CMX manga that deserves to remain buried.
This series was published by CMX. This series is complete in Japan with 11 volumes available. All 11 were published and are currently out of print.
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