Speaking of making great art this year, there are few mangaka making art as great as Witch Hat Atelier creator Kamome Shirahama. This year saw the release of her first manga, but could it possibly be as divine as its premise?
ENIALE & DEWIELA (Enidevi), by Kamome Shirahama. First published in 2012 and first published in North America in 2020.
PLOT:
Eniale and Dewiela are an angel and demon respectively. They're meant to save/harvest souls on behalf of their respective bosses, but these two are just as likely to get distracted with earthly pleasures and petty fights than anything else. Still, when opportunity presents itself, be it a lost baby or a desperate young girl, they work all the magic and miracles they can employ to succeed.
STORY:
Eniale and Dewiela is basically what happens when you mash up Good Omens, Panty & Stocking, and Saint Young Men, and then straining the result so that only the best parts are left. Like the first part, it's something of a comedy where an angel and demon pal around. Like the second part, there's a combative quality to their friendship from which plot can blossom. Like the last part, a fair bit of the humor comes from Shirahama having fun with both demonic and angelic lore, although hers requires far fewer translator notes or extra reading to make sense.
That's not to say that Shirahama doesn't bring anything of her own to this series. Eniale and Dewiela are both absolutely charming as characters. Eniale has a combination of innocence and impishness that's adorable, while Dewiela has a harder, sassier edge that allows her to serve as the perfect foil. There's even a hook for something resembling an ongoing plot, with a fanatical journalist/amateur exorcist obsessed with demons. That being said, it's not a deep series. It's just out to have a good time and look fabulous in the process.
ART:
This series proves that the beauty of Witch Hat Atelier was not a fluke. The elaborate details, the charming character designs, the playful framing - it's all here. The biggest difference is the lack of that textured hatching that lends WHA its unique look. Something this series has that WHA does not is a keen eye for fashion.
You can tell that Shirahama had an absolute blast researching and drawing all the beautiful designer clothes that the main characters wear. I can't recall a manga series that put so much effort into something as small as the high heels the characters wear, and every outfit was a look that I longed to wear myself. Shirahama's eyes don't just stop at fashion, though. There is definitely an undercurrent of horniness to this series that surfaces every so often. It's not lurid, but it's definitely done in a way that highlights their bodies in alluring ways. The closest comparison I can make is to the hornier chapters of Kaoru Mori's Anything and Something.
RATING:
Eniale & Dewiela is just as delightful to read as it is to behold. It's very different from WHA and certainly not as child-friendly, but it still earns a hearty recommendation from me.
This series is published by Yen Press. This series is complete in Japan with 3 volumes available. 1 volume has been published and is currently in print.
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