Ranked #5155

Calling (One Shot)

[This is actually one of the side stories of Watashi no Ookami-san, which is a two volume manga. You can find it in the 2nd volume.]

So, I felt I needed to write a review for this particular oneshot, because it's one of my favorites (and one that I always wish had been continued). I'll say it straight up; it's cute fluff without much plot. But hey, what can you expect for only 36 pages?

The story is pretty fun, but not very original... We start out with two demons, Cruel and Karlo, fighting each other in the Underworld; some sort of power dispute. Unfortunately, before they can finish their duel, Cruel gets summoned away! He lands in the presence of a very ditzy young girl named Pearl who is just too cute for her own good. He attempts to kill her, and ends up summoning a giant statue to land on his own head. He's become a demon servant, and can't hurt his mistress. Things degenerate from there.

The art is vaguely reminiscent of CLAMP style... Pointy chins on the guys, really big eyes for the girls, dubious masculinity... I personally like this style, so it won't get much complaint from me. Cruel looks cute, I love long hair, and Pearl is very pretty. The layout seems a bit too crowded at times, but not to the point where I'm getting headaches.

For being a 36 page manga, the characters have some decent background. We don't see much of Karlo (heeey, he's only in about 6-7 pages), but Cruel is evil demon status until he realizes that he can't do anything vaguely demonic worthy while being a servant, and Pearl sort of reminds me of Tohru from Fruits Basket. She's a bit of a ditz, but she'll do what she can to help you out, with some unexpected and noteworthy advice to boot.

I love this story. It's cute, sweet, sticks out in my memory, and also very short... I wish it had been longer, and that we could have seen some more interaction between Cruel & Pearl, but alas~ it is only a one shot.

Overall, it's a fun read. And even if you find that you're not so fond of it, well, there's not that much to read anyways, so finish it and smile about it when you're done. I think that it's very well done for being a side story to something else. read more