Jun 10, 2008
Initially bursting with potential, Demon Diary appears to be the result of what happens when writers are changed during the progression of the story, when plot line sort of either disappears or emerges to have as much sense as a can of beans.
Story
Likely to be this manga’s weakest link, Demon Diary begins with a simple plotline of Raenef’s education to become Demon Lord. Slowly, characters are introduced and relationships are established. This all turns to hell halfway through when ‘revelations’ are made which are about as believable as claiming that pigs could fly. The change in authors appeared to have resulted in a plot that
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does not flow smoothly as we would have liked, as we are left with mysteries and hopeful aspirations for potential events that could and did not ever appear. Much depth and story could have been pulled from the series, yet we’re left with a premature finish that may leave some satisfied, and others bitterly wanting for more.
Art
Arguably one of the strongest points in this series (next to characters), Demon Diary gives to us eye candy to the extreme as Eclipse and Raenef fulfil the requirements of “What makes a bishounen”. The manga brings to us an interesting mix of ‘chibi’ art, action, violence and those scenes that attempt to melt one’s heart, overtaking the story in importance and becoming one of the most prominent reasons for many individuals love for this title.
Character
The characters are a mixed bag. We are likely to start off loving them, yet by the end we may be left with a notion of dissatisfaction as we realize that many characters hardly received the development they so deserved, crushing our hopes of what we may have expected. The backgrounds of certain characters are only explored lightly, and this may give anyone difficultly in sympathising or at least comprehending their actions or decisions throughout key events in the story.
Enjoyment
On a personal level, this series appears to have a huge following, with good reason. Despite the apparent flaws in the storyline and characterisation, we are given an attractive combination of good artwork, loveable (to the point of potential disappointment) characters and a comedic upbeat storyline of the development of Raenef as a Demon Lord. We may also have much disappointment radiating from the series, as we slowly wish that initially developments had widen to become something much more then what reality gave us, but perhaps if we drop this outlook we can fully embrace this series for what it is.
Overall
Summarising Demon Diary’s strongest areas:
Beautiful artwork with elaborate character designs and bishounen that will may keep your eyes glued to the screen (especially if you are female).
Lovable characters that may have lacked development in some cases, but still remain lovable nonetheless.
Change of writers truly made this series suffer on the whole. But if we overlook all of this we may be able to fully enjoy what this title offers to us. As mentioned earlier, this title has a huge fan base. And it is important to emphasise the fact that this has a huge fan base “for good reason”. At the very least, it is a series that can be recommended to all those looking for some comedic fantasy, bishounen or another take on the master and servant relationship. Some may feel disappointed at the developments in this series, but many will most likely not regret giving Demon Diary a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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