Nee, Dare ni mo Himitsu da yo
Don't say to anyone about us.

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Mod Note: This review was written for Akuma ga Kitarite, which has been subsequently merged into this entry.

I´m not going to say this manga stands out for its originality, unique art or mindblowing characters. It’s the typical love story between a cute highschool girl and her delinquent classmate.

But it has enough merits to be rated generously.

Story - 8
The story isn´t new... as a matter of fact, it´s already been written over and over again. But in this particular case, it is told from the point of view of the male character, which is a very good choice. I must give merit to the author for ... that, because it brings a new perspective and enforces the contrast between the impression people have of the character and how he really is, as we can get into his mind. This choice of point of view also allows getting rid of some of the most annoying things in shoujo manga, such as the usual teary eyes. Shoujo heroins cry too much, and tend to overthink things. I was getting tired of shoujo heroins crying over the slightest thing, and going in circles jumping from one silly misunderstanding to another. Non of that happens here. Instead, the manga aims to reflect the innocence and shyness of youth in a much more joyful way. It’s kind of refreshing.

Characters - 7
"Akuma ga Kitarite" is a short manga -a oneshot- so there isn´t much time for character development. The characters are just "presented". But, to be true, stories such as this don´t require digging deep into the character´s psychology.
However, they are nice characters. Ruiji, Chigira (the male character) has very funny expressions. And the heroin has a very interesting reaction when he finds out about his feelings... I won´t say what her reaction is, as it would be a spoiler.

Art - 8
The art is consistent with the point of view from which the story is told. It is cleaner, a little more "masculine" than most shoujo manga: no flower frames, no diamonds, bubbles or sparkling lights in the background... no hair or clothes flowing with the wind, even when the characters are indoors.

The story continues in a 12 chapter manga called "Kimi ni Koi Shite Ii desu ka", which I haven´t read yet. We´ll see how it turns out later. For the time being, you can say this works fine as a one-shot. It is a refreshing option for those who like shoujo manga, but are a little fed up with teary plots, or are suffering an overdose of sweetness.