• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Comment Policy
    • Disclosures & Disclaimers
  • Resources
    • Links, Essays & Articles
    • Fandomology!
    • CLAMP Directory
    • BlogRoll
  • Features & Columns
    • 3 Things Thursday
    • Adventures in the Key of Shoujo
    • Bit & Blips (game reviews)
    • BL BOOKRACK
    • Bookshelf Briefs
    • Bringing the Drama
    • Comic Conversion
    • Fanservice Friday
    • Going Digital
    • It Came From the Sinosphere
    • License This!
    • Magazine no Mori
    • My Week in Manga
    • OFF THE SHELF
    • Not By Manga Alone
    • PICK OF THE WEEK
    • Subtitles & Sensibility
    • Weekly Shonen Jump Recaps
  • Manga Moveable Feast
    • MMF Full Archive
    • Yun Kouga
    • CLAMP
    • Shojo Beat
    • Osamu Tezuka
    • Sailor Moon
    • Fruits Basket
    • Takehiko Inoue
    • Wild Adapter
    • One Piece
    • After School Nightmare
    • Karakuri Odette
    • Paradise Kiss
    • The Color Trilogy
    • To Terra…
    • Sexy Voice & Robo
  • Browse by Author
    • Sean Gaffney
    • Anna Neatrour
    • Michelle Smith
    • Katherine Dacey
    • MJ
    • Brigid Alverson
    • Travis Anderson
    • Phillip Anthony
    • Derek Bown
    • Jaci Dahlvang
    • Angela Eastman
    • Erica Friedman
    • Sara K.
    • Megan Purdy
    • Emily Snodgrass
    • Nancy Thistlethwaite
    • Eva Volin
    • David Welsh
  • MB Blogs
    • A Case Suitable For Treatment
    • Experiments in Manga
    • MangaBlog
    • The Manga Critic
    • Manga Report
    • Soliloquy in Blue
    • Manga Curmudgeon (archive)

Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

demon love spell

Happy Marriage, Vol. 3 & Demon Love Spell, Vol. 5

December 5, 2013 by Anna N

Happy Marriage Volume 3

I continue to enjoy Maki Enjoji’s series about an office lady who abruptly finds herself married to a seemingly cold and domineering company president. Chiwa and Hokuto have gradually grown closer over the first two volumes of this series, and the relationship continues to develop further in the third volume. Chiwa finally deals with Hokuto when he’s in a vulnerable position when he suddenly becomes ill, and she has to tend to him at home. One thing I enjoy is the way Enjoji slips into showing action without words or thought balloons in order to show events with more emotional impact. When Hokuto wakes up in the middle of the night and sees Chiwa sleeping by the side of his bed, he looks absolutely shocked, then silently pulls her over so she can sleep more comfortably beside him. There are still some slice of life humorous moments in the manga, like when Chiwa deals with Hokuto’s hidden slovenly habits at home and her tendency to become an “Octopus Woman” when she sleeps.

The big emotional breakthrough in the volume occurs when Chiwa and Hokuto have to go visit his family, and Chiwa sees how poorly he’s treated by his relatives. This explains a great deal about his personality and motivations, and Chiwa gets so angry she is more emotionally honest about her feelings for her husband as she’s sticking up for him than she’s ever been when talking to Hokuto directly. I’m looking forward to what happens next! It is a bit odd to root for a married couple to get together, but Enjoji manages to pull this situation off with an engaging story and sympathetic characters.

Demon Love Spell Volume 5

This volume will be particularly fun for any fans of Mayu Shinjo’s series Sensual Phrase. Demon Love Spell can be depended upon to serve up plenty of humor and paranormal romance hijinks, and this volume picks things up with a funny plot device. Incubus Kagura and priestess Miko decide that they’re going to move out of Miko’s family home/shrine and her father promptly agrees! But before they go Miko’s father uses his priestly powers and puts a curse on Kagura so that he will be utterly incapable of romancing Miko in any capacity. The young teenager and incredibly old incubus struggle with finding an apartment. Miko starts working a part-time job to support them. They barely ever see each other, and it seems like their new apartment may also be haunted!

In any romance manga, misunderstandings get in the way of true love, and when Kagura decides to go into showbiz in order to make some money to support Miko, she promptly becomes jealous and concerned that he’s getting “powered up” from other women. Kagura’s demonic hotness ensures overnight success as a male model, and he soon becomes a pop sensation as well. Much is made of Kagura’s resemblance to the hero Sakuya from Sensual Phrase, and I found it hilarious that Shinjo’s habit of drawing her male heroes in a very similar fashion was acknowledged in this manner. All in all, this was another fun volume of this series. I’m definitely enjoying Demon Love Spell much more than Ai Ore, and I hope that more of Shinjo’s series get translated over here.

Filed Under: REVIEWS Tagged With: demon love spell, happy marriage, shojo beat, shoujo, viz media

Demon Love Spell, Vol. 3

May 28, 2013 by Anna N

Demon Love Spell Volume 3 by Mayu Shinjo

It is nice being able to read a Mayu Shinjo series that I can wholeheartedly enjoy. There are so many overly serious paranormal romance stories out there, it is still refreshing to visit Demon Love Spell for a bit of a comedic spin on the genre. Bumbling shrine maiden Miko and overly alpha male incubus Kagura are just goofy enough to be funny but not ridiculous, and their relationship has enough character-based humor that it is easy to root for them as a couple.

This volume opens with the overly theatrical banishing of a demon by Sou Yamabuki, a former pupil of Miko’s father. Kagura in chibi-form gets jealous that Miko is crushing on Yamabuki on TV, but she assures him that she thinks he’s the coolest. At school the next day Miko gets a bunch of attention from other guys and excitedly assumes that she’s now popular with boys. Miko and Kagura go on an actual date with some great moments where Miko blackmails Kagura into ignominious activities like eating hamburgers by threatening to shrink him again. The ending of the date is interrupted by Sou, who promptly banishes the source of Miko’s new found charms – a weak succubus demon. With Sou, Shinjo explores the old standby “sudden fiance” as he decides that he needs to marry Miko in order to take her away from Kaguya. Sou also reveals that while Miko’s ability to apply her power might not be the best yet, she’s actually extremely gifted. Sou’s desires seem to center more on gaining demon fighting power than truly caring for Miko. Kaguya decides upon an extremely unorthodox method to fend off his rival, but it does show how much he actually cares for the priestess. The next main story in the volume focuses on the sudden appearance of a handsome snow demon who spends some time protecting Miko when Kaguya storms off in a huff.

I still sort of wish that some of Shinjo’s other, earlier series would be translated over here. Sensual Phrase has most other English-translated shoujo beat for unadulterated melodrama. But Demon Love Spell is a nice substitute. It has the humor of Ai Ore without going too far out into left field, and the relationship between Miko and Kaguya is nicely balanced due to the power imbalance inherit in him spending a good portion of each day as mini-figure clipped to her handbag. This was a satisfying volume of this series, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with Miko’s newly revealed power in future volumes.

Filed Under: REVIEWS Tagged With: demon love spell, shojo beat, viz media

Bookshelf Briefs 4/1/13

April 1, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N, MJ and Michelle Smith 1 Comment

This week, Sean, Anna, MJ, & Michelle look at recent releases from Kodansha Comics, Viz Media, Yen Press, and Vertical, Inc.


attack4Attack on Titan, Vol. 4 | By Hajime Isayama | Kodansha Comics – The art still has issues with facial differences, but this is finally the volume where we see developed characters beyond the big three. Annie and Jean both get to show off potential antagonist chops, but my favorite was Sasha, or “Potato Girl.” In a manga as deeply depressing and bleak as this series is, we need moments of levity—moments we didn’t get in the first three volumes. Sasha’s personality, love of food, and general liveliness are a breath of fresh air. Of course, that doesn’t mean this volume is all laughs. We cycle back and forth between training flashbacks and the present day so quickly that I lose track of which is which (black borders would help, Isayama—don’t you read manga?), and the present day is bad for everyone, with more corpses, more distrust of Eren, and a bleak future promised. Also, Blouse? Not Braus? This reminds me of Fairy Tail romanization… -Sean Gaffney

demon2Demon Love Spell, Vol. 2 | By Mayu Shinjo | Viz Media I read the first volume and liked this series much more than Ai Ore!, and that was confirmed by the second volume, which kicks off with an unexpectedly poignant story of a lost fox demon. Miko continues to be a reasonable foil for any demons she encounters due to her almost bull-headed obliviousness. A scene of her fending off a demonic spirit with an extra sandwich was hilarious. Kagura is very much the typical alpha male Shinjo hero, but his frequent transformations into a tiny handbag mascot keeps him from being too insufferable. This is going to be a go-to fun read for me whenever I need a bit of a laugh. – Anna N

saika1-200x300Durarara!! Saika Arc, Vol. 1 | By Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Akiyo Satorigi | Yen Press – As always with DRRR!!, there’s a lot going on here at the same time. Mikado fades into the background a bit, as we turn to Anri and her own self-esteem issues, which aren’t helped by a sexually harassing teacher. Shizuo is on the cover, and some of his backstory is covered here, showing why he is so incredibly strong—and why it’s a burden rather than a choice. And of course there’s also a series of assaults in the city, as everyone’s getting slashed by a mysterious demon sword—who’s also an internet troll. DRRR!! is the sort of series where explaining everything that’s going on makes it sound more complicated than it is. This is the life of a city, as filtered through about 20 different cast members. Like the author’s other series, Baccano!, there is no main character. Just lots of fun and chaos. – Sean Gaffney

books_limit4Limit, Vol. 4 | By Keiko Suenobu | Vertical, Inc. – As swiftly as Limit‘s group of survivors came together in the series’ third volume, they fall apart even more quickly in the fourth, as it becomes clear that one among them has committed a brutal murder. Accusations are hurdled from all sides, and yet another member of their party will be lost before the group finally settles into a sort of grudging paranoia that is unlikely to abate anytime soon. Volumes of this series seem to fly by, that’s how engaging they are, and I emerged from this one with a combination of dread and feverish anticipation. Fortunately, these are being released on a reasonably brisk schedule, with volume five due out before the end of May. Given the series’ tense atmosphere and quick pacing, it’ll be a great candidate for marathon reading once all six volumes have been released. I look forward to that re-read for sure. Still recommended. – MJ

saiunkoku9The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 9 | By Kairi Yura and Sai Yukino | Viz Media – The main storyline of The Story of Saiunkoku wrapped up quite satisfactorily in volume eight, and I never would’ve thought that a subsequent volume of side stories would be necessary. And, indeed, it really isn’t. There are three stories in this final volume—“So Began the Fairy Tale,” which offers a glimpse at the early loss of innocence suffered by Shoka, Shurei’s father; “Hurrican Ryuren Strikes the Capital,” about the eccentric member of the Ran clan who achieved the second-highest rank on the civil servants’ exam; and “Someday I Will Come to You,” about Shoka’s odd brother Reishin and his continued obsession with Shurei. Actually, rather a lot is made of Reishin and his obsession for Shoka, too, and it’s a joke that’s warn a bit thin with me. Nevertheless, this is a pleasant volume, if not the most dramatic or substantial. I’ll miss this series. – Michelle Smith

Filed Under: Bookshelf Briefs Tagged With: attack on titan, demon love spell, durarara, Limit, the story of saiunkoku

Off the Shelf: Ghosts, Demons, & Darling Kitten Hair

December 16, 2012 by MJ and Michelle Smith 4 Comments

MJ: Helloooooooooooooo!

MICHELLE: Yo.

MJ: It took every bit of willpower I had not to begin with “Ho, ho, ho!” That’s how much I’m looking forward to my upcoming vacation.

MICHELLE: Heh. I’m not taking much of one, but hubby is, which is kind of like a vacation for me!

MJ: I hope it gives you a least a bit of a break! I’m counting the days…

So, in all the mess of holiday preparations (or not), have you had a chance to read any manga?

MICHELLE: Not a great deal, actually, but some!

demonlovespell1The first item on my agenda this week is the debut of Demon Love Spell, a supernatural shoujo comedy from Mayu Shinjo. I must admit that the setup of this one—an inept shrine maiden with the thoroughly uninspired name of “Miko” tames a sexy demon—did not sound very promising. Coupled with the mess that is Ai Ore!, I definitely had to question why I was putting myself through another Shinjo manga. As it turns out, though, it isn’t bad. It’s not good, nor original, but it isn’t bad!

Miko Tsubaki is descended from a family that has protected a certain shrine for generations. Her father is a renowned exorcist, and though Miko lacks the ability to see ghosts and demons, she still wants to follow in his footsteps. When a classmate suggests her cheating boyfriend is possessed by a demon, Miko takes her seriously and attempts to bind the guy. To her utter astonishment, she succeeds. Kagura, a formerly studly incubus, who survives by feeding off women’s passionate feelings, has been reduced to a tiny state. This ignominious downfall prompts other demons to show up and mock him. However, whenever Kagura’s in physical contact with Miko, she’s able to see and fight them off.

Thus begins a partnership, with Miko lending him energy and him lending her his powers until she’s able to remember the spell to change him back. Of course, there’s a lot of innuendo here, as Kagura is typically tucked into her cleavage for these scenes, and he also has been visiting her sexually in her dreams. I did kind of worry this would be something like Black Bird, but it really isn’t. Kagura is pretty sexually voracious, true, but he doesn’t seem to be doing anything Miko doesn’t want—her dream self states quite plainly that she’s been enjoying what’s going on—and occasionally seems rather sad that she’s unable to remember their closeness during their waking hours. Theirs isn’t a deep love and unfolds far too quickly to be convincing, but at least it’s not icky.

Ultimately, Demon Love Spell is kind of generic, but it’s the kind of fluff one can enjoy without feeling bad about it.

MJ: I reviewed this book for my very first episode of My Week in Manga, and surprisingly, I think I enjoyed it more than you did—or at least felt more enthusiastic about enjoying it—though this could possibly be due to my extremely low expectations. (I never made it past volume two of Ai Ore!) I think I really appreciate its ability to provide some genuine sexiness without all the gross misogyny of Ai Ore! or Black Bird. I don’t know why these things always seem to go hand-in-hand in trashy shoujo manga, but they really do. I’m grateful for a break from it.

MICHELLE: Yes, “sexy without being gross” is a good way to describe it. I like it enough so far to read more, but it’s not the kind of thing I see myself wanting to reread multiple times in the future.

Anyways, what have you been reading this week?

kittenhair2MJ: I pondered heavily over what to choose for my solo read this week—even going so far as to solicit suggestions on YouTube—but in the end, I snatched up the opportunity to talk about volume two of Haruko Kumota’s My Darling Kitten Hair, out this week from JManga. Normally, I’d save a title like this for our BL Bookrack column, but this series is so charming, I just couldn’t wait that long!

A quick recap of the premise for those who missed my short review of the first volume: Young salaryman Kei-chan has left his Hokkaido hometown in order to join his high school boyfriend, Mii-kun (a slovenly writer who makes his living penning erotica), at his grandmother’s boarding house in Tokyo. Though the two have been a couple for a long time, the bohemian atmosphere of the boarding house is a far cry from their closeted world back home, which turns out to be a real adjustment for both of them.

This is absolutely a slice-of-life series, much heavier on characterization than it is on plot, but its series of snapshots into the young men’s lives illustrates beautifully the unquestionable weirdness of becoming a real, independent adult, especially when you’re trying to do it alongside someone from your childhood. Volume one focused heavily on Kei-chan’s introduction to Mii-kun’s queer circle of friends and the shifting of their relationship from chaste country sweethearts (and later, long-distance lovers) into that of sexually active adults. Volume two continues with more of both, which in less skilled hands might simply become repetitive. Fortunately Kumota is the kind of writer who understands how to move her characters forward without having to rely on dramatic plot points to do so. Her deceptively light story develops slowly and naturally, full of warmth and charm in every moment.

It’s so rare to read a BL series (or any relationship-driven story) that is about staying in love rather than falling in love, and there’s a reason for that. It’s hard! As difficult as it can be to write authentic, well-developed romance, much like actual romance, it’s even harder to keep that fire burning after the initial rush of first love. Thankfully, My Darling Kitten Hair stands as a lovely example of how to do exactly that. And it’s a real pleasure to read.

MICHELLE: That sounds really wonderful. Almost like a worthy successor to Future Lovers, if I may make so bold a claim having not read any of the title in question! Is the story still ongoing after the second volume?

MJ: The internet tells me that it is, indeed, ongoing, which fills me with great joy! You particularly, Michelle, will enjoy the two bonus chapters at the end of volume two, depicting Kei-chan and Mii-kun’s relationship from the contrasting POVs of the boarding house’s two cats.

So as usual, we have a mutual read on deck. Would you like to introduce it this week?

MICHELLE: !! Okay, that settles it. I am going to do a brief of this in next week’s Bookshelf Briefs, I do declare!

07-ghost1Our mutual read this week is the re-debut of 07-Ghost, which was originally launched by Go!Comi a few years ago and is now back in print thanks to VIZ Media. This political/military/religious fantasy is the story of Teito Klein, a shrimpy (there needs to be some kind of master list of short male manga protagonists!) but talented student at the Barsburg Empire military academy. He’s a member of the special class, whose students use a power called zaiphon “to shape the divine energy of life.”

Their graduation ceremony includes banding together to defeat a hulking prisoner, and soon after Teito and his best friend Mikage manage to pass the test, Teito overhears some school officials talking about how he’s the best candidate for something called the Eye of Mikael, which was a stone that protected the rival Raggs Kingdom. This sets off a flurry of disjointed memories, and very quickly thereafter Teito has escaped and found himself seeking sanctuary in a church ruled by three rather eccentric bishops. The school/military hasn’t given up on finding him, however, and they’ve got no qualms about using Mikage to do it.

MJ: Well done, Michelle! What readers also should know is that this series runs in Ichijinsha’s Comic Zero Sum which, if you’re a fan of other Zero Sum fantasy series from authors like Yun Kouga (Loveless) and Kazuya Minekura ( Saiyuki Reload), gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect. I went into 07-Ghost expecting three things: pretty male characters, sprawling fight scenes, and homoerotic subtext, and it delivered on all three.

MICHELLE: It definitely reminds me of those series, especially visually. Somehow the art style strikes me as “old-fashioned,” but I can’t really explain why. It’s not as light and simple as some things I’ve been reading recently, which helps create the fantasy feeling, methinks. There were times when I was confused by what I was looking at—what is that flying thing? what’s going on in this fight scene?—but these questions were all quickly answered by the story, so it wasn’t really an issue.

One thing I had some issues with is the pacing. Teito’s escape from the military academy after that overheard conversation is a veritable whirlwind, and he deduces very quickly that he’s a member of Raggs royalty. Perhaps I’m simply used to other manga, where we actually see the moment when a truth is realized, and there is much emphasis on the point to make sure the reader gets it, but with 07-Ghost it felt a little rushed to me. His memories, visions, and temptations to sell his soul in order to learn about his past can also be a little confusing. But that said, I think some of the other plot elements are paced nicely, like the continued allusions to the seven ghosts who I can only assume are eventually going to awaken and do something badass.

MJ: I agree, there were some whirlwind sections that left me feeling a bit frazzled and confused (though the story always caught me back up), and I think the fight scenes in particular could use more definition. But overall, I really enjoyed the chance to sink into some female-aimed action/fantasy, which I’ll admit is a pet genre of mine. I feel like the rushed introduction to Teito’s past was supposed to sweep us along so that we’d experience the same shock as Teito does, but it doesn’t linger quite long enough on that moment of realization which robs it of some impact (and a bit of credibility). But in the context of the whole volume, I can accept this as a minor stumble. And I’m anxious to find out more about the seven ghosts!

MICHELLE: Me, too! I wasn’t aware prior to reading this that I actually wanted 07-Ghost to be license-rescued, but now that it has been, I see that it was a pretty worthy contender. Thanks, VIZ!

Filed Under: OFF THE SHELF Tagged With: 07 Ghost, demon love spell, my darling kitten hair

Demon Love Spell Vol. 1

December 3, 2012 by Anna N

I ended up liking Mayu Shinjo’s Ai Ore a bit more than I thought I would after reading the first omnibus volume. The second series settles in as more of a straightforward comedy series, without some of the problematic gender dynamics that were present in the earlier series. Still, Ai Ore didn’t inspire much rereading or long term affection from me. One of my problems was that the male lead of Ai Ore looked nothing like Sakuya from Sensual Phrase. Shinjo has a somewhat limited set of character designs, but when she does hit on a design she does execute it very well. I experienced far too much cognitive dissonance in Ai Ore expecting a Sakyua clone to pop up, only to be disappointed. Fortunately in Demon Love Spell, the demon in question looks like a typical Shinjo hero half of the time!

Miko is a shrine maiden (ha ha!) who isn’t very good at her job. She can’t sense the demons that she battles, so her technique is limited to chanting random spells and hoping that one of them works. She sees all the girls in her class crying over a faithless boy named Kagura. One of the victims jokes that Kagura has to be a demon because no human boy could go through women that fast. Miko makes up for her lack of skill with enthusiasm and she decides to rush off and exorcise the womanizer. Miko fins Kagura kissing yet another girl and starts lecturing him about the dangers of being possessed by an incubus who preys on the sexual desire of women. Kagura finds Miko extremely hilarious until she casts a spell on him and he actually disappears. Miko starts crying because she thinks that she accidentally killed someone when she hears an angry voice yelling at her from the vicinity of her shins, saying that it is impossible that someone like her could bind his powers.

Kagura wasn’t possessed by an incubus, he actually is one of the most powerful incubi around, and now he’s trapped as a powerless chibi version of himself only a few inches tall. Miko and Kagura end up developing a symbiotic relationship. When she’s in contact with him she can actually see the demons she wants to battle. If Miko gives Kagura a tiny amount of affection, his powers kick in and he’s able to help her. Kagura in appearance and demeanor is very much a typical Shinjo alpha male. He’s imperious and demanding, which doesn’t always play very well when he looks like a three inch tall cherub. One of the reasons why I wasn’t able to enjoy Ai Ore as much is that the relationship between the protagonists was a bit unbalanced. Even though this was deliberately done to contrast with the character’s outward appearances, Mizuki was too tremulous and Akira too demanding for me to really root for them as a couple. The personalities of the characters are much more balanced in Demon Love Spell. Miko might not be the best shrine maiden in the world, but she has no problem torturing Kaguya in his chibi form by dressing him up in clothes belonging to an old doll of hers. She decides to fasten Kaguya to a chain and hang him on her handbag to take him to school with her, and she starts lecturing him on proper behavior, saying “Bag mascots aren’t supposed to talk!”

Kaguya is still able to use manifest his regular form and power up when he visits Miko in her dreams, but she doesn’t remember anything the next morning. The incubus helps Miko fend off all the demons that are gathering around her, drawn by the fact that she managed to capture him. As the story develops, it seems like Kaguya is starting to feel genuine concern and affection for Miko. Or perhaps he’s just comfortable with the fact that he’s able to hang out in her cleavage when they enter battle together. Demon Love Spell was a fun comedic version of paranormal romance manga. While the comedy explored in Demon Love Spell is on a bit of a similar wavelength as Ai Ore, I found the characters much more interesting and sympathetic. I think readers who tried Ai Ore and didn’t care for it should give this series a try. I still tend to prefer Shinjo when she is in serious and dramatic soap-opera mode as seen in Sensual Phrase, but Demon Love Spell was quite enjoyable.

Filed Under: MANGA REVIEWS, REVIEWS Tagged With: demon love spell, Mayu Shinjo, shojo beat, shoujo

 | Log in
Copyright © 2010 Manga Bookshelf | Powered by WordPress & the Genesis Framework