The Demon Ororon Vol. 1 by Mizuki Hakase
Publication: TokyoPop (April 6, 2004), 240 pages / ISBN 1591827256
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: 
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One sentence review: Had a lot of possibility, but turned out to be a dud.
When I was younger and untrained in the ways of manga, I’d read whatever I could get my hands on and not care about the art style or story content. Now that Ive branched out beyond shonen and shoujo (into seinen, actually), I’m much more picky, and unfortunately this manga does not make the cut.
Summary from Amazon:
Chiaki is the orphaned daughter of the Archangel Michael and a human woman. Ororon is a devil with a bounty on his head. Together, they struggle to stay alive as the battle between devils and the angelic order rage around them.
The plot is a feasibly interesting one: king of Hell runs away to Earth, meets a angel-human hybrid, falls in love, questions his morals, etc. In reality it’s melodramatic and weepy and I was frequently confused. Though I can handle angst when it’s necessary and done well, here it’s just piled on and then sledgehammered into a slightly recognizable shape: waif no-one loves finds someone to love her; he does, etc. It’s kind of like the poor little match girl, except with demons and fashionably androgynous clothing.
So, yeah, melodramatic. Also I hated the art (everyone was so thin and stick-like, like they’d break if ever caught in a stiff wind), the characters (boring!), and the story. It seems like it’s been done before, and done better, and I don’t think The Demon Ororon brought anything new to the table. Also I was frequently confused with all these new story lines brought in abruptly and then abandoned like so much dirty laundry. It jumped around a lot, and yet was simultaneously boring.
For all that, it wasn’t absolutely, completely terrible. I can see the attraction someone might have to it, especially people who love angel/demon romances. The art could have been quite stylish if it was more consistent and if the characters didn’t all look the same. And the romance itself, once you shifted out all the dreck, was kind of sweet. If it was written in a different way, with some different art, I might have even liked it.
Oh, and though it’s marketed as 13+, it’s got some nudity and sexual violence in it, so, er. I’d say 15+ minimum.
Other reviews: Welcome Consumer | Mania.com | Tiamat’s Manga Reviews
Thursday Tea is a weekly meme hosted by yours truly. To play along, all you need is some tea, a book, and the will to answer some very simple questions: what tea are you drinking (and do you like it)? What book are you reading (and do you like it)? Tell us a little about your tea and your book, and whether or not the two go together.
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Here’s a summary from Amazon:
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