The Demon Ororon

    (Tokyopop, 2004)
™ and © 2004 Mizuki Hakase
Reads right to left; b&w; Graphic Novel

Chiaki happens to be the orphaned daughter of the Archangel Michael. Now, she has been marked for extermination by Heaven. Ororon, a demon dressed in full Reservoir Dogs gear, is wanted by Hell. It’s the desperate Odd Couple or extreme Romeo and Juliet–type relationship that serves as the engine driving yet another manga that has as its premise that Heaven and Hell aren’t so much diametrically opposed spiritual planes as they are warring street gangs.

Although it earns points for avoiding common genre clichés and keeping the supernatural battles and unnecessary secondary characters to a minimum, there’s sadly nothing very interesting about either Chiaki or Ororon, once you get past their shiny surface gloss.

When this one works, it’s because of the distinctive art (insanely elongated figures) and storytelling (lots and lots of little panels). The combination manages to capture an air of existential emptiness. And, while that won’t be everyone’s idea of fun, it’s definitely like no other manga out there.

— S.A. Bennett
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