Customer Reviews

Demon Diary, Book 1

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I'll admit it; the only reason I bought this book in the first place was because of the gorgeous artwork that immediately drew me in. Sure, I had skimmed over the summary on the back, but that wasn't the priority for me at the moment. Yet right now, I'm glad my thinking then was that shallow, because I'm very glad of the choice I'd made at that fateful day at the bookstore.

Demon Diary is amazing in just about every aspect one would require a manga to be in order to be great. It's a story about the demon lord Raenef and his mentor, Eclipse. These two make a very interesting couple to say the least; Raenef acts like anything but a demon lord, completely clueless and sometimes downright dense. Eclipse, on the other hand, is Raenef's respectable and rather serious tutor. (Although at times he does have his rather humerous moments.) The combination of the two personalities is nothing short of laugh-out-loud funny. At this point of the story, Demon Diary is nothing more than informing the readers of Eclipse and Raenef's process of teaching/learning, yet at the end of it all, someone unexpected does manage to test Raenef's abilities as a demon lord. As a bonus, there are also two short stories at the end of the manga, titled "Crystal Heart" and "Terra".

The artwork is top-notch and beautiful down to the last page, and obviously very shoujo. The relationship between Eclipse and Raenef (and when I mean relationship, I mean RELATIONSHIP. Shonen-ai warning for those of you averse to it) will probably appeal to mostly female readers, yet the nifty magic scenes and exploding pieces of building may attract a male audience.

In any case, Demon Diary is a wonderful manga that anyone who is interested graphic novels in general should at least take a look at.

The basic plotline of this story is that Raneaf is an orphan who discoveres that he is actually a "Demon Lord" and that Eclipse, who found him, will be his teacher and mentor, teaching him how to become an evil demon rampaging human villages and the like. The only problem is that Raneaf is the cutest sweetest boy ever and that he becomes a laughingstock of the demon world as well as Eclipse who is a very highly ranked demon. However instead of hating Raneaf and that fact that's he's lost status by being his teacher, Eclipse becomes incredibly fond of him and this wonderful relationship ensues. I really like this manga; though I am bothered at times at how feminine the characters are drawn. I would stare at new characters for minutes trying to decide if they were male or female. Raneaf is so cute and funny and of course Eclipse is mysterious, forbidding and alluring. The two of them together is pure magic; the kind of relationship that is so captivating in manga.

The cover art dragged me in, I'll admit it! I'd seen a few side stories from DD, but decided to purchase it and see how TokyoPop did.

Demon Diary is basically about a young innocent bishounen (yes, he's male ^_~) named Raenef who's being trained to be a demon lord by a higher class sophisticated and sexy demon named Eclipse. Seeing poor Eclipse struggle with his clueless tutor in the challenge of becoming the 'world's greatest demon lord' proves to be one of the most hilarious manga relationships I've enjoyed in a while. The first volume is admitted slow, but it's a great start to explain the challenges in Raenef's training and a confrontation with a knight at the end. A few of my friends were confused, but the stories 'Crystal Heart' and 'Terra' are stand-alone bonus stories. They're very dark, and Crystal Heart really depressed me. Nevertheless, the artwork of the entire volume was gorgeous. I'll read it over and over again; I definitely can't wait for volume 2.

In conclusion, fans of fantasy, comedy, shounen-ai, demon, and magic should have a kick out of Demon Diary. :)

"You will reign in terror whether you like it or not!" ~Eclipse

Yes, that's right... GORGEOUS! The artwork is, I mean. And the story, too ^_^ Raenef is, without a doubt, adorable if a bit girly-looking. Not that I'm complaining... *cough* Eclipse, baddie demon that he is, is just damn sexy... *more coughing* Anyhow, I expect you want a summary, yes?

So, here goes:
Raenef finds out he is the fifth Demon Lord Raenef, and is bundled off by the prime-example-of-a-demon Eclipse to learn about his new station in life. However, Raenef just isn't QUITE cut out to be a cold-hearted and tyrannical Demon Lord. Maybe a teddy bear, but not a Demon Lord. Attempts at Raenef learning proper Demon Lord-language and etiquette often end up with the serious Eclipse losing his cool and becoming the center of the hilariosity. Which reminds me, I may have failed to mention that Demon Diary is laugh-out-loud funny, and that is no joke! (<-- was not supposed to be a pun in any way, shape, or form) Mangas do not often make me laugh out loud; usually, I just grin when I find something amusing. But this one... I cracked up on several occasions, but especially when Eclipse not-so-calmly informs Raenef, "You will reign in terror whether you like it or not!" I also found it tear-causingly (<-- that's not a word -.-) amusing when Eclipse is trying to tell Raenef that instead of apologizing it is more correct to adopt a haughty tone and ask, "How dare YOU admonish ME, vermin?" (That's not the funny bit, though, hold on...) Moments later, finding himself apologizing once again, Raenef changes tact in mid-sentence and roars, "How dare YOU admonish ME, VERMIN?!" Which leaves Eclipse totally nonplussed... Okay, so it doesn't sound as funny in writing. Which is probably why you should buy it and see for yourself :)

Ah, what else... the relationship between Raenef and Eclipse is often amusing and still sweet as it develops. Yes, this is shounen-ai, and for those who don't know what it is, it's boy's love (i.e., two males falling in love with each other). All you fellow shounen-ai fans out there, HIGH-FIVE! xD Anyhoo, there was one drawing I found especially endearing, when Raenef falls asleep on Eclipse. So cute ^_^

Oh, yes, I mustn't forget to mention, there are two stand-alone stories added at the end... "Crystal Heart" and "Terra". The transition from DD to Crystal Heart and then Terra is, I must admit, confusing because they don't make it very obvious that one story is ending and another beginning. However, once I got the hang of things, I thoroughly enjoyed Crystal Heart. It was a bit depressing, but at the same time I thought it was beautiful, with a sort of universal message. So shoot me! Terra was so short that I kinda felt the plot just got started before it ended... it wasn't made to be a short story. Other than that, very good! ^^

Yes, in general... BUY IT! I SAY! Or steal it, whatever works, you know... Eh, just kidding, heh heh heh *rolls eyes at self and flees*

This manga is hilarious, and I recomend it to everyone in the world! The only real disapointing parts are that it reads like an American book instead of in Japanese format(This may be prefered if it's your first manga, but for those who read them non-stop, it's kind of a bummer) and that it ends so quickly and goes to other stories at the end. Demon Diary is the story of a young demon lord who doesn't know the first thing about being evil, and his teacher, a dreamy demon called Eclipse. Raenef basks in blissful ignorence while poor Eclipse is mentally tortured by the other demons who think Raenef is a joke. Raenef must learn never to appologize, but instead say something imposing, like, "How dare YOU admonish ME, vermin?!?!?" (Which he says in all the wrong places), use dark magic(DARK ARROW!!!), and just be generally dispicable("YOU WILL REIGN IN TERROR WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!!"). While all this is happening, a deeper relationship is hinted at between Raenef and Eclipse...and contrary to popular belief, Raenef is a guy, and yes, they are both guys, the ponytail means nothing!!!! A great additon to anyone's library, whether you're an expirienced manga reader, or a first timer.

Yeah, It the best book ever!!!
Some people said that this book is not
'Japanese-Manga-Book'.
U reads like american book.
Because it's not a Japanese.
As u can see, this author is Korean.
Japanese author never have name like that.
And Korean books are simular to American book.
So, those of u that thinks this is a Japanese book.
Forget it, this book is by Korean author.
*Actually, King of Hell; Rebirth; I.N.V.U;
and many mangas that reads like american book,
those are KOREAN MANGAS.

Actually, they dont call it Mangas. It Man-Hwa!

As most people have already said, you don't expect much from this when you first see it. But I thought it looked interesting, so I got it. It's a good thing I did. This is probably the best manga I've read so far...It's got everything: It looks nice has great characters and a good storyline. I was disappointed when I saw the second one was written by a different person, but they did a good job and I couldn't even tell the difference.

This series has a yaoi (male/male) relationship, but even people who don't like that probably wouldn't mind this to much because it's subtle (so far).

In short this manga is definitely worth picking up and it'll have you laughing hystaricly almost the whole time

I picked this up as my free book in a buy 2 get one free TokyoPop sale I came across. I didn't really expect much from it, but I had read everything else in the store. Was I ever surprised. I fell in love with this book, couldn't wait for vol. 2, and loved that as well.

The clueless Demon Lord Raemef is beyond cute, and Eclipes offsets him perfectly. I don't think I have laughed this much in years. I see great things ahead in the series. I cannot recommend it more.

I just bought this book today, on impulse and based on the beautiful cover art. -smile- And let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed in the least.

First off, everyone should be warned that this manga/manwha contains shounen-ai [boy's love], which means a male/male pairing. If this bothers you, this book is not for you.

The story is pretty simple and uneventful thus far, most of the first volume is spent watching the demon Eclipse struggle to teach his prestige, Raenef, how to act like a proper DemonLord.
These parts, however, prove to be quite hilarius -Raenef is utterly clueless and innocent, making Eclipse's job all the much harder. -smile-
The story probably won't stay mostly comedy though, as Raenef leaves off on an adventure, so hopefully we'll get some butt-kicking action in there! -grin-

The art is typically shoujo [girl's] -plenty of bishounen [pretty boys] to oogle [haha], cute and exaggerated expressions, cute designs in the backgrounds, and the characters spending a good amount of time in chibi/super deformed format.
All in all, the art is quite beautiful; a real treat for the eyes if you're fond of [or even if you're not] the shoujo style.

This story is obviously steered towards a female audience, but I'd recommend this to anyone whom loves a cute and funny storyline with wonderful art. (^_~)

This book basically comes in three parts. The first is the beginning of the series Demon Diary, in which Raenef, a demon who seems very clueless about being a demon, becomes a demon lord. Eclipse is assigned to be his teacher. Raenef is just adorable, and even Eclipse isn't totally immune to his cuteness. Even as Eclipse tries to teach Raenef how to fight and be ruthless, like a good demon lord, the two begin to care for one another. Although there is no sex, and really no suggestion that the relationship has gotten that far (although it's definitely not inconcievable that it will), if you have a problem with even the suggestion of gayness, I would suggest you not touch this book. It will only upset you. The next part of the book is a short manga story called "Crystal Heart," which although not bad, was a bit confusing in the end. The third part of the book is another short manga story called "Terra," which is also good and less confusing. Although I thought both of the short stories at the end of the book were pretty good, I couldn't help but wish that I could've voted for them not to be there, if that would've allowed more of Raenef and Eclipse's story to be told. I really would rather have read more about them, and their part of the book felt VERY short. That's really the main reason why I'm giving this book a four instead of a five. I can't wait to read more in this series.