Customer Reviews

Demon Diary, Book 2

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I felt a bit bad about buying this volume in America when I'd already ordered it from the tiny little shop in my uk hometown... but opening the first page made me forget about that. And besides, they'd messed me around. Two weeks after release date and still not there? Graar!!! It's so not on. =) You Americans seriously have it good. Very few English bookshops sell manga. None sell anywhere near as much as [large seller]. Damn, I want to live out there. Even with all the raccoons.

OK. This second volume has a similarly pretty cover, and similarly astounding art as the first one. It's funny. -er than the first, in some parts. Raenef has nightmares about Eclipse murdering giant vegetables. Maybe I'm easily amused, but I thought that was really good...

Lots more beautiful pictures of Eclipse. Especially in a mask, and when wandering the streets of towns at night... The 2nd volume is a little thicker than the first, and more seems to happen in it. Still not a lot, but that's no major problem. Raenef goes on an adventure, and gossiping girls think Eclipse, frantically searching for his charge, is a serious paedophile case when the lord he instructs to find a certain flaxen-haired blue-eyed young boy brings him 'a selection' to choose from... Raenef not included... =D

We have past in this new present. There is the tale of Eclipse's search for and discovery of the new demon lord, and Raenef's life prior to meeting that indecently good-looking demon one fateful dark night. One major new character is added (at least, I hazard a guess that he'll become major... judging by the cover of the third volume *drool* third... third... volume... more...).

Right. So now that crap's over and done with, go out and buy all the volumes of Demon Diary you can find. It's an engaging, entertaining, beautiful manga, iced with numerous pictures of a tall, handsome, long-haired demon looking sultry (or maybe he's just stoned) and the ever-clueless Raenef. The second volume's as good as the first, which is brilliant, and the artist, Kara, is simply superb. Hey, Kara, if you're there... go you! You're very good at this. Now, draw faster! I'd love to see another manga by this artist. Hint HINT.

Oh, and for the unsuspecting . . . idiot, you know the knight from the end of the first volume? That was a girl. I can't figure out whether there's something wrong with me, or whether people in Korea simply look different to the mundane English. Most of us are bald. It's a sad fate, really. Have fun with your new manga.

O yeah, and there is a story. I just consider Eclipse to be the epicenter of my universe when reading. =P Sorry to ramble about his rugged good looks... o damn, that be Aragorn. Well... *bangcrashcracksplatthud* ok, I'm dead now. Goodbye.

Demon diary is the story of a boy named Raenef who is expected to rise and become a great demon lord, though he may just not be cut out for it! To be a great demon lord you must be vicious, evil, and rude. In other words, the exact opposite of our lovable little Raenef.
From the first page to the last, Demon Diary is a perfect mix of action, drama, and comedy. I've loved it from the beginning of the first book and it only gets better.
The series is SO good! And it's completely different from anything that I've ever read before. It's a new way to look at the world of demons. And it's fun to watch Raenef try to be evil, when he obviously is not!
And Eclips and Raenef's relationship is... well it's strange at first, but hopefully the reader will discover more in the books to come. And as I said in my review for vol. 1, if you have a prob. with same gender relationships, GET A LIFE AND DON'T READ THIS SERIES!!
Anyway... Demon Diary is a true manga masterpiece!! I totaly recamend it to anyone who loves other great mangas such as Dragon Knights, which is also a really awesome manga.
...13!!

If you can get past the fact that Raenef looks way too much like a girl I think there is a lot to like in Demon Diary V.2. The story continues with Eclipse, the older, wiser and presumably more frightening demon continuing his tutelage of Master Raenef, former thief and current demon lord. Their dynamic is one of contrasts since Eclipse is everything a demon lord should be: evil, ruthless and merciless and Raenef....well, let's just say Eclipse has got his work cut out for him. Still, you see that Raenef is pathetically eager to please Eclipse and manages to get himself into plenty of trouble as a result. Although Eclipse seems rather forbidding, you also get the sense that he might have a soft spot for his charge.

Raenef's unexpected trip places him in no small amount of danger and he ends up gaining yet another "pet" to add to his "zoo" much to Eclipse's chagrin. We also get a flashback detailing how Eclipse met Raenef, which is a cute story and looks to be continued in the third volume.

So what's not to like? The artwork is nice although Raenef could look stand to look less like a girl, and frankly there is plenty of humor here at work, both visually and storywise. The potential plot seems filled with lots of excellant possibilities as newcomer Raenef continues to adjust to his power and status while trying to maintaining his kind heart. Eclipse's frustrations are doubtless going to be legion and provide plenty of humor as well. The fact there are demons, gods, clerics and fate involved should only add spice to the mix. I enjoyed this volume and am looking forward to seeing the story pick up some momentum in volume 3.

Summary/What Happens in volume 2: This volume covers two basic stories in the Demon Diary story. There are no 'extra' stories like the first volume had. The first covers Eclipse getting deeper into Raenef's Demon Lord training. He's disappointed that Raenef let the knight from the first volume survive, but doesn't make a move to kill her. Freaked out after a lesson in killing, the Demon Lord in training figures he should try to head east alone, to train himself on his own. This doesn't work out the way he planned, as an overly confident 'super genius' cleric-in-training named Chris summons him with a spell. Eclipse finds and saves Raenef just in time.. to make a long story short, Raenef's castle gets another 'guest'. ^_^ The second part covers how Eclipse and Raenef met. After the previous Raenef died, Eclipse sets out to the south to find the next Demon Lord. Surprised to discover a young thief is really the one next in line, things happen, hijinxs ensue, and we're left at a partial cliff-hanger.

Pros: This volume was very entertaining. We start really seeing the profound effect Raenef is having on Eclipse, rather than the other way around. The introduction into the new characters, the knight and the cleric, was smooth. They didn't appear out of nowhere, and the novel didn't stray away from the main storyline to delve completely into their paths. I'm sure future volumes will explain their history, though. The art is top-notch, too. ^^ The artist never skimps on the beauty that drew me into DD.

Cons: Now, I'll be honest. The main problem I had with this volume was the very visible editing errors. I'm not sure if their graphic designer got lazy, but I noticed several kerning inconsistencies, obvious text alignment mistakes, bad cleaning of tones where they slip in text over a background, etc. A lot of people won't really notice this, but I was disappointed that they seemed to rush their editing of this volume.

Overall, if you enjoyed the first volume, you'll love this one. ^_^ Eclipse and Raenef fans will not be disappointed. Shounen ai fans will gush. Go! Run out and buy it today. I almost gave this a `4', but the editing problems aren't as bad as several other TokyoPop volumes. Demon Diary gets a 5 for the great read. =)

I have read the three mangas in the Demon Diary series, but this one is my favorite. Erutis is still left hanging in mid-air, and Raenef is still training under Eclipse. (Drool!) The author of the first Demon Diary had to stop writing between the first and second mangas due to his high school entry exams, so they had to get a new author. Kara is still the illustrator, though, so although the writing style has changed a bit (Not much, but it is noticable if you re-read all the mangas over and over again), the pics are still the same as ever. After the untimely death of Mr. Tomato (Poor Mr. Tomato, we hardly new ye), Raenef decides to leave and return once he has proved himself to be a true demon lord. Of course, Eclipse is left to wander around searching for him. Raenef meets a young cleric, Chris(THE SUPERGENIUS!!!!), and is unfortunatly stuck taking him back to the castle with him. Don't worry, Chris may be annoying, but they say he'll be important later on.

This vol. is very hilarious and interesting oonce you get to know the story, I had to read it like 3 times in order to get it but at least you understood it, Ranef is a young boy who destiny chose him to be the next great demon lord, but the only problem is that he has the heart of an angel, he is to sweet to be an evil demon lord!! and of course the only way for him to be like that is to be tutored by the most handsome and one of the most powerful demons....Eclipse, don't let his looks fool you he might be tough from the outside but he is a good demon on the inside, so read the book, and read it, It is an interesting book!!

Yun-hee Lee, Demon Diary vol. 2 (Tokyopop, 2000)

Raenef decides to leave the castle and not return until he's a good and proper demon lord, but his plans get sidetracked by Chris, supergenius and next in line to become the high cleric of a sect that is currently locked in an uneasy truce with the demons. We also get some backstory about Eclipse trying to find Raenef. Good stuff, as usual, despite Kara needing to find a new author after Chi-hyong Lee needed to drop out. (No word on whether the new author is related.) ***

Ok I really wasn't expecting anything when I picked up this manga. It turned out to be one of the funniest things I have picked up in a long time. Now if yaoi (or gay) bothers you, there really isn't anything to worry about in this manga. So don't let that put you off in any way. Yes it's there but how should I say this... nothing I would mind my 9 year old brother reading. The art is impressive especially since this seems to be the author's first work. I think anyone would like this, and as soon as I return my borrowed copy I will buy for myself.

Ever since I read the first book, I have been completely hung up on this awesome new series! I've waited two months and vol. 2 finaly came out! It was so awesome and funny, but it ends in a cliffhanger, so once again I'm waiting for the next one.
In this book, poor little Raenef, who is considered a black sheep, desides to go off on his own. But of course that doesn't last long. And then you get a look into Raenef's sad past and see how he and Eclips meet. I can't wait to read the rest of that in the next volume! Only two more months! (I don't think I'll make it...)
And as I said in the review I made for the first one, if you have a problem with same gender relationships, GET A LIFE AND STAY AWAY FROM THIS SERIES!!!
Anyway... I just can't get enough of this series! And if you'll excuse me, I'm off to read it again! ...

Demon Diary has definately been an exciting and pleasurable read. I was at first drawn to it by the art technique used in this manga and found myself so caught up in it that I ended up buying it the next second. (It' so compelling!) This second part of the series has been just as well written as the first (even though the author of this book is different than the author of the first, but that doesn't matter because the story still follows the first.) I love the teacher/student relationship that is shown in the story. It's so beautiful! I am litterally DYING just to read the next one! (And folks, just because it's shounen-ai DOES NOT MEAN THAT ECLIPSE AND RAENEF ARE GAY.) I mean, if people are bothered by that, then they shouldn't even bother with the book. Overall, the book is so compelling and unique in its own way. Definately one for you to buy! Check it out for yourself!!