Customer Reviews

The Demon Ororon, Vol. 1

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed The Demon Ororon. First, although the art may not be to everyone's taste, I found the exaggeration of perspective and elongation of the character's bodies to be visually interesting and well-used to help tell the story. My biggest complaint is that the guys all look the same. In my mind at least the lead - Ororon - should stand out from the pack. Still, you get used to style and can usually manage to distinguish between them all eventually. For the most part the drawings are clean and uncluttered although towards the end the fighting scenes required a few minutes to sort out whose body parts are whose. Did I mention the body parts? Certainly not the most horrifying things I've ever seen but there are bitten off fingers, dangling intestines and plenty of blood so consider this fair warning. My only other complaint was with the editing. Really sloppy, with plenty of typos plus some of the fonts used are hard to read. But how's the story you ask?

If you're Chiaki, you're a rather strange, lonely girl who attracts all the wrong sorts of people consisting of spirits and ghouls, while your friends and family abandon you. Imagine you come across a beautiful, bleeding young man and simply out of the goodness of your character, you offer to help. What might you get in return? This is the set up to the very engaging story of The Demon Ororon. For Chiaki, she acquires a demon, but not just any demon. He's the good-looking, cynical, sharp-dressing, chain-smoking Demon King of Hell. And he's having a rather rough time. Being a king sucks especially when you have a bounty on your head, you family hates you, and your friends try to murder you. What do you do?

For saving his life, Ororon grants Chiaki one wish and she decides she wants him to stay with her forever. With this one simple act, these two alienated souls are about to form an unlikely and forbidden relationship that will be complicated by many factors, the least of which is that Chiaki is a terrible cook. While their origins seem the most likely to rip them apart - after all, he's demon royalty and she's the forbidden result of a human/archangel coupling, it is their personal philosophies that will be the true test of their devotion. But before their idyllic life can really get started, the bounty-hunters, angels and ghouls converge, chasing after both Chiaki and Ororon, wanting nothing less than their deaths. Chiaki considers herself to be a good person who never would kill and certainly doesn't believe that Ororon should, yet he freely acknowledges his killer ways, but defends it as a necessary act. If they are going to kill you, can't you fight back to save yourself?

This question, whether it's right or wrong to kill and what exactly does it mean to be `good' or `evil' drive the plot of the story. Can two such diametrically opposed people stay together, or will their world-views rip them apart? This first book sets up the characters and a little of their back story before flying forward into confrontation and conflict. I really liked that this will be a fast moving story since it's only a 4 book series. On the other hand, I am enjoying the characters so much, and the questions they represent are so complicated, that I am a little concerned that they can be successfully concluded in such a short work. Nevertheless, The Demon Ororon is proving to be a promising series with unique art and a meaty story filled with complicated, engaging characters.

The art is very nice in this one. Stylish, clean, not crowded. Very little of the cutesy silly cartoon stuff you see in other Manga.

The story is about growth and change... or maybe it's redemption and damnation... or maybe it's about being in love... or about values and survival... Or all that and more. It's very well done. I like when emotion is conveyed through action instead of long description; this does that. Definitely getting more when they come out.

Oh, what it's about? A demon King meets a half-angel. She's living by herself when she finds him bleeding on the sidewalk, and she asks him to stay. He's not a nice person. She is. It gets complicated really fast - Aparently angel meat is tasty, and angel spawn are hunted and killed by full angels, and the demon's family may not approve of him being king, and then there's his maid (the half-angel can't cook very well.) And the cat-boy who argues with the half-angel's best friend. Did I mention the Bogey Monsters? Or the ghosts, and the bounty hunter? No? Oh. Sorry. There you go.

Anyways, in the begining it's very spare and clean and surreal; the images are haunting. Then, towards the end, it gets a titch cluttered and confusing, but it's still good.

This manga is wonderful, but you wouldn't be able to tell by reading the first volume. It starts off really shaky as Mizuki Hakase tries to introduce too much, too fast, and it's hard to even figure out what direction the story is heading in. Characters like the cat demons Shiro and Kuro seem to be just a failed attempt to add humor, and the developing romance between Chiaki and Ororon is as forced and unbelievable as the events that brought them together (a teenage girl practically begging a complete stranger to come and live with her...a demon king agreeing to live with some random little girl? Ooookay...)

However, once you've struggled through the unorganized chaos of the first volume, you will find yourself swept away into the lives of these unforgettable characters. Even though The Demon Ororon is full of battles, fighting, ruthless killing, and lots of blood and gore (it took me a few seconds before I realized those things that one of the characters is holding are actually his intestines hanging out of the hole in his stomach), the main focus of the story is still the characters and their complex relationships with each other. The heart-wrenching sadness that Chiaki feels when she is torn about her feelings for Ororon, the frustration Ororon feels when he realizes that he is unable to make Chiaki happy...as mismatched as the two characters were at first, by the end of the story I was really rooting for them.

But it's dangerous to become too attached to any of the characters in a story like this. The plot is incredibly dark and tragic, so if you're looking for a lighthearted, feel-good manga, this is not for you. Hopelessness and depression surround all the events in this story, sometimes lurking quietly in the background during a more uplifting scene, giving you the uneasy feeling that disaster and blood-shed aren't far away, other times staring you directly in the face as innocent children are molested and slaughtered. But the violence and blood are never used just for shock value, rather they are there to show you the extent of the horrible world that Chiaki and her friends have been unwillingly sucked into.

The story is also incredibly thought provoking, both religiously and philosophically, and it raises a lot of questions about good and evil and whether the line between them is really as defined as some people believe it to be.

The drawing style that Mizuki Hakase uses is very...different. The characters have unnaturally long limbs and strangely drawn faces that definitely take some getting used to. Some of the characters look similar and it gets really confusing trying to discern who's who, but I still loved most of the artwork and thought it fit well with the mood of the story.

Overall, The Demon Ororon is an excellent story filled with realistic and likable characters that will make you laugh, cry, and...mostly cry. But if you enjoy reading darker manga with engaging and suspenseful storylines, you will not be disappointed with this one.

This is one of my absolute favorite mangas out there.

The simplistic art is very deceiving. You come in expecting a typical 'Romeo and Juliet' style story and instead come away with a story filled with philosophical questions, a touch of humor, and characters who you learn to love that have to live in a terrible situation.

In the whole story the question is why. Why are demons considered evil? Why are angels considered good? Why do people have to die? Why hasn't anyone heard from God in years? Why can't people just live together happily? Why are people so alone?

The first volume is deceptive and lulls you in. It is filled with everyday shots, not yet dealing with the harshness that this group, this new family, faces. You are given shots of the characters relating to each other. The innocent pacifist Chiaki, who is enamored with the cool and moody demon Ororon, the cat monster brothers Shiro and Kuro, Chiaki's only human friend Lika, the maid Ms. Lucy, and Ororon's fancy-boy older brother Othello.

However good things can't last forever, and foreshadowing of a later conflict appears early on first when demons come after Chiaki and then later when angels come after Chiaki and Shiro.

This manga makes you think. You come away from it questioning whether or not what you consider good and evil really are as you think they are. In fact the last two volumes even leave you wondering if you knew some of the characters at all, especially Othello and Shiro.

Personally I think the art is beautiful. All the figures are very stylized.

A warning though, this series does become very tragic and violent later on.

Chiaki: Aw, poor street person--let me help you.
Ororon: I'm a demon, actually. Have a wish.
Chiaki: Ok, I wish for you to be my friend and stay with me forever.
Ororon: . . . alright.

The first issue (the initial 39 pages) of this manga becomes laughable as it tries to do too much. You could call this ambitious, except there is no effort to make the rush of characters, events, and revelations plausible. Rather than a strong beginning, Hakase Mizuki is focused on the premise being set up: the complex web of relationships between the various characters, the central relationship between Ororon and Chiaki, the tensions of opposing natures and the modern quandary of moral relativism--virtue tempered by necessity, logic versus idealism.

There's much to please about "The Demon Ororon." It is action-packed, suspenseful and violent (sometimes even gory) while remaining a strong character-based narrative. The characters are both well-delineated and nicely ambivalent long past their initial introduction. Ororon stands his ground in the face of Chiaki's perky goodness, acknowledging her influence but standing his ground, rather than losing his backbone as a wimpier anti-hero might. Shiro the cat demon is a malevolent street-brat type, brash but tempered by an appealing shy side. When Othello arrives on the scene it is difficult to make him out one way or another--going by convention, his meltingly-beautiful lynx-eyed physical design would put him in the arch-nemesis camp, while he comes off instead as ironic comic relief--but the arrival of an interesting bounty hunter named Mitsume provides him with interesting context: an evolving yaoi relationship of the (refreshingly) NON-uke/seme variety.

With a plentitude of interesting personal dynamics, a curious hybrid of Western Judeo-Christian notions of heaven and hell through an Eastern mindset, and a tone that effortlessly veers between comedy and drama, there is a little something for everyone. At the same time, the distinctive artwork has a kind of Aubrey Beardsley feel to it that at first repulses, then rather grows on the reader.

To put it in plain English, "Ororon" is yummy. Get past the first issue and you're in for a treat.

Well, I'm still waiting for Angel Sanctuary to be released officially, so I needed a manga to fill my craving. I kinda picked this book up randomly, and I fell in love. The style of art is very interesting, and the story is great. It's easy to relate to the characters (personally, I love Kuro and Shiro, meaning "black" and "white" respectively). Despite what the page says, it's not just for Goths. Any fan of fantasy and/or interesting romances will love this manga.

The Demon Ororon is an awesome manga! I was extrememly skeptical at first because when I opened it up I saw Chiaki and Ororon's immediate attraction to her and lets just say that I was confused for a while. Was Chiaki a girl or boy? lol No seriously though, after reading further I loved it! I loved Ororon and began to connect with the characters on some level.
As far as the art goes, well its something you need to get used to. I notice that it differenciates while maintaining an almost liberal style. You can tell that Hakase Mizuki sticks to her art and doesn't copy off of others. She's comfortable with her work and thats what makes a great manga artist. In the end, all I can say is this, if you are a manga fan by any means, Ororon is one series that you must check out.

I completely agree with another reviewer-this book is not just for Goths. The story is unique(come on, did YOU ever imagine Satan has some hot-looking dude?) and some of the thoughts it provokes can be a bit heavy, but in the end the manga just makes for a refreshing read. I have to admit that the art through me off at first. I'm used to the art of Yu Watase (who is awesome, by the by) and the elongated body parts were a bit of a shock. No worries, though. The more you read, the more the art seems to fit the characters more appropriately than conventional proportions. The characters are likeable, the story is good, and I can personally garuntee that at least the first three volumes are worth reading over and over again.

Hakase Mizuki, The Demon Ororon, vol. 1 (Tokyopop, 1999)

Fun little book, this, with engaging (if somewhat primitive) artwork. Storyline is a touch confusing, but as I read more manga, I've cone to see that's actually the norm for the first volume in any given series. Basic premise is simple: can a demon and a half-angel live in peace with one another, and without their various friends, familiars, and hangers-on killing one another? The thing that really gets me about this one is how different the artwork looks from most manga I've read. None of the androgynous, huge-eyed stereotypes here, which means that some of the characters are actually cute. Not a bad beginning at all. ***

This is a great read. Wonderful art, fun characters and a very unusual story. While some of the action can be hard to follow, it doesn't inhibit the story line.
My one complaint is that there is one page where the editors messed up, but it happens and you can still read it.
This is a short series, only 4 books, which is fine. I hope the next 3 are just as enjoyable.
-update-
The rest of the books were just as intresting as the first.
My one complaint was that Tokyo Pop had some errors in the books where the text did not fit correctly in the text bubbles. You could figure out what it said, but it sure looks ugly.
Hopefuly this will be fixed in reprints.
I would buy this mangaka's other work if Tokyo Pop ever releases it.