Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom volume 1 from Viz is a more lighthearted Death Note meshed with a bit of Bleach. Nora is one unruly demon. He gets in fights, is hard headed and cannot take orders, not even from the big boss the Dark Liege. So what’s a demon lord to do, just send the troublemaker to Earth and put him under the servitude of any random human, in this case the super smart, super bored Kazuma Makkari. Kazuma is head of the student council and finds the day-to-day of school life very droll and boring. As he finds a cell phone and little package he is given the opportunity by the Dark Liege to form a bond, a pact with Nora to hunt down and destroy rogue demons on Earth. Why not? Now things begin to get interesting as Kazuma and Nora start the hunt, first with a demon preying on other council members, then one disguised as an old man, demon bounty hunters and finally some rebel demons who oppose the Dark Liege. The hitch … Nora cannot unleash his powers without asking Kazuma’s permission, which he is not always quick to grant. The other hitch, Nora is not just some low-level demon; he’s Cerberus and has all the powers the legends mention. So the games begin as the rebels and their tactics peaks Kazuma’s interest and Nora is treated like the dog he is.
Story and art by Kazunari Kakei, Nora is a decent entry in crowded Shonen manga where a boy meets demon or gets demon powers. We’ve seen this in Bleach, Buso Renkin, Death Note and now Nora. The story angle has so many parallels with Death Note, but as I stated before on a much lighter note. We have a smart human, who’s bored with his daily life, one getting a notebook, the other a cell phone and ‘package.’ We have a bored demon of death and a bored, rambunctious trouble making demon. From here the story splits as Light takes on investigative groups and Nora is tasked with wiping out rogue demons on earth, much like Hollows in Bleach and Homunculi in Buso Renkin. See where this is going, take a successful formula, tweak it and hope for success. That is not what I’m implying Nora has done, but I need to point this out as Nora has many, many similarities but is unique. The humor mixed with intense action sequences is a joy to read as is the most powerful character being treated like a dog (Inu-Yasha, hmmm). There is much more to come in future volumes of Nora, and this story aspect alone will keep interested parties coming back.
The art is mid-level. Not as original looking as a Bleach or Death Note, but more detailed than a Buso Renkin. I am not familiar with too much of Kazunari’s work, but this one packs in the action sequences and the humor, natural and twisted (Dark Liege has nice legs???) will be hit or miss with readers. It really depends on who you are. The series I’ve listed give some guidance on who will like this series. Not as overall solid as Bleach, as serious as Death Note but right there with Buso Renkin, Nora stands well on his four paws and is worth the read. More on this with volume 2.
Story and art by Kazunari Kakei, Nora is a decent entry in crowded Shonen manga where a boy meets demon or gets demon powers. We’ve seen this in Bleach, Buso Renkin, Death Note and now Nora. The story angle has so many parallels with Death Note, but as I stated before on a much lighter note. We have a smart human, who’s bored with his daily life, one getting a notebook, the other a cell phone and ‘package.’ We have a bored demon of death and a bored, rambunctious trouble making demon. From here the story splits as Light takes on investigative groups and Nora is tasked with wiping out rogue demons on earth, much like Hollows in Bleach and Homunculi in Buso Renkin. See where this is going, take a successful formula, tweak it and hope for success. That is not what I’m implying Nora has done, but I need to point this out as Nora has many, many similarities but is unique. The humor mixed with intense action sequences is a joy to read as is the most powerful character being treated like a dog (Inu-Yasha, hmmm). There is much more to come in future volumes of Nora, and this story aspect alone will keep interested parties coming back.
The art is mid-level. Not as original looking as a Bleach or Death Note, but more detailed than a Buso Renkin. I am not familiar with too much of Kazunari’s work, but this one packs in the action sequences and the humor, natural and twisted (Dark Liege has nice legs???) will be hit or miss with readers. It really depends on who you are. The series I’ve listed give some guidance on who will like this series. Not as overall solid as Bleach, as serious as Death Note but right there with Buso Renkin, Nora stands well on his four paws and is worth the read. More on this with volume 2.
