Demon Diary, Volume 1

3.5* stars. Raenef is the newly appointed demon Lord, and he has no idea how to be a Demon Lord. He's nice, a little dimwitted, and completely oblivious to the hierarchy of demons. His predecessor was a "good" demonic leader, however Raenef has a very good teacher to help him guide his way through his lordship. Can Eclipse teach Raenef how to be rude, selfish, and the best magic user in the demon court, or will their teacher/student relationship turn from friends into something deeper? Going into this I thought I'd really like it, and while I like what I think the story is and where could possibly be going, I frankly have no what's going on in this first volume. I can follow panel to panel, but there's no back story, no explanation of how Raenef got this position, and I can't tell if there's any sort of plot other than just him learning to be a demon Lord. All that being said, I'm still holding out hope that as the 7-volume series progresses it gets better and more plot driven, especially since there are mentions of Nordic gods and goddess, a subject I love. Also, in the end there was a moment where this could turn slightly BL (boys love,) which would be interesting. The art is similar to old school shojo style; the action scenes are well drawn though. The comedy is definitely on point with this volume, and both sides stories were also interesting. I preferred the last one titled "Terra," it felt like the world had more stories to offer than just one. While the first bonus story was well told and interesting, it felt a bit morbid to me and like it needed more space for the emotions conveyed to really entrap the reader. All in all, a decent first volume. Enough to wet your whistle, but nothing to write home about. However, I'm looking forward to diving into the next volume as the story may differ a little bit because the authors changed; I'm curious if that will bring a bit more story to the series.

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! (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.

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

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.

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. (^_~)