Demon Diary Volume 1 by Lee Chi Hyong

9/10

He only signed up for the free food and housing, but Raenef a new demon lord is finding it hard coming to terms with the duties he has to perform. Eclipse is trying to teach him what he needs to know as he already knows what a demon lord needs to do in order to rule over his minions, but he feels he will have a hard time teaching Raenef the basics. Raenef is shy, comical and nice. Not exactly the right qualities associated with a demon lord, but Eclipse will have to make do with what he has got. For being an apprentice he got everything the previous demon lord had including his immense powers, but Raenef is far too cute and innocent to become a true demon lord. The question is will he fail or will he surprise Eclipse enough for him to stay with him for eternity?

With Tokyopop it is interesting that they have manga artists from all over the world, but Korean, Japanese and Chinese still stand out as the best creators of this genre of graphic novels. Kara, a popular Korean shonen-ai artist famous for Angel Diary and Tiara seems to enjoy drawing fantasy manga, and shows readers the depths of the characters by their many expressions. Raenef has already proven himself worthy of being a demon lord, but doesn't think he will fit into the role. From the first page, Demon Diary is a comic fantasy with Raenef and Eclipse as a double act, Eclipse as the straight man and Raenef the comic relief.

As Raenef has to be taught the finer points of being a high up demon lord, he discovers how hard it will be to change his personality from one who is pretty meek and kind, to become harsh, powerful and ultimately terrifying.

Just by reading this manga, readers will find it taxes him a great deal, and it’s no walk in the park for Eclipse either. Even though he acts as Raenef’s supervisor, Eclipse shows how much patience he has for the young lord. Raenef has his own ideas on how he wants to be a demon lord, and Eclipse can’t understand most of them. One is him wanting to have the two of them as equals as opposed to Eclipse being his servant. He has a naïve view of what demons act like, but his charm and naivety is what moves the story forward.

For a good laugh and some fine detailed artwork, Demon Diary parodies fantasy manga very well, the characters are solid and well structured, and the plot just as fun as the general story.