The humor is silly, snarky, occasionally subtle. A fun and entertaining read.
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: Kazunari Kakei
Translation: Nori Minami
Adaptation: Park Cooper and Barb Lien-Cooper
What They Say
Nora, an unruly demon, has defied his Dark Liege one too many times. For the sake of his “education,” Nora is sent to live among mortals and enters a bond of servitude with cool-as-ice star student Kazuma Makkari. Kazuma is about to learn the ways of the underworld.. and Nora will learn more from the “real world” than he ever thought possible!
The Legend of Cerberus: Nora’s presence on Earth has made him a target for renegade demons. But when he uses magic to fight them, it takes a toll on Kazuma’s body! The Demon Sovereign sends Kazuma a ring to counteract this effect, but what Kazuma really needs is information on the legend of Cerberus, Nora’s true form. Too bad the one with the info is one of the demons he’s fighting!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Kazuma’s confrontation with Krell of the Resistance has left him injured. The Dark Liege decides to lend assistance via a special bracelet that will absorb and deflect some of the damage that Kazuma takes on when releasing Nora from restrictions on his power. Important facets of this bracelet are the dog tags that guarantee Nora’s submission to Kazuma’s authority; if these are removed from the bracelet, Kazuma will no longer be able to control Nora. Of course, the Dark Liege blurts all this out in front of Nora, who is now reinvigorated in his quest to get rid of Kazuma by getting those tags.
No one is more single-minded or stupid than Nora. Nora’s attempts to get those tags from the smarter Kazuma include a stealth raid on Kazuma’s home where he is confronted by Kazuma’s parents, a couple of frightening and amusing caricatures that leave no doubt as to how and why Kazuma is the way he is.
After witnessing Nora’s power, Kazuma has realized that in order to deal with all the rebellious demons he needs to know about Nora’s Cerberus form. And to do that he searches for the one being who might be able to tell him, and that’s Krell. Krell, for his part, is surprised by the level of the personnel that the Dark Liege is sending to the assistance of Kazuma and Nora. In the true fashion of a villain whose motives and alliances are never clear, he decides to stand by and let Kazuma and Nora do most of the dirty work in the escalating confrontation.
In Summary:
With introductions out of the way in volume one, Kazuma and Nora get down to business. There’s still lots of aggravation and bickering between them, but Kakei now introduces more of the demon world, both ally and foe, with more revealed about Nora’s status in that world. Kakei’s designs remain imaginative and dynamic, action fans will not be disappointed, and the humor and attitude that made the first volume so much fun is still present.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: December 2nd, 2008
MSRP: $7.99
