“Soul Predator Noel”
Creative Staff:
Story: Akissa Saike
Translation: Stefan Koza
Lettering: Annaliese “Ace” Christman
What They Say:
A new series from the creator of Rosario+Vampire with artwork that’s beyond this dimension! Chloe dreams of being an actress, but her path to success may be closed as she’s now twenty-eight with very little to show for it. However, she does happen to have a special occult body type!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
This series has a blossoming premise that I hope it touches more upon soon. The signs of a harem are slightly blooming. I wonder if this story will have a monster of the week approach or there will be a central focus. It has small hints that there is something more to be explored. It keeps mentions several demons escaped but I wonder what will be done with that point.
A menacing catlike demon, Noel appears with a shocking entrance. He has an uncontrollable hunger and feeds upon other spirits. He viciously eats another spirit but it could use more grotesque to sell the horror elements. He won’t be stopped till eats everything. He needs to eat a snickers bar. “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” He looks upon Chloe and Kai and decides they are going to be his next meal.
Chloe and Kai are recovering from their battle. Kai escorts Chloe home to make sure she is safe. What a perfect gentleman. She invites him into his apartment but has him wait outside to tidy up her room. While she is cleaning she has a flashback to how she meets him and her current circumstances. This flashback should be saved until later in the series to have more meaning. It’s too early to have a flashback since this is the second chapter. She imagines that kai wants to spend the night with her in her bed. That came out of nowhere and it was great. It did break the heavy mood and provided for some laughs.
Chloe is attacked by a spirit who has all sorts of knives. Kai manages to subdue the spirit. Noel appears for them and eats the subdued spirit. It’s a shame that there is no horror while he eats it. He is eating it in front of Chloe and Kai. Chloe has a slight reaction but doesn’t really touch upon the aspect. Noel battles Kai and makes a mess of Chloe’s room and her horror movie collection. She has a horror movie collection but the manga won’t go into the depth of horror.
Chloe makes for a wonderful character. She wants Noel to atone for his mess but also wants to make sure he can eat to satisfy his needs. Her past is tragic but she wants to move forward. She doesn’t let it define her. She gots accustomed to the supernatural at an uncanny rate. Her relationship with Kai is great. But there should be more moments with them together. The moment when they shine is when they fuse to be Ghost Reaper Girl. They have incredible banter when they become one but these moments are too short.
In Summary:
This wouldn’t be an Akissa Saike without romance mixed into the story. A cat demon comes into the meow scene and promises to paws up the romance. Horrible pun I know but that how I felt about this new character. The meow pun was horribly overused in this chapter. I am disappointed that this manga is toning down on the horror elements. It gives a glimpse of horror but not enough to satisfy the hunger. This manga wants to have a romance aspect but it can do so while also maintaining a horror. This chapter was focused on introducing Noel and for being a cat-like creature I thought he would bring a playful attitude with him. It makes for a great contrast with Kai nonchalantly personality.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Shonen Jump
Release Date: July 27, 2020
