悪魔とドルチェ

AKUMA TO DOLCE

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
2
RELEASE
September 25, 2008
CHAPTERS
9

DESCRIPTION

Ogura Mayuri is a loner in high school, with a pendant for cooking and magic that her mother taught her. She’s already summoned a little demon familiar to help her with baking and other small chores. But when she accidentally summons a high level demon named Beaut upon spilling tea on her skirt, he allows her to make one wish that he will grant. Mayuri wishes for the stain on her skirt to disappear in exchange for candy. The demon Beaut is outraged by the simple request, but the gets distracted by the smell of sweets - Beaut’s weakness. Mayuri now uses Beaut’s weakness to bind him to her and do her bidding.

CAST

Belzebeaut
Mayuri Ogura
Uphir
Frost
Tadano
Makoto Fairfield

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

RoseFaerie
62/100
While it wasn't bad by any means, the fact that it's one of the author's early works definitely shows.
It's always interesting to compare the works of mangaka I like, or even just authors I read a lot of. Akuma to Dolce is one of Julietta Suzuki's earliest works. Julietta Suzuki is best known for Kamisama Kiss, which I saw the anime for and enjoyed. I also really loved another one of her earlier works, Karakuri Odette, as well as her oneshot, Meitantei Kouko wa Yuutsu, which went on to become its' own series. Unfortunately, I didn't find Akuma to Dolce to be as polished or engaging as Suzuki's other stories.

Anyways, Akuma to Dolce has a very simple premise. Mayuri Ogura is a high school girl, who doesn't have many friends. Her mother taught her how to summon demons and cook foods, making her a lovely baker and an apprentice witch. She combines her two skills by summoning low-level demons to do household chores and help her with tasks in exchange for her baked goods. One day, she accidentally summons Belzebeaut, a high ranking demon instead of her usual demonic friends. While he doesn't want to do trivial tasks like removing stains, he quickly gets lured in by the scent of Mayuri's delicious pastries.

Akuma to Dolce mixes the supernatural and school life genres with a hint of romance. To me it felt like a mix between Kamisama Kiss and Kitchen Princess, with some of the same style as Karakuri Odette. Unfortunately it isn't as good as any of these titles. Looking at the dates, Akuma to Dolce was written at the same time as Kamisama Kiss and Karakuri Odette, with only two volumes released, and it is on hiatus. I don't think as much effort was focused on this project, and it was hard for me to remain interested in the chapters. It just doesn't feel as polished as her other works.

To me, it felt like everything was sort of jumping around. I actually had a hard time keeping track of the characters who weren't Mayuri and Beaut. I have vague memories of some of the other characters, but they just didn't have personalities that stuck with me.

I did think Mayuri and Beaut were compelling leads. Mayuri is solitary and devoted to her small family and her hobbies. I found her stoic personality and struggles with strong emotions a nice contrast to Beaut's childishness. They are both possessive of each other but didn't quite know how to deal with it. I found them both to be silly and show a lot of potential.

The art was about the same as Karakuri Odette. It's not as refined as her later stuff, and I don't love it. However, it was a bit of a throwback to when I was reading Karakuri Odette. It made me feel a bit nostalgic, even though I didn't read and review it that long ago. I'm pretty sure Makoto's design was a prototype for Mizuki from Kamisama Kiss, since their designs felt kind of similar.

Anyways, I didn't hate it. It was sort of average for me, and I think that if it were more polished and consistent I would like it a lot more. I don't even have a lot to say about it, which is why this review is so short. I think it was a solid early effort from Julietta Suzuki, and while it isn't bad, I'd rather read her other stuff.
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