It's been a while since the last time I wrote something and, well, since I'm bored, I thought I would write something up for the place.
A few nights ago, I was boringly surfing the net, looking through the list of manga I had bookmarked when a title I had seen a few times came up: Isuca. I accidentally clicked on the link for it and when I saw it only had 18 chapters, I thought I would give it a shot. Now, the reason I had bookmarked it was because I was trying to read more shonnen. However, I was planning on keeping and sports mangas for last and every time I saw the cover, I assumed it was a sports manga. Truth be told, the manga is the complete opposite, being an ecchi harem fantasy story involving demons and demon hunters...Yeah, I know, not the best description for a manga.
The story is about a teenager named Shinichirou, who is the son of a stage magician. His parents left him home alone in Japan so that they could go on the road and make more money, sending him some every now and then to pay the bills. However, after some time, the money stopped coming in and Shinichirou was forced to find a job, one that was more than what he bargained for. Even before starting his new job, he's suddenly pulled into the world of the Shimaza clan, a family of great demon hunters who capture demons who cross into the human world, sending them back to where they belong. To do this however, they must first discover the demon's "Mana", or their "True Name", making the demon a loyal servant that must obey whatever the their master says.
As far as the story goes, it's actually really good. The plot feels refreshing in such a way that we know we've seen this type of idea before, but just not in this way. It's interesting and will keep you reading on untill you reach the end(or the end of the most recent update). Also, something I noticed is how the author does not forget earlier plot points. An example of this is when the main character tame's a demon sword. It is referenced a few times afterwards and is eventually brought back as an ally in a later chapter. It's not much and I doubt that it will be used in more complex ways, but it was something I wanted to point out anyways.
Now, for the characters... This is where the manga starts loosing points with me, though not because the characters are bad....just because one of the main characters is a horrible tsundere. One of the few things that brings this manga down is definitely the tsundere personality that Sakuya has. She will often get angry at times where it makes no sense and even at a point where she should be closer to many of the characters, she acts as cold as when they first met. I understand that the trope works in said ways, but this is a case where I cannot describe how she is in words alone. You must read the manga to understand just how out of place her personality can be.
Now, as far as the other characters go, they're all pretty solid. Each character also gets their own moment to shine, their own little adventure, and it's a great touch. They hit the sweet spot for the number of characters as well, keeping the cast somewhat small. thus giving them more development. The development is either spread out through the chapters or has a dedicated chapter. Either way, none of the characters will come off as unlikable.....well, except for Sakuya.
Now, having said all of that, I do have one thing I dislike about the manga. So far,everything about this manga is solid: a nice story, solid characters and a nice world that can be expanded on for future volumes and maybe even some side stories. So what could I possibly not like?.....the fan service.
Yes, there is the "Echii" tag on the manga that warns you, but even then, the amount of fan service is beyond what you can imagine. The girls in the manga are often getting their clothes ripped off and, with the powers they wield and the fights they get in, it's understandable. However, the amount of times they end up naked or in a sexual positions of any sort is beyond me. Changing room gags, face sitting gags, bath scenes and humiliation through being naked are just a few examples of what this manga does as far as the fan service goes, and for the currently available 18 chapters, that's allot considering it's not the main focus of the manga.
All in all, Isuca is a solid manga that is enjoyable. However, the huge amount of fan service it contains make it hard to recommend to most people. In the end, I highly recommend you at least check it out, as it is a nice manga that is worth the time it takes to read.
If you enjoyed Isuca, I would recommend looking at Hidan No Aria. In my opinion, it's not as good as Isuca is, but it's very similar and still an enjoyable read.
