This manga, Hana to Akuma was recommended by a friend but I forgot the title until I came across it on goodreads. I guess my hanging around on goodreads paid off eh? Hehe.

Before we talk about this story, let me tell you what the title means. Hana means flower, to is a Japanese particle that could be used in a lot of ways but for this, it’s used as and, while Akuma means demon or devil. Hmmm, so tell me, was that able to get your attention?

I love supernatural stories especially in my books, manga, anime or movies and this one didn’t disappoint at all. My friend told me a summary about this story (when she recommended it to me) so it felt like I already know it without having to read it yet. My mood is really getting hard to please lately (which is really annoying) so I was quite surprised that this manga took my full attention as early as its first chapter. I guess it was partly because I love the art and the protagonist looks so hot (insert deafening squeal here). Actually, he has this weird resemblance to Lelouch Lamperouge. Well, because of that, I can't help but think that all the demon characters in the manga/anime that I’ve watched so far were required to be incredibly hot. Remember the last demon butler I was lusting over early this year? Hehe.

The plot of this story was quite interesting making it not your typical shojo manga. As you can read on the sypnosis above, Vivi is a demon duke who came to the human world to kill time found an abandoned baby and, on a whim, raised her. She cried so hard but once she saw Vivi’s face, she smiled sweetly like a flower and that’s how she got her name.

This story started really light at first introducing its main characters and how the two of them met. But once I reached volume 4, it’s started to get really more interesting making it hard to put down. Evidence? I finished all 10 volumes for just 2 nights. I really stayed late last night not being concerned that the next day would be another work day because dang! It was so good. Well, compared to your usual shonen manga/anime, Hana to Akuma is quite simple but there’s just something about it that will pull you closer. Ofcourse it’s not perfect with all its flaws and clichés but those didn’t stop me from enjoying this manga. I also love how it made me emotional especially on the last volume. It was so emotional that I actually found myself crying to sleep last night, or should I say this early morning, haha.

The main leads we’re so cute together that I keep on grinning like an idiot everytime they’re having sweet scenes. I love Vivi! Well, he’s actually the first thing I noticed when I started this manga and my admiration for him stayed all throughout the story. He has a hot and cold personality but you can really see how he cares so much for Hana. And my! He’s really so good looking which angle you look at him. And heck! You should see him wearing glasses! Ahem, I am starting to sound like a crazy stalker, haha. So, let’s talk about Hana now eh? Just like Vivi, I like how the author drew her character. She’s really so kawaii! And my! You should see her smile! It’s so innocent and so contagious and so perfectly drawn. Considering that she grew up with demons, she sure remained pure and so innocent. There’s definitely no evil in her, which I’m sure one of the reason why the great demon king and other demons adores her, *wink.

Aside from the main leads, I also like the other characters as well. It’s great that they all got the chance to share their own story making you feel really close to them. I didn’t find any unnecessary scenes here and every character got their own role to play and done them well. There’s no hair-pulling-annoying characters but I have this 1 particular character that I want to burn alive, haha, kidding. He’s quite annoying but I think his role made the story more interesting.

Also, I super love the art especially on how the author drew their clothes!

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!

When a human fell in love with a demon, you would expect her to suddenly enjoy a long lifespan too right? I was really expecting for that and I would be lying if I say that I wasn’t disappointed. But then again, that’s usually what a hopeless romantic like me would expect. Eventhough I was disappointed, I have to say that it was still beautiful. Emotional yes but the ending was undeniably beautiful and realistic. But thinking about it still makes me want to wail. Uwaaaah! Vivi! Hana!

Considering of its flaws and clichés, I have to say that Hana to Akuma is still a very good read. I enjoyed discovering the demon world, laughing with the characters and just loving everything about it (especially Vivi, *wink). Yo guys, you really need to read this manga!