Daydream Sanctuary Features

Friday, July 24, 2009

New Flavors: Hajimete no Aku


Hajimete no Aku
( My First Devil )
by Fujiki Shun
In the spring of Kyoko's first year in high school, Eiko, a girl like a sister to her, returns with her younger brother, Jiro.
The return isn't that big of a deal, but Jiro (self-proclaimed super mad scientist) has it in his head that he wants to operate on Kyoko! And, what's even more, the two of them are actually high ranking members of an evil organization on the run from the heroes of justice!
As if high school didn't have enough problems already, now she has to deal with these two living with her. (Baka-Updates)

I would have not known this manga if I didn't receive that PM asking if I want to help out in cleaning this series. So I researched on the title, and the genre seemed to be my type. The plot seemed interesting, and I've heard there's no disgusting ecchi on it, so I don't think there's any harm on trying it out.

So I downloaded the first 5 chapters at first, then later, without me realizing I have also downloaded until the latest scanlation and raw of this series! Haha!

Yes, I've fallen in love with it~



I find the story idea pretty unique. It has members of an evil organization that wants to take over the world but they're seeking refuge in an ordinary citizen's home. One of them isn't familiar to the outside world, so even if he's a genius, he's oblivious to a lot of things so he needs to learn more about the society.

This manga had been very very ridiculous, but I guess that's no surprise because I believe this is considered a gag manga. The more nonsensical it is, as long as it's hilarious; the better. It's not the type that you should be strict on in terms of story, because it's meant to be silly. Haha!

But even if it's like that, the main story in this is actually good. It may seem repetitive to some (because main guy and girl seem to have the same relationship since the very beginning) but there's actually some story development and character growth going on; it's just not that obvious! But I find it impressive for a silly manga. Moreover, it actually teaches its readers some essential life lessons: like the importance of getting a job, one should take the responsible of cleaning after using a place for enjoyment, and so on.

Also, it's a comedy series, and it sure has some crazy comedy! Haha! The part with the womanizer character saying that he's not just a womanizer but the greatest womanizer of all really killed me! Wahaha! And I'm so amused to the idea that the dog is more knowledgeable of the world compare to the main guy, and it's actually acting as his life mentor (the dog could talk by the way). It's very amusing to see a guy call a dog "sir"! Bwahahahaha! And I think it also contains parodies. The part with the main character using his gigantic drill weapon and says that it's a drill that can pierce the heavens reminded me of Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann! Oh that's also a hilariously insane shounen series! Hahaha!

Aside from Gurren-Lagann, this series had also reminded me so much of Beelzebub. They had been the same in so many ways, like for being really retarded and hilarious! Haha! And main characters are supposed to be evil beings (both want to destroy the world) but are actually pretty nice people. Haha! In other words, they are goody-goodys that claim to be evil. Haha! Beelzebub is more violent and badass though; while Hajimete no Aku has romance and perverted jokes.



I love the romance in this series! The main couple is so crazy, adorable, and entertaining! Haha! I obviously ship them~ Hehe. I am happy that they're not exactly the mushy type. And it's rare that it's actually the guy who's the dense/naive one, not the girl. Well, the girl is also like that in a way, but not as stupidly innocent as the guy. Haha! He associates anything that is supposed to be a romantic hint to have something to do with his desires of making her his underling. Bwahahaha! Jiro, you freakin' idiot! But it's making you hell more huggable~ Bwahahaha!

The leading girl considers the leading guy as her cousin though. I don't think they're really related by blood since Kyouko just considers Eiko as a sister, not that they're actually related. They more like have a sisterly bond. But Eiko is truly a blood relative of Jiro. So I don't think I should worry about cousincest. (But is it really legal for cousins to marry in Japan??? *still can't believe it*)

Now about the characters, I think this series has a great cast. They had all been fun and interesting in their own way. My only complain I guess is that the majority totally lacks in character background, but their lively personalities and exciting interactions make up for that somehow. I am most impressed with the leading girl. (At first I wished she was prettier . . .ehehe . . . but one chapter had shown that she could actually be pretty if she would only fix her hair and remove her eyeglasses). Kyouko is not your typical heroine in a shounen romantic comedy. Leading ladies in such a series are usually the extremely pretty heartrobs with big breasts and very very girlie. They're also not that powerful physically and even in combat (usually, no combat ability at all), and personalitywise, they are very gentle and naive. But the leading lady of this series possesses none of those traits! She's a hot-temprered violent girl who just do what she wants and doesn't give a damn about her looks. She's also pretty strong and atheletic; Kyouko is actually more skillful than Jiro when it comes to physical challenges. Haha!

I'm really very impressed with Kyouko for a leading female (that's coming from a person who's usually annoyed with leading ladies), but my favorite female character is Eiko! She's so crazy and pretty evil in her own way. She's such a slacker, and that totally reminds me of myself. Haha! And I love it most when she had been so dazzled upon a sight of a horsey~ Fellow horse lover, yes~ I knew it that she's my character! Hahahaha!!! We both have younger brothers, and of course I love her cute relationship with Jiro~ She sees him as an idiot and beats him up when he does something stupid, but she could actually go cuddly to him when he had done something that makes her very happy. So adorable~

Eiko is my favorite female character, but my top favorite character is none other than the leading guy, Jiro. He's so stupid, and I find him so hilarious for that. Haha! And his innocene to things . . . and when he doesn't understand things that are supposed to be common sense . . . makes him so freakin' adorable!!! I also like it that he's one of those rare shounen heroes who loves studying. I love cool nerds~ And even though he's a genius inventor, his inventions have flaws because of his stupidity and overconfidence. Haha! And he may have done some cool stunts, he's actually physically weak, at least compare to Kyouko. But despite that, he also gets to rescue her in times of need. And I really love it most when he claims to do evil but in actuality he's doing something very sweet (like cheering someone up). He's gazillion times cuter during those moments~ Oh how could he be so glompable~ *glomps Jiro*

This manga had been so entertaining for me, of course I'm hooked. Don't make me choose between this and Beelzebub though. To me they're the same; but just have a different style~

Of course, since I've enjoyed this manga a lot, I wish others to enjoy it as well, so I highly recommend it! Those who had been entertained with series like Beelzebub (unless you only read for the violence and devil stuff) will certainly enjoy this one too! It's really very hilarious!!! It's one of my favorite shounen romantic comedies. You should also really check it out if you want to have some fun~ And of course, you better take note that you can't be too strict with the story (though it's actually pretty good once you read more) since it's not meant to make any sense. Hahaha!


Sapphire Pyro
READ: 26 chapters out of 26 scanlated chapters of an ongoing manga
VERDICT: Totally Following
It's actually pretty similar to Beelzebub; minus the extreme badass violence then plus romance and slightly perverted jokes. These two series have pretty much the same level of insanity but presented in different styles. In other words, it's just a lighter version of Beelzebub. Haha!
But both are very freakin' hilarious!!! I love this series!!!