Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #Demons(16)

A wonderful story about a strong willed girl with red hair and jade green eyes and the possessive demon who claims her as his pet. The dynamic between Nora and Albrecht was really quite interesting. For all the ageless power of Albrecht’s ancient demon nature, Nora was so natural with him. No wonder he was so fascinated. It was a lovely story with an ending full of good surprises. Highly recommended.

Narito was a loner for most of his life. Misfortune seemed to befall those who became involved with him so when an older man named Koma glomped onto him calling him Master he was quick to try get some distance. However, Koma was a Dog Demon bound to Narito’s soul and having finally found him in his current reincarnation he wasn’t going anywhere. I liked the story, especially when the siblings also became part of Narito’s life. He won’t be alone anymore, that’s for sure.

Beautiful art and great stories. With the main demon story being the best, the other oneshots were wonderful too. I love this mangaka’s talent with dangerously protective semes and feisty but sweet ukes. Having a 3P story hidden in here was a real gem too.

Set in the early 20th century, this story follows the young human author, Minoru and the ageless demon, Maru. Since childhood, Minoru has been able to see yokai and the mischievous spirits were drawn to him. As an adult, the writer found a strange, injured dog on his doorstep and saved its life. Only this dog was a demon who recognised in Minoru, the bloodline of the priestess who had taken his name and sealed his powers. So making a deal with this angry demon may not be the wisest choice, but Minoru bound himself to the demon and found himself at the mercy of a possessive and powerful creature that needed his life energy to regain his powers.

Completed Opinion: Sadly annoying, some good ideas poorly executed, unsatisfying overall. Main couple: 4/10 FL: 2/10: Beth. The woman born to bad luck. Pure Yang energy. Reincarnated. The perpetual damsel in distress. ML: 4/10 -Yama. Ruthless and powerful but at the same time got some pretty huge weaknesses and flaws. Bit of a rapist creep but he isn’t human so.. idk. Protective of Beth, or is he? Story/Concept: I liked the concept of being the bride of Yama and getting revenge on those who sacrificed her and treated her and her parents so horridly but yeah, that just didn’t really happen. This was an annoying series of FL actions and choices where she kept putting herself in dangerous situations that required the ML to rescue her, call her honey and smite her foes while clasping her in his arms as he manfully said (nearly each and every time), “nobody harms my wife”. Sure, she helped him a couple of times, suddenly able to wield a sword like a boss, but it was just a flat attempt to give her some strength of character that felt very out of character. My main issues (other than the above & including spoilers) were that she hated Yama at first but it just took a couple of “not my woman” moments to have her all over him, there were loads of other powerful characters but no real explanation of who they were, their relationship to Yama or Beth, or why they were allies or enemies. Yama was always using her but had a “revelation” at the end that had him understand (wish I did) and he left her only to return after years at the end (didn’t actually see him btw) with no reason of what he did, if it mattered, where they would go, were they together now, why he went, what happened to the other woman (I could go on). Having a baby was meant to kill her but suddenly we see the kid and her no problems. In short, this story was immaturely written and full of flaws. Tropes: Shoujo. Reincarnation. Powered enemies. Yin & Yang. Demons. Damsel in distress. Deception and lies. Ending: Happy? Many, MANY unanswered plot questions. Art: Nice, but sometimes faces looked a bit weird and inconsistent. Smut: None. TW's: Ritual rape (implied no smut). Available on WebComics

Completed Story Opinion: There was a lot of drama about this being a story of grooming but it really wasn’t. It’s got a 9yr age gap between Estelle and her knight but when they get to the time of realising their feelings she is an adult and even then there is a lot that happens and a lot of character development before they become a couple. The healthiest relationship was actually between the Castielo family members with a doting dad and protective brother. The irony that they were so strong and loving given their demon heritage often intruded on my thoughts. Main couple: 8/10 FL: 8/10 - Estelle Castielo, Pink Eyes. Abused for her first 11 years, the FL had a lot of insecurities and trauma to deal with, but she was sweet, strong, and likeable. I loved her coming into her adult strength too. ML: 8/10 - Knight Emile. Around 9 years older than FL? Protective of Estelle, has a darker history than you would think given his personality in the first half and a more dangerously unpredictability to him. Story/Concept: The story was told in two distinct stages. Childhood and adulthood. In Estelle’s young years, there were a few highly traumatic arcs but overall it was a time of strong family bonds and the everyday innocence and sweetness of childhood. In her adult years the story changed pace intensely, introducing angst, drama, self sacrifice, and a significant time of separation for the FL and ML. There were times you just want things to settle down, but there was a lot to resolve and overcome. Overall I enjoyed the roller coaster ride and it’s subsequent character growth. Tropes: Historical. Shoujo. Family love. Elementals. Demons. Dragons. Magic. Tough childhood. PTSD. Smut: None. Ending: Happy. Art: Consistently pretty. TW's: Child abuse. Kidnapping. Child trafficking. Torture. SA (not from ML).