365 Days of Manga, Day 280: Heaven’s Will

HEAVEN’S WILL • VIZ • Satoru Takamiya • 13+
Mizuku can see ghosts, and as a result of her ability, she’s frequently pursued by formless spirits (aka “oni”). She’s also scared of men, until one day she steps into a haunted house and meets Seto Ashiya, a crossdressing young exorcist who dresses like a Loli-Goth maiden. Seto, and his vampire/werewolf servant Kagari, ask for Mizuku to help them on their exorcism jobs, and Mizuku, put at ease by Seto’s androgyny, agrees. (”He looks like a cute girl, but he’s a boy…he’s a mysterious and strong person.”) Despite attractive, dark artwork, Heaven’s Will is a pretty fluffy entry in the occult shojo genre; Seto has a serious weakness for cake, and in one scene, an evil spirit turns out to be the soul of a dead kitten. However, to its credit, the one-volume story doesn’t waste too much time with pointless ghostbusting, and instead focuses on Seto’s character background, an interesting Gothic gender-bending tale involving Seto’s deceased little sister (a bit like Le Chevalier d’Eon). The ending leaves open the possibility of a nonexistent continuation. (Review by Jason Thompson; originally printed in Otaku USA.)
** (two stars)
So yeahhhh… this manga was pretty horrible, but I respect the fact that it at least attempted to complete a character arc, rather than *completely* futzing around for 200 pages. It’s a borderline two-star/one-and-a-half, though. Perhaps (or perhaps not) a copy of this manga will go to… ALISON C. FROM NEW MEXICO, today’s lucky winner! Woo hoo!

Who else has won manga? Well, for one, Erica D., who sent us this photo of her with her well-gotten manga gains. Thanks for showing us who you are, Erica! I’ll send you some more books soon as 365 Days of Manga continues!