How to Train Your Devil, Vol. 1 by Tonchi Kataoka
Series Name: How to Train your Devil
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Seven Seas
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-64275-487-2
Rating: 2/5
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Description from the Book
The last thing Zeno expected when she set off to slay the Devil King was that she’d become his mother. But it was either that or kill a one-year old baby. And Zeno is no baby-killer – even if the baby is a pervert with a very lusty adult’s mind.
Personal & Info
I added this to my to-read list around the same time as My Monster Secret. It’s supposed to be funny, and fantasy manga are huge right now. There are so many of them, it’s hard to tell which ones are worth reading. This one sounded like it might be funny, and I recently got it as a gift.
There appear to only be four volumes in this series, so it’s not a huge commitment.
Characters
Zeno Zebia is the heroine of the story. She may have chosen not to slay the Devil King, but her skills are nothing to sneeze at.
Grull Gurrehl is the baby Devil King. He is one year old, and has apparently been lewdly educated since birth, as it is the Devil King’s job to procreate more monsters.
Nabu Zebia is Zeno’s grandmother. Zeno isn’t fond of her.
Lilia DeLoan is the daughter of a wealthy household. She joins the party after a fairly ridiculous encounter.
Story & Thoughts
I have to say, this manga seems rather controversial. From what I can tell, the perverted baby thing puts a lot of people off to the premise as it is. I figure, if done right, it can be interesting and entertaining, but I’m not sure this story does that. If it did, I’m certain I wouldn’t be thinking, “what did I just read,” upon finishing the volume.
The characters seem interesting enough. I like Zeno and Lilia, though I’m fairly certain Lilia is playing pretend. Zeno is a good ideal hero. She has ethical values and the skills to back them up when challenged.
As far as story goes…I think it’s trying a little too hard. The king, or judge, or whoever he is, is blatantly a creep. I can tell events are trying to be funny, but throughout the entire book, I didn’t experience so much as a giggle.
Most of the lewd parts of the story seem like they are just there for blatant lewdness. Some of it is fine, but it seems like a majority of it is focused on Lilia, which I find kind of suspicious. Not much information is provided about her. In addition to that, I’m positive Grull does not pass the Harkness test. Nothing actually happens to him, but there is a blatant attempt.
Taking all this into account, I do think the story has potential. I just don’t think it is executed well. There are plenty of parts I like, but it’s intended to be funny, and I just didn’t find it funny enough to be considered a comedy.
There’s a cliff hanger at the end. If you enjoy the book, you might want to get the second volume quickly, so you can find out what happens. Personally, I am unsure if I will bother continuing the series. Don’t get any hopes up about seeing more reviews for this.