Little Devils [Review]

Che Gilson November 9, 2018

Little Devils manga

Super-cute shenanigans ensue in this light-hearted exploration of what happens in a video-game-style world after the quest is over. Not too long ago, the King of All Devils rose up and took over the world. God anointed the hero Byron to save the world from the evil King. After attaining level 99, Byron slayed the Devil king and … the Devil’s body split into 12 adorable little devil children. Now Byron is in charge of raising the children into productive citizens. Byron is strong enough to keep the mischievous, magically talented kids in line and kind hearted enough to set a good example. It helps that the kids are only at level 1.

Little Devils manga Much like Sleepy Princess, Little Devils takes a video game conceit and runs with it for laughs, to more or less successful results. Uuumi’s art is incredibly cute. Each little devil has an adorably unique appearance. But for all the art skill lavished on character design, the backgrounds are bland. Byron and his infernal charges live on a floating island in God’s realm and, honestly, it could use some landscaping. Auga and Bazu, devils of the arms and legs, grow a monster tree, but there isn’t even a house on the island, which otherwise consists of a bare expanse of grass. Magical keys open doorways to rooms like the kitchen and God’s library. However, the majority of time is spent in a featureless meadow. Byron’s world feels a bit claustrophobic and raises questions the manga seems uninterested in answering. Will the little devils ever leave the island for the real world? And what about the realms Byron saved? Will the reader ever get to see what else is out there?

These questions don’t need to be answered in Volume 1, and the slice-of-life chapters are entertaining. But how long can a plot based on a single gag last? As with Sleepy Princess, that remains to be seen. For now, just enjoy the darling devil kids as they try to get along with each other and their adoptive father.

publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
story and art: Uuumi
rating: T

This story appears in the December 2018 issue of Otaku USA Magazine. Click here to get a print copy.