Written by Kazunari Kakei English publisher Viz Media Magazine Monthly Shōnen Jump | Published by Shueisha Demographic Shōnen | |
Genre Supernatural, Comedy, Action | ||
Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom (NORA-ノラ-) is a manga series created by Kazunari Kakei (筧一成, Kakei Kazunari). It was serialized in Japan by Shueisha in Monthly Shōnen Jump from March 2004 to December 2006 and collected in nine bound volumes. There is a sequel series, Surebrec: Nora the 2nd (SUREBREC(シュアブレ ック) -NORA the 2nd), which is Cerberus spelled backwards, currently in serialization. Nora is published in North America by Viz Media, with the first volume being released on October 7, 2008.
Contents
Plot
Nora is a rebellious demon, and despite being a member of the Under World's official police force (Dark Liege's army) he has a tendency not to listen to orders. So one day, when he goes too far (AKA: calls her "ugly" one too many times) Dark Liege decides to send Nora to the human world to be taught to be obedient.
Enter Kazuma; a cool-as-ice straight-A student. As president of his school's student council, he discusses with his friends the problems involving the people collapsing and sometimes even dying. Ominously, the fact that one person even claimed that a monster was the culprit comes up. He hears a cell phone ringing from inside the hallway and decides to answer it. Dark Liege comes on with an over-enthusiastic "HI!" After Kazuma refuses to hear her measurements she explains that Kazuma was chosen to be given a great power. Suddenly, a strange pentagram-like object appears on his hand, and Nora appears!
Dark Liege explains that a resistance of demons has entered the human world and is hiring outlaw demons to attack humans. She also explains that because Nora is a bit too disobedient, that he entrusted control over his powers to him; in other words, Nora needs Kazuma's permission to do any magic; and if he goes out of line, Kazuma just has to say "I Forbid" and Nora's collar will choke him (reminiscent of Inuyasha's beads).
Nora thinks that it would be easy to push Kazuma around and go on a rampage, but Kazuma won't provide approval so easily, sometimes not even when fighting an outlaw demon!
Critical reception
Publishers Weekly reviewed the work concluding it "isn't bad, but falls short in many ways." Though the art was "comical", the story was "less compelling than other stories of a similar vein and relies too heavily on violence and slapstick humor". There was also a "general lack of character development".