Thank you to NetGalley, VIZ Media, and VIZ Media LLC for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun graphic novel. I really enjoyed the art style and I can't wait to read more volumes!!!

This was a sad DNF. I really thought I would love this book. I do like the art and it’s a supernatural tale. That part I liked, however, one of our main characters makes himself a girl. Very much Weird Science movie vibes. When they made this girl, he made her mindless. She can harm and do battle, but has no thoughts or knowledge of her own. She is an empty vessel for them to do with as they please. I don’t like that. Tt just turned me off, and I do not care to ever finish this book, let alone read any sequels.

I abandoned this one, to be honest. I requested because the cover art really grabbed me, but the book itself did not.

This is creepy-cute and fluffy, with lots of action and silliness. We get plopped down in the middle of things in the devil world, with no real explanation of what's going on, and more than half the world-building is done in notes at the end of the chapters - helpful, but not my preferred way of learning about things. The art is pretty cool, I love the look of it, but it can be hard to follow action scenes, and it's hard to tell characters apart sometimes. A lot of the story is surface stuff; I would've liked to have learned more about the world and the characters. We do get a pretty good sense of Kazu, Hitomi, and Pandora, but the other characters... not so much. This is fine, it's still a fun read with relatable experiences, silly hijinks, and cool art, just don't go looking for depth. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

#DevilsCandyVol1 #NetGalley

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

The art was well-drawn and fit the tone of the story well. A good first volume of what looks to be a fun, engaging series.

Honestly, it’s super refreshing. A lot of manga and anime based around high schoolers (or younger, even) will shove fan service at you left and right. But! Not this. It was super fun to read, and I’m very excited for what’s to come with the series. Love Kazu!! My only negative is that this book reads right to left instead of left to right, which is super frustrating in a manga title.

Have any of you just look at the cover of a manga that makes you want to check it out? You know, those of us who aren’t Irina who buy tons of first volumes of manga because of this fact? (I love you, Irina. Please don’t have me.) As a cautious and still much newer manga reader, I haven’t done that a lot. Devil’s Candy was something that caught me eye though. It had such wonderful character designs and colors in it. Basically, it looked like a wacky science thing and I am generally all for that kind of stuff. It felt like something that I needed in my life right now. I was very correct.

Have any of you watched the anime film Hells? A chaotic film centered on a school of monsters trying to escape hell? Basically, Devil’s Candy’s setting is like that but a little more toned down with no escape from hell. The story takes place at a very advanced monster school named Hemlock. The entire plot starts because of a science project. One day, a science nerd by the name of Kazu creates a girl named Pandora a lot like Frankenstein created Frankenstein’s monster except Kazu created an anime girl. The difference is how Pandora is handled. Kazu wants Pandora to get an education rather then just seeing her as a science experiment.

What surprises me of despite all the crazy science, the tons of character designs, and the wild framing of the show, Devil’s Candy is very emphatic and relatable. What better way of characterizing the high school experience by hyperizing it with extra expressiveness. A lot of time is spent with Kazu and Pandora interacting with classmates of all kinds, shapes, and sizes in wild environments. All of them centered on creating the world with Pandora as a central character with Kazu fighting for her to get an education and school experience. When Pandora isn’t beating people up that want to be elitists, she’s getting allowed into model contests and other things. The cast allows both Kazu and Pandora to grow from their interactions. It’s good material.

The only major complaints I have are that the panels could be too jumbled sometimes. There is a lot too much artistic expression sometimes with too many panels on the page. That meeting the very different varied character designs can make the manga hard on the eyes to read. Or you know one could read it on something other then their phones to get a bigger page size for it. Might be helpful. But in general, I had a great time with this manga. Definitely a solid experience if you are curious about it.

Going into Devil's Candy it was a lot to take in at once and was almost intimidating. The story that was an action/adventure comedy was somewhat hard for me to follow. The characters in it were very likable and that was probably my favorite part of the manga. The art was also very detailed and beautiful, it is definitely what drew me in but sometimes I felt as if I was getting lost in it. With Devil's Candy being a very popular webcomic I feel as if it had a lot of potential but just did not hold up.

The art was cute, but the story was all over the place. I usually enjoy and support every published comic book by Viz mecia. Sadly I lost interest in this comic book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, VIZ for sending me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Devil's Candy Vol 1 is the first collection of Bikkuri and REM's webcomic of the same name. Kazu, a devil, may have been too ambitious with his latest class project - making a human girl. Apart from the whole bringing her to life thing, Kazu has no idea how to look after Pandora, leading to some very weird adventures.

Pandora is quiet, protective of Kazu and a bit of a mystery. I'm not sure what I think of her to be honest?

This has some horror elements so please avoid it if you don't like blood, action (fighting) violence, body parts being added or removed, weird scientists or monsters.

Kazu is cute and a bit clueless, but I think his friendly (exasperating) banter with Nemo is a fun contrast to the sometimes super serious world. Nemo is unafraid to tell Kazu to pull his head in, or talk his own intellect up.

I really enjoyed seeing REM's artwork again after loving her work in Soulless last month. She balanced expression, environments and movements so well.

Bikkuri also has some funny author insert pages to educate readers on the finer points of the supernatural world at the Academy Kazu attends, plus the other characters. VIZ have included character sketches and design notes from the pair - it's interesting to see their differing thoughts on the main crew.

This one gets a 2 finger guns from me - I really enjoyed it and will pick up the next volume.

This book has a sort of "Monsters High" feel to it with an array of different monsters or demons and they all go to a school and some are friends and some are enemies. The book opens with the main character bringing to life a monster creation he made for biology class and when he gets to class, discovers he wasn't the only one. His creation becomes a regular character though and the interaction between the main character and his friends are pretty cute. The illustrations are really dark and a little hard to follow but it matches the story.

A goofy little jaunt, this comic follows our protagonist Kazu and his monstrous creation, Pandora as they traverse every day life at monster school. So far it reads like a slice of life comic, with Kazu trying to teach Pandora all about life and what it has to offer. From science experiments gone wrong to kooky fashion shows, Devil's Candy is a cute comedic school life comic with a supernatural twist.
The artwork varies a bit between cutesy to action packed with occasional violent scenes. The main character is a bit helpless, but he does have Pandora and all his friends to help him out of pinches. Everything usually works out in the end. I did enjoy the little notes between chapters. Looking forward to the next volume.

I am really bummed that this wasn't my favorite. I thought it was really cute but it just didn't keep my attention. I also had a difficult time reading it due to the large watermarks on every page. I might try giving it a re-read once there is a finished copy available.

Demon Kazu Decker is working extremely hard to get an A on his latest biology assignment, and to do so, he's made an entire demon girl out of spare parts! He names her Pandora, and feels responsible with teaching her and making sure she becomes the best demon girl she can be! He even sets her up with his friend and fashion designer to make sure she looks the best!

There are a lot of demon/school tropes in this story and plenty of “easy” jokes (like they're the obvious ones everyone would think to make right there...). This is adapted from a popular webcomic into an OEL manga for Viz's new line of OEL manga. Most of the exposition and world building is provided in notes after each chapter, and this is where Bikkuri’s humor really gets to shine. These notes function sort of like translation notes in other manga, explaining references and giving more context to events and incidents in the chapter. The webcomic has color pages that are really well done, but it seems this volume will be entirely in black and white. It's kind of a shame that it won't be color, because the pages on the website make the art really pop. This could have been like Solo Leveling and printed in color, although I don't know if sales would have justified that cost.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

I had really high hopes for this book when I asked to read it. I don’t know if it’s that I’m not in the right place to read it today, but I didn’t like it much. It felt very much like a Monster High/Soul Eater knock off. 😬😬😬😬

She’s Aliveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Mangaka: Bikkuri (Story) and Rem (Art)
Publisher: VIZ Media
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Horror
Published: July 2021 - Ongoing

Because of the school project, biology, in particular, Kazu has to create the best creation of his life. So he, along with the help of his best friend, Nemo, created a Devil called Pandora. Pandora’s strength and personality could cause destruction pretty much everywhere. The school may be chaotic every day, but Pandora’s presence makes Kazu’s school life more exciting and fun in its way. How will Pandora grow as a devil in a world where she was brought to life by Kazu?

--- Spoilers Ahead ---

Discussion Time
Welcome to Hemlock Heart! We accept all kinds of devils to this educational institution, and we do not take kindly toward inequality. However, we also believe matters to be settled through either debate, conversations or even battles. If you choose to fight other students to conclude, be sure you will be hurt in the process. You have been warned.

Devil’s Candy is a story of Kazu introducing Pandora to the world he and his friends live in. Of course, society consists of a large diversity of monsters. The characters are memorable, and the designs… Yo, Rem has good taste. No, not the Rem from Re: Zero. We will get into the design aspect in the later section, starting now!
Why You Should Read Devil’s Candy

1. How Long Was I Out?

This may come as strange to some readers, but holy cow, Rem didn’t hold back when it comes to the background designs, characters and the contrast. That includes Bikkuri as well. The conversations and backgrounds complement each other so well that it pulls us into their world while feeling as if the time either just slows down or speeds up. To explain things quickly, it’s like a Ratatouille moment that was mixed in a blender with Za Warudo.

2. What Is She to You?

The biology project is part of the reason why Kazu created Pandora. Even though Kazu speaks to Hitomi, a female cyclops, sometimes, he is still shy when it comes to having a conversation with girls. His actions suggest that he created Pandora to help him build confidence to talk to devils of the opposite sex.

At the same time, he sees Pandora as his daughter. He takes full responsibility to ensure he nurtures her to be a proper devil is not causing unnecessary trouble to others. Pandora is like a Frankenstein’s monster, but she learns things around her pretty quick and doesn’t talk much. But she silently enjoys the attention from others.

3. Ahhh Youth

The school has incidents happening almost every day. They served as a medium for characters to overcome them. Fighting against a mad scientist’s experiment, solving the school's ghost problems when the principal should have done it, and the fashion competition.

They also have a one-sided love between Hitomi and Kazu. Hitomi’s self-deprecating personality reminded some of us of our past, but the courage she possesses to push herself out of the comfort zone is admirable and cool. We are rooting for you, Hitomi!
Why You Should Skip Devil’s Candy

1. It’s Not Scary

Yes, the world is set into a monster society, but they don’t exhibit the horror one would have expected. This series is more of a comedy and the shenanigans the characters have to put up while enjoying their chaotic school life.

Final Thoughts

Devil’s Candy is the most immersive manga we have ever read so far. The background designs, clothes, characters and personalities felt like they are meant to each other. You will probably fall into a state where you will leave the reality and enter their world to experience the actions and comedy the story offers. The relationship between Kazu and Pandora is cute and wholesome. The character development as the story progresses is going strong. However, this series is tailored to be more comedy and less horror, so you don’t have to worry about jump scares and intense close-up shots of monsters appearing before you. When in doubt, please seek Skeleton Ninja Sensei. If you have read this manga, which chapter, scene and character is your favourite and why?

By Nobodies17

Though not my favorite graphic novel this week, this one was still charming and entertaining. The art work is cute, fun, and eye appealing and the science fiction subject matter entertaining.

Join Kazu Decker who has built a girl for their biology project. Though quite the specimen, Kazu doesn't objectify their creation or even really try to control it like all their classmates. Kazu views Pandora as her own person. A creation, but one that has their own will and desires. I like this take on a Frankenstein like monster story. Though completely enamored by their project, Kazu realizes that their classmates all had a similar idea (though judging by the artwork - Kazu's is the most impressive and the only one clothed...).

Events take a turn when everyone else's projects get absorbed into one monster that tries to eat Pandora. But Pandora doesn't need saving and uses her brute strength to escape from the monster. But this won't be her only test and life at this scientific devil school might turn out to be the constant trial for survival of the fittest for a lab created creature.

A mad scientist odd couple high school original English manga. It is entirely possible this is not the story and style for me, given this was a successful webcomic, but I had a difficult time making it through this one. I feel like a lot of the character relationships and development are just assumed to make room for more action scenes but the problem with this is that while the art is very detailed, that detail gets muddy and crisp and makes it difficult to tell what actually is happening in the action. The stakes and low, the stories and silly, and instead of feeling fun it just felt like a bit of a chore to read. There was the feel of the progression of a story, but none of it seemed to matter and the characters weren't fleshed out well enough and the gimmicks weren't interesting enough to keep my interest.

Devil’s Candy Volume 1 is written by Bikkuri, (aka Clint Bickham), with art by REM, (aka Priscilla Hamby, or Tsulala), and lettering by Erika Terriquez. Originally released as a webcomic, Devil’s Candy Volume 1 is published by VIZ Media.



Containing a prologue, the first three chapters of the series, cast bios, and bonus comics, Devil’s Candy Volume 1 contains plenty of content to introduce readers to the world and characters.

In between chapters, there are notes from Mr. B, (Bikkuri), that discuss various elements from the chapter. Written like they exist in-universe, these notes feel like the reader is actually taking classes at Hemlock Heart Academy. Additionally, it is a clever and immersive way to build the world without bogging down the actual storyline in each chapter.

Devil’s Candy Volume 1 opens with scientist Kazu Decker finishing up his biology project last minute. And what is his biology project? She’s a devil, named Pandora, created and brought to life by Kazu in his lab. Moreover, while this does make Kazu sound like a mad scientist, he’s really not.

Kazu himself is actually a type of devil, an imp to be specific. And he attends a school for devils and other supernatural creatures, Hemlock Heart Academy. Creating an entire life for a school project? It’s not too out of the ordinary for his world. However, Hemlock Heart Academy isn’t completely without mad scientists; Kazu’s classmate Gyro easily fills that role.



In addition to Gyro, Kazu’s other classmates of note include his best friend Nemo Musterman, a half Grindylow devil, and Hitomi Ookumo, a cyclops/mist nymph with a huge crush on Kazu. A crush he is completely, comically oblivious to.

At the end of Devil’s Candy Volume 1, there are character profiles for Kazu, Pandora, Nemo, and even the headmaster of Hemlock Heart Academy, Elliot Hemlock. The inclusion of these profiles at the end of the book is a perfect placement. By this time, readers have already had time to get to know the characters through their interactions with each other and their environment. And while the biographical details aren’t essential to understanding what’s going on in the rest of the book, they are fun to know.

The relationships between Pandora and various other characters are at the heart of Devil’s Candy Volume 1. All of the main characters see her differently. Firstly, there’s Kazu. Regardless of what Nemo thinks, Kazu did not create her a as girlfriend. He created her out of a love for biology, to see what he was capable of.

But he does care for Pandora. Not romantically, but as a friend. And as her creator, he feels responsible for her happiness and well-being, wanting to make sure she has a good life.

In contrast, there’s Nemo. Nemo refers to Pandora as a pet or a project. Not maliciously, but he definitely doesn’t see her as a fellow devil. But because Kazu is his friend, he does care about keeping Pandora safe and healthy.

Unlike Kazu and Nemo, Gyro has a darker interest in Pandora. Namely, he wants to harvest her body parts to be used for his own project. In fact, this is the first conflict that occurs in Devil’s Candy Volume 1.

Each chapter contains a different main conflict, but they build off of the conflict in the previous chapter, creating a linear storyline. For example, Gyro’s body harvesting plan compounds in chapter 2, when the Science Club, of which he was the President, wants to harvest Kazu’s brain. And that’s still not as wild as it gets.

There’s a huge variety of designs that can be created since there are no human characters. And REM takes advantage of this. The designs are fun, unique, and very expressive. Personally, Kazu is my favorite. He’s adorable. He’s clearly an imp, but he still has this soft look that matches his earnestness and extremely positive outlook on life.

Devil’s Candy Volume 1 takes tropes like the boy-genius scientist and high school drama and puts unique twists on them. And that makes this book an absolute blast to read.