Kazu proudly proclaims his latest science experiment a success. He’s created a humanoid named Pandora, a being of superhuman strength and agility. To impress his teachers and peers at Hemlock Heart Academy, Kazu brings her to Biology class. Her destructive abilities, however, cause more trouble than Kazu could handle. He has honestly created her for companionship (his famous parents are absent and emotionally unavailable). Chaos, monstrous creations wreaking havoc, and mad scientists defying the laws of nature follow. Pandora, in the middle of it all, realizes that it takes more than good grades and perfect attendance to make it through school.

Devil’s Candy contains a cast of distinguishable characters, swiftly drawn action sequences, and engaging monster fight scenes. The students and teachers are categorized by devil types like Imps, Cyclops, and Daemons. If you’ve watched and enjoyed The Nightmare Before Christmas and or Soul Eater, you’re likely to enjoy Devil’s Candy. There are familiar elements from the two, such as the setting and characters, but Devil’s Candy offers an entertaining experience that combines high school life, horror, and comedy.

The webcomic provides imaginative moments and comical character dynamics for its target audience. Its manga medium art style is appealing, and Pandora’s character development is one to watch. However, there’s also sexual innuendo and jokes here and there, so this webcomic isn’t for everyone.

I did not enjoy this at all. I have zero clue what it was about. The story is so jumbled, as are the illustrations. Even my graphics-loving husband couldn't make his way through this one. To each there own, but I am clearly not the target audience.

I've been on a search for sometime for our library for something along the line of Nightschool by Chmakova that will appeal to our teens while being completely engaging and approachable for adults as well. I was very excited to read Devil's Candy and have put it on the top of our list for purchase for our Graphic Novel section. The story is great drawing off of gothic stories like Frankenstein while weaving in fantasy and the academy motif. The artwork is great. It is a bit busy at times; however, it is easy enough to navigate. Readers are thrown directly into the thick of the action engaging readers from the beginning. Characters could use a little more development, but this in no way effects the enjoyment of reading. Definitely a fun read!

This series has a rare charm and a gothic atmosphere that transfers us into an Halloweenesque world that has a great cast of characters that are inspired by horror lore from an era of Mad Scientists and combines it with action-packed adventures you would find in a Saturday Morning Cartoon, a brief hint of nostalgia with a great combination of Humor and wacky ideas. I felt that this was a nod to a classic manga series, Atsushi Ōkubo’s Soul Eater, while it was in a Dark Fantasy setup it still had gothic tones that fans compared to Tim Burton’s Nightmare on Christmas (but with fan service). Devil’s Candy has what it takes for a great story, it may be fast-paced but the action sequences keep it grounded enough where fans can follow the story, not to mention how well it translated from being a webcomic onto the Manga Page.

The Artwork in this volume is one of the things that will catch the reader’s eye, as mentioned earlier they are inspired by horror lore and it works so well for what kind of story that REM and Bikkuri are trying to tell. I wasn’t familiar with this series or Creative Team but the way these characters are drawn and how they were written caught my eye in an instant. Also, it offers readers fun bite-sized notes that help them understand the world that Kazu and Pandora are in. One thing I would like to point out that Hemlock Heart Academy is a school that welcomes all devils, something that would serve as a source of interesting characters and engaging storylines in future stories down the line.

The style is adorable. It's super cute. But I have no idea what is going on. I feel like the story is missing completely until about 60% in.

So much charm can be found in Devil's Candy - characters, setting, tone, and so much more. Reading this work transported me into this Halloween-esque extravaganza of gothic steeples and horror-inspired lore from mad scientists to mythical academies all while telling the wholesome action-packed adventures of a Saturday morning cartoon. Kazu's naivety and charisma breathe life and wonder to the cast and world around him. I felt his enthusiasm in creating his experiment - Pandora (a silent, ragged yet tough creation) at the beginning of the work - as well his determination in giving her a life of her own as a fellow denizen of the world. Along with Pandora, the side cast is also engaging in their own rights - Nemo's straight man duties anchor the wacky nature of the work; Hitomi's crush on Kazu is cute and endearing, making for my favorite moments in the work. In addition, the action is not only easy to follow, but it is also flamboyant with style and swagger.

For those who love Soul Eater and Demon School Iruma-kun do not miss this! And considering this is one of VIZ's first line of originals, it is certainly a strong step to great titles to come.

REM and Bikkuri’s delightful webcomic Devil’s Candy has translated well into a manga, hopefully with many more installments to follow.

Set at a high school that you might say is….monstrous, the story blends action and humor in the fast-paced way that the best manga always does.

The art is at times busier than what I prefer, though I loved the way the characters are rendered and loved the way the setting (especially the school) was rendered even more.

One problem (Regarding the ARC) is that it’s difficult to grade the art with certainty because the watermark added by Viz Media is so obtrusive. I completely understand the need to protect this when issuing a digital copy, but loads of graphic art publishers have found a way to do this without obscuring so much of the art. Perhaps don’t use a dark grey tone on a black and white manga?

An action adventure that follows Kazu Decker and his science experiment. It was previously a popular web comic. I really wanted to like this book, but I ended up abandoning it. First the review copy that I had was so filled with watermark images that I had a hard time seeing what was going on. I know this impacted my review because images and dialogue have to work together in comics. So to me, the story randomly jumped around and I couldn't figure out what was going on. One minute they are eating breakfast and in the next panel they are talking about gender identity. I was just very confused.

2 stars

In the canon of OEL manga, <i>Devil's Candy</i> falls somewhere between a goofier <i>Night School</i> and <i>Hollow Fields</i>. It's a better combination than you might expect; REM and Bikkuri manage to hit an artistic sweet spot where it feels like manga rather than a try-too-hard imitation, and the story can be genuinely funny. Hapless protagonist Kazu (who would probably not appreciate that description) is one of the sillier mad scientists to take the stage, and after he builds his Frankenstein's Monster, Pandora, as a biology project, he has pretty much no idea what to do with her. His much cooler friend Nemo is a put-upon picker-up of pieces (and clearly well on his way to becoming the school heartthrob), and Hitomi's raging crush on Kazu amazingly doesn't turn her into an annoying character. It's just overall much better than I was expecting.

Instead of a boy meets girl premise, Devil's Candy features a boy makes girl premise. Frankenstein and his monster, if Frankenstein were a school-age scientist and the monster is a cute girl who starts gaining sentience and whose role in their creator's life (creature? bodyguard? girlfriend?) is under scrutiny in a manga-inspired world where everyone is either a devil or a monster.. The art is lovely, but the panels are so jam-packed that it felt like I expended a lot of effort to read. The premise is simple, but the amount of characters brought in defeats the simplicity. The end-of-chapter explainers for small details in each chapter also brings forth a sense of "tell, not show" that feels like overkill in a graphic novel. I'm sure readers who enjoy creepy-cute monsters would like this, but the pace of the storytelling and the panel claustrophobia makes it hard to love. The bonus chapter (with the least speech bubbles) was probably the part of the book I liked the most. (I received an ARC of Devil's Candy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)

The art style itself is nice, but both pages and individual panels are often so over-stuffed that they are very difficult to read. Character designs are nice, but the characters themselves couldn't hold my interest, and neither could the plot. Our library will pick this one up if it's requested by a patron but barring that we'll skip this series. (All that said, a larger library than mine might find that this series will have a built-in audience with the comic's original online following.)
NetGalley provided me with a digital copy of this comic in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute paranormal fantasy for teens. Kuzo the imp creates a Frankenstein's monster type of girl for his science class project. He insists that she have a happy life, and tries to show her everything great about the demon world. Along the way, we meet the zany characters at Hemlock Heart Academy. What will Pandora, Zuko's science project, make of this weird world?
For those that are a little squeamish (like myself), there are some disemboweled characters in the comic. Fans of shonen manga will enjoy Devil's Candy.

The cover looks amazing and that's what attracted me to this graphic novel. However once I started reading it, it just didn't hold my attention.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

OVERALL:
Devil’s Candy 1 is a fun and spooky series opener. A manga in the horror, fantasy, and school life genres, I would recommend this title for older teens+. The artwork is packed full of striking, gruesome visuals and tons of action to keep the reader engaged as the world and characters are introduced. Interesting premise with a refreshingly progressive lens.
SUMMARY:
In Devil’s Candy 1 we meet devils Kazu and Nemo as they complete a biology experiment and bring to life a girl named Pandora. Kazu shows Pandora the ropes at his high school, Hemlock Heart Academy, which is attended by students of all the devil races. Even though she has just been “born,” Pandora learns and develops her own personality quickly as the students battle runaway science experiments, ghosts, even participate in a deadly fashion show.
CHARACTERS:
Kazu, the main character, is a rich, lonely kid (devil) who creates Pandora from an implied need for connection. Abandoned by his busy celebrity parents, one would expect Kazu to be a selfish, privileged jerk, but he isn’t. He asserts that Pandora is a person, not an object, and should get an education. He is empathetic and encouraging to his friends, and functions as the moral center of the story.
Pandora is introduced as a blank slate, albeit one who quickly gains personality as she grows and learns. The main draw of the series, aside from the great aesthetic, will be to see how Pandora develops as a character.
WORLDBUILDING:
In this title, the reader is dumped into the world of Hemlock Heart Academy with little introduction. Exposition is explained to Pandora, who, as a newcomer, serves as the audience’s avatar. Even so, much of the information about the world and its characters is delivered in fun bite-sized notes at the end of each chapter. This helps the reader (eventually) understand what is going on while keeping the pacing of the story fast and action-packed.
PLOT:
As mentioned above, the pacing of this volume is very fast, with plenty of action scenes. As a series opener, this volume does a good job immersing the reader in the world and introducing the characters, motivations, and potential conflicts to come. It is noted a few times that Hemlock Heart is the only school that welcomes all races of devils, a position that will no doubt be a source of interesting characters and engaging storylines in future titles.

I haven't had this much fun reading a book in a long time. I loved every second of this book!

Kazu creates a girl, Pandora, for his science project (along with everyone else in the class) and as Pandora spends more time in the world, she doesn't always have the best role model to follow. This book was made up of what felt like "episodes" (and this would make the best and most fun Netflix series!) My teens will love it as much as I did and I can't wait to add it to my collection. This book includes science projects gone wrong, a "fashion" show, and other fun moments. I loved the interludes between chapters where the authors shared more information about this world with us. It was a true delight!

Content: mild language, action/fighting sequences.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Viz Media for letting me read this manga in exchange for an honest review!

This story so far has me just a little confused. The art was a little messy and hard to read from my phone, but maybe the small screen was the problem! The story itself feels like we waltz right into the middle of Kazu's life and simply walk with him on his daily life. He finished a biology project and now is busy teaching Pandora about life. They watch shows together and get into all kinds of trouble. I just wish Hitomi had a bit more confidence in herself. I think it's supposed to be a comedic device, but it didn't come across that way for me personally. Overall, Devil's Candy is kind of crazy, over-the-top, but fun!

Thanks to VIZ & NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was very much looking forward to this webcomic to be released in print format. I had not experienced it as a webcomic so this was exciting for me. It looked so intriguing to me and I was not disappointed. I love when the norm or what is expected from titles or descriptions and characters is not what it actually becomes and there is a different take on it. Which is the case for Devil's Candy. A universe full of devils and daemons and scientific inquiry that also touches on the importance of being true to oneself.
It is refreshing to see a graphic novel that focuses on more than just a battle scene or a romance arc. It explores elements of learning to love oneself for what they have and they have the alternate strong female characters and in the case of Kazu a weaker male character who is still useful and helpful. And not resentful at all at being the weaker one to the female characters.
I love the school setting and the teachers who seem to be there but also let the students do whatever they want, which results in explosions and disasters caused by said students.
I can't wait to see what happens next in this series.

Devil's Candy Volume 1 by Rem is a great fantasy manga with lots of action and intrigue.

The world building is super interesting, especially when you add in the amazing illustrations. I think the premise is really cool - Pandora was built to be a companion but now they're getting into some real shenanigans. I would have liked a little more character information or development. We got thrown into the action and I wasn't entirely sure who was who and why they were there.

Overall, this is a fun manga read! I'm really glad I got to pick up a copy.

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Thanks to VIZ & NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Devil's Candy was previously a webcomic that is now in print format. Devil's Candy follows Kazu as he tries to show his new Frankenstein-like creation "Pandora" how wonderful the world can be. Problem is, the world isn't exactly teaching Pandora the best lessons...

This series really reminds me SO much of Soul Eater (in a good way) but they're not really that similar beyond the monster/macabre imagery. I really love how lighthearted Devil's Candy is and how alive the world feels. It's definitely confusing to read at first but it grows on you and is just overall so dang entertaining.

Kazu is a really sweet protagonist that I adore, I can't wait to see more of him in later volumes. Even his bizarre tech friend is entertaining AF to read. The cyclops girl whose name I keep forgetting (I'm bad with names I'm sorry) is SO SWEET. Yet terrifying, when she needs to be, as one particular chapter in this volume highlights...

Highly recommend! Also, it's a great Halloween read. :)

What an absolutely delightful read! I went into this not knowing what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised! I loved all of the characters, and found the interactions to be so great. The artwork was fantastic, and really stands out. I will be eagerly waiting for the second volume!