Shadow Mistress Yuko – or just Shamiko – continues her quest to defeat a magical girl in the second volume of Izumo Ito’s The Demon Girl Next Door manga. Obviously this is done by befriending said girl… this volume also introduces a new character into the story.
This volume contains chapters fourteen through to twenty-six.
LEVEL 2: FRIENDSHIP BATTLE!
Shadow Mistress Yuko (a.k.a. fifteen-year-old Shamiko) may have freed her family from the “Feeding a Family of Four on 40,000 Yen-a-Month” curse, but her battle is just beginning! While struggling to defeat her rival, the magical girl Momo, they’ve actually, kind of, become close friends?! A new magical girl appears in Volume 2 of this supernatural schoolgirl comedy!
Some pretty interesting stuff to unpack in this second volume of The Demon Girl Next Door, first of which is the introduction of new character Mikan Hinatsuki. A second magical girl joins the cast of characters, and she brings quite the curse with her. Whenever Mikan’s emotions are heightened, the people around her suffer misfortune – even Momo is not immune from Mikan’s curse.
Seems like an interesting choice to call in for help, but I’m sure Momo knows what she’s doing. Probably.
Besides, it seems that after a rough initial introduction, Yuko actually gets on quite well with Mikan – even going to the cinema together. That’s all part of Mikan’s plan to learn how to control her curse, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a nice gesture.
Mikan’s curse does also lend itself to some pretty amusing situations between the demon girl and the two magical girls.
As for other characters, Ryou and Shion provide some pretty enjoyable interactions with our main characters. Of course, Yuko and Momo’s chemistry remains just as great as ever – those two probably won’t speak it aloud, but it is made plainly clear that they care for each other a lot.
This volume also drops some bombshells regarding Momo’s status as a magical girl, and then Yuko’s family later on. If anything, the former might just make Yuko care for Momo even more. And, as it turns out, the connection between those two even extends to their respective families.
That’s definitely some very intriguing stuff, and I like that it serves to increase the strength of the bond between demon girl and magical girl.
Lots of fun stuff in this volume, and some stuff that’s a little bit more serious – still presented in that same comedic tone, though. The addition of Mikan to the cast of characters is great, too, resulting in this volume just offering up a really fun read.
Rory Muses 