Eniale & Dewiela

SquishyCat Mar 23, 2021

7

Eniale & Dewiela is a cute little manga about two friends who just happen to be an angel and a demon. The story is trying to show that not all people who are supposed to be 'bad' are actually bad, and not all people who are supposed to be 'good' are actually good. While it does succeed at doing this at the point I left off at it hasn't fully committed yet which is frustrating.  Spoilers below this point.  The Part I'm Annoyed About: Dewiela is the demon of the duo. She is a hardworker and dutifully collects souls while also trying to help Eniale when she can. Surprisingly, she doesn't break the rules set out by Hell often. Unlike Eniale. Eniale isn't a hardworker, she damages a lot of Dewiela's belongings without thought, and she actively breaks the rules in order to get her way. The author is making it so we don't like Eniale, but through book two Dewiela hasn't had a single satisfying victory without teaming up with Eniale. I know she's the demon and therefore she isn't supposed to win even though she is the better of the two characters (thus the lesson) but it just leaves an unsatisfying feeling in me to see Eniale continue to win without repercussion. I still have one book to go so I could be surprised.  Other than imparting the lesson of not judging a book by its cover there really hasn't been an overarching story yet. It's been episodic so far.  Characters:  Even though I complained a bit above, the two main characters actually work fairly well together. Even though they are work rivals we still see them as close friends when not working. Eniale actively protects Dewiala and vice versa. However, while they are fairly complex characters none of the other characters in the series are. We don't really see any other characters more than once and while this is a short story focusing on the two friends it would have been nice to have a bit more.  Art:  The art is fantastic. 

tsukinohana Jun 24, 2023

9

What a perfect joy. Like a manga version of Good Omens, entirely focused on the complete disasters of a demon and an angel, terrible at their jobs and even worse at being enemies, as they wreak havoc across the globe amidst their petty arguments. The story balances nicely between hilarious hijinks between these frenemies and an emerging sub-plot of a too-invested demon hunter, remaining a high-action comedy throughout. While the art is as detailed and beautiful as in Witch Hat Atelier, the paneling itself, for which Shirahama is known for such unique, creative, and utterly unparalleled work, is noticeably uninspired here, comprising of simple rectangular panels almost always and only occasionally changing it up for effect. Overall, Shirahama seems to have taken more inspiration from western hero comics (on which she's worked before) for the paneling style as well as civilian scenes. The English translation is also perfection – while the devil character is snarky, casual, and swears up a storm, the angel speaks exactly like an angel would – formally, despite her inaptitude at her job otherwise, and constantly referencing biblical and Christian concepts in some quirky ways. I really enjoyed this aspect.