The Bottom Line
Now that Kazuma has gotten used to the idea of having Nora the demon / hellhound around, it's becoming clear that this straight-A student might have bitten off more than he can handle. Controlling Nora's demonic power takes a physical toll on Kazuma, and dealing with Nora's bad attitude is almost as difficult. But things kick into gear as Nora's demonic friends and foes show up to further complicate matters.
While Nora Volume 1 provided the outline for this series, Volume 2 fills in some of the blanks. It's not very groundbreaking stuff, but it's solid, standard-issue shonen manga entertainment.
Pros
- More demons from the Dark Liege's Army share info about the workings of Nora's world
- Kazuma's parents are introduced and we learn why he's so unfazed by demons
- Lots more interesting adversaries challenge Nora and Kazuma to up their game
- Kakei mixes in some helpful and somewhat goofy diagrams to explain what's going on
Cons
- Solid, albeit unremarkable action manga that sticks to a standard shonen formula
- With flashes of fanservice and a gory scene of demon dismemberment, it's meant for older teens
Description
- Original Title: NORA (Japan)
- Author & Artist: Kazunari Kakei
- Publishers:
- Shonen Jump Advanced / VIZ Media (US)
- Shonen Jump / Shueisha (Japan)
- ISBN: 978-1421518961
- Cover Price: $7.99 US / $9.50 CANADA
- Age Rating:
OT – Older Teens, Age 16+
for mild violence, some fanservice
More about content ratings. - Manga Genres:
- Shonen (Boys') Manga
- Action / Adventure
- Comedy
- Paranormal / Supernatural
- Superheroes / Superpowers
- US Publication Date: December 2008
Japan Publication Date: January 2005 - Book Description: 210 pages, black and white illustrations
- More Manga by Kazunari Kakei:
- SUREBREC: Nora the 2nd
Guide Review - Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom Volume 2
Honor student Kazuma Magari has got a new pet -- or at least that's how he treats Nora, the latest incarnation of Cerebus, the mythical hellhound. Now bound to Nora by a supernatural contract, Kazuma can control the demon dog by uttering commands that are the equivalent of "stay," "heel" and "sic 'em." But Nora isn't easily tamed. The unruly teen demon schemes for his freedom while simmering conflicts between the Dark Liege's army and the evil demons of the Resistance threaten to come to a boil. As the stakes get higher, Kazuma shrugs off this demon invasion like a minor annoyance and an amusing boredom-buster.
Kazuma's nonchalance struck an off-key note in Nora Volume 1, but this mini-mystery is cleared up in Volume 2, with the introduction of Kazuma's parents. I don't want to spoil it, but suffice it to say that they make the demons look positively normal.
"Normal" is also a pretty good description of the art and storytelling in Nora. It's not groundbreaking, but it gets the job done. The action scenes move along quickly, jokes are inserted whenever the story gets too heavy, and diagrams are provided when things get confusing.
If Nora Volume 1 provided the basic outline of this shonen manga series, Nora Volume 2 fills in some of the blanks. Kazuma and Nora bicker, but over the course of three fights, a bank robbery and a fishing contest, readers learn more about the demon world, who Nora really is, and why the Resistance is a force to be feared. More members of the Dark Liege's army join the cast and we get a hint of why Nora got exiled to the human world.
There aren't many surprises here, but by the end of Volume 2, Kakei hints that the battle between humans, demons and the Resistance is about to kick into high gear. What exactly that means isn't terribly clear, but it's enough to keep readers intrigued to hang around for Volume 3.
