Heaven's Will by Satoru Takamiya review

Heaven's Will

Author/Artist: Satoru Takamiya

Publisher: VIZ Media

Rating: T – ages 13 and up

Genre: Shojo, Drama, Gender Bender, Supernatural

Grade: B

Mikuzu Sudou hates all things scary, including boys (I don't blame her, boys are frightening). For as long as she can remember she's had the ability to see ghosts and monsters. Because of that she is scared of them. While being chased by one of these monsters she meets an adorable girl named Seto and a handsome young man named Kagari. Seto saves her and informs her that the monsters that are chasing her are Oni and the reason they are chasing her is because she is a Kenki (one who can see them). She learns the Seto is able to exorcise these oni. It also turns out that Seto is actually a guy who dresses in gothic/lolita fashion for women and Kagari is a vampire who is able to turn into a wolf. Seto proposes the idea of protecting Mikuzu for a very large fee. Mikuzu can't meet the terms so her payment is to make Seto cake daily (I wish all bills could be paid this way).

Thanks to Seto she is able to deal with the oni and she is able to deal a little better with men. Some of that might be because Seto looks like a girl. Seto is desperate for large sums of money so he starts to expand his exorcising business. While all of this is going down Mikuzu is trying to get to know Seto and Kagari better, but things aren't working out that well. Kagari doesn't seem to like Mikuzu and the reason why Seto wears girls clothes is he wants to be closer to his sister (and he claims he looks good in them). Can Mikuzu get through all of the mysteries and get closer with these two guys?

Heaven's Will was enjoyable but it could have been better if it was made into a series. There is so much information that needs to be covered but there isn't enough space to make it all in there. This is a great shojo title for those who like the goth/loli look. The outfits that Seto wears are definitely in that vein. I had a hard time relating to the characters because according to them if you can't see ghost you don't believe that they're there. Do I believe in ghosts? Well in a roundabout way I do. Can I see them? No, I don't have a sixth sense (I do own the movie though). Seto is dealing with some huge guilt issues and Kagari is handsome but kind of a jerk.

Even though I had these couple of issues I did like the manga. The costuming is great and it was an interesting, quick read. The panels were easy to read and the heavy reliance on screen tone was absent (which that can really mess things up). If you are into the gothic/lolita scene I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this title. Also fans of supernatural stories will like it as well. I recommend it!

***Review Copy purchased at Borders***