Cute Devil by Hiro Madarame: C

Girly-looking Fuuta Naruse has many male devotees at school, but the only guy he has eyes for is Tohru Akiyoshi, the aloof class president who has not joined his throng of admirers. Fuuta exerts all his wiles in a confession to Akiyoshi, but when that doesn’t work, he sheds the cute persona and declares, “I’ll just have to take you by force.”

And so it goes. Akiyoshi is frequently violated and humiliated by Fuuta, but can’t confide in anyone about it, because nobody would believe him. Occasionally, he attempts to grow a spine and at one point tells Fuuta, “What you’re doing is a downright crime…” but, of course, he goes all doki doki at the next opportunity, and eventually begins fantasizing about their encounters. In the end, after Fuuta experiences an unprecedented growth spurt over summer break, he does one nice thing for Akiyoshi and now we’re supposed to believe he’s an okay guy.

Ordinarily, I’d give a book like this a lower grade, but Madarame’s art is seriously cute sometimes and provides a much-needed element of levity. I’d love to see what she could achieve with a better concept featuring more likable characters. In fact, I’d love to see Hisashi, Fuuta’s hulking and adorably dim-witted bodyguard, star in a vehicle of his own. He was easily the best thing about this one.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.