“It takes two to get one in trouble.”
~Mae West
Introduction
Because trouble has all kinds of faces, we can’t say that we always recognize it when it’s coming our way. Similar to American cinema of the 1940’s, in Hiro Madarame’s Cute Devil, trouble comes from a doll faced creature surrounded by enigma. Like many yaoi, Cute Devil takes place in the high school setting, however, the relationship (that this manga focuses on) between Tohru Akiyoshi and Fuuta Naruse is anything but your run-of-the-mill schoolboy romance, with a touch of comedy.
Summary
Cute Devil begins without an introduction, immediately introducing us to the conflict. The story is told through Tohru Akiyoshi’s eyes. He begins by informing us that the most effeminate and possibly most popular boy in school, Fuuta Naruse, is coming onto him. From the very beginning, we learn Akiyoshi is a very straight-laced individual, but is insecure about his own masculinity, thus making him feel awkward around Naruse. When Akiyoshi politely turns down Naruse’s invitation, the innocence of Naruse’s façade falls to reveal Naruse’s true colors. Naruse warns Akiyoshi that he gave him a chance, but now threatens that he will take him by force. The chapter ends with Naruse pouncing on him, only to reveal in the next chapter that Akiyoshi had been absent for 3 days after Naruse taking advantage of him (which he briefly flashbacks to in the middle of class). In this chapter, Naruse takes advantage of Akiyoshi multiple times, but we also get a little insight into Naruse’s character. We learn that even though Naruse has always been the type to be able to take what he wants, he has also had a history of helping people in need. Akiyoshi still does not believe this wholeheartedly because of what has happened between them. Later in the chapter, when Naruse attempts to take advantage of him again, Akiyoshi claims that he hates him, but Naruse is not fazed by this and continues to satisfy his sexual appetite after stating that he genuinely likes him and therefore, feels that he is entitled to this.
The third chapter features Akiyoshi and Naruse trying to figure out their relationship. The chapter begins with a steamy scene where Akiyoshi is reflecting on previous events while showering. He discovers that he wants more from their encounters, but thinks that that he may be losing his mind, which leads to him confronting Naruse. Naruse reveals that Akiyoshi attracted him because his cold disposition presented a challenge, unlike the many who follow him. Akiyoshi is offended, but once again, Naruse is not affected and the chapter ends with him pouncing on Akiyoshi. What is interesting about the next chapter is that it shows more about how Akiyoshi and Naruse function in school. Because Akiyoshi is very active in school activities, he has a following of his own. He becomes very busy and we begin to see signs of jealousy on Naruse’s end. In fact, Naruse even becomes violent towards other students whom he feels are getting too close to Akiyoshi. The last two chapters make quite a jump in time, beginning with showing Akiyoshi returning to school after summer vacation. When Akiyoshi sees Naruse again, he sees that he has become a tall, handsome devil. Even though his appearance and demeanor has changed greatly, his attitude towards Akiyoshi remains the same. Later in the chapter, because Naruse has attracted quite a large female following, Akiyoshi grows suspicious and begins to feel hurt, however, by the end of the chapter, Naruse confirms that he is only interested in Akiyoshi by publicly announcing his relationship. The last chapter honestly ties up any loose ends regarding Akiyoshi’s insecurities and his relationship with Naruse.
Highlights
Hiro Madarame is the manga-ka. At the beginning of the manga, Hiro Madarame writes a note expressing her excitement to be able to publish her second manga after Scarlet (mind you, it’s not related to Cute Devil, but falls into the category of yaoi as well). Even though she seems to be a relatively new manga-ka, she is familiar with the genre of yaoi. One of this manga’s strengths is Hiro Madarame’s style, which honestly attracted me to Cute Devil in the first place. The front and back cover and a few illustrations that are included feature simple designs but professional use of watercolors using earth tones. She is also able to clearly demonstrate her skill throughout the manga – an expert in balancing light and dark in order to give depth to her characters. By doing this, she is easily able to show the transformation her characters throughout the manga, which is very important since the manga is always switching between comedy and drama.
Overview
Hiro Madarame has created an interesting situation that supports the cliché of “not judging a book by its cover.” In Cute Devil, she goes against a stereotype about yaoi, able to make you believe that someone as uke (submissive) looking as Naruse is able to take control over someone as seme (dominant) looking as Akiyoshi. However, some may be turned off by Cute Devil simply because of its rating (“M” for mature) and the mature themes (such as rape) that are present throughout the manga. However, I feel that Hiro Madarame is able to distract you from the drama of the situation and make light of things by using a comedic technique similar to how the popular yaoi manga-ka Maki Murakami does in her manga Gravitation. Naruse has a sociopathic quality to him, therefore making him an interesting character to follow. Hiro Madarame seems to be continuing this series. She released a sequel called Itoshii Akuma (roughly translating to Beloved Devil), and a sequel to that one just this year. I feel that Hiro Madarame will be able to attract people (especially yaoi lovers) to her work because of the charm of her art style and her humor.
Star Power
ComicsOnline rates Cute Devil 4 devilishly handsome schoolboys out of 5.
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