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REVIEW: A Devil and Her Love Song GN 13




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Aura Ichadora



Joined: 25 Apr 2008
Posts: 2281
Location: In front of my computer
PostPosted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 11:07 pm Reply with quote
I loved the ending myself because it was left a little open. I think, if Tomori wanted to, she left herself plenty of room to continue the series at one point. There's plenty of places where she could continue the love triangle between Maria, Shin, and Yusuke, the "frienemy" relationship with Maria and Anna, Maria and John's relationship and how they both continue to deal with their memories with Maria's mother, or their lives in college and beyond.

I didn't really mind the parts with Maria and John and the relationship they are trying to form. I think it shows how much Maria had grown as a person to try and find forgiveness for him and even try to form some sort of father-daughter relationship with him. A kind of parent-child relationship she couldn't really form with her mother.

It was a lot better than spoiler[the almost rape scene between Maria and Shin]. THAT was the moment that made me the most upset and disappointed in the series.
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corinthian



Joined: 20 Feb 2009
Posts: 264
PostPosted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 11:14 pm Reply with quote
With the glut of passive shojo protagonists out there, it's been a pleasure following this series, and I was 100% on board with the inconclusive romantic ending. Maria didn't do the expected "drop everything to follow love" thing. She even pointed out how ridiculous it would be if she did, which I'm even more glad for. The story is all about Maria finding her place and building bonds, so it would be a disservice to everything that came before if she were to leave it all.

The stuff with John never came off as overly weird or uncomfortable to me, which is kind of surprising. It perhaps happened a little smoothly, but it wasn't unearned. It was set up as a truly penitent man and a somebody who wanted to understand and forgive them.
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2599
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 7:06 am Reply with quote
I also liked the inconclusive romantic ending; I mentioned it as a possible negative because I know some readers who prefer things wrapped up in a neat little bow. Maria's a terrific heroine, and I really want to see her live her life beyond the confines of the story.

As for John, well...I guess that's just my button. It really bothered me.
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14746
PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 2:28 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:

As for John, well...I guess that's just my button. It really bothered me.


She wouldn't have been born otherwise, isn't it
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 3:01 am Reply with quote
The John story bothered me so much that I nearly stopped reading the manga. It's not Maria's forgiveness of him exactly (her grandparents don't completely forgive him, so we have that for contrast), it's how convenient and "perfect" his story is, and how it makes Maria's mother's story look so much worse in comparison. Something about how Maria's mother developed a relationship of sorts with John after she was traumatized by his rape and ostracized by everyone she knew feels like Stockholm syndrome, and the whole story has an air of blaming the victim with regards to her suicide (why would she do it if she was willing to communicate with this very repentant man who was even willing to be a priest in a foreign country?). Combined with the "almost" rape scene involving Maria herself, I got the impression that the author has less than a modern, feminist perspective on rape.(Not to mention that the whole thing was *very* unrealistic, but this is a shoujo manga).

On the other hand, the manga as a whole, and the characters' development was so wonderful and well written, that I found the manga an overall pleasant read. The music was described so beautifully that I really wish it had been adapted as an anime so I could hear it. And Maria has the best hairdo in manga! Smile
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