"Defense Devil" a manga by Christian living in Japan

[alecho]

Have you guys ever heard of "Defense Devil"?

I recently bought this manga series because I liked the art on the cover. It turned out to also be a very enjoyable manga to read! It has an unique plot initially (main character is a good-hearted demon who serves as a lawyer to prove the innocence of a human who was wrongfully put in hell), which later transforms into a "typical" fighting bad guys-type of story. However, I still highly recommend it. (warning: it contains slightly mature content). It is currently published on weekly comics Sunday.

However, what got my attention is the background of the writer of Defense Devil, Youn In-wan. He identifies himself as Christian. His questions about good vs evil, life after death is what inspired him to write Defense Devil. He admits that the plot of DD has shifted away from his initial idea to fit what most readers wanted: fight and action. However, I still it was cool to see a very successful Christian writer in the world of manga

[ShiroiHikari]

Sounds interesting! Is it published in the US, or only available through scanlations?

[TheSubtleDoctor]

This does sound quite interesting. Given the magazine that it's in, hopefully Viz will pick it up.

[steenajack]

That does look interesting. In reguards to "mature content", what exactly do you mean by that? What kind of "mature content" is in there?

[TWWK]

When I read the mangaka's name, I was surprised - he's not Japanese, but a Korean artist and a manhwa creator. I'm not really up to date on how well manhwa sell in Japan, but it's cool to see a Korean published in a weekly manga magazine.

His nationality is an important point to note - Korea is about 1/3 Christian, amuch much higher percentage than in Japan.

[alecho]

Sounds interesting! Is it published in the US, or only available through scanlations?

I believe Defense Devil is currently not published in the States (I could be wrong). I buy my mangas in Japanese so fortunately I do not have to wait for the translations.

In reguards to "mature content", what exactly do you mean by that? What kind of "mature content" is in there?

By "mature content" I mean partial or complete nudity with vital female features covered. And blood splatter too.

I'm not really up to date on how well manhwa sell in Japan, but it's cool to see a Korean published in a weekly manga magazine.

His nationality is an important point to note - Korea is about 1/3 Christian, amuch much higher percentage than in Japan.

There has been a slow but sure increase of good Korean artists and illustrators in main stream Japanese pop culture. "Jack Frost" is another well-drawn manga by a Korean artist. It's not as popular as Defense Devil or published in a mainstream manga magazine, but it has a good share of fanbase.

Yes, good percentage of Koreans are Christians (including myself ) and I'm encouraged to see the Christian influence via medium like manga

[TWWK]

Yes, good percentage of Koreans are Christians (including myself ) and I'm encouraged to see the Christian influence via medium like manga

Same here! *high five*

And I just checked out your blog. Your last name is the same as my wife's, but her family doesn't have an "e" at the end.

[alecho]

Same here! *high five*

High five back to you!!!

And I just checked out your blog. Your last name is the same as my wife's, but her family doesn't have an "e" at the end.

I guess my last name is supposed to be "ChoI" but it was misspelled to "ChoE" when my parents got their citizenship. weird, eh

[uc pseudonym]

I've been ignoring this series because that is my default position for new manga. The information about the author isn't necessarily enough to tip the balance, but it is of note.

I'd ask about quality, but you've given your opinion on that. What is the nature of the legal aspects? Is this Phoenix Wright, LA Law, what? Similarly, once the series turns to fighting, what shonen would you compare it to? I read a fair bit of shonen, hence I have preferences.

[alecho]

I'd ask about quality, but you've given your opinion on that. What is the nature of the legal aspects? Is this Phoenix Wright, LA Law, what? Similarly, once the series turns to fighting, what shonen would you compare it to? I read a fair bit of shonen, hence I have preferences.

@uc pseudonym: Hmmm... it's bit challenging to describe the manga because they have their uniqueness, but I'll give it a try.

My first impression of Defense Devil is Death Note in action. I feel like the artwork is similar to Death Note (not Bakuman even though they are by the same artist. I think Bakuman is more comically drawn, more wordy than the darker Death Note). I also get a similar comparison to D.Grayman, Jack Frost, and Ao no Exorcist. Even though the main character of DD is a "lawyer" it's not exactly a "law" orientated manga, therefore not like Phoenix Wright. It's more like a... hmmm... verrrrrrrrry diluted thriller/thought provoking version of Death Note. Once again, the emphasis is "verrrrrrry".

I hope this helps cheers!

[AnimeGirl]

This sounds interesting. And you buy it in Japanese? Once I learn Japanese I will have no need to wait for English translations, but for now, let us hope they pick it up. It sounds rather interesting, to say the least.

[alecho]

This sounds interesting. And you buy it in Japanese? Once I learn Japanese I will have no need to wait for English translations, but for now, let us hope they pick it up. It sounds rather interesting, to say the least.

Unfortunately, I believe it's in Japanese only for now. But, yea, I enjoy reading it and I especially like the artwork (kinda similar to Deathnote). I also hope it gets picked up in the States too

[Atria35]

For some reason, the guy who did the story sounded familiar. Then I remembered- I'm a huge fan of Shin Angyo Onshi! It's a manhwa, but it's incredibly popular and very good, and the story is done by this guy. I'd also check out that work if you guys are interested.

[J.D3]

Can I look at this anywhere online? I live in Aussie land, and from what I gather we don't get very much in the way of range in manga.

[Atria35]

Yeah, but we're not allowed to post links to illegal scanlation sites on here.