Satoru Takamiya's Heaven's Will

Heaven's Will cover is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Mikuzu Sudou can see ghosts, but that ability also makes her a magnet for Oni:  monsters, demons, and other unwelcome bad spirits.  Luckily, Mikuzu makes a new friend, Seto Ashiya, a blond-haired girl who is also a young exorcist.  Wait!  Seto is actually a cross-dressing boy with a taste for Lolita fashions, and his friend/pet is Kagari, a vampire who can turn into a wolf.  Now, Mikuzu’s monster magnet skills and Seto’s exorcist powers join forces to form an oni-busting business.

THE LOWDOWN:  With its cartoon gothic creepiness, Heaven’s Will feels like a Tim Burton stop-motion, animated feature film.  It also has a nice scary factor that gives some of the chapters a decidedly chilly air.  Still, there’s also something decidedly tame about this concept, even with all its eccentric and intriguing details.  At its heart, Heaven’s Will is a story about two peculiar teens struggling along the rocky, briar-infested path that takes them from awkward friends to gawky young lovebirds.  Heaven’s Will may be a love story, but it begs to be something darker.

The art by creator Satoru Takamiya is very nice, and throws a sweetly dark mood over the narrative, even when the story veers towards teen love.  Takamiya’s pretty art moves from the stylish, patterned flatness of lacey edged Goth-Loli to the wispy optimism of shoujo romance.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers of the supernatural-infused offerings of the magazine, Shojo Beat, will like Heaven’s Will.

B