Machikado Mazoku/The Demon Girl Next Door S1 / manga

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Who Will Win This poll is closed.
Yuko	12	66.67%
Momo	6	33.33%
Total:	18 votes

[Edit Poll (moderators only)]

Agronox: Feb 4, 2005

My favorite moe Kirara 4-koma, complete with mind wipes, PTSD, and mass murder.

And now the cat's going to die too!

# ? Dec 31, 2020 17:51

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# ? Apr 24, 2024 12:43

A Sometimes Food: Dec 8, 2010

So how long til we get fanart of Momo in a tracksuit and Adidas?

# ? Jan 2, 2021 18:11

Maxwell Adams: Oct 21, 2000; T E E F S

# ? Jan 2, 2021 19:46

esselfortium: Jul 19, 2006; Cumulonimbus Antagonistic Posting

This manga continues to blow me away. I wish more people were reading it!

# ? Jan 2, 2021 20:37

Terry van Feleday: Jun 6, 2010; Free Your Mind

esselfortium posted:

This manga continues to blow me away. I wish more people were reading it!

One of the big reasons I'm excited for season 2 of the anime is that it'll get people to talk about this story again and see a little more of what makes it truly special

though I'm pretty much already in "season 3 when" mode, haha

# ? Jan 2, 2021 21:49

esselfortium: Jul 19, 2006; Cumulonimbus Antagonistic Posting

Terry van Feleday posted:

One of the big reasons I'm excited for season 2 of the anime is that it'll get people to talk about this story again and see a little more of what makes it truly special

though I'm pretty much already in "season 3 when" mode, haha

Oh, same. I really hope we'll be lucky enough to see the entire story adapted.

# ? Jan 2, 2021 22:05

Nate RFB: Jan 17, 2005; Clapping Larry

Not even dex constantly dying can stop a demon as beefy as Shamiko

# ? Mar 8, 2021 20:10

Xelkelvos: Dec 19, 2012

e:f;b

# ? Mar 8, 2021 20:12

Kibibit: Sep 10, 2009; You must be a friend that's good at shredding!

# ? Mar 8, 2021 20:21

Omnicrom: Aug 3, 2007; Snorlax Afficionado

I will never get tired of seeing her give "Shadow Mistress Yuuko" as her proper name and people just rolling with it. The fact that even her teacher calls her Shamiko is great.

Also Shamiko deciding to have a training arc to be able to bridal carry her girlfriend, #lifegoals.

# ? Mar 8, 2021 21:20

chumbler: Mar 28, 2010

Wasn't there a gag that even Shamiko forgot her actual name?

# ? Mar 8, 2021 22:47

SatoshiMiwa: May 6, 2007

Momo trying to be supportive but also not realizing her girlfriend wants to train for you

# ? Mar 8, 2021 23:32

Omnicrom: Aug 3, 2007; Snorlax Afficionado

chumbler posted:

Wasn't there a gag that even Shamiko forgot her actual name?

There's a bit when Mikan first showed up IIRC where she calls her "Yuuko" and Shamiko takes a moment before "Oh wait, that is my name, isn't it?"

# ? Mar 9, 2021 00:59

Syritta: Jun 28, 2012

the trainer calls her "Shadow-san"

shortening it to Shamiko would be too informal

# ? Mar 9, 2021 04:33

Agronox: Feb 4, 2005

Omnicrom posted:

There's a bit when Mikan first showed up IIRC where she calls her "Yuuko" and Shamiko takes a moment before "Oh wait, that is my name, isn't it?"

Yep, back in Chapter 17.

I kinda miss the older art style.

# ? Mar 9, 2021 15:19

Super Jay Mann: Nov 6, 2008

At least Shamiko's mother remembers to use her given name, like a good parent should. :colbert:

# ? Mar 9, 2021 15:31

Maxwell Adams: Oct 21, 2000; T E E F S

Mangadex may be down, but speedscans never die.

https://guya.moe/proxy/imgur/mzO7Oqr/1/1/

# ? Mar 27, 2021 06:00

gimme the GOD DAMN candy: Jul 1, 2007

philosophy shamiko is too strong!

# ? Mar 27, 2021 06:07

SatoshiMiwa: May 6, 2007

That line Philosophy Shamiko made about the Angel and devil becoming one has to be more than just a one of gag right? Given the way this series goes it has to be big hint about the end game

# ? Mar 27, 2021 07:02

Kibibit: Sep 10, 2009; You must be a friend that's good at shredding!

SatoshiMiwa posted:

That line Philosophy Shamiko made about the Angel and devil becoming one has to be more than just a one of gag right? Given the way this series goes it has to be big hint about the end game

This series is "Conservation of momentum, the Manga" so I have no doubt it'll pop up somewhere.

# ? Mar 27, 2021 14:06

Omnicrom: Aug 3, 2007; Snorlax Afficionado

SatoshiMiwa posted:

That line Philosophy Shamiko made about the Angel and devil becoming one has to be more than just a one of gag right? Given the way this series goes it has to be big hint about the end game

And further I point out that as far as I can tell Shamiko still has Sakura's soul crystal thingy inside of her.

Also, I would be over the goddamn moon if that goofy bit earlier about how Shamiko wanting a cute pink Magical Girl combat outfit was secretly foreshadowing and that actually is her final form.

# ? Mar 28, 2021 07:45

Agronox: Feb 4, 2005

There was a translation of an interview with the mangaka from two months ago:

quote:

Ito loves occult manga, specifically works about the natural and supernatural coexisting. "Ghost Sweeper Mikami", "Hell Teacher Nūbē" and "Shaman King" have left a deep impression on her, and she loved "Shrine of the Morning Mist" & "Hellsing" in middle school. Although occult manga still exist, Ito feels their boom period has faded, leaving her feeling bereft.

She got hooked on the topic in primary school. There was a big boom of "school ghost stories" for kids, and she'd have to reserve them in the library. "Toire no Hanako-san" (no official english title that I could find) and "Hell Teacher Nūbē" were big hits. She grew up in an internet-using household and would surf early webpages and bulletin boards.

2channel's occult board was particularly populous, spawning threads like "Wanna collect stories that could no-joke scare you to death?" Having loved telling stories since she was little, she'd make up and post her own. One of hers even made it onto a kind of "greatest hits" collection site which made her very happy, though she won't share which one because "too concrete an understanding of a scary story robs it of its mystique."

Though she came up with plenty of stories, one was particularly well received. Before she'd realised it, someone completely unknown had added a continuation to it, and the story became something different than she'd originally intended. But she figures that's not unlike the process by which urban legends spread.

Her pen name is taken from an ancient poem, having developed an interest in classical literature in high school:
"Eightfold rising clouds
build an eightfold fence
an eightfold Izumo fence
wherein to keep my bride�
oh! splendid eightfold fence."
(TL from allpoetry.com/Eightfold-Fence.)

She wavered between Izumo and Yakumo (the word used for "clouds" here), and her love for writer Koizumi Yakumo made the latter a real possibility, but she chose Izumo because Izumo Grand Shrine has a branch shrine in Tokyo where she lived that is near to her heart.

Having been able to gain a basic understanding of simple ancient texts based on intuition in high school, she must've fallen in love with them because she ultimately chose to major in medieval literature in university. She liked to read biographical writings, collections of occult stories from japan's past like the "Nihon Ryouiki" and "Uji Shūi Monogatari", books from the early modern era like "Ugetsu Monogatari", "Nansō Satomi Hakkenden" and rakugo ghost story collections, as well as the works of Koizumi Yakumo and Kunio Yanagita. Her experiences with those works may have formed the breeding ground for her own writing.

Regarding Shamiko being a succubus, she had to come up with a way for a feeble kid like her to be able to stand up to a powerful magical girl, and ultimately figured that if she couldn't stand a chance in the real world, then how about if she were to dive into her dreams? Hence, succubus (夢魔, lit. dream demon)

Shamiko's horns were meant as a cute distinguishing characteristic and something Ito would find fun to draw. The succubus (here using the english word rather than 夢魔) from "Ragnarok Online" was particularly useful as a reference. Her demonic garments are meant to evoke a succubus as well, but rather than having her proactively show off her sex appeal, she thought having an unassuming girl suddenly transform into lewd clothing in the middle of town would be more exciting... (tl note: god drat it ito-sensei)

The demon god statue is based on the false idol from "Dragon Quest 2", but of course for a Kirara manga it had to have a loveable look. To that end she took inspiration from Haniwa figures, whose simple but memorable faces composed only of circles made for the perfect kind of slightly stupid appearance to use in its design.

(The editor adds that the "Dancing People" Haniwa currently in the Tokyo national museum bear a particular resemblance.)

Ito loves poring over reference books of gods and monsters from japan and abroad, and so when she came up with Tama city as a setting, she envisioned it as a place of refuge for folks driven out of all sorts of civilizations. To people in europe and china the japanese islands are a remote region on the extreme eastern end of the map, a sort of "last stop" for travellers to gather, and there's talk of jews drifting to japan and people of european descent surviving in Akita. As such, she feels having a diverse range of gods and monsters in Tama city wouldn't be at all strange.

Historically, Japan has repeatedly blended in and localised foreign cultures both new and existing, showing a broad-mindedness towards the idologies of other nations, or rather, a nonchalant willingness to pull them all in into one big mess, and she figures that is precisely what brings forth japanese culture. That's her excuse for tossing any and every occult thing she likes into "The Demon Girl Next Door".

The talismans stuck behind Mikan's wallpaper were all meant to hold writing meaning "something bad sealed here, don't open!" but since her deadline was aready up, she lacked time to research the proper style as would be used China where talisman writing still exists as a profession, which she jokingly claims to regret to this day.

(Editor adds that the hieroglyphs in the ancient egyptian painting of the ancestue decipher to "thank you for reading", and that Ito had in no way expected anyone to decipher them, but is happy that people were willing to dig that deep.)

There are many shrines in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture where Ito now lives, and she says that while the locals are hardly strict believers in God, they still pass on folklore about bad things happening on years in which the pillars erected during the Onbashira Festival fall and place high value on their local customs. Ito has also been digging with great interest into the history of the Onbashira Festival and Suwa Grand Shrine's seven mysteries.

She's been to the Togariishi Museum of Jōmon Archaeology a few times. It's famed for its Jōmon-era clay figures, but other interesting sights include the titular Togariishi (尖石, lit. pointed stone), a large enshrined boulder that, so it is said, must never be dug up as doing so will lead to death. Places with such folklore can be found all over Suwa, lending it its charm.

Being set in a Nagano-esque locale is never central to "The Demon Girl Next Door"'s story, but the booze the ancestue gets bathed in is of Shinshu origin, the place name Omoizawa is a pun on the resort town Karuizawa (written 軽井沢 with the kanji for "light", Omoizawa being 重井沢 with the kanji for "heavy") and here and there bits inspired by Ito's home town pop up.

She doesn't have concrete plans for her next occult manga, but in a recent chat with her editor she has floated the idea of a story centered on the Association of Shinto Shrines.

"Said association has branches in every prefecture. Mie, where Ise Grand Shrine is, and Shimane, where Izumo Grand Shrine is, hold power, and the Rokuhara (a kind of security agency under the Kamakura shogunate in Kyoto) wields its own kind of authority. And so, the Association of Shinto Shrines acts as a shadow organisation influencing japan from behind the scenes..." The details would be pretty hard to draw, though.
In early january of this year, an image went viral on twitter of an organisation called the "Imperial Spiritual Research Society", which gave Ito the idea. She finds the idea of an organisation with that kind of name moving in the shadows unbeknownst to history very exciting.

Ito loves shinto shrines, so she'd like to make a manga about a shinto priest chanting ritual prayers as they fight their enemy. But that would require proper consideration of the chants' composition and literary style, which is kind of a pain...

Closing, she says that lately there have been a lot of works in Kirara with deep worldbuilding, and reading deeply into them is quite interesting. In volume 6 of "The Demon Girl Next Door" Shamiko finally catches a glimpse of the reality faced by magical girls and demons, and Ito would certainly be happy if you were to read it.

Credit to the translator, who if I'm not mistaken is actually in this thread... thanks for doing it if so!

https://twitter.com/VeeValory/status/1365038401309843463?s=20

# ? Apr 5, 2021 23:02

narm00: Feb 18, 2006

Sunrise Arrow translation released: https://cubari.moe/read/imgur/jLypEGn/1/1/

# ? Apr 8, 2021 12:23

Agronox: Feb 4, 2005

narm00 posted:

Sunrise Arrow translation released: https://cubari.moe/read/imgur/jLypEGn/1/1/

I totally understand how social media can make someone fall to darkness like that.

# ? Apr 8, 2021 15:19

Super Jay Mann: Nov 6, 2008

Momo falling to darkness whenever Shamiko does a dumb dumb will never not be hilarious.

# ? Apr 8, 2021 22:55

SatoshiMiwa: May 6, 2007

Guess we know who's going to be the one dishing out punishment to the kids out of the Shamiko/Momo relationship. Did something wrong? Momo gonna fall to Darkness

# ? Apr 9, 2021 02:18

narm00: Feb 18, 2006

The Volume 6 extras:

Momo gets ready for a date: https://cubari.moe/read/imgur/LeRVmgc/1/1/

Momo's alternate forms: https://cubari.moe/read/imgur/1ldXbUH/1/1/

Contents page: https://cubari.moe/read/imgur/5TzJjYs/1/1/

narm00 fucked around with this message at 09:11 on Apr 9, 2021

# ? Apr 9, 2021 08:46

Nate RFB: Jan 17, 2005; Clapping Larry

Not seeing the problem here, Momo

# ? Apr 9, 2021 14:01

Omnicrom: Aug 3, 2007; Snorlax Afficionado

Momo's Skills:
Joint Locks
Falling to Darkness for No Reason in Particular

Mikan's Skills:
Making Cocktails
Launching Citrusy Attacks on Adjacent Panels

# ? Apr 9, 2021 17:38

Maxwell Adams: Oct 21, 2000; T E E F S

The new _{3 week old} chapter is finally translated.

https://cubari.moe/read/imgur/3LL6XmK/1/1/

# ? May 19, 2021 05:15

SatoshiMiwa: May 6, 2007

Keep trying Momo, one day you'll get Shamiko to Move in with you

# ? May 19, 2021 06:28

Elfface: Nov 14, 2010; Da-na-na-na-na-na-na
IRON JONAH

Momo remembered that even if it's effects have weakened, Shamiko and fam are still under the 'Limited money curse'. If they obtain something valuable, like a nice house, a curse would suddenly arrive to lower it's value.