Copyright ©2000 Motoni Modoru

Over the years there have been many mangas to fulfill the insatiable appetite of the Japanese obsession with angels and their counterpart, the devil. Some of the mangas that have been churned out in this long history have been masterpieces, DEVILMAN and BASTARD!! to name a few, while some have just been fluffs which were forgotten the moment they came out. However, one thing that is constant in these mangas is that they are usually serious, depressing and apocalyptic. KOUSOKU ANGEL ENGINE by Motoni Modoru is not one of these.
In this story, there are angels, devils and humans in the world. Humans are the most abundant, followed by angels with an elitist complex and devils who are a threatened species since they have been hunted down by angels. The story begins with the angel Sumire being hunted down by his friend Renji, a devil. Renji decides that in order for the two of them to understand each other, he will now become the hunter and he cuts off one of Sumire's wings so that they are the "same." The two make a vow to go off hunting other angels—Sumire to replace the wing that he lost and Renji so he won't get hunted (and to get cash so he can buy more Dekavita—energy drink). The two go on to hunt down angels, breaking the long-standing law of angels hunting down devils (and humans on occasion).
The summary I just gave you may not make much sense without reading the manga, but once you start reading, it doesn't really matter. Like other mangas with angels and devils, there are serious undertones of evil doings, world domination, mad scientists, etc., but the sheer stupidity of the two main characters keep the manga interesting and very humorous even when there are some gruesome killings going on. Motoni makes many cult references in various places in the manga, ranging from a very famous line from a popular drama series in the early 90s to TEKKEN 2. To help those readers who may not be familiar with some of the obscure references, Motoni has created a reference page at the end of the manga. This approach of mixing humor with the realistic harshness of the story's world keeps the manga fresh and upbeat and, needless to say, very amusing to read. It is obvious that Motoni has fun drawing each installment, and this is a first major manga series for a semi-mainstream manga publisher.
Motoni's art style and her first major break (coming from the alternate publisher BIBLOS) tells that she comes from the doujin background. However, unlike many of the doujin authors turned mangakas in the past several years, she has a polished technique and there are no major flaws with her artwork. She is able to draw each character distinctly and apart from others, and the range of facial expressions on each character are also spectacular. The gratuitous blood gushing in each episode is not bad, and the framing of each page is meticulously done. The popularity of the series in the now defunct FANTASY DX can be seen by the fact that the series is slated as one of the flagships for Kadokawa's new monthly shoujo manga magazine, SHOUJO TEIKOKU (whose inaugural issue is coming out early this year).
To sum it up, KOUSOKU ANGEL ENGINE is a departure from the traditional mangas that dealt with angels and devils. There is no sense of moralistic value in this manga, and the two heroes are not fighting out from any sense of obligation or duty towards the weak, etc. If you are looking for an anarchical series with overall good artwork, this is a series you shouldn't miss.

Published by Asuka Comics DX, Kadokawa Shoten
1 volume and continuing
185 pages; B&W
VOL 1: ISBN4-04-853235-9
¥520
Available now in Japan
Where to buy