aimed at the younger part of the shoujo demographic were still extremely depressing and have the
main protagonist go through a lot of awful things. Bride of Deimos is a shoujo manga from the 70s,
and, as you would guess, it is depressing, but it does quite a bit differently compared to its genre
companions, which I greatly appreciate.
Bride of Deimos stars a 17 year old girl named Minako Ifu. She has a dream one day where the devil,
aka Deimos, says that she is his bride and that, at 1 o’clock on Friday, he will show her that he truly is
the devil by showing her fear that only the devil could bring. Minako has art class at 1 o’clock and
decides to go as if she never had the dream. Her art teacher is possessed by Deimos and Minako
freaks out.
aka Deimos, says that she is his bride and that, at 1 o’clock on Friday, he will show her that he truly is
the devil by showing her fear that only the devil could bring. Minako has art class at 1 o’clock and
decides to go as if she never had the dream. Her art teacher is possessed by Deimos and Minako
freaks out.
Minako has a cousin named Ryou. His girlfriend, Sachi, gets tricked by Deimos and runs right into
traffic, which kills her. Ryou is extremely distraught and hears Sachi’s voice calling him. He follows it
and ends up being absorbed into a painting, which was Sachi’s fate as well.
traffic, which kills her. Ryou is extremely distraught and hears Sachi’s voice calling him. He follows it
and ends up being absorbed into a painting, which was Sachi’s fate as well.
We find out that Minako is supposedly the reincarnation of Deimos’s twin sister, Venus. Basically,
Deimos and Venus were Roman gods but, because he and Deimos wanted to imitate Oreimo, Jupiter
locked Venus in chains and sent her down to the depths of Hell and he made Deimos the devil.
Deimos promised to Venus that, when he found a body that looked just like hers, he would bring it
down to Hell and allow her to possess it, which would free Venus from her eternal prison.
But, Deimos’s loyalty to Venus begins to waver as he grows fond of who’s supposed to be Venus’s
new body, that being Minako. Deimos has to deal with the dilemma of who he is most loyal to and who
he is truly in love with.
new body, that being Minako. Deimos has to deal with the dilemma of who he is most loyal to and who
he is truly in love with.
That is essentially the premise and at a first glance, it sounds somewhat stereotypical. But, given my
summary of the first chapter, I bet you’ve figured out that Bride of Deimos isn’t your typical shoujo manga. And you would be right. Bride of Deimos is an episodic horror manga and it avoids nearly all of the tropes common in shoujo.
summary of the first chapter, I bet you’ve figured out that Bride of Deimos isn’t your typical shoujo manga. And you would be right. Bride of Deimos is an episodic horror manga and it avoids nearly all of the tropes common in shoujo.
The first chapter, as well as the next 10 or so, is some amazing horror manga. They’re extremely
suspenseful and, in each chapter the outcome is just as, if not more, horrific than the last.
suspenseful and, in each chapter the outcome is just as, if not more, horrific than the last.
The chapters after these first few are not as terrifying, save for some exceptions. But, that’s fine.
Scaring the reader is not the only thing this manga wants to do. It’s also extremely rich in themes and
its characters are great.
Scaring the reader is not the only thing this manga wants to do. It’s also extremely rich in themes and
its characters are great.
Each chapter centers around a story arc that involves either Deimos or Minako. The other characters
in this manga, other than the gods and the entity representing Death, are not important. But, these
minor characters usually end up meeting Minako. They’re her friends, her enemies, or they fall in love
with her.
in this manga, other than the gods and the entity representing Death, are not important. But, these
minor characters usually end up meeting Minako. They’re her friends, her enemies, or they fall in love
with her.
At first, I thought that this was dumb as hell (pun not intended).
Yeah, I understood that Minako was a target of the devil and all that, but it just seemed way
too unrealistic for her to know all these people. That’s probably why I stopped getting scared the
further I progressed in the story. These people didn’t really seem important to Minako anymore,
even though she claimed they were.
Yeah, I understood that Minako was a target of the devil and all that, but it just seemed way
too unrealistic for her to know all these people. That’s probably why I stopped getting scared the
further I progressed in the story. These people didn’t really seem important to Minako anymore,
even though she claimed they were.
Then I realized that Minako isn’t supposed to just be a character. She’s a symbol. Minako is supposed
to symbolize desire. That’s why people who become obsessed with her end up meeting a terrible fate.
People often do terrible things to try to get to Minako. One man cheated on his longtime partner
because he loved Minako so much. Minako has been nearly raped before. A little boy ended up killing
his older brother and taking his place because of how much he loved Minako. And those are only
some of the things that have happened due to people’s obsessions with Minako. The key thing is that
Minako never does anything wrong. She --and therefore desire itself-- is never at fault. She represents
the awful things that people will do in order to fulfill their selfish impulses.
to symbolize desire. That’s why people who become obsessed with her end up meeting a terrible fate.
People often do terrible things to try to get to Minako. One man cheated on his longtime partner
because he loved Minako so much. Minako has been nearly raped before. A little boy ended up killing
his older brother and taking his place because of how much he loved Minako. And those are only
some of the things that have happened due to people’s obsessions with Minako. The key thing is that
Minako never does anything wrong. She --and therefore desire itself-- is never at fault. She represents
the awful things that people will do in order to fulfill their selfish impulses.
People rarely judge Minako for anything other than her looks. Everyone always falls in love with
Minako at first sight. Even her friends always remark on her beauty, and, sure it’s normal for friends to
hype each other up, but it seems like that’s all that Minako’s friends really know about her.
Minako at first sight. Even her friends always remark on her beauty, and, sure it’s normal for friends to
hype each other up, but it seems like that’s all that Minako’s friends really know about her.
Even though nobody else notices Minako’s personality, I certainly did. Yeah that was cheesy wasn’t it?
Well, anyways... Minako is easily one of my favorite female leads in a shoujo manga. She isn’t that
deep of a character, but she’s extremely lovable. At first, Minako seems like a stereotypical shoujo
lead. She’s kind, she tries her best to help people, and sympathizes with others, but she also gives
people (and Deimos) a piece of her mind when she deems it necessary.
Well, anyways... Minako is easily one of my favorite female leads in a shoujo manga. She isn’t that
deep of a character, but she’s extremely lovable. At first, Minako seems like a stereotypical shoujo
lead. She’s kind, she tries her best to help people, and sympathizes with others, but she also gives
people (and Deimos) a piece of her mind when she deems it necessary.
The way that her character is executed is brilliant. Usually when there’s a shoujo lead who tries to
stick up for herself, she’s annoying. She yells at people for no reason and is impossible to sympathize
with. On the other hand, you have the super sweet shoujo leads. They usually are quieter than me
when my social anxiety is at an all time high and they never stick up for themselves. They usually
need a boy or a best friend to save them.
stick up for herself, she’s annoying. She yells at people for no reason and is impossible to sympathize
with. On the other hand, you have the super sweet shoujo leads. They usually are quieter than me
when my social anxiety is at an all time high and they never stick up for themselves. They usually
need a boy or a best friend to save them.
Minako isn’t irritating like these characters. She sticks up for herself, but only when a normal person
would deem it necessary. She hates Deimos, and she has valid reasons for hating him. This hate isn’t
just a disguise for hidden love, like what usually happens with shoujo protagonists. Minako downright
despises Deimos and doesn’t love him in the slightest. However, Minako isn’t always stand-offish
towards Deimos. When he’s dealing with a serious matter, she listens. She’s on his side when she
thinks it’s necessary. Minako is able to see that, while Deimos is evil, he doesn’t always do evil things.
She understands that people (and Deimos) aren’t just straight up good or evil, which is a super
refreshing trait for a shoujo protagonist.
would deem it necessary. She hates Deimos, and she has valid reasons for hating him. This hate isn’t
just a disguise for hidden love, like what usually happens with shoujo protagonists. Minako downright
despises Deimos and doesn’t love him in the slightest. However, Minako isn’t always stand-offish
towards Deimos. When he’s dealing with a serious matter, she listens. She’s on his side when she
thinks it’s necessary. Minako is able to see that, while Deimos is evil, he doesn’t always do evil things.
She understands that people (and Deimos) aren’t just straight up good or evil, which is a super
refreshing trait for a shoujo protagonist.
As mentioned earlier, Minako is also one of the kindest characters I’ve read, but she doesn’t
come across as too sickly sweet. She does her best to help others and her passion is really endearing.
When someone she meets meets a terrible fate, she feels awful about it. She cries for them, even if
she barely knew them. Despite this kindness, as mentioned earlier, Minako still speaks her mind.
She stands up for herself and is assertive. She isn’t in a state of perpetual self-doubt like most kind
shoujo leads are. Minako values herself, but at the same time, she isn’t conceited. Minako knows her
beauty, yet she doesn’t let it get to her head.
come across as too sickly sweet. She does her best to help others and her passion is really endearing.
When someone she meets meets a terrible fate, she feels awful about it. She cries for them, even if
she barely knew them. Despite this kindness, as mentioned earlier, Minako still speaks her mind.
She stands up for herself and is assertive. She isn’t in a state of perpetual self-doubt like most kind
shoujo leads are. Minako values herself, but at the same time, she isn’t conceited. Minako knows her
beauty, yet she doesn’t let it get to her head.
Speaking of Minako’s beauty, can I just say how refreshing it is to see a shoujo protagonist who
attracts so many people actually be considered beautiful? What usually happens in a shoujo manga is
that guys will nearly kill each other over average looking girls, while the other girls in the manga will
wonder how she can woo guys that are this attractive. Well, they don’t usually just wonder. They also
bully! Hey, gotta have conflict in your plot somehow. Minako is considered beautiful by the characters
in the story, which makes things way more realistic. Yeah, guys everywhere falling head over heels for
an average-looking girl with a great personality is sweet, but if you’re trying to write anything other than
a fantasy, that’ll just make your story look foolish. One thing to note is that Minako isn’t severely bullied,
which is greatly appreciated. I’ve had to suffer through so many god-damn bullying arcs (*cough* Mars *cough*)
that I just couldn’t take another one anymore. It also isn’t realistic, at least for my American ass, I’m
not sure about Japan. In America, at least, if you’re super attractive, yeah, you’ll have people who are
jealous of you and a bunch of fake friends, but you’re usually not severely bullied (can't speak for every school, of course).
attracts so many people actually be considered beautiful? What usually happens in a shoujo manga is
that guys will nearly kill each other over average looking girls, while the other girls in the manga will
wonder how she can woo guys that are this attractive. Well, they don’t usually just wonder. They also
bully! Hey, gotta have conflict in your plot somehow. Minako is considered beautiful by the characters
in the story, which makes things way more realistic. Yeah, guys everywhere falling head over heels for
an average-looking girl with a great personality is sweet, but if you’re trying to write anything other than
a fantasy, that’ll just make your story look foolish. One thing to note is that Minako isn’t severely bullied,
which is greatly appreciated. I’ve had to suffer through so many god-damn bullying arcs (*cough* Mars *cough*)
that I just couldn’t take another one anymore. It also isn’t realistic, at least for my American ass, I’m
not sure about Japan. In America, at least, if you’re super attractive, yeah, you’ll have people who are
jealous of you and a bunch of fake friends, but you’re usually not severely bullied (can't speak for every school, of course).
Speaking of people being jealous, there’s this one great arc about a girl being jealous of Minako and
thus hating her. But Minako doesn’t have any ill will towards this girl. In fact, Minako tries to befriend
her. Minako’s the only one who doesn’t make fun of this girl for her looks, and it warms my cold dead
heart. This story arc is also great for other reasons, but that would spoil one of my favorite arcs in the
series. Let’s just say that it expresses “be careful what you wish for” perfectly.
thus hating her. But Minako doesn’t have any ill will towards this girl. In fact, Minako tries to befriend
her. Minako’s the only one who doesn’t make fun of this girl for her looks, and it warms my cold dead
heart. This story arc is also great for other reasons, but that would spoil one of my favorite arcs in the
series. Let’s just say that it expresses “be careful what you wish for” perfectly.
Now, it’s time to take a look at the titular (haha titties) character of the manga: Deimos. At the
beginning of the manga, Deimos doesn’t have much depth. It seems that all he’s about is messing
with people in order to get to Minako. But, eventually, we get to see different sides of Deimos. There
are certain arcs in this manga that don’t involve Minako at all and focus chiefly on Deimos. These arcs
let us get to know Deimos better.
beginning of the manga, Deimos doesn’t have much depth. It seems that all he’s about is messing
with people in order to get to Minako. But, eventually, we get to see different sides of Deimos. There
are certain arcs in this manga that don’t involve Minako at all and focus chiefly on Deimos. These arcs
let us get to know Deimos better.
Deimos is selfish, but the manga never tries to justify it. The series never tries to make it seem like his
actions are warranted because he’s a “tortured soul” or some dumb shit like that. Yeah, he’s gone
through a lot, and, while the manga doesn’t discredit that, it still shows Deimos as a pretty messed up
guy. There’s one chapter that focuses on Deimos where he’s just walking through the desert and then
gets abducted by an evil queen. He tries to escape and when one of the queen’s servants begs
Deimos to save her from the evil queen, he’s just like “it doesn’t affect me, so I don’t really care” and
continues on his merry way.
actions are warranted because he’s a “tortured soul” or some dumb shit like that. Yeah, he’s gone
through a lot, and, while the manga doesn’t discredit that, it still shows Deimos as a pretty messed up
guy. There’s one chapter that focuses on Deimos where he’s just walking through the desert and then
gets abducted by an evil queen. He tries to escape and when one of the queen’s servants begs
Deimos to save her from the evil queen, he’s just like “it doesn’t affect me, so I don’t really care” and
continues on his merry way.
Despite Deimos being evil, at times, the manga considers what he does as necessary. There are some
who have sinned and Deimos needs to confront them. Are you a pathological liar? Welp, you reap
what you sow. Do you want to be young again? Well, be careful what you wish for. That theme in
particular is extremely common throughout the manga, but it never feels repetitive. These characters
who want to change are often sympathetic, but Deimos is there to remind us that there is no magic
cure and that, if you try to take the easy way out, bad things will happen.
Deimos is interesting because he’s both sympathetic and revolting at the same time. Part of the
sympathy we as readers feel for Deimos is due to his backstory. Deimos was forced to become a
demon because Jupiter judged his and Venus’s love for each other (I AM NOT SAYING INCEST IS OKAY BTW), and the love of his life was trapped in Hell for eternity. It makes sense that he would
become selfish and cruel. Kinda off-topic, but weren’t the Greek/Roman gods super incestuous? Why
would Jupiter just punish Deimos and Venus when he and the other gods were doing shit like this too?
Personally, I’ve got a theory that Jupiter was jealous of Deimos. But anyways...
sympathy we as readers feel for Deimos is due to his backstory. Deimos was forced to become a
demon because Jupiter judged his and Venus’s love for each other (I AM NOT SAYING INCEST IS OKAY BTW), and the love of his life was trapped in Hell for eternity. It makes sense that he would
become selfish and cruel. Kinda off-topic, but weren’t the Greek/Roman gods super incestuous? Why
would Jupiter just punish Deimos and Venus when he and the other gods were doing shit like this too?
Personally, I’ve got a theory that Jupiter was jealous of Deimos. But anyways...
Deimos’s moral dilemma over if he loves Venus or Minako is really interesting. Venus has obviously
gone crazy since being chained up in Hell, but Deimos still loves her. It’s evident that he loves Minako
more, but Deimos feels bad about deserting Venus because he promised thousands of years ago that
he would help her. It’s a moral quandary: does Deimos choose the woman who he’s partially
responsible for sending to Hell and who he made a promise to or does he choose the girl who he
actually loves more?
gone crazy since being chained up in Hell, but Deimos still loves her. It’s evident that he loves Minako
more, but Deimos feels bad about deserting Venus because he promised thousands of years ago that
he would help her. It’s a moral quandary: does Deimos choose the woman who he’s partially
responsible for sending to Hell and who he made a promise to or does he choose the girl who he
actually loves more?
Speaking of Deimos and Minako, one great thing about the Bride of Deimos is that it never justifies
Deimos trying to take Minako to Hell against her will. Most modern shoujo manga would be like “Oh,
he’s just a tortured soul, he needs Minako to make him whole again” or something dumb like that. But
Deimos trying to take Minako to Hell adds to the horror of the series, while also making him somewhat
sympathetic. The reader feels both bad for Deimos and also hates him. For a guy who does such
revolting stuff, making him somewhat sympathetic is a great feat.
Deimos trying to take Minako to Hell against her will. Most modern shoujo manga would be like “Oh,
he’s just a tortured soul, he needs Minako to make him whole again” or something dumb like that. But
Deimos trying to take Minako to Hell adds to the horror of the series, while also making him somewhat
sympathetic. The reader feels both bad for Deimos and also hates him. For a guy who does such
revolting stuff, making him somewhat sympathetic is a great feat.
Now that I’ve talked about the characters, it’s time to take a look at the other aspects of this manga.
The plot is a unique representation of beliefs. It showcases elements from Roman mythology and
Christian and Buddhist religions. This is one of the main reasons why I love anime and manga so
much. It does stuff that would be virtually unthinkable in western entertainment, and this is one of
them.
Christian and Buddhist religions. This is one of the main reasons why I love anime and manga so
much. It does stuff that would be virtually unthinkable in western entertainment, and this is one of
them.
Bride of Deimos also crafts so many interesting and heartfelt stories. Just writing this video made a
bunch of great arcs from the manga come to my mind, and I would love to read them again. There’s a
story for everyone in here because of the wide range of issues the manga tackles.
bunch of great arcs from the manga come to my mind, and I would love to read them again. There’s a
story for everyone in here because of the wide range of issues the manga tackles.
Now onto the art. It’s very standard 70s shoujo, but it adds to the gothic feel of Bride of Deimos
perfectly. Deimos’ design is great and is both beautiful, yet odd, which perfectly encapsulates his
character. One complaint I have though is that Deimos toes look DUMB. Deimos is supposed to look
kinda intimidating, and then you look down and you’re greeted with whatever the hell these are
supposed to be. Personally, I think it’d be better if Deimos had regular toes with nasty ass toenails.
Nothing scarier than that.
perfectly. Deimos’ design is great and is both beautiful, yet odd, which perfectly encapsulates his
character. One complaint I have though is that Deimos toes look DUMB. Deimos is supposed to look
kinda intimidating, and then you look down and you’re greeted with whatever the hell these are
supposed to be. Personally, I think it’d be better if Deimos had regular toes with nasty ass toenails.
Nothing scarier than that.
You can't see his toes here, but trust me, they're stupid.
Also, is it bad that I have a crush on Deimos? I know, I'm part of the problem.
Minako’s design is generic for it’s time, but it represents her character pretty well.
Ironically, I love Venus’s design way more. She’s absolutely gorgeous, but she’s missing an eye. That
rotting eye socket (sorry if anyone was eating while reading this)
represents Venus’s insanity. She’s beautiful on the outside, but, get to know her and you’ll find out that
she’s actually ugly on the inside. Her eye is covered by her bang most of the time and this represents
how her insanity is hidden behind the mask of beauty.
rotting eye socket (sorry if anyone was eating while reading this)
represents Venus’s insanity. She’s beautiful on the outside, but, get to know her and you’ll find out that
she’s actually ugly on the inside. Her eye is covered by her bang most of the time and this represents
how her insanity is hidden behind the mask of beauty.
Speaking of Venus, two of the manga’s covers represent her perfectly.
There’s volume 2, which shows butterflies on a spiderweb, with Venus underneath. The butterfly,
which Venus takes the form of when she wants to enter the human world, covers her eye. And the
green on the cover is just beautiful.
which Venus takes the form of when she wants to enter the human world, covers her eye. And the
green on the cover is just beautiful.
As for volume 5’s cover, the colors are gorgeous. I legit couldn’t stop staring at it. The color scheme is beautiful, with Venus’s pale skin and hair contrasting with the red in the background. The black feathers in the background are Deimos’s symbol and he often uses them to either symbolize when he meddles in affairs or to stop Minako from getting killed. They compliment the red in the background perfectly and they show how dominant of a force Deimos is in Venus’s life.
And that was over-analyzing manga covers with ReadItandWeeb. Just imagine if I review Claymore.
I’d spend an eternity just talking about the covers.
I’d spend an eternity just talking about the covers.
So beautiful in real life especially
But, back on topic. Even though I have a lot of praise for it, there’s still some issues I had with Bride of
Deimos. It’s extremely repetitive. I’m sure if you read it while it was being released weekly, you
wouldn’t have that much of an issue. But I read like a volume a day and I kinda got sick of the formula.
Deimos. It’s extremely repetitive. I’m sure if you read it while it was being released weekly, you
wouldn’t have that much of an issue. But I read like a volume a day and I kinda got sick of the formula.
Speaking of repetition, there are way too many incest plotlines. I get it, the only reason the conflict in
this manga exists is because of incest, but come on. Every time I would run across another incest
plotline, I’d just groan. There are a lot of issues I wish that this manga covered and I feel like if you
just took out a few of these incest plotlines, you’d be able to cover them.
this manga exists is because of incest, but come on. Every time I would run across another incest
plotline, I’d just groan. There are a lot of issues I wish that this manga covered and I feel like if you
just took out a few of these incest plotlines, you’d be able to cover them.
Unfortunately, I can’t comment on the ending, even with a spoiler warning because there is none.
The manga was never completely translated. The first 7 volumes were translated by Comicsone, but
then they just kinda died and, understandably, no one picked Bride of Deimos up.
The manga was never completely translated. The first 7 volumes were translated by Comicsone, but
then they just kinda died and, understandably, no one picked Bride of Deimos up.
Someone’s started translating the remaining chapters just recently, which is awesome, but from what
I’ve heard, Bride of Deimos doesn’t have a concrete ending. The manga apparently ends with Deimos
still not knowing whether to choose Venus or Minako and, you know the crazy thing? Bride of Deimos
is more than 100 chapters long. Even with all those chapters, nothing progressed, which is just
annoying. My favorite thing about this manga was Deimos’s struggle over who to choose and, just
hearing that it never gets resolved irritates me. Such a wasted run. Most manga would only dream of
running that long instead of getting canned. There’s a sequel series, but, from what I’ve heard, it
just isn’t the same. It apparently stars a new cast of characters. Blegh.
I’ve heard, Bride of Deimos doesn’t have a concrete ending. The manga apparently ends with Deimos
still not knowing whether to choose Venus or Minako and, you know the crazy thing? Bride of Deimos
is more than 100 chapters long. Even with all those chapters, nothing progressed, which is just
annoying. My favorite thing about this manga was Deimos’s struggle over who to choose and, just
hearing that it never gets resolved irritates me. Such a wasted run. Most manga would only dream of
running that long instead of getting canned. There’s a sequel series, but, from what I’ve heard, it
just isn’t the same. It apparently stars a new cast of characters. Blegh.
That was Bride of Deimos. It’s a great gothic horror manga, but it’s hampered by how it uses its length
to create filler instead of confronting the main plot of the manga. It’s also a bit weakened by its
repetitive nature and the loss of fear the reader feels as we begin to realize that none of the
characters except for Deimos or Minako really matter.
to create filler instead of confronting the main plot of the manga. It’s also a bit weakened by its
repetitive nature and the loss of fear the reader feels as we begin to realize that none of the
characters except for Deimos or Minako really matter.
Thanks for reading! This was originally a video script, so I don't know how well this will translate to my
blog. I also apologize for the weird formatting because I pasted this in from a Google Doc and for some
reason, Blogspot's weird with that. Hopefully this wasn't too janky to read. See you soon in another
post!
blog. I also apologize for the weird formatting because I pasted this in from a Google Doc and for some
reason, Blogspot's weird with that. Hopefully this wasn't too janky to read. See you soon in another
post!
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