**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Reading Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 1 by Osamu Nishi really showed how faithful the anime has been to the source material; it's exactly the same. I am a fan of the anime, so it was fun to see and remember where these characters began. This story follows a young boy named Iruma who gets sold to a demon by his awful parents, then becomes the grandson of said demon and has to go to a demon school without anyone finding out that he's a human...whew. It's actually a lot more lighthearted than it sounds! :-D Personally, I prefer the anime cause color and sound and everything, but non-anime fans could definitely still get a kick out of reading this one. Recommended.

After being sold by his parents to demons, Suzuki Iruma is expecting the worse.

After all, demons eat humans. But, Iruma-kun quickly discovers that not only is he not going to be eaten but that a demon wants to adopt him as their grandson!

Once Iruma-kun accepts, he finds himself living in a large estate woth nice accommodations and, most importantly, enrolled in Demon School—where his adoptive grandfather is the headmaster.

Now, Iruma-kun must find a way to avoid detection as a human at a school where he’ll be surrounded by demons! Can he manage that?

And, will Iruma-kun find out he fits in at Demon School more than he expected?

This is such a silly and sweet story!

I so appreciative series that subvert expectations in the most unexpected—and wholesome—ways.

Ostensibly, this is a supernatural, coming of age story full of ridiculous circumstances. But, really, this is a story about family and friends and community and learning more about yourself and finding where you belong.

These series that blend genres like supernatural/fantasy and slice-of-life are, often, such gems and this series is no exception.

Definitely recommend for readers who enjoy quaint, fantasy series that revolve more around characters than action sequences~

From a logical perspective, I should give this a lower rating. The plot concept isn't particularly mindblowing. The characters are heavily based on pre-existing fictional characters (Iruma from Tsunayoshi Sawada/Izuku Midoriya, Azz from Gokudera Hayato, Kalego from Severus Snape). The worldbuilding isn't substantial enough to give me an understanding of how the demon world looks like outside of the school campus, how social classes are structured, how magical spells are fueled etc.

But from an enjoyment perspective: this manga is fun.

There were tons of scenes in the plot that made me grin or laugh out loud. The author really gets my sense of humour - they know how to use timing, character facial expressions and sheer irony to give punchlines their maximum effect.

I also love all the characters and their friendships with each other. We might not get fully introduced to all of them in this first volume, but their sideline bantering feels naturally delivered and brings a lively atmosphere to the story. As the lead protag, Iruma himself is absolutely loveable. It's just refreshing to take a break from angsty main leads and have a character who is unashamedly kind.

And as someone who's read up to volume 17, I can promise you that the plot arcs in this series are really exciting and you're in for some great character development for our favourite blue bean :)

Would recommend this manga to fans of Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Assassination Classroom, Boku no Hero Academia and Kyo Kara Maou.


Merged review:

From a logical perspective, I should give this a lower rating. The plot concept isn't particularly mindblowing. The characters are heavily based on pre-existing fictional characters (Iruma from Tsunayoshi Sawada/Izuku Midoriya, Azz from Gokudera Hayato, Kalego from Severus Snape). The worldbuilding isn't substantial enough to give me an understanding of how the demon world looks like outside of the school campus, how social classes are structured, how magical spells are fueled etc.

But from an enjoyment perspective: this manga is fun.

There were tons of scenes in the plot that made me grin or laugh out loud. The author really gets my sense of humour - they know how to use timing, character facial expressions and sheer irony to give punchlines their maximum effect.

I also love all the characters and their friendships with each other. We might not get fully introduced to all of them in this first volume, but their sideline bantering feels naturally delivered and brings a lively atmosphere to the story. As the lead protag, Iruma himself is absolutely loveable. It's just refreshing to take a break from angsty main leads and have a character who is unashamedly kind.

And as someone who's read up to volume 17, I can promise you that the plot arcs in this series are really exciting and you're in for some great character development for our favourite blue bean :)

Would recommend this manga to fans of Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Assassination Classroom, Boku no Hero Academia and Kyo Kara Maou.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-Kun! It is literally one of my favorite series. It’s cute, funny, emotional, & it tugs at my heart in every way. I had no idea the manga wasn’t officially out yet in English when the anime is already going to season 4. I’m looking forward to seeing how the story is similar & different to the anime.

Iruma Suzuki is a 14 year old human boy who has been abused by his parents. From the moment he could walk, he was expected to provide for his family. One day they summon a demon and sell him. Iruma fears the worst when he is transported to the demon world, but he is surprised to learn the demon who bought him is desperate for companionship and longs for a grandson. Iruma decides to be adopted by Sullivan, who pampers him and treats him like his own child. Iruma is enrolled into a school for the first time in his life and is overwhelmed by being the only human. He must learn how to pretend to be a demon so he isn’t eaten as well as learn how to make friends and be a regular teenage boy.

This series is so cute and I love all the characters so much. In volume 1 we meet Iruma of course along with Azz & Clara who will be his major companions throughout the series. I had forgotten how much Clara’s beginnings had made me sad. I love so much that she was able to meet Iruma & Azz. Hopefully the misfit class is introduced more in volume 2!

I’m so glad this series is getting officially released now. Hopefully it’ll get a wider audience because it deserves it. If you like slice of life series with humor that revolve around school life and demons fighting with magical powers, I suggest this one highly.