I f*cking love this manga I laughed my ass off hard core hilarious plot good characters, but I just can't give it a 10 it had alot of action and good humor but the last few chapters started to go stale but it ended on a high note though i'd have to give this one 9.

the art is really bad but the story is really good, its one of the funniest mangas i've read.... if u can ignore the art being as it is.. its definitely worth a read.
would rate 10/10 if the art was better
sorry im really into the art so....

... Last updated on December 12th, 2008, 1:39am

Good story, nice ending, (can't stop reading it..)
and art.. well, i think it's okay, i prefer good story than good art..
It's interesting that there is some character that resemble claire and raki (CMIIW) in claymore(same author)..

geezz.. i hope i will find another manga as funny as this..two thumbs up..

This is one of those manga that you can't put down once you get into it not because of the gripping plot or the dynamic action, in fact it is rather light in both of those areas, but because you fall in love with the characters so deeply that you just want to keep hanging out with them in their world. The length is both a blessing and a curse, while I ended up falling in love with all of these characters it would be nearly impossible to keep the story fresh at that point without either completely changing the narrative setup or flanderizing Kitano to the point where the misunderstandings are too ridiculous to be plausible. What we are left with are 80ish chapters of heartwarming moments between very well flushed out characters and ridiculous moments of hilarity and badassery, all accomplished through misunderstandings.

You might think 'how can you keep that fresh for 15 volumes?' well, this leads to a very interesting and poignant point made in this manga. People being unfairly discriminated against for reasons outside of their control do not suddenly stop being discriminated against once *you* know the reasons for their ostracization are groundless. It can be, and usually is, an ongoing, ceaseless struggle that can shape every aspect of their lives. In a sense Angel Densetsu covers the subject of racial/ethnic discrimination and the consequences for those subjected to it in a way that allows us to examine it outside of the lens of our own implicit bias’. Think about it this way, we can laugh out loud at the ridiculous situations he has to deal with because of his looks, but what if instead of him being a scary looking kid in japan he was a black kid in America? Is it still funny that his white neighbors look outside, see their neighbor’s appearance, and completely lose their shit in terror? What about when Kitano was out for a jog and gets assaulted by a fellow pedestrian who ‘feared for their life’ and is left in a ditch? That sounds too similar to a lot of news stories to be anything but sad. I’m not trying to sit here and say that the Mangaka was trying to make political commentary about The United States when he wrote this manga, just that this Manga allows us to look at discrimination through a lens that allows us to see if for what it is at its roots, a baseless rejection of anything outside of the established norms of society. Kitano is the ’Angel Densetsu’ because his kindness, sincerity, and ability to forgive past transgressions creates a haven for all the other students who live isolated, on the peripherals of society. In a sense Kitano is the embodiment of Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I have a dream speech’. He is proof that love is the ultimate weapon against hate.

Character analysis:

Kitano - Honestly how can you not love this guy? His kind ways combined with his naivete and his intimidating appearance lead to some truly amazing and hilarious moments. Kitano will say something to his friends and it will be completely misinterpreted, turning a matter of fact statement about how brooms are needed to sweep up garbage into Kitano claiming that the army of thugs up ahead are so far beneath him he considers them trash. His friends look on in awe, marveling at how much of a badass Kitano is, while he casually heads to the park to sweep up trash.

Kuroda - The former guardian and your generic 90s manga high school delinquent, 2 cronies and all. I liked Kuroda but he's just...too much. As a loud and brash young man he interjects himself into situations all the time where his inclusion makes them less interesting.

Takehisha - This kid is a certified badass and my favorite character in the entire series. I find him especially interesting because even though he gets very little screen time outside of acts where he takes center stage he has the most complete character arc of any anyone in the series. Takehisha comes to us as, basically, a super Saiyan delinquent. He's super strong, super tough, doesn't give a fuck about what anyone thinks. After being defeated by Kitano Takehisha he pledges his allegiance to him, bestowing upon himself the title of ‘little brother to the devil’. Later we find out that Takehisha's story is one fairly similar to Kitano's in a number of ways. His short stature and naturally brown hair made him the target of many a hooligan, but unlike the pure hearted Kitano who accepts the worlds treatment of him with practically Christ-like understanding and patience, Takehisha fought back and got strong enough where he believed his strength could allow him to reject the society that ostracized him. When he became fed up with a Teacher constantly harassing him about the color of his (natural) brown hair he decided to dye it. However, he didn’t dye it Black, like most Brown-haired Japanese did in order to fit in, but platinum blonde. It was as if he was trying to say ‘If you can’t accept me as I am then I’ll become what you hate the most’. Over time hanging out with Kitano he eventually understands that Kitano is basically just an ordinary guy, not this legendary thug that he swore his allegiance to. This shakes Takeshisha's entire worldview at this point, and it is in that moment when members of his old group of delinquents show up. They've learned that Kitano is just a normal kid too and they planned to go jump him to make a name for themselves. On paper this is perfect for Takehisha, he gets to be the guardian of the school and make a legendary name for himself in the streets. With everything he set out to accomplish at the beginning of his journey right before his eyes he rejects his former worldview and dives into a 3 on 1 brawl. This is the first time Takehisha fights anyone in the series not to satisfy his own ego, but instead to protect his friend. The thugs, perplexed at his actions, ask him why he would go so far for a ‘nobody’ in their world he replies 'So what if he's not a delinquent, Kitano is strong, and most important of all, he is my best friend in the entire world'. What makes this such a powerful moment to me is that in this moment Takehisha is acting as a shield, but what he is guarding is not his friend’s safety, but rather his ‘peace’. Kitano's friendship provided Takehisha for the first time in his life a space where he was accepted unconditionally for who he was. He never criticized him for his delinquent ways, never scolded him or shamed him, and in return Takehisha found he no longer found a need to act out in protest of his situation. It is a truly beautiful moment and honestly, for me, might be the reason I hold this manga in such high regard.

Ryoko - I very much enjoyed this character and how interacted with this wacky world that is their town. I love how much it works that she is the actual certified badass that people believe Kitano to be, but because she's pretty nobody gives her a hard time about it. I really wish she had more screen time that didn't involve Kuroda bursting through the page screaming his undying love for her.

Ikuno - she sort of enters the manga with the grace and subtlety of the Kool Aid guy, she seemed to be a one dimensional throwaway antagonist who's entire personality was 'I must do the thing that moves the plot'. But after her initial task in the story was completed she just kind of lingers around on the edges. Then she very much organically makes herself into the main cast of characters because she's not afraid of Kitano, so she doesn't avoid him. Kitano, being the embodiment of grace, looks past her past misdeeds and offers her his friendship, because Kitano offers literally everyone his friendship. Her once flat personality finds folds and wrinkles to it and becomes more and more endearing as you get to know her. Again, through interactions with Kitano, a character is able to find a space where they are accepted for who they are, not what they can do, and through that interaction they begin to be able to accept themselves.

... Last updated on October 21st, 2020, 4:30pm

Let me start by saying that I was put off a long long time by that picture on the top, that and the fact that the synopsis did not catch my eye, at all. I'm sorry having finished all 15 volumes in one go, that it didn't. The first part was pure brilliance, the gags had me laughing every chapter. The misunderstandings and the situations the protagonist got into was also brilliant, the fun just kept bombarding me relentlessly. Some of the best stuff I've read in a manga to this day actually.

Then something happened, it started to slow down, the plot in the middle albums got less and less funny. The same joked were repeated one time to much really. It more or less degraded into an normal (albeit good) high school comedy, but it's still far cry from the first 6 or 7 volumes.

It did redeem itself during the final two volumes though, those were great. The were really well made. The ending didn't suck for once, which made me happy.


Does this manga deserve a 10? The answer is simply, no it doesn't. Very very few mangas does, the ratings on this site is in my opinion hugely inflated. It is not a good thing when people gives away 10's to each and every manga, they happen like at the moment.

Still the first part was hands down, amazing. And it was really nice to watch the authors/artists growth during the series. To bad he couldn't keep the steam up for all 15 volumes though, story wise. I really have no complaints about the art, it fit the manga perfectly, even if I don't consider it great by any means.

So all in all, an 8. Would actually have considered giving this a 10 if he could have kept going all the way though, and not got the slump in the middle.

I just finished this. I would love to have this in print. This is one of the best mangas I've ever read. It ranks up with Nauciscaa and Battle Angel Alita. The end is excellent too. Its rare to find a manga that has such a good strong ending.

I read the first chapter and actually dropped it. I'm ashamed of myself, because my actions were no different of people, who meet or protagonist for the first time, in this manga.
I am glad I picked it up.

It's manga like these that make it worth to be a manga fan. Simply outstanding. And the art in the first third of the manga isn't as bad as some people say it is. Strangely enough, the characters look slightly more mature in the first half. Towards the end of the manga they actually look a little shorter and less like high schoolers, even though the character design itself improves dramatically.

My initial impression of the series -based mostly on summaries and the first chapter- was that it was an archetypal "beauty and the beast" story. I didn't fully realize that I was wrong until half way through. The series doesn't focus on a miserable self-pitying monster, who resumes the job of 'guardian' despite being hated by normal people. In fact, much of the humor comes from the hero not perceiving himself as different. Throughout the story, we see the gradual creation of the protagonist's family: a group of people who see Kitano as a true friend who happens to be a benevolent 'demon' rather than the target of sympathy and pity. So if you were hoping to read the sad miserable life story of a monster, you're looking in the wrong place.

This was on my "Wish List" for the longest time, yet for some reason, the description never sounded appealing enough for me to actually pull the trigger and download it. Finally, one day when I was all caught up on my current series, and looking for something to pass the time, I decided to go ahead and give it a shot.

All I can say is I'm so sorry I waited as long as I did, as Angel Densetsu is easily one of the most enjoyable manga series I've ever read!

Where to start... I guess the most enjoyable thing for me were the characters. While Kitano is fairly one dimensional, it's all the people around him, and how they all react and interact with one another that is at the real heart of this story. No matter how large the cast eventually becomes, I don't think there was a single character that I didn't find interesting and enjoyable, and it was fantastic to see them evolve and grow over the course of the 15 volumes.

The plot is fairly basic, and I can see where there could be some complaints on how the story gets repetitive. It's a valid comment, as the same themes are repeated over and over with only minor tweaks to change it up. However, for me at least, I always found each new story fresh and enjoyable, and I looked forward to each and every upcoming chapter. A lot of this goes back to the great characters I mentioned earlier, but if you really take the time to look you can see how the plot really does evolve over time. It's subtle, and you often don't notice it until something comes up to actually bring it to your attention, but it's there none-the-less.

Also evolving is the artwork. To be perfectly honest, I didn't have a problem with it even in the earliest volumes. As a matter of fact, I think that the rougher style really helped to bring out the "horror" aspect of Kitano's visage, which actually was softened up quite a bit as the series progressed. Overall though, the art style improves dramatically until by the end it is not only quite distinctive, but very, very good.

So if you've got any interest in the genres, or are just looking for a good manga in general; one that will make you cheer and laugh out loud all at the same time; one that can easily switch between a sweet romance to an action packed fight scenes (oftentimes on the same page); and one that has a great message that never feels heavy handed, than Angel Densetsu is for you.

Truthfully, I can't think of anything I would change about this. It's perfect in every way, which is why it deserves the highest rating I can possibly give it.