For centuries, the demon Seere has prided himself on his work—granting the wishes of those he contracts with. Whether it’s slaughtering their enemies or obtaining wealth beyond measure, anything is possible with his powerful magic. But Seere’s latest summoner, Sakura Masuda, is unlike any he’s dealt with before. Namely, she’s only in fourth grade, and her wish is…for Seere to become her mama! Well, if that’s what she desires, then that’s what he will deliver—by becoming the greatest mama ever!
Recent entry of a long-time subgenre of stories about unlikely individuals, usually male, thrown into the culturally female role of caregiver to children, and how they cope, fail, and/or rise to the occasion. In this case, a 4th-grade girl summons a demon to contract and her demand is that he become her mama; not as a simulacrum of her deceased parent, but as a person who will fulfill the role. He offers his more usual services like destroying cities or starting wars, but she's having none of it. Seere is, fortunately, a much less problematical demon than the Black Butler, another demon summoned by a kid, and because he considers the meaning of existence to be work -- a very Japanese-male definition -- he undertakes the deal. Shenanigans ensue, more characters added as needed. Dad is alive but conveniently for the plot absent most of the time as an overworked and slightly insane manga editor, though he pops onstage now and then.
Mode fairly gentle, so far. I would read more as it becomes available.
There’s the family you’re born with and the family you make for yourself. The precocious Sakura decides to bring the latter into the former by summoning a demon, Seere, to serve as her surrogate mama. Turns out that’s a big ask from somebody whose powers largely involve killing people. Still, pride in his work means that Seere is hellbent on living up to Sakura’s expectations...
I mean, where do you even go from a starting point like that? Every time a mangaka looks at a completely ludicrous premise, shrugs, then goes ahead anyway, you hope for something half as entertaining as this.
Let’s start off with how perfect Sakura and Seere are together. Beyond the fish out of water basics, Seere is highly motivated to do good work and that includes acquiescing to unusual wishes by fourth graders. He’s got a job to do and won’t accept less than perfection, even if a lot of his suggestions are unhelpful at best and unconscionably evil at worst.
For her part, Sakura is one of the most adorable children I’ve seen in a manga (I think she gives Tsumugi from Sweetness & Lightning a run for her money). She’s quite smart, but she certainly still has a lot of things she doesn’t know. She has no intention of replacing her mother with Seere, but what he provides in her life is conveyed so warmly.
Yes, this book has a shocking amount of heart - I’d say soul, but Sakura literally just sold hers in the first couple pages - and it’s lighthearted to boot. I’d say it’s more fun and breezy than hilarious, but there are some great zingers in there (puberty) all the same.
It’s also got a rapidly expanding supporting cast, which I appreciated Seere commenting on, that add a variety of flavours. I think Sakura’s moody brother is the least interesting, although her dad is pretty great (even if he is largely there so the author can bag on manga editors). The next door neighbour is probably my favourite, though Sakura’s friend is pretty good.
Not that many downsides to this one, honestly. Like I say, I don’t love the brother character, but, you know, puberty. It’s not the best book of this type I’ve read - the aforementioned Sweetness & Lightning is a smidgen sweeter, while Way of the Househusband is definitely funnier. As a midpoint between both those books, however, this one happily exists in its own little space.
3.5 stars, rounded to 4. This book is smart, clever, has a ton of warmth, and that’s even with a girl selling her soul (I have no doubts that will be addressed later). It has been happily added to my reading rotation.
I can't get over how fucking cute, precious, and wholesome this volume was! Seere is such a wonderful character and his desire to do his best in this unconventional situation is so awesome. I appreciate Kuzushiro writing Seere so that he is more aware of modern technology (i.e. appliances, the internet, etc) and is more so unsure how to read people. A nice change to the typical "fish out of water" narrative seen in stories like this. Also, his relationship with each family member is great and I especially love how devoted and caring he is towards Sakura.
There's not a whole lot more to say since this is just a slice-of-life manga with a supernatural twist, but I absolutely adored it. I hope the next volume comes out soon because I want more cute wholesomeness, please!
PLOT: Seere, a powerful demon, has been making contracts with humans for centuries. Leveling the battlefield of petty, human squabbles is just another day in the life of this demon. However, he is very unprepared when he is summoned by one Sakura Masuda, and her wish is for him to be her Mama. Now instead of magic and the thrill of raging battles, Seere is just trying to survive each time he runs the washing machine and trips to the supermarket. Despite it all, Seere is determined to be the best Mama, Sakura could ever hope to have.
REVIEW: This manga was so adorable. I really love how when Seere shows up it’s so strange to people at first but almost everyone just accepts this is kind of the new normal now. We also get a little look at his backstory and you kind of understand why he wants to fulfill Sakura’s wish to the best of his abilities. It’s especially entertaining when she doesn’t want him using any of his abilities and now they’re both in a way learning from each other. I honestly will probably be buying volume 2 when it comes out immediately. I do wish there was a bit more to this volume but maybe the author will add more as the story goes on.
This was a completely adorable first volume! I love that we have a 10 year old girl, who summons a demon to be her mother. She has never known her mother, and her father works so much, that she is lonely, and feels like she is missing out on experiences that her friends have with their mothers. After dad signs off on Akuma being present, things fall into more of a slice of life feel for the rest of the volume, and it was perfection!
I liked seeing Akuma come to his own reasons for wanting to do a good job taking care of the children. It's interesting how many people just accept that demons are real. I enjoyed this enough to get the appeal of it but not enough to continue with the series.
I’m so glad I bought this book. It looked cute and sounded interesting, so on a rare whim I preordered it. Not disappointed. I can’t wait for the next book. Seeing Seere attempt to understand the modern human world is hilarious. Watching him learn the nuances of human behavior is an interesting study in psychology. Also it was just hilarious watching him pace after a roomba.
3.5 rounded up for extreme cuteness. I love how gung-ho Seere is about being the best gosh darn mama he can be for Sakura and Hijiri and how he's learning to see between the lines of Sakura's wish.
Demon: I can grant you any wish in return for your immortal soul. 4th Grader: BE MY MAMA! Demon: I have no idea what this entails but you've got yourself a deal, kiddo.
Mama Akuma is a manga which shows the compassion and deeper meaning behind the words and actions of different types of people, masking its depth behind a guise of playful innocence.
I want to refer to this manga as a cute little story about a demon who became their master’s mama by way of their soulbound contract, but… Mama Akuma possesses more depth than that. Sakura is a precocious young girl who, while still living the life of an elementary school student, has become well aware of the world around her and the ways in which it works. She’s grown up all too fast in different ways, and has grown up far too little in other ways. With a father who loves her but is always busy, and a brother with a significant age gap in regard to her, Sakura has spent the majority of her developmental years alone. Sakura never quite knew her mom, but she already knows she could never replace her. Even so, Sakura craves the same presence in her life that she sees so many other children her age experience. She can’t, nor would ever want to, replace her mother, so instead she wants a mama. In premise, this manga primarily follows Sakura and Seere, the demon Sakura summoned to be her mama. Seere, having only ever made contracts with people in pursuit of wealth, power, and importance, has been put in a position where he thought he could tackle it all with ease. He is quickly learning that sometimes there are things which require more finesse and understanding instead of a skilled hard hand. As Seere realizes there is much yet to learn in order to grant his master’s wish, he recalls how in the past, he could never quite deliver the wishes of his past masters in ways that made them happy. He always took a wish at face value and made it happen perfectly. He’s beginning to see that the nuances behind the words might hide the true details of these wishes.
I wanted so badly to love this!! It's a cute manga that focuses on a young girl, Sakura, who summons a very powerful demon named Seere and uses her wish to have him be her Mama. Putting Seere into the role of a domestic housewife made for some very funny and heartwarming scenes, but some aspects of the story just rubbed me the wrong way in how much it leaned into the 'traditional family roles' trope. For instance, in order to make Seere a 'Mama', they have him cook, clean, do the laundry, grocery shop, etc. - he's basically a glorified maid. At one point Seere tells Sakura's single father that it's 'honestly impossible for one man to raise two children on his own'. Later, Seere also says something to the effect of 'fathers are always so indifferent to family affairs...that's all society's fathers have to offer.' Who knows, maybe future chapters will show some growth here, to emphasize how these viewpoints are outdated...but for now I'm feeling only so-so about this first volume.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This first light hearted volume is such a cute and funny story that has surprisingly wholesome and sweet undertones of how important family, neighbor, and friend connections are and missed. The characters are relatable and complex and the demon is hilariously cute and innocent in a strange way. I love the art style, it really brings out the emotion and humor subtly with little distraction.
This book is a good pick for a teen shelf and so far, the first volume is PG mostly for sure, only mild situational humor for comedy's sake and a short bloody scene on one page making it pg-13, showing his past wishes gone bad with his last master making it a YA Graphic for libraries. I think most anyone can enjoy this novel; it's a true comedy, very silly principle, but the wholesome characters and funny story make me beg for another volume to come out soon!
Seer is a demon who grants the wish of whoever summons them in exchange for their soul. Normally the requests are for power and money, but he does not expect to be summoned by a girl named Sakura who is looking for someone to be her mama.
This was a super cute start to this series. I loved the dynamics between the Masuda siblings and Seere. Seere's immediate acceptance of his task and eagerness to learn what it takes to be a mama makes for a fun and fluffy dynamic between him and Sakura, who has to show him the ropes of motherhood. I also like the comedic elements that Kuzushiro added, although they are pretty standard tropes for a lot of "daily life comedies." I did think some of the exaggerated comedic elements felt unrealistic in the bounds of the world that Kuzushiro created. I would probably give this volume 4.5 stars; I really enjoyed it and I'm excited to read the next one!
Once again the manga world seizes on a horror theme (selling your soul to a demon for personal gain) and turns it on it's head so its almost sweet. When the demon lord Seree appears for his latest pact he is met, not with a twisted adult but the beaming young Sakura who wants nothing more than for him fill the void left by her mother by stepping into the role!
Kuzushiro quickly addresses any early flaws with this plan (Sakura's father and sibling are let in on the agreement and quickly, and somewhat conveniently got 'on side') so Seree can get to grips with the qualities required to be a good mother. While largely played for laughs Kuzushiro drops some hints that the demon world is watching this play out and is not happy; so clearly there will be more to this story.
This is a fun and quirky read that has the potential for a greater story outside of the amusing premise, with decent artwork Kuzushiro hopefully has much more in store.
Seere is an all-powerful demon, capable of decimating entire countries on behalf of his master. When he's summoned by a little girl, the contract is in place, but her demand throws Seere for a loop. She wants him to be her mama.
My favorite part of this situational comedy may be Seere's perfectionist streak. He wants to please his master, but he's had trouble historically with interpreting what his masters mean by what they say. Super cute. Looking forward to more.
Young Sakura summons the demon Seere and is granted one wish: for Seere to become her mama.
Absolutely ridiculous but actually quite good. It's heart-warming, fun, and funny. The concept might sound silly - and it is - but it was enjoyable and made me smile several times. In particular, Seere struggles with understanding humanity and the ways that humans do things which provides great comedy.
A silly premise for a remarkably well executed domestic slice-of-life/fish-out-of-water/unlikely-roommates comedy. The protagonists are all quick learners and hard workers who are earnestly doing their best to make their peculiar new living situation work; every character is quite likeable. Suitable for most manga readers but recommended especially for those looking for good-natured comedies about unconventional families. A nice inverse to (and potential companion read for) Little Devils.
This book is adorable. The main character is a lonely elementary school girl, who wants a “mama”, since her passed away right after she was born. So she finds a Grimoire, that can summon demons. She summons one and ask them to be her new mama. The demon, I feel, is the best part of the book! Seere just trying his best to make his master happy and figure out how humans work. He is so funny!!
This volume surprised me in the best way. We follow a young girl who desperately wants a mother figure in her life. She decides to summon a demon and in exchange for her immortal soul, the demon has to become her mama. This was precious and wonderful. It made me cry, because I have no relationship with my mom and I desperately wanted one. I highly recommend this!
I am trash over family stories and Mama Akuma is a crazy kind of family story about a young girl wanting a Mama after being lonely in her single-parent home. The Demon Seere is hilarious clueless but also eager to win the approval of his young master, Sakura. Plenty of laughs and a great bit of fun!
This is definitely a very interesting read. Even though Seere is a Demon this story is not your topic demon stories. He is just doing everyday things and making sure that Sakura and her small family are taken care of. He is really learning how to act like a mom and it is really funny story o look forward to reading the coming volumes.
Mama Akuma is funny, super cute, and has a lot of great character designs. I will always be a sucker for 'supernatural creature has to adapt to human things' stories, and this series is doing it well so far. It seems like it is going to be a really fun, chill series. I cannot wait to get the next volume!
This is honestly one of the cutest things I've ever read. The first just volume came out this month, so I was sad to learn that there was no more to read after finishing this. However, the next volume will be out in February, and I absolutely cannot wait!
When 4th grader Saku summons a demon and wishes for him to be her mama, Seere is required to do all the household chores and act like a mama…But with no magic allowed. I laughed out loud multiple times and really enjoyed the characters
A super cute and wholesome manga. Sakura summons Seere, a demon who is used to serving humans who want destruction and chaos. He makes a contract with her to become her mama, leading to funny and adorable situations. The wholesome and cute vibes were bursting at the seams and got me hooked.