INTRODUCTION
Julietta Suzuki is a young shoujo manga artist who made her debut in 2004, in the August issue of Hana to Yume, with a one-shot called Ura Antique. She then published other one-shots, but it was in June 2005 that Julietta Suziki managed to see her first work serialized on Hana to Yume, with the title of Akuma to Dolce.
Julietta Suzuki's style is very refreshing, catching and absolutely lovable. Her heroines are never to be taken for granted, and usually they aren't the cliched shoujo manga ones. Her art style is cute, fluffy and a little bit messy, but it blends perfectly with the stories she creates. As of today, Julietta Suzuki's biggest masterpiece is Kamisama Kiss; it gained so much popularity that it was adapted into an anime series in 2012.
As we really love Julietta Suzuki, we thought she deserved a mention. This ranking is about her series and the reason why we love her. Stick with us until the end, all the more if you are into shoujo!
4. Akuma to Dolce (Devil and Sweet)
- Genre: Comedy, Demons, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo
- Volumes: 2
- Published: June 2005 – hiatus
Let's start this ranking out with Akuma to Dolce, which revolves around Mayuri Ogura, a high school girl. As the daughter of a demon-summoner, Mayuri has the same gift to summon demons, and she's already summoned a familiar who helps her to do chores as she lives alone. One day, after spilling tea on her skirt, she summons a high-level demon – Beaut – to make him remove it. Beaut can't believe he's been summoned over something so trivial... but then he smells sweets, his weak point. Mayuri doesn't lose time, she begins to use Beaut's weakness as a weapon!
As her first story, Julietta Suzuki immediately managed to create a wonderful work. Each character has his own personality, and Mayuri is a not-so-ordinary girl with a sparkling disposition, while Belze is like a little child who only wants to eat sweets. Even though Akuma to Dolce is Julietta Suzuki's first manga, the art style is already amazingly beautiful, and detailed: it brings the readers to stop to admire the drawings. Sadly, though, Akuma to Dolce is currently on hiatus. We are hoping Julietta Suzuki will pick this story up again as we highly recommend it!
3. Tripitaka Torinique
- Genre: Comedy, Demons, Drama, Fantasy, Shoujo
- Volumes: 4
- Published Date: October 2016 – January 2018
Let's go on with a little protagonist Julietta Suzuki created! Kaka is a little girl with an abnormal strength. She used to live with Genjou – her master – in a village far away from the capital. When poisoned water threatened to destroy the village, Genjou had to leave Kaka and head toward the capital, in order to find a solution. In a bad turn of events, their village is turned to ashes by demons and the villagers turned to monkeys. Kaka has to take things into her little hands; she decides to leave for the capital, looking for Genjou! What she will discover won't be very reassuring, though...
As you can imagine, Julietta Suzuki has a passion for demons and what surrounds them. With Tripitaka Torinique, which is her latest manga, she takes the main theme of the evil demons and create a non-conventional protagonist. In fact, Kaka is very little, but with an enormous strength, and very brave in spite her size. In this story, the already beautiful art style Julietta Suzuki gave us in the past, has gotten even better. If you enjoy demon stories and extraordinary heroines, Tripitaka Torinique could be your next choice!
2. Karakuri Odette
- Genre: Comedy, Romance, School, Sci-Fi, Shoujo
- Volumes: 6
- Published Date: September 2005 – December 2007
The young scientist Yoshizawa created an android and gave her the name of Odette. After creating Odette, Dr. Yoshizawa has a wish: to understand the ultimate difference between an android and human beings. Odette, the cute android with a strong personality, then tries to persuade Dr. Yoshizawa to let her attend a high school. That's how Odette's adventure as a high school girl begins!
With Karakuri Odette, Julietta Suzuki diverges from demons and gives us a sci-fi, shoujo manga. Her attempt is successful, as she proved to be able to develop amazing plots even when demons aren't involved! Karakuri Odette turns out to be a sweet story about discovering what is like to be a human being. As this is a shoujo manga, expect a bit of romance in it, spiced with jealousy & misunderstandings. The art style is absolutely amazing, just what we expect by Julietta Suzuki. So, if you're curious to read something different by this amazing manga artist, you should pick Karakuri Odette up!
1. Kamisama Hajimemashita (Kamisama Kiss)
- Genre: Comedy, Demons, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo, Supernatural, Harem
- Volumes: 25
- Published Date: February 2008 – May 2016
Let's end this ranking with Julietta Suzuki's number one masterpiece: Kamisama Hajimemashita! Nanami Momozono is a high school girl who, due to terrible circumstances, finds herself homeless and broke. For as bad as her situation can be, Nanami doesn't hesitate one single minute to save a man harassed by a dog. Nanami doesn't know, but the mysterious man she saved is the Land God Mikage. Seeing Nanami's situation, as a sign of gratitude he kisses her on the forehead and says that she can have his house. But the house turns out to be a shrine, and Nanami suddenly realizes how she just became the new Land God. If that wasn't enough, when she meets a boy with fox's ears – Tomoe, Mikage's former servant – her life is literally turned upside down!
Kamisama Hajimemashita is the longest and most wonderful story Julietta Suzuki created! It is full of every single thing you expect from a shoujo manga, without being cliched, or trivial. Nanami is a non-conventional heroine, relatable as she is clumsy and easily flustered, with a tendency to get into trouble. Tomoe is a familiar, with a tragic past who made him very introverted and cold. Step by step we follow the couple's growth, while witnessing the funniest situations. Aside from the main characters, a huge range of well-developed other characters frames everything perfectly. The art style is detailed and wonderful, all the more when Julietta Suzuki draws otherworldly creatures. It is a total must-read, you really can't let overlook Kamisama Hajimemashita!
Final Thoughts
With Kamisama Hajimemashita, our ranking came to an end. We would like to remind our readers that if you wish to read Julietta Suzuki's one-shots, they are all collected in a one-volume manga with the title of Hoshi ni Naru Hi. With her witty and humorous stories, well-made plots, and a beautiful art style, Julietta Suzuki is a shining star in the shoujo manga universe! We can't wait to see what her next story will be, and if it will involve demons, or it will face a brand-new theme, and we are sure you can't wait, too! In the meanwhile, though, why don't you show us how much you love Julietta Suzuki in the comments below? See you next time!