The Devil Does Exist
The Devil Does Exist is a Japanese manga series by Mitsuba Takanashi. It was serialized in the monthly List of [manga magazines|manga magazine] Bessatsu Margaret from January 1999 to August 2002.
A Taiwanese live-action television drama adaptation, titled Devil Beside You, was broadcast in 2005.
Plot
Kayano Saito, a shy high school student, attempts to confess her feelings to her crush and captain of the basketball team, Yuichi Kamijo. However, she accidentally gives her love letter to Takeru Edogawa, a rowdy first-year student and the principal's son, who ends up using it to blackmail her into following his orders. To Kayano, Takeru seems to be the devil himself due to his attractive appearance, popularity, and his constant teasing. Even worse, Kayano's mother, Tokiko, reveals that she plans on marrying Takeru's father, Mamoru, making him inescapable from her life.As Kayano starts becoming closer to Kamijo, she courageously refuses to obey Takeru's orders. In response, Kayano's love letter is spread around school. Humiliated, Kayano blames Takeru but discovers that Kamijo returns her feelings, and they begin dating. After realizing Takeru's childhood friend, Rika Moroboshi, had spread her letter, Kayano apologizes to Takeru and allows him to hit her to call things even, but he instead kisses her, declaring that he is in love with her. Kayano becomes torn between Takeru and Kamijo, but after Kamijo confronts her, Kayano realizes he is nothing like how she had imagined him to be, and she breaks up with him. She admits to Takeru that she returns his feelings, and they begin dating in secret.
As Kayano and Takeru's relationship deepens, so does Kayano's guilt over them becoming step-siblings. At the same time, obstacles appear to break the two apart, including Rika's unrequited feelings for Takeru, the appearance of Takeru's estranged younger brother Yuzuru, an arranged marriage between Takeru and Rumi Saionji orchestrated by his grandmother, and Kayano's childhood friend, Mr. Fujita, becoming a teacher at their school. In addition to their rivals, as Kayano and Takeru's parents' marriage looms closer and they begin living with each other, the two struggle with keeping their relationship a secret from them. Once Tokiko discovers they are dating, she considers breaking off her engagement with Mamoru to allow Kayano and Takeru to continue their relationship. Overcome with guilt, Kayano convinces her mother to stay with Mamoru. After Tokiko reveals she is pregnant, Mamoru also convinces her to accept Kayano and Takeru's relationship.
When Takeru's mother returns to his life, she offers him to live with her and Yuzuru in Italy for the next two years. Despite the uncertainty of Kayano and Takeru's relationship, the two agree that Takeru should accept the offer in order for him to pursue career opportunities and to reconnect with his mother. After two years pass, Takeru returns to Japan, where the two marry.
Characters
;Kayano Saito;Takeru Edogawa
;Yuichi Kamijo
;Kyoko Harukawa
;Natsuka Watanabe
;Yohei Uozumi
;Rika Moroboshi
;Tokiko Saito
;Mamoru Edogawa
;Yuzuru Sonokawa
;Shinnosuke Fujita
;Rumi Saionji
;Ichiro Toba
;Junichi Yamamoto
;Shin Kanzaki
Media
Manga
The Devil Does Exist is written and illustrated by Mitsuba Takanashi. It was serialized in the monthly manga magazine Bessatsu Margaret from the January 1999 issue to the August 2002 issue. The chapters were later released in eleven bound volumes by Shueisha under the Margaret Comics imprint. The series was re-released in a seven-bunkoban edition in 2008.In 2004, CMX licensed the manga series for North America distribution in English. It went out of print when DC Comics shut down the CMX imprint in 2010.
''Tankōbon'' editions
''Bunkoban'' reprint
Audio drama
An audio drama was released on CD by King Records on August 23, 2000, titled Dangerous Love Wars: The Devil Does Exist.A adaptation was released on February 29, 2008, on Shueisha's website, S-Cast, to promote the reprint of The Devil Does Exist.