Imagine that you're in the forest one day and discover a hidden cave. Imagine that the cave is full of beautiful flowers and there's this hot babe with a smashing bod fast asleep. Now imagine she wakes up, snogs you on the mouth...then announces that she's a demon who wants your help in conquering the world. Whoopsie...

Thus begins the tale of 7thGarden, a brand new (and steamy!) manga by Mitsu Izumi. And manga where hell plus a few bodices break loose! Warning: Sorry kids! This one's for mature audiences only.

Our hero Awyn makes his living as gardener for Lady Mariphiel, daughter of the wealthy Fiacre family. Tending flowerbeds comes with no real concerns beyond slaying dangerous forest beasts every now and again. Plus the boss is gorgeous, innocent, and loves nothing better than to enjoy the fruits of Awyn's labor while casting him chaste looks of longing that everyone pretends they don't notice. So all said, life's pretty good.

Too bad that Awyn's a spiky-haired protagonist in a fantasy manga. After slaying a particularly dangerous beast in the forest one day, our hero stumbles into the demoness Vyrde's prison and awakens her from her slumber. To be fair to the guy, she looked pretty darn human while she was asleep--guess that's what you get for helping unconscious people in the wilderness. 

Welp, no time for “would've” or “could've” now! Vyrde wastes no time in inviting herself into Awyn's life, demanding that he now help her kill the six angels who run the world from the shadows...so that she can dominate the globe in their place. Yet even if Awyn were willing to buy that she's a for-real demon (and he's not), he's still heard enough folklore to steer clear of infernal bargains.

At least until the resident theocratic Church's secret police arrive on the village's doorstep with orders to cleanse the town with blood and fire for alleged heresy. Experience soon teaches Awyn that demonic diplomacy comes with a few inarguable benefits. Benefits like a giant sword, super strength and absurd healing powers! 

Just in case the disclaimer up top didn't tip you off, 7thGarden's on the saucy side. There are plenty of melons growing in this patch. Yet unlike many manga of which this is true, this one also has a plot. Right from the start there's a mystery: who is Vyrde? Why, despite being a demon in a medieval-style fantasy world, is her first outfit all science fiction-y? Why does she call this world a “garden” and the people “gnomes”?

And speaking of Angels, why does one of their own chosen champions wield a set of feathered particle canons? Something about this setup smells, though it's a bit too soon to say what it is... 

What doesn't smell though, is the artwork. Just about everything in this manga is illustrated in meticulous detail. The various characters' outfits deserve special mention, however, since whether it's a few scanty straps on our heroine or flowing robes on the aristocrats and priests, each one looks amazing. And while Vyrde's the queen of costume changes, Awyn, the staff, Lady Marie and even the villainous knights and clerics get some awesome threads.

The fight sequences also deserve a mention, since Awyn's demonic sword is about six feet of awesome. The thing looks like it's made of pure kickass. (And who knows? It just might be!) Plus the story acknowledges that it's supernaturally lightweight; a nice little nod to the usual problem these sorts of swords have in other works. Yet while Awyn himself is just short of unstoppable so far, I'm guessing he'll run into some more dangerous foes soon. Chopping up soldiers of the church has just raised a few angelic eyebrows...

Whether you're into interesting fantasy stories based in monotheistic lore or just want to see some hot babes aiding powerful warriors, 7thGarden is worth a look. 

7thGarden by Mitsu Izumi is available here!

by Chris Turner