MANGA REVIEW | "Magu-chan: God of Destruction" - Volume Nine [FINALE]
The clock is ticking down, with the cast of Magu-chan: God of Destruction facing what show be their most ultimate battle. Magu-chan is angry, Izuma is ready to fight, and Uneras looks to be choosing a darker side. Is Ruru in danger, and will our pink friend find himself sealed away by the Holy Knights? As we find out in the ninth and final volume of this series…
**WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**
…no, that wasn’t the case. In fact, nobody was in danger in the first place. All of this was a silly plan of Uneras to prove that Magu and his friends love humanity too much to destroy it. Stupid? Yes, but it’s still funny as hell. Plus, now the story can get back to what it does best: acting silly.
Magu plays Santa for Ruru, who still has visions of meeting St. Nick as a young girl. The gang almost get themselves Groundhog Day’d after someone utters (nonchalantly, mind you) an ill-advised wish. Lastly, Graduation Day arrives, and a look into Ruru and Magu-chan’s future shows what will be for the human and god. Oh, and one final bonus story where Ren tries to finally tell Ruru that he like-likes her.
A lot is packed within this final volume of Magu-chan: God of Destruction. Fortunately, it is all paced very well. The Christmas story is both sweet and funny, with the pink blob somehow inspiring others in unpredictable ways. A repeated day goes a more philosophical route, with Ruru’s goals for the future being simple-yet-satisfactory. But perhaps the best moment arrives when we see what happens after middle school graduation.
Every moment of Ruru’s life is showcased, with Magu-chan there for all of it. Life goals, weddings, births, everything is done in tangent with Magu-chan. And in the end…well, I don’t think I should spoil what occurs. Needless to say, it’s wicked sad! If you thought you wouldn’t cry over a story about a natto-loving deity of death, then you really haven’t been reading enough manga!
Of course, there are still things left open-ended. We don’t see what happens to the rest of the humans in Magu-chan’s world. Even the relationship between Ren and Ruru is kind of up in the air, with the wedding shot not showing who it is that Ruru’s walking towards. But there’s enough answered in the final volume to make longtime fans happy to see the end result.
Initially, I was sad to see Magu-chan: God of Destruction come to an end. But after reading its final volume, I can’t help but feel satisfied by what Kei Kamiki was able to deliver to his readers. It may not have reached the same levels of popularity as other Shonen Jump series, but for those who gladly put their signature in Magu’s book of friends, the journey was nothing short of glorious. World domination & destruction may not have happened, but Magu-chan: God of Destruction conquered something far greater: our hearts.
FINAL GRADE (Volume Nine):
FINAL GRADE (series):
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
