Canticle is an action adventure Animesque Web Serial Novel created by NAITO.
The story focuses on the adventures of the demon assassin Mura and his conflicts with the mystical and supernatural. Beginning in the year 2098, Mura is exiled to Earth and is forced to live among the humans he was sworn to kill. He must learn to adapt or die, as he is condemned to be constantly hunted by his former comrades and other assortments of demonic entities.
The series currently has one part in serialization and can be read on the websites Tapas
and Royal Road (here).
Canticle contains examples of:
- Angels, Devils and Squid: Technically Shinigami, Demons and a Bizarre Alien Arm.
- The Apocalypse Brings Out the Best in People: Inverted when the cloaked figures leave a little girl to her fate as she's taken away by soldiers to be turned into an acolyte for their religion.
- Carnival of Killers: The Jikininki Ten. They're a Multi National Team too.
- Cast from Hit Points: JigadÅ magic has this effect on casters who perform it without being joined to a Thrall. Performing high level spells without a Thrall is even stated to kill the caster instantly, unless they have astronomical Tamashiryoku levels.
- Dark Is Not Evil: The majority of demons in the series aren't evil, despite living in the subterranean realm of Yomi.
- Downer Beginning: A winged demon eats a corpse, a funeral takes place, a little mind-broken girl tries to feed her dead brother and the entire world has gone to shit. ALL IN THE FIRST CHAPTER!
- Demon Lords and Archdevils: All of the demons in the series are named after real devils and monsters. Averted with Mura.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: Demons and monsters from nearly every religion and culture are featured in the land of Yomi.
- Fantastic Racism: Shinigami generally seem to look down on demons, while demons really hate the Shinigami. For good reason too.
- Fictional Earth: The Earth in Canticle is set in the year 2098 and has a few slight variations from the real world.
- A Hell of a Time: Yomi, the realm of demons and Hell of the Canticle universe is actually very beautiful. Complete with a solar eclipse 24/7, aurora borealis and quaint mega cities with all the commodities you'd find on Earth.
- Immortality Begins at Twenty: All of the demons and shinigami in the series abide by this trope, regularly aging until they reach twenty. After that, they physically age one year every thousand years.
- Jerkass God: According to the Cloaked Leader, Earth is in ruins because of the "God of the New World".
- Light Is Not Good: The average wardrobe of Shinigami are pure white with some black mixed in, which contrasts with their evil tendencies.
- Our Angels Are Different: Angels don't seem to exist in this universe, instead replaced with Shinigami. Based on what we've seen so far, they aren't really the typical do-gooders.
- Our Demons Are Different: Demons in Canticle are portrayed as admirers of the human race, modeling everything after their Earthly counterparts.
- Rage Against the Heavens: The Cloaked Leader's vendetta against the "God" that destroyed the Earth.
- Satan Is Good: The main protagonists Mura and Naraka are both demons.
- Tone Shift: The first chapter of Canticle is an extremely dark, serious and somber opening set on a post-apocalyptic Earth. The second chapter changes the mood entirely by shifting to a whimsical and beautiful variation of Hell with scenes of humor and action.
- Volcanic Veins: What people get once they fuse with their Thrall. It's a side effect of the magic flowing through their veins and the color differs from person to person.
- Wham Line: The Cloaked Leader's declaration at the end of the first chapter to kill God.
- You Have Failed Me: Mura eventually choosing to save a human girl instead of assassinating her gets him exiled to Earth and stripped of most his powers.
