Asmodeus wa Akiramenai (アスモデウスはあきらめない) is a comedy and fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Yuuto. It ran from 2017 to 2020 and concluded with eight volumes. I read this a while ago at the suggestion of a friend, and I actually liked it quite a bit despite the generic premise.

The story follows a second-year high school boy named Kamiki Ritsu, who is currently standing in for his Catholic priest father (who is away) to protect their church alongside his little sister, Konomi. One day, he saves a young girl in front of the church, but she turns out to be Asmodeus, one of the demons of the Ars Goetia who commands 72 legions of demons.

Apparently, she is attracted to the ring Ritsu wears, which is supposedly the Ring of Solomon that was used to bind the demons in the first place. She wants to retrieve the ring to free herself from the contract, but it is bound to Ritsu, so she cannot do much about it. She decides to stick with him until they find a solution that works for both.

As the story progresses, more and more demons (all beautiful girls, of course) start to get attracted to Ritsu. Eventually, we discover the truth about the ring and why Ritsu is in possession of it. There are also some humans involved in the story, like Ritsu's childhood friend Mei (who is in love with him), but most of the focus is really given to the demons instead.

Some of the demons try using subterfuge to get their contracts voided, while others use brute force to try and kill Ritsu. However, everyone eventually ends up in his harem. Ritsu is a generally nice protagonist and tries his best to give them what they want, even though he does not fully understand how the ring works.

The story is generally lighthearted, with plenty of comedy and ecchi scenes for the entire cast. You could say it follows in the footsteps of many past popular romantic comedies with the usual formula: "new girl arrives, a problem arises, Ritsu resolves it, and the girl gets attached to him."

I have to say that due to the increase in the number of characters, it was hard to remember the names and personalities of those added in the later volumes. I honestly think series like this should focus on a smaller set of heroines (five or six maximum) and give them better depth instead.

That said, the main demons really stand out with their personalities. Asmodeus herself is probably the most memorable, considering her mix of pride, incompetence, and genuine affection for Ritsu in the latter parts of the series. Seele is also interesting, as she is more composed and acts as a contrast to Asmodeus.

I quite liked Mei from the human side, too, as she works as a grounding force for Ritsu in the middle of the supernatural madness brought by the demons. The story never really goes too deep on the romance side, but I can feel her pain having to fight against all these beautiful girls who appeared out of nowhere.

I was really surprised when I heard that this author is the same one who wrote Hanamaru Youchien, which was an extremely cute series I watched the anime adaptation of a long time ago. He really made a big jump going from that to this more direct type of ecchi comedy. I will probably give that manga a chance in the future as well.

Overall, I can suggest this series if you want a lighter read that does not offer many surprises but still delivers solid entertainment.