Alichino

Alichino is a manga created by the artist Kouyu Shurei originally published in Japan by Home-sha Inc. and Shueisha. It was translated and distributed by TOKYOPOP in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom; the Tokyopop ediiton of the manga is out of print as of August 31, 2009.

The premise of the manga revolves around Alichino, beautiful demons that offer wishes to the desperate, the wishes coming at the price of one's soul. To stop this, ?kusabi? are born in order to kill Alichino, though if the kusabi kills the Alichino, then no wishes will be granted. The question is, Would humanity prefer wishes or safety from the threat of Alchino?

The main plot follows Tsugiri, a kusabi who is held back in his duties to slay Alichino due to angst. We follow his quest to overcome his personal issues and protect those he loves in stopping the inevitable evils of the Alichino.

Unfortunately, the manga was put on indefinite hiatus in 2001 after Kouyu Shurei broke her hand. Fans remain hopeful, though the idea of it returning to production seems dubious.

This manga provides examples of:
 * The Beautiful Elite: The Alichino.
 * Literal Genie
 * Noble Demon: Near literal case for well-meaning Alichino.
 * Wangst
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy: Tsugiri.