Vartrag Tales
Complicated, twisty and (maybe it's just my Japanese) obscure, but charming and bittersweet story of the demon Valafar, his servant Velta who occasionally turns into a cat, and Valafar's ambiguous friend Astaroth (Astin when he's in modern dress) who makes a special dagger for him. The dagger gives the soul of the one stabbed with it into the possession of the one who wields it (so Velta tries it on himself and of course it gives Velta's soul into Velta's possession- ie nothing happens.)
Little Ralph's grandfather has made a pact with Valafar, and on the night the demon comes to collect, Ralph sees him and goes home with him. Ralph thinks Astaroth is neat, and Astaroth's castle is neat, and he makes a pact with the demon that he'll come and live with him forever. There are two conditions- Ralph must live for seven years in the world of men, and on the appointed ay he must bring a friend with him. When the appointed day arrives, 12 year old Ralph is on his way home from boarding school for the weekend with his 14-year-old stepbrother Craig. The two are attacked by angels (yes, it's one of those 'the demons are the good guys kind of and the angels are the bad guys- kind of: or at least, the ones with no manners a la Angel Sanctuary's Michael. In fact I think it's Michael who does the attacking here too.) Craig is knocked unconscious and it's he that Astaroth takes with him when he comes to collect Ralph. And the rest of the story is a spoiler.
Second story deals with what really happened after Velta stabs himself with Astaroth's dagger. Third story begins confusingly with Craig, now in his 20's, and Ralph still 12 years old and at school. Craig's friend sends Ralph a black feather that he discovered in one of his books and the feather stirs odd feelings in Ralph. Ralph sets out to find the secret of his past and eventually succeeds.
The story can be read, if one likes, as what happens when a nice and fundamentally decent demon falls in love with a nice and fundamentally decent five year old boy. Virtue triumphs, is what happens. Only in Japan.
