Shinigamihime no Saikon

The heroine has an interesting character, in a sense, she reminds me of kuroko in kuroko no basuke.
The manga is unique in it's own way as it's about marriage yet there's little to no romance at all xD.

To be honest I'm a bit puzzled by the other reviews of Shinegamihime no Saikon since none of them seem to mention the most important thing to know about it -- it's an intentionally over-the-top campy comedy. The best comparison I can think of for the type of humor at the moment is the movie Clue.

Alicia is INCREDIBLY dumb. Or maybe she's so dumb, she's almost smart? It's kind of hard to tell. She's the type of person whose husband will get murdered while standing at the altar, but be concerned that replacing the stained glass window will just be so costly. Everyone tells her second husband is such an Evil with a capital "E" tyrant, but it's sort of in-one-ear-out-the-other. What? He outright murdered someone? Well, she's sure he's still a good person. Meanwhile, Kashburn of course wears all black, never removes his gloves even while inside, and has a creepy abandoned rose garden everyone's absolutely forbidden from ever going in. I'm kind of surprised no one ever twirls their mustache or suspiciously shifts their eyes.

This kind of camp doesn't seem too common in manga, and I for one found it rather entertaining.

I’ve got to the ninth chapter and to the boiling point, so I’ll write a review, despite not having completed this manga or being a part of the target audience. It’s just that the beginning is very good, but the development is disappointing, despite the (mostly) beautiful art.

The art is the easiest aspect to judge, since it’s really pretty, aside form a few odd frames here and there. The male MC is gorgeous, as he should be, and I appreciate the well-done palace interiors (they do really look like something from a XIX century European aristocratic residence). Oh, and also many may decide upon reading or not reading the manga based on the fact that the female MC is a megane.

The premise and the first couple of chapters made me very enthusiastic as well. The obvious attraction is the unique personality of the female protag – at the beginning she seems to be a very realistic and collected girl, who can hold her own in her complicated circumstances. She has her own interest – she likes gothic novels, which is rare and endearing, she knows the value of wealth, that she needs to maintain the status of the family, and she is not naïve.

Or is she? *sigh* Why does it happen so often?.. By the fourth chapter the plot gets to the part of adding new bishies, which is a plus, I guess, but the protag’s personality stops developing. Her outward naïve personality becomes her true one or something - it’s truly hard to explain. Her tyrant husband shows signs of cruelty and threatens her, but this is laughed off as nothing important – just a tsun side - nor does the heroine reflect on it. Maybe it’s covered in the LNs, but here we don’t get any explanation of why she starts to believe that her husband, against who everybody warns her, won’t harm her. The same is true for her dealings with some other characters. And this stupidity really does wear the good sides of the story away.

I can’t say that the romance part also got anywhere, like, it wasn’t even present to be honest. The comedy and hints on political intrigue take the space. That’s fine by me, but may be disliked by some readers. Btw, unexpectedly this manga touches upon some interesting political issues on, say, a middle-tier YA novel level. Decide for yourself, if it’s a plus.

So, basically, the story starts off very good, and it’s definitely worth to read for a few chapters, but lately it degrades and balances off its non-stereotypical heroine with a barrage of other clichés – the misunderstood dark guy with complex past, the loud annoying midget barging everywhere, the playful blonde assassin (ugh), “food eaten together is tastier” and so on. Some of the topics could’ve been interesting, if they had been studied more in-depth.
I must say that I am disappointed by wasted potential, even though I must admit this manga at least had said potential, unlike many romance works.

A lot of girls in shoujo manga that encounter arranged marriage go into it quite reluctantly, but Alicia doesn't. She seems pretty okay with it. What really caught my attention, though, was the strange plot twist in the beginning: her husband was assassinated at the alter as she walked up to it, and her reputation becomes tainted. What's more, someone else is interested in her hand in marriage despite the rumors that swirl around her, and that really ups the mystery in the plot a lot. What exactly is going on in this little town, and what kind of girl is Alicia to elicit such attention? Who is the mysterious man who wants to wed her, and what are his intentions?

Needless to say, it was an interesting read. The heroine being put into a new situation can relate to the reader's experience in seeing this manga for the first time. Alicia wants to explore the mansion, go outside, talk to everyone around her. It's a very comfortable feeling of curiosity and friendliness.

A few times, though, I noticed that the story gets a little wordy when explaining political complications. Most arranged marriages are made for monetary purposes, of course, and the transfer of power is discussed a wee bit heavily in here such that sometimes my eyes glazed over it. Do make sure to pay attention to it should you read Shinigami Hime no Saikon, though.

The romance in this manga is a little slow despite the whole arranged marriage situation because the bulk of the plot is devoted to discovering what the new husband's personality and career is like as well as meeting other interesting characters. I despite quick romances, but though this was drawn out, it still wasn't satisfying for me. It seemed to be lying in wait for a long time and then suddenly became blatantly obvious, at which you can pinpoint exactly which moment the two fell in love. At that I was a little disappointed, but I did ship it, so there's that.

Ah, I did love the art. The lines were clean around the face and a little simple, but still detailed where needed. I was happy with the main character's unorthodox appearance, being plain and wearing glasses. The men, especially her husband, were very handsome. The clothes everyone wore, even the maids, were stylish and fit the time period. Gardens were drawn well and luxury was apparent where needed.

Alicia's character is probably the best part of the manga. Instead of being a pretty girl who could be headstrong, she was normal-looking (as everyone claimed) and thought things for herself, never being overly impulsive. She was innocent in many aspects, but at other times carried a wisdom above her age of 15. She was an interesting subject to examine.

The man, her second husband, at first seemed to be the typical cold person who would turn warm but surprisingly carried a lot of intriguing emotional baggage. For the most part he is calm, cool, and collected, but certainly can change his step when he becomes angry. His interest in Alicia increases every day.

Kudos to this author for deviating from normal shoujo for a bit and creating fascinating characters. While this series wasn't very long, it ended in a satisfactory manner and delivered the plot well. The art was very pleasing and I liked reading it. I think it would a good manga for anyone willing to try it out.

What really made me enjoy this manga is the heroine.

Alicia(the heroine) is a refreshing character, that reminds me of the non-emotional heroines of school shoujo manga who don't care about anything but studying.
That said, she is not at all a cold person and shows very little doubt in her actions and what she says, which gave her a strong but not over-the-top aura.
The hero himself is not unimpressive and does not lack in anything to be noted of.(when it comes to a girls opinion of anime hero guys)

The manga is drawn well, clean and easy to read.

The story and the flow of the story strays from the cliche love scenes and mishaps and shows a more natural progression of romance between characters.

In conclusion, if you're looking for something that isn't a typical love story, nor is it a story that is way out there, i suggest this!

When i found it that she wasn't going to continue it, i was deeply dissapointed..
I loved all the characters, especially ruark~
The main heroine was very interesting, and the plot was very good.
That art...ARGH! It's beautiful!!! The way the artist drew the guys.....eye candy right there.

Overall, this manga showed a lot of promise. I really wanted to more.! D: