At first glance, Reimei no Arcana may seem like your oh-so-clichè romance and shoujo manga set in fairytale land. Thankfully, this isn't the case. Reimei no Arcana has a more deep, almost depressing story behind everything. There's blood. There's violence. There are characters that actually develop instead of just act the same throughout the story. This really isn't the typical romance manga directed at young girls.

Story: 8/10
While it's not the most original plot in the world, Rei Toma executes it beautifully. The princess who has been shunned all her life is in an arranged marriage with a prince that she finds disgusting. After spending some genuine time together and going through certain events, however, they come to understand each other more and more as time goes on. Of course, they then develop actual feelings for each other. However, don't be fooled-- the story doesn't magically lose its grittiness for the sake of turning everything into an upbeat romance.

Art: 9/10
The art is simply gorgeous. The girls are beautiful, the boys are handsome. The clothes are wonderfully detailed, and the settings fit in perfectly with the theme. My only complaint is that, like a lot of other manga, the heroine's eyes are way too big for her face. I understand that it helps to add expression, but it just looks silly when everyone else has normal sized eyes except for the main character.

Character: 8/10
At first, characters seem like they're nothing very special. Loki is the sweet, caring friend to Nakaba, whereas Nakaba is a princess who's slightly depressed due to her situation, but still attempts to have a somewhat good outlook on life...until she meets the tsundere prince Caesar, that is. Thankfully, Reimei no Arcana has wonderful character development. After some certain dramatic events happen, you can see how much each character in this manga has grown up. They feel like their own fleshed out person rather than a mere stereotype.

Enjoyment: 9/10
I simply love romance manga that are unique. I enjoy my romance/comedy/school/shoujo manga from time to time, but they get boring very quickly due to a lot of them having nearly identical plots. Reimei no Arcana is a wonderful hidden gem of romance manga out there.

Overall: 8.5/10 (rounded up to 9/10)
If you're looking for a typical cheesy romance where no character development takes place, I advise you to pick up one of the various one-shot shoujo manga out there. If you're looking for a deep romance manga that actually has an interesting plot and well-developed characters, by all means, read this.