Reimei no Arcana

Starts with a marriage of convenience between feuding royal families, complicated with racism and bigotry (about hair color and half-human half-animal "subpeople"). The main characters are both stubborn and really hate each other, but what else can this lead to but sweet sweet awkward jealousy. Who should she choose? The enemy with the grand gestures or the loyal friend? You'll be pulled apart, just like our heroin.
This manga is wonderful! A real hybrid of the Shojo and Shouen styles, a complicated romance for the not-girly reader. A really addicting read, and more than the average shojo has to offer. Rei Toma (the author) has created a really fantastic and colorful world to have her characters push back against. Looking forward to the next chapter each week.

I found this story while waiting for the next chapter or Akagami no Shirayuki-hime. I wanted to find another like it, and thus stumbled upon Reimei no Arcana.

ART: 100000000
First off, love the art. It's amazing. Simple and beautiful. All the guys are handsome (and that little sub-human boy ((his name starts with an R)) IS FREAKING ADORABLE)) and the girls are beautiful. The art was one of my favorite parts in the story.

STORY: 8
Princesses and Princes getting married... very typical. I didn't expect much out of the story. BUT. Once I started reading it,, I started warming up to it. The blood and fighting helped out ^_^ (action manga fan here). Whenever there is action and comedy in a shoujo manga I tend to like it. Comedy... not a ton, but action, YES. I love it. The love triangle is driving me crazy. Poor Nabaka... wouldn't want to be in her shoes, my gosh. Both of the guys are so loveable. The light-hearted parts where Nabaka smiles and Ahkil is making fun of them and stuff are probably my favorite parts.

Characters: 7
Which leads me to the next part... the characters. I don't really know where I stand with the characters. They all have points I love and points I hate. Thus, I give characters a 7.

Enjoyment: 7
It was pretty good and I'd recommend it. If you're looking for a laugh, maybe a different manga would suit you, but if you're looking for a deep manga with kickass action, this is the one for you.

As far as shoujos go, I thought this had an interesting premise.

Story: 7
The basic storyline is that a red-haired princess (Akage) is married off to a prince of another country for a peace treaty. She is shunned because she, a royal, has red hair instead of black hair. Yeah, that's right. And not only that, but throughout the story kings and royalty make crazy freaking decisions based solely on the fact that this girl has red hair. It's a puzzler to me...and despite all of the clearly corrupt, lazy, and plain stupid royals, the citizens don't complain or rise up even once. The background for either of the three countries that are presented is not really developed beyond what the climate is. But the plotholes and lack of storybuilding aside, the plotline was fairly linear, though some major elements are left undeveloped (the swords made of ore, the Arcana, etc.).

Art: 7
The characters all had lovely designs (Loki and Ahkil were my favorites), though they weren't all that diverse. Pretty much all the guys look female, too. The action scenes were a bit silly and awkward.

Character: 3
Meh. Main defining traits of characters were hair color, whether they were an Ajin or human, whether or not they had Arcana, and who they had a relationship with. The main character, Nakaba, was quick to cry or lash out.

Enjoyment: 6
I didn't hate it. It's definitely worth reading just for the ending and also Loki.

If you're looking for something to read through quickly but still enjoy some nice pictures, then Reimei No Arcana is for you.

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.

Not the best fantasy/shoujo manga out there, but I would say it's pretty good and worth giving a try!

Although the romance is cliche and quite cute, it's definitely not shallow as some of the fantasy shoujo's I've read before. I think that there is an underlying issue of discrimination against difference races/classes that we have to deal in our world today, that the mangaka tries to symbolises in this mythical world and she does it pretty well. The art style is also very beautiful and it's fun to be taken to another world all together. The lead female is completely badass as well and you keep rooting for her.

The only thing I would say is that prevented this from being any better is the pacing, I feel it would have been better if it was just slightly longer, where you really get to see the lead characters grow in more depth. It would have also been better if we got to explore the world around them and side characters a bit more too.

But overall, I would say it's definitely worth giving this a shot. It's still a fun read if you're looking for a cute romance with an underlying heavier plot!

----Story 8/10----
I read Reimei no Arcana expecting a cliche story where the girl falls in love with a prince who basically hates everything, something big happens, she cries, he cries, blah blah blah, the end, they live happily ever after. Yeah!

I couldn't have been more wrong. Reimei no Arcana is one of the darkest and deepest shoujo manga I've read, making it very unique and interesting. This story is not your typical happy shoujo manga where the most trouble they have is the rejection of the other person. There is a lot more in this manga then it seems.

----Art 9/10----
There isn't really much to say about the art. It's great and it's nice I guess. The characters are all nicely drawn, both Caeser and Loki are good-looking and Nakaba's quite pretty too.

----Character 9/10----
At first, I absolutely hated Caeser. He seemed so much like a jerk that I couldn't really stand him but further into the manga, you get to know about his troubles and he just becomes a much better person. Loki is a different case though, I absolutely loved him from the start to the end. He is so caring to Nakaba and just seems like a really nice person generally.

Nakaba herself is another thing. She isn't happy-go-lucky like a lot of girls in shoujo manga, she isn't mean or selfish in any way, she isn't really clumsy and weak, in fact, she's very strong-willed and one of my favourite shoujo female characters. The character development of this manga is really good and it allows you to really understand the situation and the characters behind it along with their pasts and history.

----Enjoyment 9/10-----
I really enjoyed the manga and read it for hours straight. It just kept me going and interested in the next chapter. Good thing I read it after it finished or else I don't know how I could have waited.

----Overall 9/10----
Overall I think this is a good manga and my favourite to be honest. This manga gave me happiness, sadness and well, a lot of tears in the middle of the night. As I said, this manga is not just happy moments and comedy. It is quite dark and deep. So don't expect them to go to the beach and like kiss under fireworks or something.

The STORY... The POTENTIAL... SUCH WASTE!!! SUCH WASTE!!!
And now with less drama.

Reimei no Arcana or The Dawn of Arcana at first glance reminds about a dozen similar manga. A sad heroin has to marry a bastard prince of the enemy country. There's the loyal dog (literally) and she's not very well liked in that country. But everything is ok, because, of course, the prince turns a new leaf and falls madly in love with princes, who (oh surprise, surprise) has a mystical power. Everything's well known and familiar.

BUT, now I will talk about the reason for all the drama in the beginning. But, the story isn't just that, it's much much deeper. We have the racial discrimination and species discrimination, we have imminent war and genocide. Which are heavy and dark topics. And we have the wish to change the broken world and to bring happiness and safety to those we love. These are typical topics but they are presented quite nicely. But why the drama?

The idea is not very fresh, but it is solid. The surrounding context has so much potential you could build an epic poetry piece around it. And then comes along the editor who decides to push everything into fewer chapters that it is humanely possible. Or maybe the author doesn't have the skills for exposition and everything just like deflated balloon flops on the ground. Something that could have flown has to flop (dramatisation). My point is that it could have become something really good. For example, a character dies, it's death heavily affects main characters both emotionally and story wise. But the reader can't possibly feel this emotion because the *ing story is rushed. What do I care if that bastard dies, I never knew him anyway. Wasted... The moments, key points in the story are wasted... Everything feels unnatural and flat. No depth, no feeling. It brakes my heart.

Overall, a less sensitive (or less crazy and bored) reader will enjoy this manga immensely. It's a fair read certainly not the worst I have read (not even close). The art is cute, the characters lovable though underdeveloped and the story is ok (if you don't analyse it at all). I recommend to read to both casual readers (for enjoyment) and fanatics (to know what can happen to good ideas).

As a disclaimer, I quit this series after only one volume. But I thought some people might be interested in knowing why, considering I don't do that very often.

Story:
I'm not necessarily adverse to political marriage plotlines if done well, or at least if it avoids sensationalizing it. Which is exactly what the author seemed keen on doing.
Caesar is verbally and physically abusive to Nakaba from first meeting, and by the end of the first volume there's a distressingly long forced kiss scene which is obviously meant to be ~sexy~ and if you're into that, perhaps you'll enjoy it. But for me, the sexualizing of the removal of agency to Nakaba's character was concerning at best. Caesar simply crosses too many lines with Nakaba before "becoming a better person," which is what I'm assuming is the inevitable conclusion of his character.
To add to the discomfort, there are elements of romanticizing slavery in Loki's plotline, so unless you're into that: AVOID AVOID AVOID.
As far as the protagonist herself, Nakaba, there's a reason I haven't really discussed her. She's utterly unremarkable and reads like a collection of tropes meant to illicit sympathy. Loki is possibly the best developed character, if you can get past the romanticizing of a master-slave relationship. And Caesar shows hints of complexity, but it's obscured by so much awfulness it was hard to appreciate.

Also, as a debatable nitpick, the world-building in this first volume is mediocre at best, completely awful at worst. The costume and setting designs are uninspired, which is passable in a modern school-set romance, but unforgivable in a fantasy.
And related to the world-building, the rules of her fantasy setting are just inconsistent? illogical? As an example, Nakaba comes from what is described as a cold country with very little farming, and yet when she wears what is apparently her cultural clothing, it is thin, loose material with sandals. SANDALS. Instances like that occur several times throughout the volume.

Art:
As the cover shows, Toma does know how to color. But covers can be deceiving.
The problem with Toma's art is that while it's put together enough to pass in a modern school-set romance, it is not sophisticated enough for creating completely new backgrounds or for displaying action scenes. And since this is a fantasy, THAT IS A BIG PROBLEM.

Plagued with a power to see the past and future, Nakaba (the protagonist) is a princess of mixed blood that was given to her country's enemy to wed their prince.
Then they fall in love and yadda, yadda, yadda.

Actually, the story wasn't that dreary however that is the outline of the plot but it did have circumstances which the reader had to get their heads around of to continue reading. What actually livened up the story was the art and the characters.

The characters weren't the very over-used kind, maybe the kind that was used OFTEN but still not over-used. I generally liked the characters of the main characters except well, for the most important main character which is dear Nakaba; she was the lost, confused, highschool-girl-like personality but she was also the trump card and what a waste for such a powerful character to have the complete antithesis of the appropriate personality.

The art had enough detail to make me mention it but it didn't have the kind of detail for it to soar above the average and expected. It was not bad but not good, it was no man's land. And as usual, the characters had those abnormal eyes; does anyone believe that normal human beings have those kind of eyes? Or is it just so hard to draw normal, no, make that realistic eyes? Anyway, I'd have really liked the illustrations to have had some more details because it's just vague, not very, but enough to be qualified as vague.

Overall, a very 'okay' story. A rainy day type of story which gives you just enough to keep you going but if you like suspense or something to get your blood-pumping, look for something else because this story is very lukewarm.

Wow...... I thought it was going to be really different than how it turned out. I was expecting something more like Niehime to Kemono no Ou, it was a lovely surprise! The romance was beautiful and really make you think about the concept of love and being loved.

If i had to say something i disliked, i could say the story tends to lean to the sad side, its like tragedy after tragedy. I wish to have been able to explore the worlds more and understand the countries better.

Overall I loved this story, i'm sad i dont get more.... The ending made me cry! This story is a must read, the beginning is slow, but it really picks up! I was trapped and read the entire thing in one night!

This story of a marriage started out really well. I loved it for a time, but as the story progressed, my love for it became nonexistent. It's not your old cliche kind of arranged marriages. The characters' back stories are interesting and heart felt in their won way. But I can't relate to the characters. I have not problem with Loki and Caesar, but Nakaba [who's the main heroine] I cannot relate to. I can't bring myself to love her either. After 30 chapters I really started getting bored of it all. The concept is nice, but it's not something that I generally like since the plot was a bit shaky to being with. And with that, I gave this manga an overall score of 7.

AMAZING!!!!! This might be the best manga that I have ever read!. I am still so attached to the characters and for some reason no other anime or manga has made me so cry as hard when realizing the end was imminent. Accepting the fact that there was no more manga left to read was very hard on my fragile psyche, since I couldn't seem to get enough of it! I'm not sure exactly what it was about the storyline and characters that made me especially attached, but the author definitely put time into the development and growth of not only the main characters, but even some lesser characters as well. Like I've said, I really can't put my finger on what it is that makes it true, but this manga was mind blowing! Although, maybe I'm just overly emotional after having just finished it, and the fact that I read through until like 6 in the morning. Anyhow, IT's definitely worth giving a try!!!

Misogynistic. Cliche. Boring.

In essence, terrible.

I thought it was going to get better with character development. But every time you'd think the characters have finally changed, they'd disappoint you again.

The love interest (the prince) commits terrible things against the female main character (FMC) (yanking her hair, strangling her, forcing kisses on her,etc) yet the weak ass FMC grows to love him. In fact the prince continues to act possessive as fuck and like a 5 year old child. But of course instead of developing his character into becoming a better person, the author romanticizes this.

I thought Loki would be better but he's as possessive as the dick prince.

Honestly, I was even ready to pretend the sexual assault never happened to continue reading (like in Light and Shadow) but the story was so boring it wasn't even necessary. I should've dropped it from the beginning.

Summary: A princess who was sent to the enemies' nation in order to bring peace and prosperity by having her marry the prince of the opposite kingdom. The story follows the princess's point of view, so we'll see her romance with the prince, her development as a character since she's never really seen the world, and it's later explain she has the power to see the future. The world in this setting is shown that people with black hair are nobles, any other colored hair are shown as commoners, and beast people are shown as slaves... so yes, the princess herself has red hair, so the story follows heavily on that.

Story (7): I picked this manga by random, I read one chapter and yeah, one chapter became the whole series. It's not anything out of the ordinary, but it should have enough originality to keep you reading, although the setting is cliche itself, the love story has been done before many times, and there's too much left to be desired. When I was reading, there's moments where I wanted to know more about certain plot points, but they were sidelined, there's certain characters that were pretty good themselves but didn't get any time to shine in the light, Arcana itself wasn't built upon and was left a mystery til the end and so on. I gave the story an average score because of these few reasons, but there's enough twists, turns drama, and romance to keep you reading. Just one thing I want to elaborate on, it's one of those stories where it started out a bit confusing and makes more sense while you keep reading... up to the end.

Art (7): The art isn't too great with all honesty, but it's good enough to look at atleast. So don't expect Picasso!

Character (8): I've seen these characters before, but it doesn't mean that I didn't love them. Nakaba left a really good impression on me, I really thought she was cute and inspiring, something I don't really see in many animes/manga I've watched/read. Loki and Caesar are great characters in their own right, just that they are the same characters you've read in many other romance stories. The support and minor cast are average at best, they leave a load of rooms to develop on, but they get easily overshadow from the main cast. If Nakaba was another character, this would've gotten a 6 or 7.

Enjoyment (9): Like I've said, one chapter became the whole series. The twist and turns were enough for me to want to keep reading and the last few chapters really made me go 'wow....!" I wish Reimei no Arcana would put more of its focus on the Arcana itself, and put action in this genre, because there's parts in this story that really calls for both, but for what it's worth now, I don't mind reading it again in the near future.

Overall (8): Even though the story is cliche with a bit of originality, the art still needs room to be improved on, and only one out of all of the characters left a really fine expression.... I still enjoyed it, and I will love if the author decides to make a sequel and expand the universe of Arcana, because the setting still needs to be explored and there's still so much left to be told.

By the way, don't you dare ship LokixNakaba, you'll see why it's disgusting at the end lol. ~ Shaney @69th Street

Two countries neighboring countries, one consisting of half-humans, half-animals and the other of humans who only see half-breeds as slaves have been at war for 200 years disguise a marriage for peace between the two. Nakaba a girl who became the sacrifice in the plot forced to marry an arrogant prince who treats her harshly. Accompany by her childhood bodyguard/friend, Loki who has been with her since the slaughter of her family and the beginning of her misfortune. Caesar, the arrogant prince and the second son of Belquat, heartless King who see himself as supremacist above all.
But this isnt even the icing on the cake...Nakaba, the daughter of a beautiful commoner and a king who is the descendant of those who envisions the future; happens to inherit this gift must keep it a secret from the King...little does she know that that is the reason she is there and still alive by a thin thread.
Now, Caesar the prince who has no interest in the throne will now fight his brother for it, for the sake of his "wifes'" future because things happened and now he is in love with her.
This semi-mature manga seems to have it all...the drama, the excitement, the prince, princess, bodyguard, ( Loki- another possible love interest) war, hate, love, blood, schemes, ect.

Reimei no Arcana is a fantasy shoujo manga by Touma Rei, totalling thirteen volumes. We begin our tale at a wedding ceremony, the participants a red-haired girl and a black-haired boy. The girl notes dispassionately that her new husband has crushed her hair in his hand, unbeknownst to the onlookers. This is a marriage of convenience, for the purpose of upholding a treaty to keep the peace between two warring countries, Senan and Belquat. Not only is she of a different nationality to the prince she has married, which automatically makes her unlikable, but she also has filthy, red hair. Why is red hair so bad? Only commoners have red hair, of course.

The manga is set in a medieval fantasy world where those of royal blood have black hair, whilst merchants, servants, and other common folk have other colours in their glossy locks. Not only is it scandalous for a royal to have a hair colour other than black, it is also nearly unheard of. Why would anyone of the nobility want to sully their name by reproducing with someone of a different hair colour, after all? It’s even worse when you throw “ajin” into the mix – also known as “sub-humans”, people with animal characteristics are shunned by society and considered worse than second-class citizens. It is in this crazy world of discrimination and hatred that we meet our main protagonists.

While the story isn’t very original (I am certain you have heard of political and arranged marriages before), it redeems itself through the almost epic scales it hurtles toward. Redemption, revolution, coups, love, betrayal – this is certainly going to be a grand tale. The main (and, I’d honestly argue, only) problem with the plot is that it kicks off rather slow. The first several chapters detail how the main characters play off of one another, interact, and start developing feelings of love or, alternatively, hatred, for each another. One’s mileage might vary, but I can see some people getting rather bored or disillusioned if they expect a hard-hitting thriller right off the bat. (It’s not a thriller, either; sorry if I got your hopes up.) Another aspect of Reimei no Arcana that readers may find themselves trudging through is the politics. It is not laid on thickly, and it is not droned on about for pages at a time, but the intrigue and political affairs of the world the story is set in are still quite important. I rather think the author has gotten politics right, since I was only interested, never jaded.

Due to the fairly placid pace the manga begins with, some important aspects that seem like they ought to be explained as soon as they are introduced are instead shrugged off as if they were never mentioned before. This can at times bring feelings of confusion – did I miss something or is my comprehension just awry? Not to fear, dear reader; everything will be made clear in due time. The errant way the manga tosses plot pieces and names left and right will easily be forgiven once you take a skim through after completing the manga. Speaking of which, there is quite a bit of double-meanings and foreshadowing in certain characters’ words, expressions, and actions. It’s quite pleasant to see how much the author truly had planned in advance and see that reflected in the manga itself.

Our main characters are Nakaba, Loki, and Caesar. Nakaba is the red-haired first princess of Senan, sent as a “sacrificial goat” to Belquat. She is not the shy, weak-willed, and insipid girl that so often plague shoujo manga; in fact, she is self-righteous and knows what she wants. She does not let her husband bully her around, nor does she wallow in despair for being segregated based on her hair colour. She stands above this. She is, however, very much resigned to her fate. As she herself says, only the place she will die has changed by moving to Belquat. At first, she has little interest in bettering herself. This changes, and she becomes an ambitious and motivated woman, and at times even ruthless when it comes to completing her ultimate goal.

Her servant, Loki, is an ajin, a man bearing the traits of a dog. Quiet and loyal, he attentively sees to Nakaba’s every need and ensures her safety. He serves to his princess’ every whim quite selflessly. Then we have Nakaba’s husband, who is none other than Caesar, the second prince of Belquat. He might as well be the exact opposite of Loki; completely unimpressed with the idea of marrying a red-haired princess, he at first treats Nakaba quite poorly and obviously wants little to do with her or her sub-human servant. However, due to a series of events that leave him introspective, he finds that he is quite “hollow”, and decides to try to change this.

While some characters’ actions make them seem extremely unlikable and vexing – case in point, Caesar – they are also understandable. The society they live in, along with their completely outrageous taboos (as we see them), would naturally warp their personalities in such ways. As such, while I do consider some actions to be very much deplorable, I can also see the reasoning and logic to those actions. That brings me to the most wonderful part of Reimei no Arcana, which is easily the fact that every single character has their own motivation. While it’s easy to see what characters you should like or dislike, there’s also the aspect of morality. If you were a blonde prince, wouldn’t you resent your younger brother for having black hair, and thus being immediately more favourable for the throne in the eyes of your own peers?

Too often in manga are characters just cardboard cut-outs with a name and a few traits pasted on. Most of Touma Rei’s characters don’t even fall into complete archetypes (apart from the couple tsundere male characters). A good chunk of them feel realistic enough to stand on their own outside of the manga. Special shout outs go to Cain, Louise, and Guren.

The other characters of Reimei no Arcana are given adequate panel time. As is the case with any manga, some are more developed than others, while a few select characters overstay their welcome. Overall, though, none of the characters are “filler”; all serve a purpose to the plot and the storyline and most get their chance to shine, one way or another. A few characters depict a subtle but welcoming character progression that can only completely be appreciated by flipping back to their first appearance and forward to their final one. There are a few characters that seem to be forgotten and set aside (for example, Leo and Lala), although this can be forgiven due to the calamity of events that occur in their absence.

Despite my praises, I do have some gripes with the characterization in this manga. Namely, my main issue is how quickly Nakaba forgives Caesar’s original treatment of her. In fact, it’s difficult to call it “forgiving”, since she nearly goes on as if it never even occurred. I do believe that a few more chapters detailing her inner turmoil of her feelings and her dignity as well as her empathy for the prince of Belquat would have been helpful in providing some more flesh and realism to the story. Same goes for Caesar, too – while we do have some more insight into his feelings regarding Nakaba, he wasn’t exactly the victim (regarding the two of them), and he wasn’t the one getting his hair pulled or his name spat upon.

Touma Rei’s backgrounds are fairly lacklustre and most leave details to be desired. It’s generally the most “important” aspects (such as the bricks of a wall and the arbitrary desk and chair) that are sketched out in the bare minimum. This is a fairly prevalent issue in a lot of shoujo manga, but I felt it necessary to mention anyway as it does end up affecting my overall opinion of the mangaka’s artistry. Touma makes up for her mediocre backgrounds with quite detailed clothing and character designs. She definitely knows how to draw good looking men and women, even if there were a couple guys I mistook for women at first sight. In retrospect, this was likely on purpose. There is fairly heavy screentone usage in the manga, primarily for shading, clothing, and hair.

Since there is some action in Reimei no Arcana, it’s worth noting that, for the most part, the panels are clean and clear. I only found myself confused at what was happening during action scenes in the first few chapters, and this is mostly due to a distinct lack of detail in the drawings. It could be said that this was on purpose (and by that I mean the details, not the confusion).

I’d highly recommend this manga to anyone looking for something just a bit different. Reimei no Arcana is an intriguing shoujo manga that, for me, was able to blend several genres together – romance, mystery, fantasy, and drama – quite well, and delivered a truly stomach-punching ending that will definitely remain in my mind for a long, long time. This manga made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me hopeful for a brighter future, both in Nakaba’s world and in mine.

Well the story develops slowly, the characters change with the circumstances.
The story may look like a typical shojo but has its unique features. Especially as fantasy fan I liked the half humans and the special powers.
Nakaba looked like a fragile girl at first glance, nothing special, but with the read she became more and more charming.
There are a nice development to the story and the characters each have its unique abilities. Also the art is good and nice to view.

tldr; Good balance; 60% conflict 40% shoujo

I remember reading it while it was still publishing back in 2011, and I am very happy to have found it again. Made me get all nostalgic.

From the surface, the story would feel like a Romeo x Juliet scenario, but luckily, it doesn’t turn out as a copy of the work. At first, you’ll hate some if the characters, but eventually you get to understand more about why they are in their current state and can’t help but empathize towards them.

There is character development, too, although at times it may feel a bit rushed (but then again, that might be because I finished reading it in one evening). But whatever the development is, you can’t help but be like “Go X character!”.
This manga made me feel the “dokidokis” as how things go in shoujo, but personally I found it in good taste for there to only be an appropriate amount of romance rather than something over the top.

I'll try my best to avoid !!SPOILERS!!, but it'll be impossible to explain my complaints without including a few. You've been warned.

I had a hard time with this one because there are some really awesome moments, but the execution felt somehow clumsy. I got the impression that the mangaka started out with some very specific things that would happen, but struggled to fill in the blanks along the way. For example, the Big Twist at the end is foreshadowed very early in the story--almost immediately--but random things like being able to have two spouses (something you'd think would be an important detail in a romantic fantasy story) wasn't even mentioned until the chapter in which it happened. The characters' motivations weren't entirely clear at times, either, so sometimes it felt like "We're just going to do this totally nonsensical thing X because otherwise we won't be able to get to important plot point Y". There also seemed to be some potential side plots that were just... dropped... for no good reason. At one point in the story the main group is forced to take another person along with them, and it seems to be a big deal, but that character ends up fading completely into the background with only a few token appearances after that. What? Why? And the initial Big Conflict that really gets the story going is also just... dropped... at some point without any real explanation.

Also, not gonna lie, the ending flat out pissed me off. The last few pages made it out to be a happy ending, but... it felt more like a tragedy to me, so the forced "everything worked out okay" was like a huge slap in the face to my favorite (slightly twisted) character.

I don't know... by the time I got to the end, when I looked back at the beginning, I was just kind of like, "Uh... how did we even get to this point?"

But, with all that still being the case, the good parts still outweighed the bad for me. Even though the story wasn't executed as gracefully as it could have been, it was still interesting and kept me reading until the (enraging) end. The main (2, not 3, because fuck Loki apparently) characters had some good growth. The clothing designs were really pretty, and were almost good enough to make up for the mullets. Something something... this concludes the review. Meh.

Teared up so much!!! X,,,[


Great manga, would recommend! Especially if you're a fan of Yona of the Dawn, as there were numerous similarities
Be prepared for some huge twists!

Pretty crisp art, which is why I gave it a 10. I found it easy to read ie not blurry or hard to distinguish between forground and background
amazing storyline that I did not fine repetitive, with a great progression in the protagonists' action throughout
good character development and backstory tie-ins,
also a good range of deep, not filler characters (but not too many to the point where you don't know anyone's name by the next volume)

Overall a very enjoyable manga except for how often I almost cried!!