Merry Month of Manga Review: THE EARL AND THE FAIRY

If my love of The Ancient Magus' Bride didn't give it away, I have a particular fondness for shoujo series that get particularly whimsical with their fantasy settings.  That's what drew me to today's selection.  It's just a shame that it doesn't quite live up to that premise.

THE EARL AND THE FAIRY (Hakushaku to Yosei), adapted from the light novels by Mizue Tani & art by Ayuko.  First published in 2008 and first published in North America in 2012.

PLOT:

Lynda Carlton knows one thing to be true: that fairies do exist in this world.  Only her and her late mother could see them, and thus most people presume that Lynda is a bit mad.  Nonetheless, she is determined to carry on her mother's work as a fairy doctor to bring aid to human and fairy alike.  A trip to visit her researcher father leads to Lynda getting kidnapped, but it also leads her to cross paths with a man claiming to be Edgar Ashenbert, also known as Lord Ibrazel and a descendent of the mythical Blue Knight Earl.  Edgar needs Lynda's help to find his ancestor's mythical sword, and thus Lynda finds herself swiftly swept up in an adventure she could have never imagined.

Merry Month of Manga Review: CANTARELLA

It's rare to find historical shoujo that isn't about a romance, but leave it to Go!Comi to deliver one of the better ones I've ever found.

CANTARELLA (Kantarera), by You Higuri.  First published in 2001 and first published in North America in 2005.

PLOT:

The Borgias are one of history's most notorious families, accused of every crime and sin imaginable.  This is especially true for the scion of the famile, Cesare Borgia.  In this version, Cesare is cursed from birth, as his father literally sells Cesare's soul to the devil so he can become Pope.  As the young boy grows up, he finds few allies save for his innocent younger sister Lucrezia and his first mother Vannozza.  As he grows into a young man, he hardens his heart against the world so that he may strike out at those who oppose him.  What is unknown is if he is already an irredeemable monster or if even he has a chance at salvation.

Merry Month of Manga Review: KAMISAMA KISS

These days, shoujo heroines falling in love with gods/yokai/etc. are all the rage.  I think it's time to look back at the series that most recently popularized the idea.

KAMISAMA KISS (Kamisama Hajimemashita), by Juliette Suzuki.  First published in 2008 and first published in North America in 2010.

PLOT:

Nanami Momozono is an extraordinarily unlucky girl.  She's barely getting along as things are, but after her father runs off to escape gambling debts she finds herself alone, homeless, and penniless.  A kindly old man takes pity on her, offering her a place to stay and a kiss on the forehead.  Nanami couldn't have known that the old man was a stray Shinto god and that his offer was in fact a transfer of his powers and temple to her.  Now Nanami is responsible for fulfilling the prayers of strangers along with a fox familiar who is as handsome as he is grumpy and who resents the new management.

Merry Month of Manga Review: STEPPING ON ROSES

Normally I don't bring too much of the real world into this blog but anyone who followed the news today knows that today was a bad day...a terrible, no-good, infuriating sort of day.  So I'm going to take this opportunity to vent some frustration by getting around to a series I've been meaning to rant about for a while.

STEPPING ON ROSES (Hadashi de Bara o Fume), by Rinko Ueda.  First published in 2007 and first published in North America in 2010.

PLOT:

Sumi Kitamura is a poor yet noble young girl growing up in the midst of the Meiji era.  Her parents are dead, her brother is a hopeless gambler who keeps leaving foster kids with her, but despite her crushing poverty and large number of dependents she remains hopeful.  She eventually gets so desperate that she decides to prostitute herself.  Sumi is eventually 'bought' by Soichiro Ashida, who wants to marry her in the hopes of appeasing his dying grandfather to inherit a fortune.  Now Sumi is bound to this cruel, demanding, arrogant young man all while she struggles to find a place in a social world far above her own.  Will Sumi ever adapt to her surroundings?  Will Soichiro ever come to love her?  And will she ever find the mystery man who helped her in her time of need?

Merry Month of Manga Review: JULINE

Tokyopop famously made their fortunes on the back of shoujo manga back when they were still Mixx (...or sometimes Chix Comix.  It took them a while to settle on Tokyopop).  Of course, for every Sailor Moon they picked up, there were more obscure works like today's selection.

JULINE (Kakuto Komusume Juline), by Narumi Kakinouchi.  First published in 1997 and first published in North America in 2001.

PLOT:

Juline is the heiress to the Kenga clan of ninjas, but she's more concerned with winner her handsome guardian's heart than any outside threat.  Then a mysterious new clan called the Black Pearl starts stealing their members, a clan connected to both a mysterious, androgynous leader and the princely new girl at school.  To discover the truth, Juline must team up with the other clans in town to investigate...presuming that they survive.