Merry Month of Manga: ORFINA

It's time to take a look at another failed fantasy manga from CMX, although this one is less about fairy tale romance and more about epic battles.

ORFINA (Orufina), by Kitsune Tennouji.  First published in 1993 and first published in North America in 2007.

PLOT:

Fana is a lone warrior on the run from the conquering forces of Granze.  Her wanderings lead her to the kingdom of Cordia and its royal family, who are stunned by Fana's resemblance to their daughter Orfina.  Fana comes to know and love Orfina and her family as if they were her own, but their idyll is interrupted when the armies of Granze finally arrive.  Now Fana must use her skills and her resemblance to the princess to survive and preserve the hope of the people.

Merry Month of Manga: BLACK CLOVER

Weekly Shonen Jump doesn't dabble too much in fantasy these days, and the most recent example is...divisive, to say the least.

BLACK CLOVER (Burakku Kuroba), by Yuki Tabata.  First published in 2015 and first published in North America in 2016.

PLOT:

Asta is determined to become the Wizard King.  It doesn't matter that he's a poor orphan with no magical ability to speak of or that he's thoroughly overshadowed by his magically-gifted best friend Yuno - nothing will stop him from achieving his goal.  His life turns around when he is gifted a strange grimoire that grants him the ability to manifest a magic sword that negates magic.  With this, he can finally join the Magic Knights and finally begin his journey to the throne.

Merry Month of Manga: DRAGON GOES HOUSE-HUNTING

 What's the bigger fantasy here: a gentle dragon who only wants a house of his own, or the very idea of being able to afford to buy or build your own home?

DRAGON GOES HOUSE-HUNTING (Dragon, Ie o Kau), written by Kawo Tanuki and art by Choco Aya.  First published in 2016 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

Letty looks like a fearsome dragon, but he's too gentle and cowardly in nature to act like a proper dragon.  Now that he's been kicked out of his family den, all he wants is a cozy little dragon-sized home he can call his own.  That's not an easy thing to do, though, when seemingly every other species out there wants to harvest him for parts.  His only ally is Dearia, an elven architect and realtor with unconventional taste and possibly an agenda of his own.

Merry Month of Manga: BEYOND THE CLOUDS

Thankfully, there are more recent fantasy series that is not only appropriate for kids, but also legitimately good all on its own.

BEYOND THE CLOUDS (Beyond the Clouds: La fillette tombe du ciel), by Nicke.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2020.

PLOT:

Theo has spent his whole life in Yellow Town, an industrial center under a permanently smoggy sky.  He works by day as a mechanic, but his nights are spent tinkering and dreaming of visiting the fantastical places he reads about in books.  Then one day a strange girl falls from the sky with an injured wing and no memories.  Theo and his friends try to nurse her back to health, but after an attack Theo is injured and the girl, Mia, is sick with an unbreakable fever.  Her only hope is for Theo to travel into the mysterious forest near the town, in the hopes of finding a doctor with the cure Mia needs.

Merry Month of Manga: PRINCESS PRINCE

Once upon a time, if you wanted a fairy-tale-style shojo fantasy, you had to settle for books like this.

Thank goodness for progress. 

PRINCESS PRINCE (Purinsesu Purinsesu), by Tomoko Taniguchi.  First published in 1994 and first published in North America in 2003.

PLOT:

The kingdom of Gemstone is seemingly happy and peaceful, but for the royal twins of the land it is anything but that.  When they were born, a prophecy foretold that one of them would have to be raised as a girl to prevent disaster.  Ever since, Prince Lawrence (aka "Lori") has had to hide his true identity, even has he pines for his best friend Jenny.  Meanwhile, his brother Matthew has to deal with Brandon, a former thief who is convinced that Matthew is the one hiding their true gender.  Can their secret survive jealous angel birds, near drownings, and a possible mermaid?