For me, there are two types of manga; Ones that make you feel as if you’re part of their story, living with them, sharing their life as their shadow. Then there are others whose character’s voice is so simple, yet unique that make you forget you’re not really there and that sadly, that is not you.
Ran’s one mission in life is to become First Knight. A promise she made to herself after her brother died protecting his charge, Sei. There is nothing she wants more than to protect Sei, the future of the Ohtori family, even if it means she will live as a boy forever. It’s a small price to pay in making her brothers dream come true. Being First is never easy, specially when you have eleven other knights who want your title for their own means and are dying to fight you for it. The trial for the First Knight is starting, chivalry has never been so alive.
Let me get the obvious out of the way by saying that Ran is a dead ringer for a very mischievous yet proficient butler I know, but it is safe to assume (so far) that is where the similarities end. In plot alone this manga isn’t out of the ordinary, but it’s separate little elements that really put the puzzle together, and the picture is worth the effort. Between duels, new characters, and King Arthur reference, every page turns brings something new to the already round table.
It’s predictable in it’s romance and lack there of. It's predictability at time make it easy to assume the outcome but there's always some new challenge that give the story an extra spin, making you read a little faster just to see how the action unfolds.
What I found fresh was the first few chapters. They could have easily been boring, actually I expected them to be, but the flashbacks and character introduction fit into everything else that was going on. None of the characters memories were forced on us, it makes you feel as if her memories are an everyday common thing rather then just showing us so we would know and be informed.
It is a shoujo manga, and between all the action and comedy you will still be reminded that romance is just around a corner.
Ran is the perfect guy. Who would have thought the perfect guy would be a girl? Buta a girl she is and strangely, if she chooses, I could see her giving that role off completely and staying a boy, she has the inner strength to do it. She isn’t portrayed as the best fighter, but she does want it more than the competition which is what makes her distinguishable and better than the rest.
I wasn’t going to summarize and other character but Sei reminded me of how I wanted Ageha (Love in the Mask) to be. Sei is everything she is not, that includes and is not limited to not being on my “Character’s I Want to Push of a Cliff List.” Sei and Ran are the main reasons elegant is a word used to describe this manga, even if it might change in the upcoming chapters.
I am trying to debate whether this is a harem or not. It’s a gender bender but harem? I’m not sure.
The art is beautiful, graceful, and elegant and those are the same words I’d use to describe the characters. It takes you back and gives you glimpses of how things used to be, swords and all. That doesn’t necessarily mean that every page is a star gazing for the eyes, no, sometimes you could tell when the details aren’t completely there but those are rare. The details in minor expression in the art is what will make it memorable to some degree, the other being that all the characters are different inside and out, which lately deservers a standing ovation.
Being all that it was, I was surprised that this manga wasn't more popular. But why should it? I mean the protagonist is intelligent, assured and determined. Not to mention strong when it matters. Who wants to read about that when we could read about girls ogling popular guys who don't give them a second glance all while they sleep next to their phones waiting for them to call?
I am guilty as charged.
Why not a ten? The ending didn't leave you with closure. Not in comparison to how much you liked the characters. It was rushed and though it did answer all if not most of your questions the sequence of events felt thrown in to make the package pretty and keep us from complaining about it.
Even with that, it was a great one with amazing art and characters you'll want to meet.
