Edo Karuta

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it's not often a shoujo one shot stands out to me but edo kurata is truly a gorgeous collection of one shots that capture the historical-romance genre well.

each story wraps itself up nicely within the short spread of pages; there's no waffling or slow burn, things get very straight to the point. it's sweet, wholesome and romantic with lovely art to accompany it. if anyone is a fan of shoujo romance, they will definitely enjoy these stories - they can be a bit predictable but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment. if anything, my only complaint would be that i would've liked to see ... even more stories in this setting.

One shots are hard to judge because they are stories condensed into 15-50 or so pages. That said, I think these are four excellent one shots that deserve some recognition if not a review (and my first)

Story: There are four different stories, each one with different stories that stand on their own yet are still connected not just by the world and time, but by towns and other characters. They are short, simple stories but each contains a range of action, romance, family, and just enough to feel satisfied while still wishing you could read more.

Art: The kimono's are gorgeous. Nothing super amazing, but ... nothing bad either. (Art is not my strong suit, unless it's particularly awful, I don't notice it)

Characters: The characters were each different enough, especially the girls. I didn't dislike any of them (though I didn't fall absolutely in love with them either). It's difficult to get full backgrounds and fall in love in one shots, but I felt the author did very well considering the time constraints. I still felt like I grew to get some connection with the characters.

Enjoyment: It's an easy read. Each one shot is between 40-50 pages and they stories were all very sweet and cute. I was worried they would all be the same, but each one had a different focus, whether it be a lost child, a larger woman finding a husband, or a girl trying to hold onto her pride after her parents die. I could easily read these again. (On a side note: My favorite was the one with the lost child followed closely by the girl with the geisha story).

Overall: To be sure, this is a bit of a niche category, but the stories to vary. They stories use many historical references, but it isn't a gritty realistic interpretation of historic tales (It is a shoujo, after all). (Spoiler: My biggest complaint comes from the first story in which I was a bit disappointed by the girls change at the end. But that's Japanese society and didn't dictate the man's choice, so there is something to be said for that.)

It's simply a collection of cute stories that are easily worth the short time.