By Matsuri Akino (TokyoPop)
ISBN: 978-1-59816-607-1
There’s a new kid in school but he’s not the type who likes to make waves or get noticed. Meanwhile in the remote mountainous kingdom of Dhalashar, the Chinese have installed a new ruler, Karma the 42nd. The world expects trouble because everybody knows that the new leader is not the true reincarnation of the King. Idly, Fuuto Kamishina ponders the hassle of a kid of fifteen forced to run an entire country. It takes all his energy just to get through a day. And then the giant invisible talking bird tells him that he’s the true king of that faraway land and heir to all the mystical and spiritual powers of the position…
This collection of the first five tales in the acclaimed series introduces the reluctant boy-king and sees him gradually accept his heritage if not his responsibilities. He makes and tragically loses a friend and fellow outsider, takes up with an unconventional scholar and his uniquely disabled lolli-goth ward, speaks with the dead and discovers that other magical servants and guardians are going to keep making his life increasingly difficult.
Somewhat slow-paced and a trifle derivative, this Shoujo fantasy is populated with the usual fashions, castles and coterie of pretty, intense boys that fans expect, but there’s little of the back-biting intrigue that pervades the sub-genre here: At least so far. What there is though, is a dreamy inevitability and spooky sub-text that ought to appeal to mystery fans as well.
Beautifully drawn, but painfully slow, most readers – myself included – will need a few more volumes before a fair and full opinion can be formed.
© 2000 Matsuri Akino. English script © 2006 TokyoPop Inc.