Lauvil's manga / #Female Knight(10)

Kyla is the eldest child of the noble Vesta family. However, in actuality she was an ordinary Korean woman, reincarnated into a BL novel she once read. Her brother is the protagonist of the story, who throughout it is pursued and abused by several men. Thanks to the obsessive love interests, his family is killed and his house brought to ruins. So, to prevent that, Kyla's first objective is to bring him home from the knight academy, get his sword-power transferred to her, and then take his place as the family's knight and successor. She's much more suited for it anyway, and her brother would rather become a scholar than a knight. So, this way she can protect both him and her family. ———————————— It looks promising so far. The FL is a actually a strong and independent woman, not just someone who poses as one. Strong mentality, strong physicality, knows swordsmanship, takes the reigns of her own life, protects her brother. I also like the added layer of guilt she holds towards her younger brother from a previous life, which we've only just glimpsed in one of the characters. It holds the promise of character and relationship development. Reincarnation novels have become abundant, and many of the plots have been seen before, but I hold the hope that this one will be different. Even if just slightly. The genre of the novel she was reincarnated into, is different at least. The strong character of the FL, also promises a different kind of story, than those about noble ladies who have to rely on a fiancée to survive and thrive.

Julia von Rozental dies a tragic death at the hands of the man she loved and had dedicated her life to, the emperor. His last words to her, as he stabbed her himself, were full of disdain and disgust for her and her appearance, which had been altered long ago by a curse that affects her family. A curse that is finally broken in those last few moments before her death, making everything in vain. Except, she doesn't die and is instead returned to a time, 9 years prior, when she has yet to swear her allegiance to the to-be-emperor-now-crown-prince and suffer his betrayal. Determined not to repeat that bitter fate, she decides to break her curse, refuse the crown prince - both as a ruler and as a lover - and live only for herself, her sword and her empire. So... This story really tries to be an empowering story about a girl boss who bosses so hard she gets the career, the man and recognition she deserves, but unfortunately it trips over its own internalized mysogy. First we gotta talk about the beast-becomes-the-beauty trope, which I'm really not a fan of. I know that beauty comes with a privilege that many envy or dream of achieving, but I personally dislike the trope because I think it perpetuates the idea that for a woman to be worthy of love, respect and attention, she must be beautiful. I especially don't like how they don't even show the face of the main character until she breaks the curse that made her "ugly". As if she wasn't fully a person and was not even worthy of the reader's attention, before she became pretty. One thing is for characters inside the story to dehumanise the MC (which they definitely did), as that is a plot device. But it's something completely different when it's the author/artist who does the dehumanising. What a poor message to send. Not to mention that as part of her transformation, when she breaks the curse, she gets paler skin. So both body-shaming AND racism in one neat little package. GrEaaaT... But, as if that wasn't enough of a red flag, the next - and so far only other - female character we are introduced to is an antagonist. A selfish, vain, superficial, narcissistic villainess character who hates the MC because the men who should be giving her attention, gives it to the MC instead. It just screams: "women in general are awful, but don't worry; The MC is nOt LiKe OtHeR gIrLs"....... What an old, outdated, sexist plot line. Finally, the male characters of this story are not much better. Any man who is not a complete fool, are walking tropes of potential love interest characters. The only male character I found even remotely interesting was the vice commander, employed under the MC. He struggles with the fact that a young woman was appointed as his superior, when he was counting on landing her job himself. She then proves to be much stronger and more talented, which further wounds his pride. I thought it would be very interesting to see him overcome his hubris, accept his position and then learn and grow from his working relationship - perhaps even friendship - with the MC. But the reveal of his thought makes it very clear that I should quash those hopes as he will probably just turn into another low-tier villain. Critique aside, though, I might read on for a little longer. I know some social issues haven't progressed as far in the east and Asia, as in the West and I genuinely think the author WANTS to write something semi-inspiring. Even if it's a poor attempt. So it might be harsh to judge by the same standards, and it really is not nearly as bad as other manwha and LEVELS above most manga. So, for the good points: The MC is strong, cool and independent. She's kind but not a pushover. She's also kinda wild and unhinged, and not apologetic about it. The story also gets points for not treating it as a big deal that she, as a woman, could become a knight. Or framing it as her becoming one "despite" being a woman. It doesn't go unmentioned, but her gender is not the most important part of the conflict surrounding her leadership or knightage in general. It seems maybe Kyrant is the ML, which I don't mind. He's a walking stereotype, but he's at least sensible, respectful and treats her like a peer. We'll see what happens. It could go both ways from here. So I'll give it a solid 3.5/5 stars.

Lena Rubel is abandoned by her father and offered as a sacrifice for power, just before her 12th birthday. Ever since she's had to fend for herself, becoming a warrior under the southern duke, until she could find a way back into high society and confront her father. On her way to the capital she meets the duke of the East, Lignan Aitelner, who is traveling in disguise. He believes her to be a damsel in distress and saves her from a group of thugs, but she soon demonstrates that she needs nobody's help - though the story may be different when she arrives at the Capital, where everyone seem to be a potential enemy... So far, I have mixed opinions about this, but I am very curious to see where it's going. Praise: Firstly, the story has a both physically and mentally strong FL. She can fight with a sword, fight with words, she's cunning and very strong willed. However she is not framed to be flawless; We see her struggle with her impulses, with taking humiliation and with her feelings about her father. And then she has a surprisingly naive side. Her fierce independence has made her very lonely and the scars of abandonment and betrayal weighs heavily on her, but it makes her seek connection with other people first and foremost - retribution is second to this goal. She appears to want to see the best in people, to trust and to forgive. And she somehow holds on to these qualities despite everything she's been through and how others treat her. Arguably, some of her "softness" could be front she puts up to make others lower their guard and underestimate her - something she capitalizes on multiple times - but I think it's genuine. To me at least, it seems like she tries to give people a chance and only seeks retribution when they try to use that chance to betray and exploit her. Next, the setting is very interesting. It's sort of a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting, complete with political factions and cultural backstory. And the fighting-action of the story is not condensed into the first few years to only serve as a backstory for the MC (as is the case with many other "female knight" stories) to make her seem more badass, but is an active part of the story. And the story peppers information about the setting and the undead-plot throughout, in a manner that doesn't overwhelm the reader while maintaining curiosity on the topic. Finally, the ML appears to be a good person and a healthy option as a love-interest. At first he underestimates her, but he still treats her like a gentleman. And when he finds out just how much he underestimed her, he corrects his perception of her - and without his ego getting in the way! They are quite open and honest with each other and treat each other with respect, which I just love to see. Critique: Firstly, the story has a few weird moments that feel very inorganic. Like the entire ballroom-scene; The mob-characters behaved absolutely cartoonishly arrogant and stupid, but the MC could apparently scare them off just by looking at them funny. And the theatrics of the Rubid, the younger brother of the northern duke, were completely mental, yet noone batted an eye. It was just weird and exaggerated. But a more important thing that bothers me, is the story's lack of direction. The setting and the characters are good, but it still hasn't answered the question: What is it about? There are a bunch of possible goals for the MC, like: - wanting to reclaim her identity - seeking honor and glory through battle and proving her merits - seeking revenge on her father - wanting to rebuild her relationship with her father - wanting connection and a place to belong All of the above are good options for character goals. The problem is that it's left too ambiguous which one is the actual goal. Had the MC been a passive/reactive character, it would have been fine not to have clear character motivation, but she's not. She has an active role as the story's instigator. Her return to her father/high society is what sparks the tension and conflict, but we still don't know the reason. Why did she come back? What does she want? What's her goal? Where is the story headed. A good active character has clear motivation and goals, which is why this role often belongs to the villain, while the hero is the reactive counterpart. Of course not all goals and motivations should be revealed immediately, but at least one should be made clear early on, so the reader can get a sense of the story's direction. Otherwise the reader is going to be left confused and unsatisfied. As I like the setting and characters, I will continue to read for now. But if the story doesn't clear things up soon, I might just drop it due to its lack of direction. 3/5 stars. For now.