Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #shoujo(120)

This story was an interesting way to bring some of the gods and Titans of Greek mythology to the modern world. It focuses on the love between the Titan Prometheus, and the first human female Pandora who are reincarnated as Prome (K-pop singer and actor) and Han Sora (university student). I liked the touch of sadness that goes with most Greek tales and is evident in the past for Prome and Han Sora. I also liked that they retained many memories and even abilities because (despite the author denying fates hand) it made it seem evident that these were destined lovers with a new chance to get their fates aligned. While the story could have benefited with some more intensity and chemistry between the characters, it remains a sweet story with likeable characters.

A short story that was a nice, easy read. With intrigue, royalty, knights and a dragon all it needed was a little more romance (a kiss isn’t too much to ask for is it?) to be properly satisfying.

A fun story about 17yo school girl Lin Xiaoqi who gets summoned to a distant world with three of her classmates. One of them is the expected reincarnation of the daughter of the Phoenix God who will make a wish to benefit the nation. However, Lin Xiaoqi becomes separated from her friends immediately and is helped by the servant of the third prince, Ye Li to reunite. The FL here is bubbly, energetic and full of commonsense and practicality. She doesn’t always wait for rescue and is brave enough to strike out on her own and take charge of her destiny. I really enjoyed her optimistic enthusiasm and her relationship with the deadly and intensely loyal Ye Li. The first half of the story was Lin Xiaoqi and Ye Li’s romance and adventures and the second half was of some of their predecessors, including the first daughter of the Phoenix God and the human she loved. The fact that the souls of their forebears were recognisably tied to their current souls (reincarnated) was icing on the cake for the first half of the story. These guys were a fated pair of destined lovers who were forever drawn to each other. Totally irresistible.

A light and easy to read story about a magical princess locked in a tower and her animal companions. The story flowed quickly with a fairy tale like introduction to set the scene and then a quest to save the naive and gentle princess and the world from evil. Best suited to younger audiences this was cute yet predictable. Not bad if you want a break from anything serious.

Kamigone Mito is a beautiful 17yo school girl saddened by the lack of manly men to fall in love with. When the Goddess of the Harvest helps this farm girl find the man of her dreams, she has to travel a whole lot further than she could ever imagine. 2.5 million years back in time in fact, amidst the savanna and predators she will find a primitive hero and fall in love. I have to say, I absolutely loved this amazing story. It was not just an epic adventure into ancient timelines, but there was a lot of growth for the heroine too. She adapted to daunting conditions, faced loss and hardship, and even matured enough to learn to look beneath her superficial judgements of others. I can’t believe how much the author packed into this manga without it ever feeling rushed. A clear and definite special, rare find story that stands apart from others, I loved this more than I imagined.

Trigger warning: Borderline incest (non blood related siblings) This story was more wholesome than you would expect from the title. These siblings have no blood relationship but have grown up together since the FL was 6 and adopted into the family. They call each other brother and sister throughout the story which feels a little awkward for me, but I have no problem with their romance especially as it has full parental support and the best wishes of their friends. The FL has a habit verbally of putting her foot in things and alienating others, but her brother understands her ways and lives and supports her. No major angst, just the 2 MCs changing their relationship to something more adult and being honest about their feelings.

This was a great version of Alice in Wonderland but it leaves a lot of questions because key events preceding going down the rabbit hole are omitted and there is little explanation within the story about characters and their importance. Still, it gave an awesome setting and still felt bewildering and chaotic in that true Lewis Carroll style. There is sadness knowing Alice is escaping the tragic loss of her family, especially her most loved sister to illness. It’s also sad to know Blood’s backstory and what happened to his sister. In some ways he has the most in common with Alice and I was happy that he ended up with her. He was the most real of the characters and personally I liked him.

A cute story that was let down a little by the poor grammar of the translation, especially in the beginning. It often read like a foreigner was speaking English without modals, articles and with general confusion . It made it a bit of a slog to read and there were some downright odd translations (eg the ‘wandering Jew’ bit; wth was that about so randomly inserted towards the end). The story with FL Airi Hoshina and the Prince Aram was sweet because of his faithful and heartfelt love but when he got young it felt awkward (especially on the art page of the Royal family where Aram was 4yo looking exactly as he does in the story). Added to that, Airi was likeable, a touch klutzy and a total romantic who never gave up on her special guy. Overall, a story worth reading despite the translation woes.

Beautiful art and a story that does it justice. The masculinity that rolled off Ulaan was seriously sexy and I loved the touch of vulnerability that he shared only with Yuwan. Sexy banter and intensity between the MCs, this was a delight to read, even the unpolished chapters. Note: The edited chapter is available here https://www.patreon.com/posts/asuras-bride-ep-22916993 (I would rather it were kept in, the stolen kiss made sense given battle list and the pretty princess power combo.

Secretary to a demanding CEO and budding author Eom Boran, is the FL with an intense dislike for her boss. Kwon Sehu is successful, talented and handsome. He is also bossy, with frighteningly high standards and did I mention demanding? When Kwon’s nephew wanted to meet the author of his favourite book he put out every effort to find the reluctant author who was hiding right under his nose. Only what would happen when he realises that the villain in the book is based on him? I thought that this story was sweet. The FL was no damsel seeking a man. She was a professional woman who justifiably disliked her boss. But as they got to know each other better he showed his vulnerable side and greater understanding of each other led slowly (for her) to love. I thought the ending was particularly satisfying. This is a recommended read.