kei_k's manga / #Historical(160)

Wow. I've seen this manga cover before, and started to read the synopsis because I read somewhere that this won an award. However, simply by seeing the word "terrorist," I was put off and decided to look at others instead. And then one night, as I finished re-reading Hana Kimi (one of my favorite manga), I read a reply from a comment recommending this manga. So, I searched for it and saw that there were only 14 "chapters." I was kind of wishing this was a longer series, so I was reluctant to start, but once I clicked the first chapter and saw the number of pages and its format, I realized that the "chapters" here were actually volumes and I got more motivated to read. So yeah, that's just the history of how I stumbled upon this gem. Now, let's head on to what I thought about it. Just with first few pages, I got myself into it because they talked about an alternate world and I was excited to see how things would go. Being transported to another world and meeting Izark, Noriko's case was by far the most realistic I've seen so far. With the constant language barrier, it was nice to see her making efforts to learn their language, rather than unrealistically being able to understand (You know how in most cases, they just magically understand each other). It was cute how she blabbed on and Izark kept mumbling "I don't understand what you're saying." Oh, Izark! I have a huge crush on him, but he's exclusively for Noriko, and I approve. He's very gentle and kind. He wanted to act cold but his pure heart just can't leave Noriko alone (though he finally did, at one point, because he was concerned for her safety). I loved the romance, especially because it grew overtime and there were no annoying rivals who plotted evil deeds to keep them away from each other with misunderstandings. I loved how their love was so strong, and how Izark's feelings were made clear to us, readers as well. He's very cute and innocent with Noriko. Though his love was both his strength and his weakness, being that his fate was dependent on what happens to Noriko, I liked this aspect because it balanced out Noriko's constant need of him protecting her. In this case, they protected and depended on each other. It's not just one way. It was a give and take relationship. In just truly loved them as a couple and as individuals as well. The minor characters were also adorable and memorable. They really acted out their parts well, and the adventures were exciting and relevant. I loved how they didn't seem like just fillers. Everything had its purpose and since we're talking about huge territories, it made sense as to how many important people they had to meet and save from the clutches of evil. Btw, I also liked how their companions didn't abandon them after realizing their true identities. Sure, they parted because the couple were afraid of this, but it felt nice to see them relieved on their reunion. The friendships they made along the way helped them to become stronger. Back to the story, it was touching seeing Izark struggle to fight against this intense power within him because he wanted to protect Noriko. He fought well, and he was not evil despite being a beast. He's helped even his enemies. He's just too awesome. I liked how the main antagonists were actually from the smallest country yet they were basically the ones who controlled the evil acts. They weren't made to be too annoying, and you somehow feel with them. Anyway, overall, I'd say, this is a very underrated manga in my opinion. The female MC may seem very weak as she's actually powerless and she cries a lot, but contrary to the typical damsel in distress who just st*pidly acts on her own thinking "she only wants to help," Noriko actually fought knowing her limits and she thought before jumping into situations where she could be a nuisance. Her sense of awareness made her stronger than the others. I'd definitely re-read this in the future. I want more Izark! ps. The part where he teared up when Noriko asked him not to look at her after her hair was horribly cut, and he felt so angry with Rachef making Noriko feel that way, was very touching. It clearly showed how much he valued everything about her. Then, after her hair was cut and he saw him with her hair back to the way it was when they first met, he felt nostalgic and it was just very sweet how it made him realize how much his love for her has grown overtime. Ah really, I'm glad it wasn't limited to Noriko's POV/narration. It was very sweet reading Izark's thoughts and feelings, too.

It was interesting, but surely lacked something seeing it ended just like that without us knowing more about the characters. I wanted to see them interact more, but anyway, their banter was pretty cute. I would've wanted Mimi to see more potential husbands while exchanging banter with Yuan Qing since it was the main point of her adventure, but meh.. And I really wanted to see how "ugly" that 1st guy was since she's strongly opposed.

Hmm, somehow felt rushed and dissatisfying. Wanted to know more about how Yuan Qing lived as Li Yue for 5 years, and how Mimi took care of her child Yuan Bao. Also expected to see more of the princess since she was presented as someone with a strong presence. Of course, I felt relieved that she didn't use her position to force herself on Yuan Qing, but I wanted to see more of her since she humiliated Mimi in the 1st season. Just.. You know, there were a lot of characters yet they weren't fleshed out at all so they felt bland. Also, I wanted to see Yuan Qing struggle a bit more since he's dealing with his family after losing his memory. It's a bit dissatisfying that he just accepted everything... As for Mimi, I understood how she felt like they had no foundation of mutual trust since they didn't really marry out of love. I was glad to see Yuan Qing reach out to her first though, this time, with sincere feelings of wanting to get to know each other.

Hmm totally dissatisfying romance.. I mean, there were a lot of misunderstandings that need to be straightened out and I think they needed to spend more time together. I liked how Richard was not a playboy though. I wish his past was more tackled though. And that thing with Sara... Okay, so I hope that he's just guilty about her and didn't hold romantic feelings, otherwise, it'd suck to be seen as her even for a moment.. Anyway.. It was interesting and cute, but certainly needed more.

Ch 16 // hmm nice concept. The thought about revealing the truth which won't make anybody around her happy or just keeping things as they are is interesting. For a second, I thought, what if I'm faced with a similar dilemma? If I happen to know a truth that will destroy everyone's happiness and making me look like the bad guy, would I still reveal it? Or should I just keep a blind eye and let people be happy? Well, in the story, leaving things as they are isn't good because it's not like they won't do bad things again. If left as is, there's a chance that more people will suffer. Is it selfish to take away their short-lived happiness for the good of many, even if some of them are those we consider "family?" Doesn't it feel hypocritical if for instance, I knew that a family member did a crime and I turn him in? Others may say that as a family, we're supposed to protect one another, so I'm supposed to help him evade the law. However, I personally think that if I don't let him take responsibility, it will only get worse. I mean, of course I worry. For example, if it's my husband and I have to hand him over to the police. What if he's abused while in prison, or worse, killed? I worry about such things, especially because I know that other officials can give up their honor for fame or money. I find it hard to trust even those people who are supposed to protect us. So anyway, I may appear cold-hearted, but well honestly, maybe it would depend on the situation and the gravity of the sin? Anyway, back to the manhwa. I liked how it talked about the tale of the glass slippers... How pretending to be someone else or taking advantage of others for selfish intentions would only hurt them in the end.

I loved and hated this manga at the same time. There were a lot of moments that made me so frustrated to the point of wanting to smash my keyboard, though there were also cute moments that made me root for the characters. Okay, let's start with Sumi. Sumi, Sumi, Sumi. Oh, the ever innocent Sumi. From the start, I kind of found her annoying. She was innocent yet arrogant. You see, she has decided to sell herself involuntarily to save the children and she even almost went along with an old guy who offered. And here comes Souichiro who offered to take her instead, as long as she fulfills her end of the deal. In retrospect, she's already achieved something better than selling herself outright. It may be the same, because she also sold herself, but at least, with Souichiro, she wasn't forced to that level. Since she agreed with their deal, to be his wife, the least she could do was respect Souichiro as a person. But what did she do? She just couldn't hide her lovestruck face for Nozomu. I mean, even after the kidnapping/fire incident, how could she "innocently" follow him to his house? This girl. Did she want to be forced that much? She knew the guy had hots for her and it's impossible not to notice that his obsession wasn't normal, and there she goes following him along. Like really, did she think that by not rejecting him firmly, she's being kind? Ugh. Even at that party, when Nozomu announced that she's his fiancee and Souichiro crashed looking haggard and dirty... Even if she didn't mean it, the way she treated him publicly was just too much. Even if it's true that she married for money, how could she disgrace both him and herself like that? I hated how she had to say those words. They crush men's pride and faith much, you know. It's a low blow. Of course, I pity her too. I mean, I sympathized with her, feeling helpless when all she wanted was to provide for the children they took up... I mean, that was her purpose, right? I know that falling in love can't be helped, but I wish she was wiser at least. Also, she's too naive and very easy to fool. I'm annoyed when presented with a female MC who seems to be kind and trusting only to be betrayed later on because she misjudges people a lot. Haaah. Really. She's the character I disliked the most in this manga. I mean, hey, sure, she was talented in more ways than one. Like in cooking and in shogi. She's also deemed beautiful. But other than that, she's just too st*pid. She didn't think things thouroughly and just jumped into action, as if confident that she'll always be saved. Ughhhh. As for Souichiro, well, he may look really tyrannical in the beginning, but hey, they made a deal and she agreed to it so I guess it gave him the right to act intimate with her. He was moody and he schemed a lot to gain more by using Sumi, but honestly? Sumi benefited a lot from it too so they're just quits. I admired how he became more responsible after choosing to be with Sumi though. And I can see how painful it was to be left like that despite swearing to each other. Ugh. He's been hurt too much in this manga. Tsk. Nozomu. The prince charming who took the yandere route. He was certainly charming in the beginning and I could tell he truly cared for her. However, one can only take too much jealousy. I say Sumi is to be blamed partly though. Even though they clearly agreed to be husband and wife, she still went ahead to get close with Nozomu showing her lovestruck expression. Erk. Anyway, his obsession was truly excessive, as even the revelation of the blood ties didn't bother him at all and still wanted to claim her. Poor you. You were a victim, too, but I sincerely hoped you at least atoned for all the mess you made. As for the story, the ending was too rushed and dissatisfying. The story had a lot of loose ends and questions left unanswered. For a poor girl x rich boy story, I guess this was pretty good because instead of a scheming female rival, we get a male yandere instead, which is kind of rare in my case. So yeah. Hmm, art was inconsistent but beautiful a lot of times. Especially with Sumi. Maaan. I don't even know how to look at her anymore. She's had too many hairstyles and even her face changed a lot from mature and childish. Like sometimes, she just really looks elegant and classy, then sometimes she looks just her age, 15. ps. It was hard reading bec of the LQ scanlations, but it was better than nothing. pps. This was re-read on: 08/12/16. First read around 2014, I believe. Didn't enjoy much this time around.

Scanlations dropped until Ch 12 only... Need to purchase Vol. 4 in English instead. Re-read start to fin: 07/05/21 I was just about to purchase the manga because I remembered it and know that years have passed and scanlation was never continued.. I just thought I'd check back on it to re-read, but to my surprise, it's been completed! Yayyyy.. Of course, I'd still be purchasing my English copy, but at least I don't have to be in a rush. I was planning to just buy volume 4 to finish it, but now that I finished it, I decided to buy the complete volumes next time. :D This was one of the first few manga I read that interest me about past life and whatnot, so it has a special place in my heart. :3