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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
* This review is for all 11 volumes *
A young girl (can't remember if she's 6 or 8, but yes, very young!), Asahi, is whisked away into feudal Japan, where she befriends a young child , and encounters a fair amount of hostility. She ends up crossing paths with the water dragon god, who takes some interest in her even though he does not really care much about humans. And if this sounds a little bit like Fushigi Yuugi - it goes in a completely different direction, although one of the characters does look a lot like Nuriko ^_^
With that premise, I was expecting a "love can transform jerks" theme, and while the water dragon god is definitely cold, this is not a case study on Stockholm's Syndrome. There is a time jump early on, so we also don't have to deal with the creep factor of an 8 year old girl in a romance story. The first volume promises a rather dark story, and while there is darkness, it is nowhere near the levels of darkness in [b:Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 1|11029842|Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 1 (Dawn of the Arcana, #1)|Rei Toma|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347465576l/11029842._SY75_.jpg|15949685], also by Rei Toma. The story lightens up a bit with the appearance of additional gods, who act more like a Greek chorus, and does not really deliver on its promises of revenge.
The artwork is stunning and not just because Subaru is a treat to the eye. Given the watery nature of the deity, there is a lot of water depicted, including a, well, water dragon, and water fishes - the artist sure likes a challenge! The covers make subtle use of color - almost like a watercolor look, even though from the artist's comments, it seems to be all digital art. There is a lot of emphasis on the expressions of the characters, particularly of the water dragon god, as he starts to experience more emotions. Yet, for all the focus on expressions, the story lacked emotional connection - I was feeling oddly detached reading the last volume, even though it ticks all my boxes. Just like in "Dawn of the Arcana", Rei Toma does an excellent job with the ending, tying together all the lose ends for the main characters, but.
At the end of each volume, there is a short "Chill Zone" that is pretty funny. I heartily agree with Subaru on the last panel.
A young girl (can't remember if she's 6 or 8, but yes, very young!), Asahi, is whisked away into feudal Japan, where she befriends a young child , and encounters a fair amount of hostility. She ends up crossing paths with the water dragon god, who takes some interest in her even though he does not really care much about humans. And if this sounds a little bit like Fushigi Yuugi - it goes in a completely different direction, although one of the characters does look a lot like Nuriko ^_^
With that premise, I was expecting a "love can transform jerks" theme, and while the water dragon god is definitely cold, this is not a case study on Stockholm's Syndrome. There is a time jump early on, so we also don't have to deal with the creep factor of an 8 year old girl in a romance story. The first volume promises a rather dark story, and while there is darkness, it is nowhere near the levels of darkness in [b:Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 1|11029842|Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 1 (Dawn of the Arcana, #1)|Rei Toma|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347465576l/11029842._SY75_.jpg|15949685], also by Rei Toma. The story lightens up a bit with the appearance of additional gods, who act more like a Greek chorus, and does not really deliver on its promises of revenge.
The artwork is stunning and not just because Subaru is a treat to the eye. Given the watery nature of the deity, there is a lot of water depicted, including a, well, water dragon, and water fishes - the artist sure likes a challenge! The covers make subtle use of color - almost like a watercolor look, even though from the artist's comments, it seems to be all digital art. There is a lot of emphasis on the expressions of the characters, particularly of the water dragon god, as he starts to experience more emotions. Yet, for all the focus on expressions, the story lacked emotional connection - I was feeling oddly detached reading the last volume, even though it ticks all my boxes. Just like in "Dawn of the Arcana", Rei Toma does an excellent job with the ending, tying together all the lose ends for the main characters, but
Spoiler
while I understand how the god would have found Asahi endearing, it was a lot harder to connect with the progression of her feelings. Maybe I just couldn't get it because I far preferred Subaru.At the end of each volume, there is a short "Chill Zone" that is pretty funny. I heartily agree with Subaru on the last panel.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love Rei Toma’s art and picked up this volume on a whim.
Asahi, a girl from the current world, is brought to some version of ancient Japan and comes face to face with a Water Dragon! From the title, you can imagine the Water Dragon wants to keep her as his bride. In this new world she makes a friend, Subaru, who wants to help her despite the fact that his mother hate Asahi.
Fun facts from the author notes in the book, Asahi was named after the rising sun (her hair is pink) and Subaru’s name also came after his theme color of green. I’m looking forward to seeing Subaru on a cover in full color!
Reread - 2022
So kind of exactly 2 years later I was finally ready to read the 2nd volume and decided to reread before continuing the series. I really love this mangaka's style and am intrigued to see where the story goes.
My thoughts are the same still
Asahi, a girl from the current world, is brought to some version of ancient Japan and comes face to face with a Water Dragon! From the title, you can imagine the Water Dragon wants to keep her as his bride. In this new world she makes a friend, Subaru, who wants to help her despite the fact that his mother hate Asahi.
Fun facts from the author notes in the book, Asahi was named after the rising sun (her hair is pink) and Subaru’s name also came after his theme color of green. I’m looking forward to seeing Subaru on a cover in full color!
Reread - 2022
So kind of exactly 2 years later I was finally ready to read the 2nd volume and decided to reread before continuing the series. I really love this mangaka's style and am intrigued to see where the story goes.
My thoughts are the same still
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
This is adorable ! ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE ! And I love the characters ! I cannot wait for another volume of this adorable manga because boy, does that poor little kid (Ashai) have a tough time already.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
about a little girl named asahi who ends up magically transported to feudal japan and sacrificed to the local water dragon. obviously the premise/title immediately reminded me of mi-kyung yun's bride of the water god but having asahi be so young succeeds in making the vibe quite different. i'll be interested to how it goes if and when rei toma ages her up
3 stars
3 stars