When I first read this series, I got to like chapter 2 or 3 before being bored and not liking the way the story was going. However, it turns out all I got to was the prologue, and the real story was not until a few chapters later! So if this applies to you, plow on through the whole of volume 1 before deciding how you feel about the story.
Overall, I did like/enjoy this story, until the latter half at least. The eye candy didn't hurt. 😛 The few chapters that were translated were intriguing and with the rave reviews of everyone below about the anime, I immediately watched all the episodes. The set up was great, and I was prepared for something really good, but the latter half killed it for me. Things turned really illogical and annoying and I really finished it all (er, skimmed to the end) because of all the time I invested already.
Comments involving spoilers below.
However, I do have some major qualms about the series. Firstly, I was really disappointed by Najika's character. At first, she seemed like a charismatic, non-cookie cutter strong female lead. While that didn't necessarily change, she became more and more annoying as the series went on. She always had to have "her way", usually involving some dangerous situation people want to protect her from. Then, after making a huge fuss, getting her way and charging into said situations, she would prove herself incompetent to handle them. Or, she would merely "be there" but other people would be solving the problems, and I could not see the point of her being there at all. Some annoying situations:
She always wants to rush into Raginei, then does is nothing special. i.e. her conveying a message or disguising as a tailor to "rescue" someone (but really other people do the rescuing and she just tags along).
Also, other women/girls in this series are not portrayed very well. They range from being squeamish and silly, to being manipulative and superficial.
Also, the biggest "secret" or plot device of the story, Kajika's "destiny," was really disappointing as well. I put parenthesis because
it comes out early in the story, and everyone around Kajika gradually finds out except her, and it's not really a destiny because she doesn't go and fulfill it.
I mean it could have been made more interesting but it wasn't...
! Kajika is first in line for the throne. But she never rises to the occasion. The whole thing kind of puzzled me, because she ended up learning about it from someone random... but isn't this kind of important? Wouldn't the logical thing be for her father to let her know, and let her decide whether she wants to take her rightful place as heir... instead of playing some husband game to find the one who will "protect" her at all costs...? Ugh. I mean she doesn't HAVE to fulfill her destiny, this is no Red River or Basara, but the series kept putting her out there as someone amazing with natural ability and potentially destined for greatness... then it just didn't happen.
And the moment my inner fangirl was waiting the whole series for was terrible...
Kiss w/ Lee Leng made no sense. I can't say for the manga but for the anime, it just made no sense to me. The dialogue (or lack thereof) made it seem weird and out of nowhere.
Then it turns worse...
! Lee Leng decides to step down as leader of the Huangs so he can "protect" Kajika full time. Then his righthand man, Zao, says he could marry Kajika as leader and that would be a favorable match for both family. Lee Leng refuses. Then Zao says he will assassinate Kajika if Lee does not go home and marry this girl in the Huang family. A distraught Lee Leng agrees to marry the other girl and says he will never see Kajika again.
Um, what? No, I did not skip anything, this is exactly what happened and it just left me confused. No logic at all. Ugh.
All in all, 10/10 for the first half of the story, and 5/10 for the second half when things went downhill. I guess it's a good read if you don't think about anything.
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