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The planet had once faced its end before... On the day of Despaira, a god appeared in the sky and saved the world. This god was known as King Shishioh. However, with the throne now vacant, a fierce battle for supremacy has erupted between two brothers. Who will claim the throne?
(Source: Juné)
While browsing the local manga section, one title caught my eye. First off, the artwork is stunning. The cover accurately represents what you'll find inside, as the interior art is equally beautiful (which shouldn't be surprising given the mangaka's reputation).
Unfortunately, that’s by far the strongest aspect of this work. It’s not to say the manga is bad, but it does have its shortcomings.
I want to highlight here that THIS IS NOT YAOI! I bought the "June" edition with a large "Yaoi Manga" label on the cover (which admittedly drew me in initially). Well, it isn’t Yaoi :S:S It’s not even shounen-ai as stated on this page. There’s nothing wrong with that per se, but marketing it as both Yaoi and Shounen-ai when it’s neither can lead to disappointment, especially if you’re expecting such content (at least for me, I mean, not even a kiss?). Actually, if anything, this is a completely straight manga with a slashable (at best) couple. Oh well...
For those still interested, here are my thoughts:
The story itself is solid, though not the most original. It has an interesting premise. The characters are somewhat stereotypical (which didn’t bother me too much), but they are very underdeveloped. Luke, the protagonist, embodies goodness and shows slight development in that regard, but Malchus, his brother and the antagonist, whom I had high hopes for initially, just keeps repeating the same thing over and over until he finally "realizes" what matters. I wished to see more gradual character development instead of a sudden shift.
But what bothers me the most is how repetitive this manga is despite its short length. We see three cycles of Luke reincarnating, with two of them having nearly identical outcomes and storylines. The second incarnation feels unnecessary since we don’t get deeper insight into the characters; they act the same as in the first chapter.
Without spoiling the ending, I’ll say that although I was disappointed by the lack of any BL elements, the conclusion was nice, or at least I liked it.
All in all, my rating hovers between 6 and 7 because this is an average, unremarkable manga. However, in a sea of really poor content, this one stands out as enjoyable and deserves credit for that. And of course, the art *_*!
"You can't own a horse or carriage, but you can use them for an [undetermined amount of time] if borrowed or hired"
"Oh also the consequence is paralysis but only if you're consciously breaking the rule"
So what happens if Vera (who is not under the same constriction, or is he?) just ties her to him, or has her laying down in a carriage?
Well, the author sure doesn't care to answer that, since the rule is already deliberately made super vague to fit all circumstances.
I'm sure it'll be part of a major plot point down the line as well, but right now it's just kind of dumb.