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When a prince's soon-to-be-bride runs away two days before their wedding, her desperate family dresses up their young son and sends him to take her place. With his striking blue eyes and flowing blond hair (and strategically placed apples), no one questions the presence of the pretty adolescent standing before them. But how long can he maintain this deception? Despite the challenges they face, the two princes embark on adventures and share intimate moments together.
(Source: ANN)
The start of Boy Princess feels hurried, and initially, I questioned whether continuing was worth it. As the pace eased and the narrative honed in on the bewildering dynamic between Jed and Nicole, my concerns about the rushed beginning dissipated, and I found myself increasingly engrossed. The story is far more intricate than it first appears.
Boy Princess offers plenty of humorous and light-hearted moments, but equally, there are scenes that leave you puzzled or shocked, even some that tug at your heartstrings. The characters are captivating, including those who initially seem peripheral, as they all get their moment to shine. While the complex plot can be overwhelming at first, everything starts making sense as more details emerge.
It's worth noting that this isn't purely a shounen-ai manhwa. It features significant straight relationships too, which I surprisingly enjoyed. I picked up Boy Princess expecting a light shounen-ai read, but I ended up with much more. By the time I reached the last page, tears were streaming down my face. This is an exceptionally enjoyable manhwa that has earned a special place in my heart, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who appreciates this genre.
This manhwa gradually wins your heart. Initially, the story feels confusing and somewhat rushed, with characters that might be difficult to distinguish. However, upon rereading, everything starts making more sense. I couldn't stop reading and ended up staying awake way past my bedtime XD.
After this initial phase, the pace slowed down a bit, and Jed and Nicole's relationship became really "cute." The storyline then grew more complex, sometimes leaving me puzzled about what was happening, especially with new characters whose identities weren't clear. But as you reach certain points, everything falls into place regarding the characters and their evolving relationships. Shahi's character was particularly intriguing *-* Troubles. Politics. Angst. Forbidden Relationships. Poisons. Fights. There's certainly a lot of...interesting elements involved.
The artwork isn't spectacular, but it's not bad either. Occasionally, characters looked too similar (especially in scenes where distinguishing them would have been very helpful). Or when those characters look different because of their hair, only for water to make straight hair wavy. >_>. The main characters definitely give it a shounen-ai vibe, but there are also some normal relationships that are just as enjoyable. Like the alchemist princess...really cute. X3 So it's not strictly canon shounen-ai, especially since it heavily focuses on the plot rather than solely on their love.
In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed this manhwa. It's not exactly a light read, but it's captivating. And the last volume was really emotional, which I greatly appreciated...(though it did end up a bit disappointingly...could have been better).
Oh, by the way...it's better to read it all at once; otherwise, you'll keep trying to recognize the characters repeatedly if you don't have an exceptional ability to tell them apart.