Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori

I stumbled upon Red River around last year – a buddy of mine had it and said it was worth checking out. Together with another friend, we all decided to dive in. The premise is quite engaging: Yuri Suzuki, an ordinary girl, gets whisked away to the Hittite Empire, summoned by the Empress who plans to use her as a blood sacrifice so her son can inherit the throne. Yuri manages to escape and ends up with Prince Kail Mursili, third in line for the throne. She joins his court and, through a series of bizarre coincidences, gets mistaken for the war goddess Ishtar and becomes a commander in the Hittite Empire's conflict against Egypt. Throughout this, Yuri must dodge the Empress’s plots while grappling with her feelings for Kail.

If that sounds intriguing, I have to caution you: Red River isn’t just bad; it’s absolutely TERRIBLE.

Now, the plot is indeed fascinating, and the artwork is superb, no doubt about that. But the writing and character development are laughably awful. The central love story is no better than a cheap romance novel cliché, ruining any potential good aspects under a mountain of terrible execution. Kail lacks any substantial personality, switching between "Playboy," "Serious Business," and screaming "YURI!!!!" (You know, like that parody commercial of InuYasha where all they do is shout each other’s names? It’s like that but taken seriously). Yuri herself is a pathetic excuse for a heroine. For someone commanding troops in a legendary war, she’s remarkably useless. Yuri gets kidnapped at least once per book, cries so much she seems whiny rather than sympathetic, and faces rape threats so frequently it turns into a drinking game. Interesting characters either die off or are evil, sometimes both (except for Ramses). There are massive gaps in logic, making characters appear downright foolish. It’s just… it’s just BAD.

That said, Red River isn’t entirely without merit. If you're looking for a manga to enjoy with friends, laughing and mocking together, look no further than Red River (Chie Shinohara’s other works fit this bill too). But if you’re seeking well-written historical fiction that tugs at your heartstrings, I’ve heard Rose of Versailles is pretty decent.