Serina: The Alpha's Mate
- Genre： Fantasy
- Author： obiJudith
- Translator：
- Status： Ongoing
- Rating(4.3 / 5.0) ★
As far as she could remember, she’s been able to hear voices in her head even if the person wasn’t really talking to her. She got into fights because of this and her parents got into argument because of her. She thought she’s abnormal. She thought she’s different. She thought that she’s something nonhuman.
And so, Serina learned to block the voices in her head when she turned 10 years old. She kept her secret from everyone including her parents. She didn’t want to be sent to a mental hospital just in case they’d think she’s going insane. From then on, she was able to live a peaceful life but, this changed once again on the day she left home to join a mountain camp with her friends.
They found themselves getting deeper into the forest but because the place was truly beautiful, they ignored the fact that they have trespassed someone’s property. They set up their tents and started to chill from the long hours of walk. Lucky for her, she decided to take a look around and found a wonderful lake at the heart of the forest.
The water was clear and she could see the blue sky being reflected on the water surface.
“I’ll take a dip. Just a short dip and I’ll leave.” She told herself while taking off her clothes. She folded her clothes and placed them on a large boulder before jumping into the cool water with so much happiness. She untied her braid and let her wavy hair fell right past her shoulders and onto the water. “This is amazing.” She whispered while swimming in backstroke.
“What are you doing here?”
Serina stopped swimming and looked around her. She thought someone crept around and was watching her swim but she didn’t feel any presence of human. She covered her chest with her arms while her eyes scan her surroundings. Then, her eyes caught sight of the most beautiful wolf she had ever seen.
***
Nicholas felt the presence of human who trespassed their property but since there were other wolves guarding the place, he didn’t bother himself to check on them. He was currently attending his sister’s birthday party and it would be bad if he leaves the place. He tried his best to ignore it but an unknown force was telling him to go. He followed this link and found himself standing at the edge of the lake, watching the most beautiful woman he ever laid his eyes on.
"What are you doing here?" It was just a passing question that someone would normally ask to a trespasser but he didn't expect her to turn around and looked at him.
She had the most beautiful brown eyes. It shines when the sunlight hits them and she looked so gorgeous with nothing but water lapping on her bare skin. She looked scared at first, then her expression changed to one of surprise and happiness.
"Oh my god! Did you just talk to me?" She asked. Now this caught him off-guard. He didn't know that humans can talk to them in their wolf form. He took a step back with wary reflecting his blue eyes, preparing to leave the place as soon as he could and inform his parents of the trespassers. "Oh no! Please don't leave yet." She swam towards his side of the lake but she realized that she was naked. "Wait a sec. Can you turn around so I could change?"
Like a perfect gentleman, Nicholas turned around to give her the privacy she needed. When she chuckled, he realized how foolish he was. Following her instruction only proved that he was talking to her so, he decided to disobey her order and looked back but he instantly turned his head away as if he was scared to face her. If he was in his human form, he'd probably have a hard on pressing on his jeans. He just found the sexiest body on earth and smelled the sweetest scent in his whole life. If possible, he just wanted to snuggle close to her, inhale her scent and get intoxicated.
“I’m Serina and you?”
Cover isn't mine
It's edited by a friend
All credits to the rightful owner.
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Popular Reviews
"Shirley" is another Victorian-based manga by Mori Kaoru, and while it shares some similarities with "Emma," it is a very different story altogether. As I've already discussed Mori Kaoru's anglophilia in my review of "Emma," I don't think I need to go into it again. That said, "Shirley," like "Emma," is a very British manga.
"Shirley" tells the story of Cranry Bennett, a 28-year-old society lady who owns a cafe. Due to her work commitments, she finds very little time to take care of herself or her home, so she advertises for a maid. She arrives home one evening to find a young girl waiting at her door. The girl, Shirley Madison, 13 years old, polite, and seeking employment as a maid, is taken in by Cranry, and the two begin their lives together as mistress and maid.
The story of "Shirley" is slice-of-life in its purest form and is very reminiscent of "Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou" (more so than "Emma," in fact). The first five chapters of the manga are devoted to the daily lives of Shirley and Cranry, while the final two chapters ("An Afternoon with Nelly and Me" and "Mary Banks") are standalone stories about two other maids but are equally as good as the main story.
The artwork is not as impressive as that for "Emma," however, it is still good. Mori's distinctive crosshatched "pen-and-ink" style is prevalent throughout the series, and while it does add emphasis to the characters and backgrounds, "Shirley" sometimes looks like a rushed job, or that less care was taken in its production compared to "Emma."
Characters are designed quite well overall, but as the art is of a lower standard in this series, it can sometimes be a little strange to read, especially for those who are used to the quality of "Emma" or "YKK."
The characters themselves, though, are quite adorable on the whole. Shirley is kawaii in extremis (and this statement is from a man who thinks that fluffy kittens are simply eating, scratching, clawing, crapping machines who just get better at hiding their evilness as they get older), however, she is no simple waif, as she is quite capable at handling a maid's duties. Cranry is also a good character, headstrong, stubborn, and independent—a rarity in the Victorian era (although not unheard of).
The maids from the final two chapters, Nelly and Mary Banks, are good enough characters in their own way (although Mary seems to be the more developed of the two), however, there is little scope for development as they only get one chapter each.
Since this is a short slice-of-life series, there isn't much room for character development. That said, the relationship between Cranry and Shirley does develop in quite a few ways, especially as they get used to living together.
I found this series to be very enjoyable, and the quality of the artwork didn't really affect my enjoyment overmuch. The characters are engaging, especially Shirley, Cranry, and Mary, however, the length of the series left me feeling a little unfulfilled (however, the release of the sequel, "Shirley Madison," has since cured me of that).
This is an enjoyable series though, and will probably become more enjoyable once more chapters of the sequel have been released.
I would recommend this to any fan of "Emma" or "YKK," or to anyone who just wants to read a nice short manga with some good characters and amusing moments. "Shirley" is a good, lighthearted read, and is a great way to while away a few spare moments.
Iyashikei appreciators (particularly fans of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou) may especially appreciate this short read, but overall I recommend it to everyone who craves an easy read without violence.
A few details on its premise…
Outside two standalone stories included, the manga is devoted to the intertwined lives of 13-year-old maid Shirley Madison and 28-year-old Cranry Bennett, a cafe owner. After advertising for a maid in order to relieve some burden from her hectic lifestyle, Cranry takes in young Shirley, a decision that proves beneficial for both.
Shirley is an adorable girl but her true noteworthy trait is being precocious, as she shows to be quite competent as a maid-for-all-work, especially impressive given the enormous amounts of work maids-of-all-work had to bear.
Her mistress Cranry is also a fascinating character and an oddity for Victorian times, a strong woman marching to her own beat and desiring to conserve her independence emotionally and fiscally (to the extent of refusing suitors).
The two ladies' chemistry and time spent together drive the work, and they gradually forge a wonderful bond not unlike that of sisters. There are also foundations for character-driven drama unrelated to their relationship, but this has yet to be shown and might be included in a future release.
On Shirley's artwork…
The artwork is functional, quite fine overall, and even greatly detailed at times, especially with tools and clothing (this is Mori Kaoru we are talking about). There are also some great backgrounds, and parts were also quite cinematic, e.g., key details frequently made for good contrasts with blank space.
However, there were also occasions where panels were drawn in a relative rush, evident in e.g., backgrounds that devolved from functional to seriously lacking needed details. And although it might be unfair to compare the artwork to that of her other larger works, Mori Kaoru appeared to have prioritized her larger pieces over Shirley.
Nonetheless, the occasional drop in quality did not affect me too much, for I was in bliss over the slice-of-life. Shirley's true drawback is the short number of chapters plus the ongoing status, but one won't spend too much time reading up to the final chapter.
~~~ Hope you enjoyed my review! I also recommend you browse Jayne Walker for more meido. ~~~
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