MeruPuri, Vol. 1

めるぷり メルヘン☆プリンス [MeruPuri: Märchen Prince] #1

by Matsuri Hino

All high school freshman Airi Hoshina ever wanted was to someday live in a cozy home with a loving husband, and find joy in the little things in life. As a result, she makes it her daily mission to get to school on time because school legend has it that the longer one's non-tardy streak is, the better boyfriend one will find. But just when her daily routine is working like clockwork, an occurrence of falrytale proportions threatens to disrupt her grand plan.

On the way to school one morning, Airi loses her mirror - one that had been passed down to her through generations - and suddenly finds herself in a bizarre situation. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect Aram, a little boy from a magical kingdom, to have emerged from the mirror in the short time it took her to track it down!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Shojo, Graphic Novels, Magic, Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Name in Japanese: 樋野 まつり

Matsuri Hino was born on January 24 in Hokkaido. She was a bookshop keeper who one day decided to become a manga artist, and all of nine months later, in 1995, she published her first manga title, Kono Yume ga Sametara (When This Dream Is Over), in Japan's LaLa DX magazine.

Reviews

[Rhapsody · Rating 2 out of 5]

This maybe deserves 3 stars simply because the art is so beautiful (that mangaka REALLY knows how to draw eyes), but I didn't particularly like the story. A young prince (elementary school age) is somehow zapped into our world and ends up living with a high school girl named Ari, who dreams of getting married and having a family. Aram (the prince), falls in love with her, but is too young for her. However, he's got a curse that sometimes turns him into a young man of about the same age as her, so she's torn between accepting him and rejecting him.

This is really a tossup I guess. Some people will be OK with it, others won't. The way I see it, I don't care if he looks like he's 17 half the time. He's still a 9-year old kid. I remember 9-year old boys, when I was in elementary school. They weren't cute. The thought of this ditz softening up toward a brat like that just because he looked good half the time totally turned me off. I couldn't get over the fact that she was almost an adult and he was a little kid. I found the story pretty immature, although there are plenty of people I know who thought it was fantastic.

[Kaya Lynch · Rating 2 out of 5]

i’m wondering why this has a 4.11 average rating because the main plot of this book sounds great right? until you realize that the romantic plot line is going to follow an older teenage girl, and an ACTUAL LIKE EIGHT YEAR OLD CHILD.

you read that right.

AN EIGHT YEAR OLD CHILD.

to be fair, that child does turn older whenever he’s in darkness thanks to a curse…but just because someone is physically older doesn’t mean that they’ve mentally grown up??? like, this child is still eight mentally???

i’m sorry but idc how good the art style is or how intriguing the plot might get. when i see “chemistry” (gosh dang it how i hesitate to even call it that) between ESSENTIALLY A CHILD AND A TEENAGER im just going to nope my way downtown.

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super intriguing plot! I love Matsuri Hino’s work so much, i’m excited for the rest of this one!

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

MeruPuri by Matsuri Hino was a fun distraction while I wait for the 11th installment of Vampire Knight. I really liked this high fantasy and the artwork is just as magical as Hino’s other series. Great story line and fun dialog. Definitely a manga I will continue to read.

Airi Hoshina is a freshman in high school and she already has her heart set on finding the right guy that she will someday marry and build a life with. But suddenly her dreams are disrupted when an event of fairytale proportions disrupts her plans and invokes an element of chaos she never anticipated.

Fun read that requires a enjoyable suspension of reality. Super cute story that I loved!

[Deborah Takahashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Airi Hoshino is a romantic. Not only is it her goal to marry the man of her dreams, she truly believes that if she arrives at school for, on time, for two years, the magic mirror she inherited will grant her wish to marry her true love. When not watching romantic dramas, Airi dreams about her prince and vows to keep her first kiss just for him. However, all of that changes when Aram emerges from her mirror. Aram is a prince from a magical kingdom who was thrust into the mirror by his faithful servant because Prince Jelie, his eldest brother, cast a spell on him. When Aram arrived, Airi's life was lonely and it was nice having him him around until she realizes that Aram turns from a cute little boy into a gorgeous man overnight. The only way to save Aram is the "Maiden's Kiss" and Aram asks Airi to be his maiden. Caught between her vow to save her kiss for her soul mate, Airi doesn't know what to do because she cares for Aram even thought he's absolutely clueless when it comes to taking care of himself. In this series, Airi and Aram go on a journey where they will learn a lot about one another and each other, which leads to many revelations and disasters.

This manga is yet another one of my guilty pleasures. Not only is it funny, but it's super romantic because Airi and Aram needed each other in so many ways. For years, Aram hasn't known kindness because his half-brother has made his life miserable. The only person who cares about him is his guardian, Lei, but Aram needed more than just him. Airi, a romantic herself, has built this ideal man because she, like Aram, is on her own and needs something, or someone, to look forward to. Although Airi has built this elaborate fantasy, all of that changes when she realizes that love isn't straightforward like it is in her soap operas. Love is more than just having a home and family, but it takes work, requires a lot of patience, and sacrifice. The more time she spends with Aram, the more she realizes how complicated love is, especially because of great great great great great grandmother's "betrayal" that sent the mirror that brought Aram to her realm. There is plenty of magic and mystery in this story so any Shojo fan who is looking for a fun read where "Happy Ever After" really does exist.

[MAG Scrittrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo manga è un gioiello. A ogni rilettura mi piace sempre più!

[Hot Mess Sommelière ~ Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drop-Dead Gorgeous and problematic.






Meru Puri has Matsuri Hino's most beautiful & intricate art. The love for details, expressions, backgrounds and magic is just *chef's kiss*.

However, the content matter (a 17-year old high school student falling in love with a 9-year old magical prince who can transform into his "adult" self) is highly problematic, even if you take away the bullying, coercion, and abuse the heroine goes through. Because the bratty prince, Aram? He is a piece of WORK. I am against every form of violence against children, but if Airi had been me? This little pest would never see dessert again.


He's a prince, so of course there is a "maid" arc ugh

Is the art so beautiful you want to jump right into that world? Absolutely, yes.

Is the content such a hot mess you just want to run away screaming and bleach out your eyes? Again, yes.

Do I recommend this? With reservations. If you are pretty immune to the child love interest and want to read about an unequal, toxic relationship? Then yeah, go for it.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, in terms of art this manga was quite good. I think the artist got better in Vampire Knight though. The plot wasn't too out of it either like some manga's are but I wouldn't say it's super interesting, just enough to keep me reading but not altogether satisfying me.

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see that this series is very popular. And maybe it gets better as it goes on, but it's just not hitting the right notes with me. I just wasn't having fun reading it. The art is very nice, I will admit that.

[Starbubbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

2020: I can't believe I forgot how much I liked this! I mean, the age difference is a smidge creepy, but it's cute, magical, and light hearted. Totally what I needed!

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt like I was losing brain cells while reading this volume. Ugh. I'm all about giving a story a chance, but one volume was all I could stomach.

[Jenny (LobsterGal) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the reason why I I choose this shojo was because its quirky and a little different. (2/15/2013)

16 year old me was sooo quirky. (12/3/20)

[Eileen Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ summary ✨

Fifteen-year-old Hoshina Airi thought she was a normal girl. All she wanted was a simple life spent gathering small pieces of happiness with a good man as her husband. But when her family heirloom turns out to be a magical portal and a cursed prince from another land is dumped on her doorstep, the dream she’d built for her life is about to come crashing down around her…

✨ review ✨

Warning: WILD age gap that is mostly ignored and eventually explained away by the extremely long life spans of the magical royal family.

(Eileen, you might ask: how could this be worth mentioning if you love SJM books, where 19-year-old leading ladies routinely fall in love with hundred+++ year old dudes? Dear reader, it is worth mentioning because the teenage FMC of MeruPuri falls in love with a CHILD.)

This was one of my absolute favorite series when I was in high school, and I remember Aram (MMC) being about 12–weird for 15-year old Airi (FMC) to be falling in love with, but ultimately not the end of the world. But oh, how wrong I was. Upon reading this as an adult, I realized he is like seven or eight?!?! But the fact that he turns into a hot 17-year-old when submerged in darkness makes him a viable romantic candidate???

(IIRC, the FMC/MMC in another one of the mangaka’s series ultimately turn out to be siblings, but *it’s okay* because they’re vampires. So I will leave you with that information.)

If you are able to gaslight yourself into ignoring or accepting the age gap, this is a really beautiful story. The art is breathtaking, the lore of the kingdom of Astale is great, the characters are lovable and follow interesting arcs, and despite myself, I fell in love with the strong-willed FMC.

Do I recommend this? If you can ignore the age gap, yes! If not, it may be worth a shot if you love love love fairytales?

✨ overall series rating (volumes 1-4) ✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫▫️

✨ rating breakdown ✨
Art Style: ⭐️⭐️
Story Concept: 💫 (-.5 for MMC being a kid)
Story “Freshness”:⭐️
Character Development: ⭐️💫
Main Characters: 💫 (-.5 for MMC being a kid)
Supporting Characters: ⭐️
Intrigue: ⭐️
Enjoyability: ⭐️

[Ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for nostalgic purposes and once again, am not surprised my little pre-teen brain skipped over how problematic the storyline is. Beyond that though, the art is gorgeous, I love all the little notes written on the side talking about the author's choices for the covers or the character names. I laughed out loud when Airi's older brother showed up, he's such a tool, so annoying and over the top. I think if you took the 'romance' out and just made this about a girl trying to help two magical brothers with their baggage, it could have been equally as entertaining and not as uncomfortable.

[Lizbeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m pretty sure I was around 12 when I first read this and ever since then it was one of the mangas that remembered very fondly from my childhood since I liked it so much, so when I found physical copies I was very excited to get them and get to experience this story again.
That being said, I really did not remember how problematic and borderline criminal this manga is.
I really wish I could give it a higher score but I cannot overlook that horrible age gap. Which is extremely sad because otherwise it is such an enjoyable story with a very interesting universe and very likable characters.
Hino Matsuri is sadly famous for her questionable decisions when it comes to romance but even Vampire Knight looks decent compared to this. (Like genuinely none of her editors thought it was a bad idea?)
Again, it’s makes me sad because I genuinely love how beautiful and magic this manga is but I just know there were multiple ways to not have a creepy age difference between the main couple.
I guess I can at least enjoy the artistry behind it (yes, Hino Matsuri is an absurdly talented artist)

[Kennedy Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't tell you why loved this so much

[Home Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

[Aimeekay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read manga in a REALLY long time. So it took me a minute to get back into the reading the book backwards. I wasn't sure where I wanted to start, there are sooo many great mangas, new and old, out there. I ended up reading MeruPuri because I had told my daughters (huge manga fans) that I need to find some to read for a challenge I signed up for. Next thing I know there's a pile of books next to my computer. They can be very helpful when they want to be. :)

I have to say I really enjoyed MeruPuri. The story was cute and sweet, with just enough craziness thrown in to make it interesting. It had those cutting snarky comments that would pop up out of nowhere and have me giggling. The story itself is about Airi. She has an obsession with being on time to school. She is convinced that the better her record of arriving on time, the better a boyfriend she will end up with. She is also envisioned the perfect future husband and relationship. As she is going to school one day she loses her mirror. An heirloom that has been passed down from her great-great-great-great-great (?) grandma. That's when all the fun starts. From her mirror steps Aram, a boy prince from Astale, a magical kingdom that apparently her great-great-great-great-great (?) grandma came from. He's running from his older half-brother Jeile who had cast a spell on him that causes him to age in the dark and thus loose control of his magic.

I liked Airi. She is kind of a drip with her obsession of "true love" and her "soul mate". But she is so earnest about it, it becomes sweeter rather than annoying. Plus while she seems a little clueless at first. (She thinks Aram is just a confused ambassadors son) she has no problem standing up for herself and doesn't back down when confronted by Jeile.
Aram is a cutie. Even when he suddenly finds himself in an older body he still retains his childlike charm and attitudes. He is obsessed with the "Sparkle Rangers" and can't understand why its not ok for Airi to help him in the bath anymore.
I even like Jeile and his hench fairy Maruru. Jeile is completely full of himself in an over the top drama queen way. He is hysterical! And then Maruru. She reminds me of Tinkerbell. Not the sweet one that we see portrayed with all her fairy friends today. But the original Tink. The one who plays mean tricks on Wendy simply because she is afraid Wendy will take Peter from her. Yu,p that's Maruru, handily in the background to make some snide remark and turn one of Jeile's pick up lines around on him. She obviously doesn't like Airi and she's not gonna let anyone stop her from showing it.

As for the artwork, LOVED IT! All the details and effort that the author put into her work.
Not every scene is completely detailed into the background, but that's ok it just gives the characters so much more pop! The author also had little side notes throughout the story. About where she came up with certain characters names, and her views on how she wanted that character to come across. Also notes on the cover art of the chapters and what whe was trying to portray with each painting. I would have enjoyed the story with out the notes, but they added a extra sort of pop-up trivia that was really neat.

As for the story it even pokes fun at itself too. Every once in a while at the end of the story there's these cute little mini-pics inside the star shape of the mirror. Each one has some cute little comment pertaining to the story. My favorite, for example, was the one with two little figures, with what I think are golf clubs just standing there. To the side it reads: "Mysterious who have yet to show themselves...Airi's grandparents" Kind of a tongue in cheek reference to the fact that somehow this teenager is living alone. Her parents are working out of the country and she lives above her grandparents, but you never see them.

All in all I found the book cute and enchanting. I can't wait to read vol. 2.

[Brittany Haslbauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot tell you how many times I've re-read this series. I've had this manga since 2004 I believe. It's honestly been ten years, and I still pick it up at least three or more times per year, and re-read it. To me, it's that good.

I adore Matsuri Hino, I think her artwork is beautiful, as well as her storytelling. I fell in love with Vampire Knight after this series, and it's so sad because this was her first real work, and it was better, in my opinion than Vampire Knight! I just wish she could re-draw some scenery, because I remember reading the author's notes in each volume of Merupuri, and Hino saying she needed to work on that. That's the only thing that I wish for this story, because VK was flawless with that.

But this story, Aram and Airi, I just loved how original and how beautiful their story unfolded together. I especially loved the romance they had (even some erotica xD), not a lot of shoujo ten years ago had beautiful art and serious relationships like this one. Most of it was either ecchi, or shoujo for young girls. I loved all of the characters; even the side stories to help develop them further!

If Hino ever decided to continue this series, I would without a doubt, buy every volume :D!

[Jena · Rating 3 out of 5]

8/2020 Update: When I see reviews like this sitting on my shelf, it forces me to come to terms with the fact that I've been on GoodReads since 2010. When I read this series in 2010 I was 17/18, and saw 0 issue with this (and if we're being honest, at that age I was HEAVILY subjected to age gap relationships/grooming myself so I didn't even think twice about it). I still have the physical copies on my bookshelves. However now as a 28 year old woman, the way I would approach a story like this is completely different. The premise of a young boy transforming into an older version of himself so he's "old enough" to date an older girl is something that I would not be ok with now. However, in acknowledgment of my original 5 star rating, I've changed the ratings on this series to 3 stars (halfway between 1 and 5) to preserve my original rating somewhat while acknowledging that I've changed.

Below is my original review from 2010:

It's a shame that Vampire Knight, Matsuri Hino's other popular series, is more promoted than MeruPuri. MeruPuri is a sweet, pretty, and funny tale of romance between a serious prince and an unwilling high school student.

[Ace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Airi is obsessed with falling in love, getting married, and starting a family. She follows a strict punctuality schedule in the hopes that the longer she's on time, the better her boyfriend will be. She carries around a special mirror made even more special because it's a door to another dimension - and the young prince Aram travels through it! Full of beautiful artwork, MeruPuri is a treat to read.

Except for the awkward relationship developing between high school freshman Airi and nine-year-old Aram. Due to a curse, Aram ages in total darkness to become an attractive young man. While the teacher/student age-gap relationship seems common in certain manga, the thought of a fourteen or fifteen year old falling in love with a kid is a bit creepy, no matter how beautiful the artwork may be. The other relationships don't fare much better: everyone is in love with Airi. Aram is (even if he doesn't understand it), bad guy Jeile wants to marry her, and classmate Nakaoji asks her out, all in the first volume. It's unrealistic and keeps the story childish.

Overall, two stars for plot. That extra third star comes from the absolutely gorgeous art.

[PekeDevil · Rating 4 out of 5]

este es uno de esos mangas que podrian considerarse "clasicos" creo que a todo el mundo le sonara de algo este manga, sobre todo si son fans de esta autora, tambien conocida por "Wanted!" o la mundialmente conocida serie "Vampire Knight".
Ahora vamos a la historia en si misma:
Un principe caprichoso que crece cada vez que esta en un lugar oscuro.
Una adolescente que desea vivir un romance con el honbre perfecto.
Si todo esto lo mezclamos con magia, humor, amor, un dibujo precioso y unos personajes memorables; obtendremos un manga 100% recomendado.

[☆Eiko · Rating 5 out of 5]

主人公の女子高生・愛理が魔法王国のちっちゃなプリンス・アラムに見初められちゃってからのドタバタラブコメディ。毎回乙女心をくすぐる展開が用意されてます。
アラム王子は可愛い７歳児なんですが、本当に７歳なのかってくらい大人びていてクールな言動がカッコイイのに加え、魔法で大人の姿になっちゃうと冷たい感じの美青年になって中身７歳の強引で我儘な子供っぽい言動で愛理に執着して読者を翻弄してくれちゃいます。
作品中ではキスが重要なファクターになっていて、キスが多いし使い方がとにかくエロティックでドキドキします。アラム王子はちっちゃくめっちゃ可愛いのに、無自覚なエロ……じゃなくて色気むんむんで毎巻びっくりです。
絵がとっても綺麗で可愛くて眺めているだけでも楽しいので、年下年の差ラブが好きな人にはとってもオススメです。

[Aeon Flux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really good

[Kristy Buzbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the squishiest, sappiest, prettiest, and most romantic series I own. Sometimes I just need squishiness.

[Doha · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is an amazing story. i loved it so much & it affected me, i actually cried. and i advise everyone to read it.

[Pamela · Rating 1 out of 5]

creepy

[Raquel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a love story between an EIGHT YEAR OLD CHILD and a SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD. I personally find it really disturbing and just can’t read or get into it

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute! Super cute!

[Sumayya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Based on the Vampire knight anime I´ve watched years ago and the positive reviews I saw online about this manga I´ve made an impulsive purchase and bought this manga without reading it beforehand. This taught me a valuable lesson and that´s that even if you love the art style of mangaka and watched animated versions of her work it doesn´t mean that you can count on just good faith.

Eventhough Vampire knight in itself had a problematic element which was incest I thought to myself well those are vampires so maybe things work differently for them and didn´t think much of it. But let me tell you MeruPuri is much worse, with all due respect to Matsuri Hino but it did made me question her mental health and her upbringing. In what environment did she grew up for her to be able to normalize such problematic themes !? I will not keep you much longer in the dark, this manga has pedophelic tendencies it was highly disturbing !

This story had so much potential but it's ruined by this, I've tried to wrap my head around it by telling myself well it's fantasy or Aram (the 8 years old little boy ) is just very attached to Airi (17 years old protoganist) like any kid at that age would be, but Aram acted at some points like an adult for example kissing Airi on the mouth or placing his hand on her chest which I wasn't able to understand what was going on and also Airi reciprocating made it 10 times worse as she KNEW he was only 8 years old even if he transformed into and adult body he was STILL mentally 8 years old and acted like and 8 year old child!!! So no I refuse to justify such things.

I just don’t see how this is so highly rated and feel a little betrayed by everyone who said it was a cute romance. It’s visually cute sure, but the entirety of the romance is creepy and I’m so confused as to why no one else is creeped too.