Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura, Vol. 6

桜姫華伝 [Sakura Hime Kaden] #6

by Arina Tanemura

Sakura is the granddaughter of a mysterious moon princess who slew demons with her Blood Cherry Blossom sword. All her life Sakura has been forbidden to look at the full moon without knowing why. Then one night, unhappy over her impending marriage, Sakura gazes up at the moon, only to see a demon attacking her...

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Shojo, Historical, Graphic Novels, Adventure

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 12, 2010

About the author

Name in Japanese: 種村有菜 (Tanemura Arina)
Western Zodiac: Pisces

Arina Tanemura was born on March 12, 1978. She's the author of Full Moon O Sagashite, Time Stranger Kyoko, Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne, The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross, Sakura Hime Kaden, and more.

Her favorite hobby is Karaoke. One song that she sings is Smile, originally by Myco. She has two cats, named Riku and Kai. She has one elder and one younger sister and one brother. She's the type who hates to lose in anything. She also likes Ribon.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kohaku and Hayate are so cute together, and it's a shame that Hayate has to be a silly-looking frog mascot most of the time. I was a little surprised to see that Kohaku's tabard?--I'm not sure what to call the outer part of her outfit--is blue. Since she's a ninja, I'd have thought it would be black, like Hayate's is on the cover.

Early on in the author's sidebars, Tanemura says that the story up until this volume is only a fraction of it. Knowing well in advance that Sakura Hime ended up being only twelve volumes long, and that Tanemura parted from Ribon magazine at that time, I feel a little sad, and also wonder if the endgame is going to be rushed. There's a ways to go before I find out, since I'm handling my backlogged series piecemeal rather than in marathons.

Tanemura mentions video game Final Fantasy X once or twice in this volume, and Asagiri's story has elements that feel like callbacks to it: the religion/god is a deceitful sham, and its followers are being used. It's a shame that the snow village was destroyed, since there were some situations and characters there that would have been fun to see more of, such as what things might be like there as the male population is gradually restored over the generations.

The short story at the end of this volume was more of a long-form joke than anything else, and obviously meant a cute one-off. Japanese creators' vision of angels can be unusual; here they can temporarily transform into humans through a magic potion. And they also breed, somehow, since our MC and her friend are nine years old. The rest of the bonuses weren't impressive, a combination of pointless and annoying. More of the main story, please! We're on borrowed time, even though we didn't know it at the time.

[Elizabeth Aguilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

One of the things I really enjoy about this manga series is that it does things just slightly off what you expect. Occassionally, it has some big plot twists.

[thi · Rating 5 out of 5]

asagiri’s backstory was elite

[DonutKnow · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8 I kind of like the cute stories about the minor characters 👍

[Bibliothecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for complete series



Princess Sakura is a descendant of the creatures of the moon whose hand has been promised to the Imperial Prince Oura. To hide the powers that lurk inside her, Princess Sakura has been raised in isolation. But Sakura is unwilling to enter a marriage without love and chooses to run away - even at the risk of her true nature being exposed.

Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura is everything wrong with The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross done right - it includes the best of all Tanemura's previous works. After the mess that was The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross, I was really worried that the then newest series of a long time favourite mangaka of mine would disappoint again. Luckily, that was far from the case!

The setting of the Heian Period allowed for interesting folklore and absolutely gorgeous designs for the characters; all those beautiful kimono and long flowing hair! Just the art alone makes this a pleasure to read. And thanks to the fantasy setting, many story elements that fell flat in The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross unfolded beautifully; there certainly was drama, but it suited the circumstances and we are, after all, talking about an Imperial Court. And I was so pleased to see her old humour, which I so love, return.

Although I felt that the romance developed very rapidly, I can't say that it bothered me. The first volumes do revolve around Sakura and Oura, but the plot focuses on so much more than just the two once the story gets going. Thanks to the romance not being the only focus, this story was rich in wonderful characters who all had their share of spotlight. There were wonderful friendships, family bonds, court intrigues, action and a plot that keeps you guessing. It was just such a beautifully well-rounded story from beginning to end.

This is one of those stories that has so many great characters, I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for a favourite. Although I am tempted to say that it is Sakura's little spirit friend Asagiri, there are so many others that are equally lovable. Sakura herself is also a nice character, I loved how she was sincere and naive yet would also simply be lazy and childish. There is a lot of character growth - not only for her but for the majority of characters. As there are so many characters to love, it's so easy to get emotionally invested and there's a lot of sadness the cast needs to overcome. It is also great how, as the story progresses, the line between good and evil dims more and more.

The only thing I would criticise about Sakura Hime is how conveniently everyone seems to be connected. Every character is related to someone else one way or another. After a while, it felt like a repetitive plot twist when yet another character was revealed to be someone's long-lost lover, friend or sibling. However, given all the wonderful elements of this plot, it is a small matter that can easily be ignored.

A delightful surprise through and through - I am utterly in love with the setting, characters and plot and after this am inclined to believe that Tanemura's stories work out best if there is at least a hint of fantasy involved! Now if only there were an artbook...

[Yoyomaus Die Büchereule · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zum Inhalt:
Um Sakura aus den Händen Enjus und der Mondwesen zu befreien, kämpfen sich Aoba, Byakuya, Asagiri, Kohaku und Hayate weiter in Enjus Schloss vor. Im Kampf zwischen den alten Weggefährten Kohaku und Shuri kommt es zwar zu einem Unentschieden, immerhin haben Kohaku, Hayate und Aoba aber eine wichtige Erkenntnis über Shuri gewonnen. Als schließlich Asagiri und Ukyo aufeinandertreffen, kommt Asagiris Vergangenheit ans Licht!


Nachdem sich Aoba und seine Freunde Zugang zum Schloß des Mondprinzen Enju geschaffen haben, müssen sie sich Gegnern stellen, die allesamt etwas mit ihrer Vergangenheit zu tun haben. So treffen Kohaku und Hayate auf einen ehemaligen Ninja, der einst seinen Bruder tötete und nun Kohakus Gegner ist. Doch die Geschichte von Shuri ist weit tragischer, als der Leser und auch die Protaginisten vermuten können. Als Shuri sich geschlagen gibt und Kohaku erkennt, warum er so gehandelt hat und wie das Schicksal zu ihm war, muss Asagiri gegen ihren ehemaligen Geliebten antreten. Der Leser erfährt nun, warum Asagiri eine Schneejungfrau, ein Winzling ist und warum die Liebe zu Ukyo so tragisch endete. Einst sollte Asagiri als Opfer für ihren Gott dienen, um diesen zu besänftigen. Doch als Asagiri erkannte, was für ein Wesen ihr Gott war, wandte sie sich gegen das ganze Dorf und handelte egoistisch, was die Zerstörung des Dorfes mit sich zog. Ein erbitterter Kampf zwischen den ehemaligen Liebenden beginnt.


Mit ihrer Fortsetzung bringt Arina Tanemura immer mehr Aspekte in die Geschichte ein, die Gut und Böse miteinander verschwimmen lassen. Die Geschichten der einzelnen Charaktere sind dramatisch. Jedes Schicksal scheint mit Sakura und Aoba zusammen zu hängen und nicht zuletzt mit Enju, der scheinbar all die enttäuschten Seelen ganz zufällig gefunden und sie auf seine Seite gezogen hat. Dass die Charaktere alle miteinander verknüpft sind und in einem perfiden Spiel gegeneinander aufgebracht worden sind, wird nun klar. Die Frage des Warum bleibt jedoch noch offen. Die Geschichte rund um Sakura nimmt in diesem Manga jetzt einen völlig neuen Verlauf an. Es gibt einfach mehr Schicksale, es dreht sich nicht mehr alles nur um Sakura und Aoba. Außerdem gibt es weniger romantische Aspekte sondern die Autorin bedient sich nun mehr an Grausamkeiten. Wer die Werke von Arina mag und kennt, wird auch hier wieder feststellen, dass sie erneut keine neuen Charakterdesigns einbringt. So ist Ukyo letzten Endes nur eine menschliche Form von Access Time aus Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne. Das ist wieder sehr schade und mindert in meinen Augen den Lesespaß.


Empfehlen möchte ich den Manga weiterhin allen Fans von Arina Tanemura, wenn sie über die gleichbleibenden Charakterdesigns hinweg sehen können. Außerdem möchte ich es allen Fans von Magical-Girl-Mangas empfehlen.


Idee: 5/5
Spannung: 4/5
Charaktere: 4/5
Emotionen: 4/5


Gesamt: 4/5

ISBN:9783842032903
Sprache:Deutsch
Ausgabe:eBook (Download)
Umfang:192 Seiten
Verlag:TOKYOPOP
Erscheinungsdatum:21.07.2016

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness, these last two volumes have been VERY good and deeply emotional! I never expected for two of my favorite side characters to have such hard backstories that start happy and upbeat but end with tragedy (and sometimes) heartbreak.

I've always thought Kohaku was strong, especially as a ninja, but I think the ending of this arc and her battle with Shuri really shows how true that is. I love how she was told and encouraged that it's okay to show emotion as a ninja and that it would be her strength. While I'm sure she would be upset with me agreeing, but when her tears flowed, it really showed her earnestness and heart. I am still so desperately hoping that we will see Shuri again because that arc has definitely been my favorite so far as it was very unexpected to learn the REAL motivations behind certain characters' actions.

Asagiri's backstory was definitely unexpected too! I'm not sure what I'm currently feeling, to be honest. I felt her story was deeply engaging and I think I was shocked by how things unfolded and how she is today. She's so upbeat and supportive, so it was shocking to see the REAL her. Er, I should say at least who she USED to be. I can't imagine how hard it was for her when Sakura heard who she really was and I can only imagine how upset Sakura feels FOR Asagiri, not AT Asagiri. They have a strong and beautiful friendship and have ZERO doubts that Sakura will hug her when this battle ends…

Though speaking of, it is hard to see Asagiri come across as heartless when I think she is far from it. There have been a few panels where there seems to be a longing for a certain character and with them here now, I don't know how she will fare...

Also, I have finally realized that the reason I strongly didn't like volume four is because I really don't like Enju. Every time he is on page (which thankfully wasn't often in this volume) I become very annoyed and even irritated. I don't know what Sakura should do but I hope that she can "defy" him and realize that he is definitely not the same person he was.

Lastly, it's surprising to me how much the "beats" of these last few volumes really do feel very shonen-like! I know the creator commented that maybe she didn't do that well and that it's different, but I think she was successful!

Another extremely well-done volume!

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, let's clarify the star rating first: the main part of the book, i.e. the actual Princess Sakura part is five star stuff but then approximately third of the book is bonus stories which weren't as stellar, so I'm taking one star off.

Anyway! This time the focus is on Asagiri and her past. And because Asagiri is one of my favourite characters in this manga, I loved reading more about her. She had already hinted she's much different to her cute and kind self seen until now. But it's not even as simple as that. We see she was actually cute and kind even in the past but then something horrible happened... She blames herself but I don't think she's entirely at fault (I mean, that tree god wasn't very nice, was it??). I'm eager to see what she learns all of this, as we've seen before, these fights have brought many realizations for the characters and they have grown thanks to those.

It's nice how Tanemura has built her characters as proper persons with different sides to them even though there are quite many of them. That is done a little at the cost of Sakura's character though. For a few volumes now she's been there almost in the name only. I've said this before but I say it again because she's the titular character after all and I want to see more of her.

As mentioned, there's non-Sakura bonus stories taking a good chunk of the book. There's a longer story about an angel called Rose who wants to go down to Earth to see humans. It's a cute little story but probably my least favourite Arina short story. Then there are a couple of shorter strips bringing back characters from Arina's older series, it was fun to see those characters again. The Gentlemen Alliance Cross strips have some stupid jokes though.

There are many beautiful panels again, as always, but especially the two page spread of Asagiri arriving at the lake for the first time was so beautiful! ♥

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A battle starts with Ukyo and Asagiri, she claims she doesn't love him anymore, so she would will no regret killing him. Asagiri was chosen as the yearly sacrifice in her village, but Ukyo didn't want her to go through with it. Lady Shimoni protects Asagiri from being killed by Hosoyuki who wanted Asagiri to be shamed by not being there for the sacrificial ritual all because she was upset that Ukyo loved Asagiri not her.

[An · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying how the story is progressing throughout this series. Arina Tanemura's amazing, and that's almost a fact!
I love uncovering each of the character's stories of their pasts. It's all so exciting!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

We got background information about Asagiri and where she came from but not a lot in plot development.Sakura and Aoba are not in the forefront in this volume.

There are some extras from other works from Arina in the back of the book.

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 4 out of 5]

That had to be the most interesting volume yet! I found Asagiri and Ukyo’s back story to be so interesting.. sad too, of course.

I loved the short chapter in the back of the vol about all the mascots of Tanemura’s series. I loved the little creatures of Mistress Fortune and Full Moon.

[Littlebookterror · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sue me but I love me a tragic romance that is beautifully drawn.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully drawn and written Edo era shoujo manga!

[~Avi Ward~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

CUUUUUTTTEEE.

[Kristin ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing is really happening or have a impact on the main story anymore. I am incredibly bored and yet again, stupid side story at the end?

[Khadija · Rating 3 out of 5]

The side characters are the best part of this series

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a star off for the bonus story section because that was just not it.

[genrejourneys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone’s ex-something in at this fight.

[Judyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3 - 3.5 / 5
I'm not minding this series so far, but it's a little slow. I'm hoping it gets going soon. I'm just waiting for something big, something intense to happen, because right now it's been focusing on the characters background and their fighting as they get to Sakura, which is interesting, just not especially invigorating. Hopefully it will move onto something else soon, like the climax of this plot. I think it's close, though, which is good.
The first chapter completes the fight between Kohaku and Shuri, and Hayate does something sweet for Kohaku (but he's pretty awesome in general). Then we see Sakura talking with Enju, as she wants to leave to stop the fighting, but he reminds her of her 'destruction' soul symbol, and then won't let her go.
For most of the rest of the volume, we get to see Asagiri's past. She starts to fight Ukyo, her past lover (after transforming to her adult form), when it goes to the past and we see how they know each other. She lived in a snowy village with other women of her kind, where only about twenty-percent of population is men, and Ukyo was one of them. After a bad start, they got together, when she is chosen as the sacrifice for the villages sacred tree. She's honored by it, as at the time she believed in the Gods and was very respectful of them, even though she loves Ukyo. When she goes to sacrifice herself, though, she finds out that it's not actually a God, and when her thoughts change on the subject, she ends up killing her whole village.
Ukyo wants revenge, which is why he wants to fight her. But he still loves her, but Asagiri claims not to love him anymore and so will be able to kill him. She's also cursed, though, because of something she drank at the time, and so her life will be short. (Sakura is surprised by all of this, since she only knows of the nicer parts of Asagiri's personality.) Before this can be explained further, and before the fight can really start, that part of the volume ends.
The last bit of the volume (about a quarter of it) is taken up by a short story, plus some other short comic-strips. The short story is about a little angel girl, who wants to go to the human village, the little boy angel that likes and helps her, and the little witch that makes it possible. They're cute little kids, and the narrative in it stated the obvious, but in a cute, childish way that gave it a good kid feel. It was cute. After that there is a little competition of the mascots from all of Tanemura's series, which is cute (particularly because it was fun to see the 'mascots' again). And then there are The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross comics, which were cute but only reminded me that I don't remember nearly enough of the series, and then some author ones.
This is a pretty good series, just a little slow at the moment. I'm hoping that it gets more exciting soon, that the actual plot line starts progressing.
[Taken from my blog: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... ]

[Mello ❣ Illium ✮Harry✮ ☀Myrnin☀ Torin Ichimaru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis:

The battle between Kohaku and Shuri has ended, but Sakura is still held captive by Enju. Sakura tries to convince her brother that there are humans who will accept the moon people, but he will not back down. Enju tells Sakura she will soon need to choose sides and whom she is to destroy...

My Thoughts:

In this volume, we find out the result of Kohaku's battle with Shuri. It looks like Shuri is determined to carry out his mission. He's a good guy. I rather like him. It's a shame how he ended up in this situation, but at least it seems that Kohaku and Hayate understand now. I am worried about what Hayate thinks of Kohaku's feelings. I understand why she feels like she can't tell him now, but if she doesn't, he'll never know. I know Hayate wouldn't give her up, but it's not fair that he's in the dark like that.

Next up, it's Asagiri vs Ukyo, her former lover. We learn about their background together and why he's angry with her. We also find out more about Asagiri's situation. It seems, she may not have much longer to live as a result of what she did in order to survive. Ukyo, though, seems to only care about Asagiri and when he learns the truth, he turns against Enju. Can everyone make it out okay? It'll likely take a lot to take down Enju and there are still some of his allies running around.

[Laurie Thibeault · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK. let me get this straight I love sakura and the book but i hate the author idk bout you guys but i bought it at that shop and half pages arr being cut because of a fudgin other story and half the book is reserved for dat other serie LIKE WHAT THE FUDGE IF I PAY TO READ SAKURA GIBE ME A COMPLETE BOOK WITH ENTIRE PAGES OF THE STORY NOT OTHER STUFF !!! godd it gets me frustrated this story barely talls about sakura and obly about asagiri and guess what the story of asagiri finished at the half and then the book was finished WE DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ASAGIRI !! okok im done now bit to be optimist the story in general is awsome but when i buy a book i expect to have an entire book about one ( ps i read many mangas and this one is the only one that has that problem ) ( pss i find it fudgin slow for sakura to finally be back with aoba its like turing in a circle)( psss i am still gonna buy all the others but i hate the authour .) .. thankyou have a great reading

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this 4 stars. Lovely illustrations. Story is getting interesting. Lots of couples which I like.
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Spoiler
Note to Self:Heian Era
Princess Sakura(14yo,sis,Princess Kaguya's(moon princess)granddaughter,orphan,immortal(mixed blood),pal)+Prince Oura(Aoba,17yo,betrothed,nephew,transforms to wolf,pal2),Fujimurasaki(Togu(next emperor),uncle),Asagiri(mononoke(spirit),mini,snow spirit,blood cursed,companion pal),Priestess Byakuya (old,mononoke(spirit),immortal,pal),Kohaku (ninja,8th ninja village leaders daughter,pal2)+ Hayate(frog,human ninja, pal2),Enju(older bro Kai,immortal,insane due to repeated drowning), Maimai(Den,male,immortal,Enju's team),Rurijo(Sakura elm doll,Enju's lover),Shuri(ninja,spy,immortal, Enju's team,pal2),Ukyo(mononoke(spirit),snow spirit,Asagiri's lover,immortal,Enju's team), Hosoyuki(snow spirit,died),Lady Shimoni(snow spirit,village leader's daughter,died).

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I mentioned in the last volume review, the characters in this series are so much more in-depth and mysterious than any other character Tanemura-san has created. I am really, truly digging that. They are so much more than they seem on the surface, and often times they almost always have some sort of twist to their story you weren't expecting. Or Tanemura-san will present things about them that will leave you guessing. She should be proud of this series!

I really loved learning about Asagiri's back story. It was so different and unexpected from her character. Her true form is pretty bad ass too. I can't wait to see this battle unfold!!

The one shot at the end of this volume was pretty adorable. And I felt bad so much time had passed since reading Tanemura-san's other works so the bonus funnies and stories from past series were kind of lost on me because I didn't remember the characters much. Oh well.

I can't wait to start volume 7!!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series continues to be an enjoyable three-star manga across the board, and volume six is no exception. The main problem I have with this volume is that the slow moments are excruciatingly so and it's not one of Tanemura's strengths. The best moments come during the exploration of Asagiri's past; now that was amazingly well-written and held a surprisingly dark story twist. I can't say I love Asagiri and Ukyo's romance - it's a bit too contrived and typical shoujo for my tastes. The last twist about Asagiri has me wanting to read the next volume quite a bit, which is something Sakura-Hime hasn't been doing lately so good on them. The short one-shot about the angels going to earth was very cute and extremely funny; I adored the pun-filled witch a lot.

[Miss Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume wraps up the Shuri-Kohaku fight storyline and then spends the majority of the volume detailing Asagiri's backstory. I liked it though I wish Tanemura had gone a little further in making Asagiri culpable for the destruction she claims she caused. When she said she'd destroyed her village I was intrigued – how was Tanemura going to handle a redemption storyline for a character who'd done something like that? – but the way it played out was more a tragedy of circumstance than anything Asagiri could be blamed for. I suppose it's not surprising, Tanemura's always been on the more light fluffy side of shoujo. 3.5 stars

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in: February 2013, June 2013.

The story of Shuri didn't end in the last volume so we get a little bit more. Kohaku finally realizes that Shuri hadn't betrayed them.

The next battle was between Ukyo and Asagirl. They don't battle in this volume because it is all backstory again. Ukyo and Asagirl used to be in love, but the destruction on a village separated them.

This series is getting better as it is going forward and I'm really enjoying it. The art, though busy at times, is very pretty and a pleasure to look at.

[Luke Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I really think Sakura Hime would be a lot better without all the side plots revolving around the other characters and their development, but oh, well. I'm still liking it for what it is.

There's another really random short story that pokes fun at a lot of Arina Tanemura's prior work and Titanic, which I loved. There's also some additional funnies from a prior series and a short featuring all of her mascot characters (including Ebe-ko from Mistress Fortune) that I also enjoyed.

[Meg Fee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sakura continues to be searched for by her friends while by her brother's side. She tries to convince him that some people would accept them for who they are but he disagrees. In the meantime we learn more about the people on both sides. This volume sees the conclusion of the ninja battle/history and we move on to the snow people battle/history.

[Kleinerrotfuchs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Geschichte ist mal wieder unglaublich gut. Es fällt mir nur leider auf, dass der Band ganz schön kurz ist. Er hat zwar die gleiche Seitenzahl, jedoch sind hinten zwei Kurzgeschichten enthalten. Mitunter eine von Shinshi Doumei Cross, was mich sehr gefreut hat. Finde ich nur etwas schade, wenn man soo schnell durch ist.