Black Knight, Volume 02

Black Knight #2

by Tsurugi Kai

The shadow of the Dunalk Emprie once again looms over the peaceful kingdom of Aran, and at the suggestion of his cousin James, Prince Christian agrees to visit the neighboring country as a representative...under the guise of a hostage! Such a bold move is completely unheard of for the sheltered prince, and his overprotective lord father and faithful knight Zeke strongly opose. But will their disapproval be enough to stop a man who loves his kingdom more than his own life? And more importantly, will the turmoil of the kingdoms bring turmoil to the prince's love?

Genres: Manga, Yaoi, Queer, Romance, Graphic Novels, M M Romance, Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Audiophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed the first 90 or so pages, with Chris and Zeke's relationship settling in, and the plot popping it's head up to say hi... but then the rest of the book was flashback stories about the king, and while it was kind of cute and provided some background for the kingdom as it exists present-day in the story, I was mostly just bored and it took me weeks to just finish off reading it because I was just missing the main characters. Looking forward to getting back to them in book 3.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story continues. Prince Christian decides to defy his father and go on a mission to enemy territory as a hostage. A diplomatic thing but one that can be highly risky, especially for a prince who has been sheltered for most of his life. The book then makes an aside as we get the story of Christian's father's gradual rise to power and the founding of the kingdom of Aran. I did find that interesting. Now we have two stories hanging: how will Christian proceed, and how his father achieves victory. Overall, still entertaining.

[Luru · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot and characters are still somewhat hard to follow at times (it feels like there's more of a story to a lot of characters than what is shown). Also, there are still random half-page inserts to a plot point/characters elsewhere, trying to deepen some part of the llot and leaving the reader in some frustration over the lack of proper plot development.

The romance that is depicted between Chris and Zeke still doesn't feel heartfelt. They are together because the creators made it so, not because the story has actually shown us how they got there.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I found the king's back story interesting enough, I just really didn't care. His backstory just felt rushed. He was only present for a couple panels and then suddenly half of this volume is dedicated to his back story. This manga has some serious pacing issues.

[Mosley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh I bought all four of these and now Im struggling to push through them so I won't be out what I paid but these are not good.

[Leila Anani · Rating 2 out of 5]

2nd volume follows the romance between Prince Christian and his bodyguard Zeke. Christian decides he's going to be a willing hostage in an attempt to make peace with their warring neighbours, Zeke and his father object.

The second half of the book is a flashback backstory dealing with Christian's father and how he meets and falls for his wife.

Average artwork and an overly complicated story are the down sides to this manga. Setting and main characters are great. This particular volume mixes m/m and m/f romance which might deter some readers. There are also a lot of characters, who all look pretty similar to try and keep track of.

[M.A. Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prince Christian annoys. The side story, however, was very good, and the writing was much stronger. Got a little of the worldbuilding in that, which I felt was sorely lacking in the first volume.