Lots of action in this one. I do wish we got more of Shirayuki, but this one is all about Zen and the Berget brothers. This actually took a really dark turn with their past being revealed... I hope Tariga and Tsuruba make it!
The best arc in the manga currently (as far as I'm concerned). It's a shame Shirayuki plays little role in this one because the political intrigue was high and we got to see the close bonds between Prince Zen and his aides. Definitely one of the best ones after the Lilias arc!
The most dangerous job in the kingdom turns out to be seeking Kiki’s hand in marriage, as her suitors are under attack by unknown assailants. Suspicion is directed onto Mitsuhide, which is ridiculous, but clearly serves a more sinister purpose that Zen and his crew now need to figure it out.
It’s refreshing to say that this is a pretty strong entry for a series that has been up its own butt for several volumes now; it really jumps back to life with this instalment, finally deciding to add a little show back to the tell.
Instead of fake plant research, we get palace intrigue and secret plots and things that are actually far more relatable (and interesting). The whole volume focuses on this and, to its credit, this is the first time that the Zen and Shirayuki pairing hasn’t been sorely missed (Shirayuki is barely in this volume and it works just fine).
Things start with an excellent swerve where Hisame, who had previously failed to win Kiki’s hand, volunteers to complicate matters to tip the odds in the heroes’ favour, but clearly recognizes that he’s not got a chance of succeeding a second time around. It’s a quiet but welcome acknowledgment of the past.
Mitsuhide is going to Mitsuhide, so he does what he’s told and plays his cards close to his chest, which is his character, somewhat to his own detriment. Meanwhile, Zen proves that he’s got the brains to do a good job as ruler with his sharp eyes and clever plotting.
There are ambushes and feats of derring-do and last minute surprises and complicated familial bonds all wrapped up in a story, as yet unresolved, that offers a little moral about the difference in ruling by fear versus ruling by nobility. Which is a far cry from plant life and would be absolutely perfect except for the usual problems this book has and one I don’t know that I noticed before.
First off, at this stage we basically need a line of succession or something detailing all the houses. The reader should not need to take notes to follow the houses here and keeping track of who belongs where is a nightmare.
And it might be me, but I’m starting to get the sense that the lack of action stems from this mangaka not being great at it. There are panels which don’t clearly lead to one another, which you could chalk up to the chaos of battle, but are far too hard to follow at times.
Also, everybody looking vaguely similar is thrown into even worse relief with a family of twins and a brother who also have Zen’s “white” hair on the page and look like him. I literally had to track one fight by the colour of a character’s pants. There’s a reason for this at times, but it shouldn’t be that much of a chore.
That this remains such a good volume is a testament to its writing, which goes for something a bit meatierat long last and finally feels like the story isn’t actually pulling its punches (brother dearest is something else).
3.5 stars - and, yes, let’s round it up because it’s the most rewarding this story has been in a long time and made me genuinely feel like it had been worth sticking with.
As expected, this story arc is shaping up to be very interesting! While I'm a little sad that Shirayuki was barely present in this volume, I can't deny that I'm enjoying the change of pace from the slow storyline of research in Lilias. Poor Mitsuhide! He doesn't deserve this kind of treatment AT ALL. The twins have turned out to be intriguing characters. I didn't like them at first, but now I want to see more of them. Hope that's not a mistake...
"Don't count what you can't afford to lose, Lord Tariga. You'll only be paralyzed by inaction."
This was an explosive volume!! WOW!
Seeing Mitsuhide be taken into custody and detained was A LOT of feelings because the anger that Zen and Kiki felt was fierce and leaped from the page onto myself. On the flip side, the deep sadness coming from Mitsuhide was heartbreaking and wrapped around me. Seeing him not be able to act and the accusations spoken was frustrating and deeply saddening. Very powerful writing with just as powerful art to reflect these emotions so well!
And then the twins! I did not expect that kind of backstory! Left me feeling conflicted...
I think this is the first time we've really seen Zen shine and be the "light" as he is referred to by one character. Zen is usually always so laid back and though we've seen moments of his fierceness, this volume was unlike any other thus far. He was beyond "princely" in how he fought, stood up for his aides, and came down to even discovering (with help) what is going on. It was powerful and amazing and hope we see Zen like this again, though I would prefer his life to not be on the line. *nervous laughter*
And Obi! I LOVED seeing him back in his old element but as a new and better him! It was AWESOME and definitely was one of my favorite parts of this volume!
But going back to the twins from before, I'm not sure what to say because they made this volume bring out a lot of emotions, and think that ending was especially powerful. (I want Zen's words to live rent-free in my head because it hit me hard with all the emotion being shown.)
The art was incredible and was surprised how much high action was in this volume! Seeing blood is not the norm in this series, but there was quite a bit of (non-graphic) violence and blood in this one that really ups the tension that is going on.
Thankful Shirayuki is safe and not having to worry about her because everything with all this plotting has left me taking a BIG breather at the end, but its onto the next volume I go!
Definitely would give this a glowing ten stars if I could! A very excellent volume!
This was really exciting. After a few books that felt like lame academic filler, we’re back to exciting stuff. Obi sweeping in the save the day gets me all giggly every time
Oh! Things got really interesting and escalated quickly. Can't wait to see how this particular segment ends. I also love the pretty blue of the cover art. Zen, Kiki, and Mitsuhide look great on it.
Very exciting and tense which is not something I can often say about this series, haha!
The whole intricate plan and how it all unfolded with Zen, Kiki, and Obi really having to work hard and fast to clear Mitsuhide and get down to the bottom of this plot was really well done and not at all what I was expecting at times. The twins’ backstory was really heartbreaking too and their reasonings for not speaking out very different then I thought it was going to be.
Curious to see how this all ends!
‼️Content‼️
Language: what the; dammit; damn
Violence: arrows strike characters (nothing over PG-13); injuries and blood (nothing over PG-13); a severed, bloody arm (PG-13); sword fights (nothing over PG-13); a dead body is thrown in front of a character
Drug/Alcohol: someone is hinted to have died from poison
Other: a character is framed and falsely accused of attacking others; betrayal
This volume has been my favorite so far. I feel like the light romance that the series has been has taken a deep dive down a more adventure packed plot full of plot twists, sword fights, and drama.
A very convoluted political struggle in the north ramps up to its climax as bodyguards are disarmed, assassins are hired, and loyalties are stretched to a breaking point.
Very exciting book, lots of action and unfolding backgrounds of new characters. Now I have to patiently wait till the next one comes out in I think May 2022.
Kiki & Hisame has a plan to lure out the enemy but the enemy has made a move. Mitsuhide has been framed for the attack on the 3 Houses, pissing Zen, Kiki & those who know Mitsuhide best. The Bergatt twins & Hisame were injured while on patrol. Obi shows up to assist his master & find evidence that the Bergatt House & the Tohz House, who accused Mitsuhide being the mastermind behind the attacks, are working together. Soon news came that the head of the Bergatt House is coming here (Sreg base). Tsuruba, unaware that his older brother is coming heading for the base, head out to meet him so he can kill him. Flashback of their childhood. Tsuruba run into trouble as his older brother had hired several assassins to kill him. Eventually Obi & Kiki shows up to help him out. Meanwhile at the base, Touka makes his move; he & his assassins attempts to assassinate His Highness Zen & his younger brother, Tariga, as well as anyone else trying to protecting Zen. A drug has been released to incapacitate the rest of the knights. Will Obi & Kiki return to Zen's side soon enough? Or will Touka succeed?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I love this... I love the story, i love the unique characters of this story, i love isit lot, i love each and every about the story .. lovely The best romantic story in planet... It's just amazing... I watched the anime version but it only have 2 seasons...i request the creator to continue the story.. please... Anime is the best way to feel the story.... Please continue the story i request you... Best
Yazar keşke kitap uzasın diye esas karakterleri bırakıp saçma sapan aksiyonlar oluşturmaya çalışmasan. Zaten aksiyon yazamıyorsun, niye shoujo mangada acınası hareketler görmek zorundayım ya. Aksiyon yazacaksan hakkını vereceksin. Delirtti 3 kitaptır kadın. Ne Shirayuki var ne Zen var ne Obi var ne Mitsuhide ne Kiki... Saçma sapan yan karakterler okuyup duruyoruz. -.-
If you’re confused about the house of Bergat or the Wirant castle, just read this volume because everything g is explained…. I have no idea if I spell those correctly, but imma roll with it.
Anyway, this one is filled with suspense and confusion. I will not be elaborating any further on the matter.
A plot to neutralize Zen by eliminating his entourage. At first, the twin brothers slavishly follow the orders of the head of the family. Then they understand that Zen is a good lord and try to turn the situation around and stop their big brother's plan. Finally a lot more action in this volume. The last volumes were pretty boring.
Watched the anime and knew that the story continued in the manga. It's light fluff. I know that the premise requires Shirayuki and Zen to be together but it would have been more interesting to me if along the way they realized that they are better as supportive friends and she ended up with Obi. Also, she just utters "Zen" way too often.
So Kiki is "engaged", Mitsuhide is "arrested", Obi is back with Zen to protect him and is apparently a forgotten aide since he wasn't part of Berget plans...... Feeling bad for Tsuruba and Tariga. Seems like they are being controlled by an abusive brother and only obey him to protect each other. I hope Zen and the others can help free them!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a really exciting volume. Lots of espionage. I hope my library gets more volumes in soon so I can continue.
This was more or less a Zen-centric volume which was nice since the last couple was more focused on the events in Lilas. This volume was full of tense moments and uncovering a plot against Zen, using one of his knights.
Welcome back after the crap shoot that was the glowing flowers. I would have given this 5/5 but the end got confusing. Twins are a hard concept to do well and when they are playing secret agents it’s even harder to follow.
it just… idk if it’s because I haven’t read manga in a long time or what, but it just felt so disjointed and hard to follow and there would be random jumps and cuts and dialogue that didn’t connect to the next panel idk I didn’t like this one
Well, that was the most interesting volume in a long while!!! This series is so calm so I never thought we would see a vindictive a-hole who would kill his own father and blackmail his brothers to do his biddings… Not the romance I wanted but hey it’s exciting in a way LOL
A solid addition to the series. I really like how much Zen and the others have grown recently and getting some good face time in with Hisame, Mitsuhide, and Kiki is always fun. Enjoying the intrigue and looking forward to what will happen next.