Koukyuu no Karasu
Raven of the Inner Palace

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Am I the only one who thinks this story takes place in a flat-earth-ish world? ? If you have already watched the anime or read up to volume 3, you should have seen the world map. According to bits and pieces of info in later volumes, it does feel like a flat-world! Not that it's of great importance though.

When I said "in later volumes" above, yes, world building is indeed very slow. The first two or three volumes felt like a grounded, realistic mystery pretty much like The Apothecary Diaries. We are not told about the lore and history of this world until halfway through ... the series. From there it heads towards a more adventure/fantasy-themed direction, and it's an amazing ride too. That also leads to a very interesting development. The story begins with a lot of PvP conflicts, and as we learn more about how dangerous and unforgiving this world is, the story turns into more of a PvE struggle. And in the final volume, it almost feels like it's EvE (is there such a thing?)!!! It certainly shows how insignificant and helpless human beings are when facing the "big picture". It's horrifying, yet hauntingly beautiful.

The characters are all adorable with amazing arcs and development. As what I mentioned above, this might not be a "superhero saving the world" story. Humans are fragile and everyone has their weaknesses and flaws. There are times we see how they overcome them, but most of the times they just struggle and have to accept the fact that they are... helpless and incapable. This might sound cheesy but accepting who you really are (or who you really are not) is still some kind of redemption, however painful it is.

I particularly love the central theme of the story: freedom. Is freedom inherited or earned? How far would you go to seek for true freedom? And in the end, does true freedom grant you true happiness too? Man, that's really deep and thought-provoking, and I was constantly in tears while reading the last two volumes. Volume 7 is one of the best final volumes I have read in a light novel series.

Now I am going to shut myself off to mourn over the completion of this series. It's a terrific ride with lots of laughter and tears. And I am going to miss everyone. ❤️