Feb 10, 2025
What do you get when an exile facing a death sentence is forced to return from where she departed? A very engaging and entertaining manga where our protagonist has to live by her wits, which are also the main thing that keep undermining her. As it's only fifteen chapters, absolutely worth a read, as the art is quite attractive, and the story told is fun, if a bit shorter than it should be.
The protagonist of this manga is Jurei, an Imperial concubine nicknamed "Snow White Sow" for her pale skin and love of eating which has left her quite chubby. Despite what you would think
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from the title, she's actually highly-ranked within the Chinese Imperial Harem (one Empress, four Consorts, nine Concubines, however many dozens of lowly-ranked women). However, while she has rank, wealth, and popularity (everyone inside the harem and quite a few officers associated with its care like her since she brings laughter and happiness everywhere within it), she was framed for a crime she did not commit, and banished to the red-light district, where everyone expected her to die. She didn't. As a matter of fact, she lost a ton of weight, and while she was pretty when she was pudgy, she's outright gorgeous after losing the fat. Of course, no one recognizes her, so when she's scooped up in one of the regular raids where women are forced to try out to join the Imperial harem, she's quite terrified. As a branded criminal who was only spared execution by begging for mercy, being near the palace is an automatic death sentence.
There's not much romance going on in this manga. If anything, the emphasis is far more on friendship. Jurei's situation is dangerous, but she is also clever, so she's constantly working to fail the tryout and get kicked out without being discovered. Unfortunately, she <i>is</i> clever, so her schemes backfire each time, which is absolutely hilarious. Her frustrated expressions as she watches her latest ploy fall apart are both cute and funny. Since the only thing that has changed is her appearance, her innate benevolent nature make her stick up for the other girls in the harem even when it would be easier for her to hide in the corner. People cluster around her the way they used to before her exile, and laughter and happiness once again begin to blossom within the harem complex. As you would expect, this sets up further conflict, as things have become far more sinister within the harem in the four years since Jurei's exile.
I recommend this manga, as it is both short and fun. Read it in an afternoon, laugh at Jurei and sympathize with her, and enjoy the lovely aesthetic and underlying emotions that drive the story forward.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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