Jun 17, 2014
This is undeniably one of the most inspirational mangas I have ever read. No matter how many times I reread it, I feel like I'm reading it for the first time. The romance between Noriko and Izark is so adorable and really develops over the course of the story. I can feel my heart getting all warm and fuzzy whenever their together, as if I was the one falling in love XD
Not only are the characters enjoyable and wonderful people, but you also get the sense that they behave realistically, with a basic understanding of their own limitations and common sense, which is surprisingly
...
rare in most other manga and anime.
Noriko is a wonderful take on the dependent female character type. She gets kidnapped a few times, but in general she gets kidnapped for legitimate reasons. While other dependent females get kidnapped because they're pretty and the enemy wants to bone them, Noriko gets kidnapped or almost murdered because her mental faculties and pure, loving heart make her an asset and a threat to evil. Not to mention, she has such a wonderfully positive outlook on life, that it is simply contagious. I also love, that she is the one dependent female character I can think of whose personality or characteristics cannot be changed. If you change Noriko in any way, the story just doesn't work the same or as well. Noriko literally just being who she is is what gives her and her friends strength. It's very inspiring and empowering, especially in the real work were magic and superpowers don't exist.
One thing I especially love about the story is the world building and the continuity. You can really tell that the manga-ka spent a lot of time building this world and the many different cultures and governments within it, with prophesies, misinterpreted prophesies, and other worlds galore.
Also, unlike other, more episodic mangas, characters and events which happen and appear towards the beginning of the series actually come back and influence the later half of the manga in a very big way. And by that I mean that if Noriko and Izark didn't go to all those places, meet all those people, and gain all those experiences, the ending of this manga would have been DRASTICALLY different.
On the subject of world building, I just want to note how much I appreciate that the manga-ka actually addressed the whole issue of a language barrier when traveling to another dimension or time (as opposed to being completely brushed aside by a magical deus ex machina such as in Daughter of the Nile and Red River). Just wanted to mention that.
The art in this manga wasn't mind-blowing, but I didn't really care. It's obviously a 90s art style and some of the character designs, especially for non-main characters are somewhat cartoony, but that didn't stop me from going humina humina whenever Izark was on the page, and especially whenever he was dressed sexily.
My ONLY regret with this manga is that there isn't more of it. I want more Izark and Noriko!! DX
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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