Manga Review: Reimei no Arcana

This is my first review of a manga, so we’ll see how this goes. :)

Title: Reimei no Arcana (or Dawn of the Arcana)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Genre: Shounen, fantasy, romance, drama

General Setup: In an attempt to keep the peace between two neighboring countries Princess Nakaba is marrying Prince Caesar as an act of good faith. Caesar acts cruel and demeaning towards Nakaba. Her only friend is her attendant Loki. Suddenly Nakaba starts to get visions. Some of them are of Caesar getting mortally hurt. What is going on? Will she try and protect him or leave him to his own measures?

Characters: Nakaba had few friends as a child. Because of her red hair she was locked away as an outcast of the court. Despite being rejected and mistreated she has a strong spirit and is willing to stand up for what she believes in. Nakaba has a kind heart toward others and wants to help them in anyway she can. She doesn’t care for material belongings, instead she treasures her relationships with people. Caesar acts cruelly towards Nakaba, but soon he comes to care for her. Behind a rough exterior he hides a heart that cares. He is a natural leader, but never had the chance to use his talent because he is not the Crown Prince. Loki is an Ajin (a species with both human and animal characteristics - they reminded me of the Faunus from RWBY). He is compassionate, but is also willing to hurt others in order to obtain his goal.

Plot: The plot for Reimei no Arcana  is actually very intricate. There are multiple plot twists lying in wait for readers. Get excited - you won’t be bored! The story has some deep themes, one of them being the discrimination of the Ajin, who are considered sub-human. Also, the story gets a little dark in some places. While I may not always like the actions the characters take they move the plot forward and are sometimes the only thing they could have done to improve their situations.

Ending: I feel like this story has two endings: the one you think is the ending and then the actual ending. Both of my reactions to them were, “What?!” and then, “Oh.” Disregarding my vague comments that are an attempt to avoid spoilers, I enjoyed the way this manga ended. The [actual] ending, while a surprise, ends on a bittersweet note. I almost cried (and I am not a big crier), but it was mostly happy.

Things to Watch For: Nakaba and Caesar are married, so there are some adult themes. Not to worry, nothing overt happens. Also, as I mentioned, the story can be a little dark. I’ll put it this way: Stuff gets real.

Humor: This manga has a more serious feel, but humor is still present.

Visuals: Manga doesn’t really have sound, so I changed the heading for this. I personally enjoyed the art style. It was cool to see the characters change as time went on (ex. Hair growth). The only thing that bothered me about the art was how Nakaba’s braid is so thin. Like, I think you have more hair than that!

Other media: Reimei no Arcana is just a manga. But it’s a good manga, so you should read it!

Length: This manga is composed of 13 volumes.

Where to Read: Reimei no Arcana is licensed in English, so look for it in libraries and bookstores. It is also available to read online. However, I am not convinced of the legality of that particular method.