Manga Review: Kaze Hikaru, Volume 26, by Taeko Watanabe

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2018

Volumes: 42+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 24. 27.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A historical romance set in the time of Rurouni Kenshin!

In the 1860s in Japan, a new era is dawning. During this time fraught with violent social upheaval, samurai of all walks of life flock to Kyoto in the hope of joining a band of warriors united around their undying loyalty to the shogunate system. This group becames one of the greatest (and most infamous) movements in Japanese history…the Shinsengumi!

Kondo, disillusioned by the weakened state of the Shogunate, returns from Hiroshima in despair. Upon his return, he moves in with his mistress Mikyuki. Hijikata is on high alert, and he observes the couple very closely. What are Miyuki’s true motives?

Review:

There's some drama between Kondo and his new bride, Miyuki-Dayu in this volume. She's been denying him, and he's trying to be understanding, while his council are not quite as much. It's causing some issues, and when she explains why she's having a hard time to Kondo, he tries to help as much as he can.

Okita is basically an observer during this. They talk and he helps where he can, but Miyuki is running most of this show. And when her sister shows up, even more conflict shows up. I was wary of Miyuki during most of this, and while the concluding decision is a bit sad, it's also kind of sweet. It's a hard choice to make, between sisters and romantic love.

We see another sad parting in the last part of the book. It's sad, but honorable, I suppose.

I'm not big on historical stories, but I do like the way this is told. It's not too serious, but still handles serious matters and relationships. The art style makes it fun, I think.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Kaze Hikaru, Volume 24, by Taeko Watanabe

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2016

Volumes: 37+

Spoilers?: No.

Volume: 1. 23.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the 1860s in Japan, a new era is dawning. During this time fraught with violent social upheaval, samurai of all walks of life flock to Kyoto in the hope of joining a band of warriors united around their undying loyalty to the Shogunate system. This group became one of the greatest (and most infamous) movements in Japanese history...the Shinsengumi!

When word arrives that the renowned assassin Sakamoto Ryoma is active again, the Shinsengumi must come up with a plan to stop him. Sei, still undercover as the male warrior Kamiya Seizaburo, tries to persuade her superiors that he’s not the threat they believe him to be, but to no avail. Will she take matters into her own hands, despite the risk to herself and her troop?

Review:

I can see why some people might enjoy this series more, if they’ve been following along and they’re fans of historical stories. I think I might just not be the audience for it.

In this volume, there’s some serious possible consequences, as Sei tries to help the enemy and gets caught. It realistically shows how hard staying with the law and gender laws can be during the time; though the conclusion is maybe not totally realistic. There’s some humor thrown in, and some romantic hints. And then the second half of the volume, we get a background story for two main side characters, whom I know little about in the main story.

I’m just not a fan of historical stories, I think, so this series isn’t really for me. Even the humor doesn’t really hit me.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Kaze Hikaru, Volume 23, by Taeko Watanabe

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 4, 2015

Volumes: 37+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 22.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the 1860s in Japan, a new era is dawning. During this time fraught with violent social upheaval, samurai of all walks of life flock to Kyoto in the hope of joining a band of warriors united around their undying loyalty to the Shogunate system. This group became one of the greatest (and most infamous) movements in Japanese history...the Shinsengumi!

Sei is badly injured when she rescues Shoji in a surprise attack against the Shinsengumi. Though she seems to be recovering, Shoji is haunted by the incident and Sei’s role in saving his life. His behavior is so unreasonable that Saito threatens to revoke his role as Vice Captain! Meanwhile, Captain Kondo returns from a disappointing trip to Hiroshima…little does he know that some of his closest confidants are conspiring against him!

Review:

I tend to stay away from historical books, just because I’m not a fan in general. I’ve tried reading some, but I have a hard time getting into them. This book surprised me.

Thankfully, the synopsis at the beginning of the book filled me in enough to get into this book, what with not having read any of the previous volumes. Clearly there were a couple important incidents that I’d missed, but this volume was relatively easy to follow.

And while it is historical, with clearly labeled dates and political dynamics, it’s also a comedy. There are serious moments, with fighting and remorse, and Okita starts getting depressed in the first half, but there’s also a lot of joking around, moments where the characters are laughing and teasing each other. I liked the budding romance between Okita and Sei, and the modesty they have with each other, which makes sense for the time period.

It also seemed like the author really knows the time period this is set in, which is good.

I was surprised by how enjoyable this volume was, and I liked the main characters. And even how some of the side characters seemed to be changing.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, and Erik Jansen from MediaLab PR. Thank you so, so much!