StrangenessAbound’s 見 & 漫 Page: Reimei no Arcana (Dawn of the Arcana) {manga}

I would like to apologize to the column’s readers for not updating this over the past several weeks. I went to Pop Culture of America just before I could prepare, and after that came finals, more paper assignments than I could count, even more emails than paper assignments as well as teaching and tutoring assignments. *deep breath* So, here is another edition of the Anime and Manga column! This week: Reimei no Arcana

Japanese advertisement for Reimei no Arcana

Arrives at a bookstore near you (and online, too!) in December 2011

Description from MangaUpdates.com:

“On that day, I became the enemy’s possesion,” Nakaba thought as she stood there, knowing her destiny was to be married for convenience to keep the peace between her country, Senan, and Prince Caesar’s country, Belquat; two neighboring countries on an island.

Between the two countries, there has been a constant war for 200 years and Nakaba has become a sacrificial goat for her country despite the discrimination of her red hair and of the sub-person (half-human, half-animal) Loki, who is her only friend and attendant at Caesar’s estranged palace.

But what will Nakaba do when she foresees an event pertaining to Prince Caesar’s demise? Will she save him? Or let him die in return to all the hate directed towards her by the people of Belquat?

This review is based on earlier copies from Japan before the manga became licensed in the US.

StrangenessAbounds’s Review:

Reimei no Arcana (or Dawn of the Arcana) is one of the hottest shoujo manga on the Japanese manga market today. The series began in 2009 and has already been licensed and prepared for its December 2011 American release by Viz Media. This is uncommon because many times, regardless of genre, a manga takes quite a bit longer than just two years to hop the Pacific, if it makes the leap at all.

I first found this manga on MangaFox and I was instantly hooked. Because it is part of the fantasy shoujo genre, it focuses primarily on the developing relationship between Nakaba and Prince Caesar.

In addition to the relationship overtones, there is a subtle commentary on discrimination based upon physical attributes that a person is born with. It also features a slightly more subtle commentary on foreign relations between countries that have been at war with one another for over two centuries. I love literary parallels, so I got a kick out of deep reading the sub-plots in Reimei no Arcana.

Character Development: Nakaba and Prince Caesar are slowly rounded into full characters that I easily identified with and cheered for. The relationship between Prince Caesar and his older brother is intense and page turning (as if Nakaba’s and Prince Caesar’s relationship weren’t a page-turner itself!). Nakaba’s relationship with her guardian, Loki, is complex and fraught with unrequited love *le sigh*. I would have liked to have seen more on Nakaba’s family as well as the reason why Loki served Nakaba’s family as long as he does. Of course, I’m a sucker for interesting background information on my favorite characters, and fleshing out Nakaba’s and Loki’s family history may have slowed the story down.

Artwork: This manga is aesthetically pleasing to me. Nakaba’s eyes are big but not too big, the chibis are darling, Prince Caesar is hotter than holy hell, and the period clothing and hair is drawn with long, elegant, flowing lines. In fact, this whole manga is drawn in flowing lines.

Plot: The romance between Nakaba and Prince Caesar is (as the manga is still in progress) slowly becoming stronger and stronger. Both feel their hearts drawn towards one another, but they dare not give voice to what they’re feeling. At first, for appearance’s sake, they call on another “husband” and “wife,” the pull is still there. Toma does a fantastic job of giving the audience constant cliffhangers on every released chapter of the story. The mystery she weaves into the narrative also keep me turning pages as quickly as I can.

Final Thoughts: I only see Reimei no Arcana increasing in popularity during its publication, perhaps becoming a classic. It has been a memorable and addictive read for me and if the reader numbers on the manga listing on Manga Fox is an indicator, it has been the same for other readers. If you’re into romance, beautiful and simple art and a delightful plot, I’d highly recommend Reimei no Arcana.