I am really enjoying the translations. I really hope that the manwha gets translated, I like seeing the artwork, it's really beautiful. This series has me on pins and needles waiting for the next chapter. The whole set-up is great.

Admittedly, I've never read Chinese BL prior to this series. However, it was captivating enough to pull me through 27 volumes. It differs from the historical Japanese BL that I've read in terms of the large scale of its adventurous plot. There's not just romance, but a lot of political intrigue, swordplay action, betrayals and Three Kingdoms/Sengoku style battles and conquests. That element of action and adventure really makes it stand out from the masses.

Though the protagonist, Feng Ming, is both independent and witty, there are definitely moments where Feng Ming relies too strongly upon Rong Tian's aid and plays into the typical damsel in distress uke role. However, rather than neglecting this initial shortcoming in her lead's strong persona, the author utilizes it as a character building point. Feng Ming acknowledges his initial weakness, and seeks to grow more dependable and independent for the sake of standing on equal ground with Rong Tian. It's that rare desire for the uke to become equals with the seme in terms of both political and economic power that makes Feng Ming such an admirable and compelling main character. Seeing him grow stronger and more capable as the story progresses is always exciting.

Likewise, while the main love rival, Ruo Yan starts out fairly flat as a nemesis, the author eventually incorporates a lot of development and fleshes him out as a man who truly loves Feng Ming, yet lacks the capability and experience to be able to express this properly. To be honest, Ruo Yan seems arguably more multi-faceted than Rong Tian as the series progresses.

While Rong Tian's rare displays of vulnerability are some of the most touching scenes in the series, somehow Rong Tian has yet to undergo any sort of really memorable character defining development beyond the first few volumes. As such, Rong Tian has become more defined by his intense love for Feng Ming than any individual character trait. Though my complaints of Rong Tian's lack of development could also be stemmed from the fact that he's most likely my favorite character in the series, and yet the moments when he actually appears in the plot, with some truly fantastic exceptions, tend to be the least exciting moments in Feng Ming's adventures in the long run. I think he has the potential be the most fascinating character in the entire series given how he consistently has to shoulder the burden of playing the strong and dependable king/lover role even when he' s suffering or breaking down emotionally. He's also intriguingly often forced into a morally gray region which puts him at odds with Feng Ming's convictions. Yet the novels only skim over and indirectly allow readers to glimpse the emotional cracks in his character from time to time and never provide a full exploration. Perhaps it's so he'll remain an enigma, or retain the image of an ideal lover for Feng Ming, however it's a bit of a let down since the parts of the story told from Ruo Yan's perspective tend to be more compelling in comparison. I was hoping the rare Rong Tian perspective would run in a similar vein instead of simply being a reiteration of his love for Feng Ming or serving as a mechanism to string together plot points. I have high hopes though that he'll receive further development in volumes to come!

The colorful cast of side characters are certainly lovable as well. Lu Dan and Chu Yin's story is my favorite, as well as the most poignant and memorable. I shed many tears for them, and yet surprisingly little is shown of their actual interaction with each other since their story is predominantly told through Feng Ming's interactions with Lu Dan. In fact, Chu Yin's name isn't even revealed (he is only referred to as the King of Dong Fan in the main story) unless you choose to read the side stories for this series. Mian Ya and Su Jin Chao amuse me more than any other characters thus far. Fantastic comedic relief. Luo Yun is just too adorable (tsundere...) even though his cold exterior and exciting displays of swordsmanship arguably makes him the most badass character in the series. His interactions with Feng Ming are a definite highlight to later volumes.

... Last updated on March 15th, 2012, 5:33pm

I'm so happy I found this version cos I started reading the manhua first. The art was what appealed to me the most but, since the setting was so interesting too and I really liked Feng Ming as a strong and spunky as well as intelligent and knowledgeable uke, I thought I might as well check what happens later on. And it was just so good it had me hooked and reading the whole bloody thing as far as it's been translated pretty much non stop. Who knew Rong Tian would turn into such an amazing character? That's character development for ya! And the plot twists, oh my god! So outrageous but so good.... More!!!

I found the illustrated version of this first, and after reading the released chapters immediately started looking for the novel version. Im loving it. I like the way it written and presented as well as the story, characters and settings. It completely snares me with its intricacy and strong characterisations. Its extremely attractive as a story, i hope the later chapters get translated soon :3 im totally hooked, if this were officially released in english as a novel i'd buy it without hesitation... im that far gone XD

...I am absolutely drooling over the artwork!!!Forget the plot, the artwork will pull you in and never let you go. The closest artwork that can match this is Otoyomegatari. As this is the first chapter I read, I can't judge the content but definitely political sabotage and betrayal will come in play.

EDIT: ok so I just read up to chapter 12 and my friend actually read the entire work and told me the gist of it so I must revise my rating to 9 I am actually quite giddy about this. The only thing I'm devastated about is that this isn't licensed If it was, I would buy this immediately.

3 cheers for pretty boys!

... Last updated on May 6th, 2011, 12:27am