Pretty fresh series so far. By fresh I don't mean groundbreaking new concept for plot, but more like taking the older elements and bringing it back out again.

If I have to compare this to another title I would say Slayers. While the comedy elements aren't as stronger as Slayers (there is still some here), there are beasts, elemental monsters, spell incantations, magic artifacts, wars and others.

For the first three chapters, there is pretty decent layout of the plot of the story. Granted, I still don't know what direction this manga will go but it's definitely worth checking out (especially a full frontal nude picture of the female main doesn't hurt either in chapter 3, which is the reason why I added ecchi in the category).

Art wise this is pretty generic in character design, but there are some pretty nice detail on the monster, which in turn make the battle scene SLIGHTLY harder to follow. The general environment and the feel of the flow from panel to panel's very fluid however. I rated this pretty high for the first three chapters but I can see people who absolutely abhor traditional formula for a fantasy story would rate this way down.

... Last updated on July 21st, 2009, 11:18am

This is a strange series and pretty different from the fluffy anime. To give you a sense of what it is like so far, it's like looking at a comic about funny puppies in love, said puppies then fighting radioactive sewer monsters and then seeing a few puppies getting skinned, butterflied and salt cured for fun. The combination is jarring so it certainly isn't for everyone. The frequent cliffhangers doesn't help alleviate the tension either.

For those who like the thrills though, this is pretty solid. The art is good and the setting isn't bad. The villains are about as evil as you can get. The hero and heroines can be annoying though since they all have serious issues ranging from inferiority complexes to PTSD to homicidal tendencies that makes them incompetent. I'm okay with flawed heroes but these get a bit too emo for my taste.

In a lot of ways, the setting and setup seems a lot more interesting than the story so far. There are hints about magic, alien entities, warring governments and political intrigue but the plot almost always devolves into simple bloody melees. Well drawn melees but still, the story feels like it isn't fulfilling its full potential.

... Last updated on August 22nd, 2011, 11:38pm

Well it's pretty interesting even if you are not in with this kind of genre. What's really interesting is how the manga turned even funnier than the anime. It has the same elements and story line as the anime though a little bit darker but lighter in some scenes. But overall it's worth your time

Don't be fooled by the Main Female lead incompetence early on, because she develops into one of the most Strongest Female characters and a self dependent one too which is a rarity for the "Damsel in distress" Genre, The series also changes it's tone from Light to Dark as it progresses (especially 20+ chapters where it takes serious turn)

The plot is simple, the characters are relatable especially the male and female Lead....what's more we have a Budding Romance going between the two which spices things up much more

overall it was a good read, but i am afraid this is heading down the "Tragic" Route (only time will tell)

I don't know about anything at all about the criterias needed the edequatly rate this seriers - I always go with my feeling. So I quite liked this manga. The Story is thrillling, and the characters (mostly) lovable - well there are exceptions. And I like the female main character, well yes most of the time I just wanted to scream at her to do something, but most of the time she did something. And that's more than I can say about some other female main character. At the beginning the story was really quit bright, but with later chapters (I think i noticed it at chapter 21) it grows darker. The drawings are clean I liked them, but really like they say "beauty lies in the eye of the beholder".
So the finish my first comment (yay) It's a good manga, if you like this combintion of genres.

Luke seems like he is scared of something .....
ch23 answered about the alleged rape scene it wasn't (Luke insulted Siegfried about his condition)
and had one of the most manliest and bloody duel i've seen (not overly gorish and no cheap violence) but emotionally charged and suicidal
and on the romantic side it was moving and real (i can relate to that while not lot of manga can do that)

... Last updated on February 3rd, 2012, 1:03pm

This manga is starting to piss me off. It was good till chapter 16 or something, but lately, just gets annoying. The heroine is so cliche, I kinda hate this type of characters. If the series were just the little girl and the artisan, It would be a LOT better.
And the story just gets more and more cliche over time.

I hate stories where the progress is based on characters that talk without thinking.

I bought 7 volumes so far (yes I know there is 8, didn't have enough money) and this manga is great. The art style is superb, and there is boobs <3 XP So be warned. The action scenes are also amazing. The only downside is, if you actually buy the manga make sure to get it all at once. It can really pull you in, and leave you on a cliffhanger. If you decide to watch the anime, let me tell you...it's definitely not as good as the manga. And i hope the manga will go past where the anime left off. (my opinion)

Things move at such a slow pace up til Chapter 30, you'd think there's no way it can end by Chapter 61.

Then when it did exactly. While not blatantly obvious it was a rushed job ending as compared to other works, however the bombardment of expositions near the end are a dead giveaway. More than a handful of named character introduced mid story serves no purpose even til the end. Imagine if the Espadas from Bleach never did anything after their "meeting room" introduction and two-page spread. You know the one.

Granted the mangaka said he (she?) Took major liberties in condensing the story when adapting to manga form, normally I'd be fine with that because a lot of mundane thing can indeed be skipped (like the first 30 chapters), however if the second half is going to be paced this badly I'm left to wonder is this the manga issue or is it the source material.

Because even in the epilogue it keeps bringing up a pirate situation that the characters still alive had to deal with, are the audience suppose to care for this when 5 pages back the heroes defeated a doomsday dragon? Also is there really a point in recovering Aria now that her master and partner had long been gone 300 years ago? Mind boggling narrative choices.

but as far as I read (three first chapters in full dedication, and another three chapter in half assed assessment-intent), it comes to me that the manga try to tell story of knight and would-be her blacksmith with magical feudal era as its background. my comment would be, (1) nice introduction to feudal system, though it holds so little meaning and not-seriously used as story element, (2) not very new magic battle system, (3) lame romance comedy and weak character design, i afraid it would fall into romance-comedy stereotype. i believe each manga intended to its target audience. this one simply not for me.

... Last updated on February 3rd, 2012, 11:41pm