Not all that bad, really, but I can't in good conscience give a higher rating, because everything in C-Blossom has been done before (more than once), and done better. Perhaps Boukoku no Aegis is one of those which does it better, but -- most likely due to the constraints of the shoujo demographic -- this manga never rises above average.

Plot: I could see everything in this coming at least 5-10 pages before it happened. The interesting parts (ie: regarding the mechanics of "Ichigo" and the exact nature of Kana's father's and 729's boss's involvement in it) were glossed over and never satisfactorily addressed.

Characters: Likeable but cliché. Typical "strong shoujo heroine," typical "assassin with a haunted past," typical bad guys with predictable thought processes and motivations. (And really, Kana thinks her father's a bad guy who deserves anything that's coming to him merely for embezzling government funds as required by his job, yet has a huge crisis over whether to save the life of her father or the government-funded assassin she met a couple of days back? Dear god, the romance genre pisses me off so damn much sometimes)

Action: I really shouldn't be comparing shoujo action to seinen action, but when it's one of the main genres I expect better, even from a female-oriented manga. And the mystery wasn't good enough for me to be able to dismiss the action as irrelevant to my overall rating, so...

Pros: The commissioner was -- for lack of a more delicate phrase -- absolutely freaking awesome; much more interesting and capable than Kana or her bodyguard. The lack of a cliché romantic happy ending where every one of the heroine's problems is magically resolved was also a big plus.


In conclusion: are you someone who reads mostly/only shoujo and/or josei? Then go for it, because this manga's very different compared to the staples of those two demographics. Do you have ample experience with seinen/shounen manga and action anime/movies? Then there's pretty much nothing new to see here, so best move on.

I enjoyed the series. It was very interesting, and there were many wonderful moments that really touched my heart. It's a dramatic story, but quite believable and really enjoyed it.

Plot- The plot was good, well-paced out and executed nicely. However, like some others have commented on there seems to be some plot points we are unaware of. There are mentions of people or groups that are never explained. I will attribute this to the fact that this is adapted from another manga. These moments were few and it did not bother me at all. The overall plot was wonderful enough for me to overlook those moments.

Characters- I enjoyed the relationship between the two 'enemies'. It was interesting to see how everyone reacted to the mysterious events that enfolded around them. The main female was, I think, very well developed and believable. She was scared, but she was strong and capable. Though the main male did end up saving her she didn't become a damsel in distress. She worked to help herself, though she did rely on the strength of the man that she did not have. All the characters had very interesting relationships with each other.

Art- Wonderful, beautiful art. I really enjoyed the art.

Other- The ending was good, and while it worked it did have the feeling of being part of something bigger, that there's some kind of continuation. This I will again attribute to the fact that it's adapted from another manga. I enjoyed this story, and I recommend it to any interested. It can stand on its own and you don't need to have to read the other manga in order to understand this one. (though it would be nice if that other manga was at some time translated...)

8/10- Was Good

...to see some hot action from Kana. You know, her face kinda give people the impression that she's the gusty type and have a little skills of judo or karate. Sad to see that it's only Kou's the one protecting her all the time. Although in the beginning, I feel like she's pretty childish, at least during the climax she has grown out of it and became mature. Very nice indeed. It's recommendable, though I was quite confused with the story.

My first action(regarding police and politics) manga! And its really good! Worth ur time.... The plot is good the story is intense and the art is cool... It starts off really enigmatic cause its really unexpected about 15-20 pages (chapt1) after....
Really a good read
I'm no fan of action manga but this one is (kinda) the best!

It was a very nice read with both okay art and a decent plot.

I like Kana's personal development, even though her fearlessness gets kind of extreme at one point.

The only problem was that I was too lazy to write down all the names, so the story got a bit messy at times for me. But that's my own fault...

I'm sure people won't like this, but it's just my opinion.
As a guy i'm not exactly interested in shoujo, but i still read a few mangas like it because sometimes i just get bored and want to give some genres a chance.
While i do feel and understand what the story is trying to convey i just think it's too short to properly develop a plot and its characters. I mean you have some interesting characters and you have a plausible conspiracy, but if you don't take the time to properly explain and add depth to the story it won't be nothing but average in the end. It's quite unusual to find something like this in a shoujo manga, but the genre brings it down because of those feelings of romance that seem a bit out of place.
Still i assume this is what appeals to girls and women and it's not a bad work.
However i just can't bring myself to rate this higher because when i compare this with other thriller manga, it's just not on par with some amazing seinen titles.
I recommend it, but not with much enthusiasm.

It's kinda dramatic and thrilling. Also, it is very clever and not dumb like most thrillers where the characters succeed because of the toys or backing they have or because the author needs them to succeed, in order for the plot to move. In C-Blossom, the characters move or succeed simply because they have the motivations, the urge, a goal or some other reason to survive.

Also, it has quite a few exciting and interesting moments within the plot and both the artwork and writing are quite adept at capturing the various characters' moods and thoughts, as well as the tension between the cast. The chase and explosion scenes were also not too bad and actually quite thrilling.



However, those points aside, the story was fairly enjoyable and interesting because there are few titles that actually make you feel like you're experiencing a REAL thriller instead of feeling that the title was crafted just so it could fit the "thriller" category. This extends to all genres: shoujo, josei, shounen, seinen, yuri, yaoi, etc., etc. btw. There just aren't too many I could even call a thriller because they tend to be over-dramatic, overtly contrived or extremely convoluted stories that just aren't well-plotted enough to capture the tension of the action, or even the twists of the story. And for this story, I just couldn't stop reading because it was really just that good! Just as you thought that things were what they seemed, everything takes a twist or two and then later, a certain situation evolves into something else entirely.

Also, I liked the main female character because she's determined and neither weak nor overtly strong, thus being a suitable complement for Kou who's supposed to play as the "protector" of her. I also liked his rival whose feelings could be easily understood. All of the characters moved very well within the plot and their thoughts, gestures, etc. matched up perfectly with their personalities.

And I know these are Seinen recommendations but those who want to try some other thrillers might wanna give Confession (KAWAGUCHI Kaiji) or Seizon - Life a shot. Also, someone needs to do Boukoku no Aegis too!

... Last updated on March 24th, 2010, 9:04am

An actual plotline from a shoujo no less! This series is pretty compelling so far. The characters are likable and not one-dimensional and the leading male character is pretty hooott. If you're looking for entertainment, then you'll find it here. Too bad only 3 chapters has been released, but I will be waiting eagerly for new releases from this series.

yay!!! the project is back!! ;_;
and i duno about you guys, but chapter 3 was awesome tho somewhat predictable
i still enjoyed it very much tho!

I just want to preface with the remark that I have no idea if the second volume will ever be translated, so...

I picked this up after reading another Shimotsuki Kayoko work called "Coelacanth". That was pretty brilliant, so I looked around, and found this one, which is... also pretty brilliant.

It is shojo, but it's shojo with an edge. It's not flowers and giggles and romance with a side of bubbly, vapid girl. It's violence, conspiracy, mystery, -oh, and there's a hot guy.

The main character is intelligent, which I appreciate. The plot is fascinating. The guy is, well, hot. And this is a mangaka who knows how to pace and tell a story. So, what's not to love?