This is one of the most frustrating mangas I have ever read. There are a number of things to like about it, the plot has some intrigue, and the motivations of some characters are quite nuanced and give them depth. However, there are so many gaps in continuity, inadequately explained plot points and characters and harsh transitions that the reader has a significant amount to "fill-in" and it quickly becomes confusing and tiring. I struggled to read this to the end, and I ended flicking through the last ~10 chapters in less than an hour just to finish it.

Seriously, the stroy starts without any explanation or introduction, you're thrown into it and have to make sense of things on your own (it's doable, but feels weird). The ending is weird. After finishing the story, there a lot of loose ends and character decisions and opinion changes that don't make sense. Some characters are likable, but the story itself is a mess.

Too convoluted, that's how I would define this.
The story is a classic conspiracy type, it could be somewhat interesting but the storytelling is no good, the author just doesn't take the necessary time to explain and progress the story and events, as a result it's hard to understand anything and there is a general lack of sense on every aspect of the manga, add to that that the story jump all the time between characters to different places or even a different times going to the past and the result is this mess. Chars motivations are dubious, their actions sometimes are contrary to what would be expected and it's quite common for the characters to ignore evidence right in front of them for a convoluted alternative without much sense or explanation, the story is likewise broken and all things seam to happen in a forced way rather than as a consequence of a well plotted story development (the princess is droopy, really). Example:
By the way, the past story is kind of pointless, maybe it was supposed to have a bigger impact in the story but as it is, other than as a shallow explanation of why the Hokulea are monsters it really doesn't weight at all, and the princes care way too much about what an ancestor one thousand years ago did or did not do "If he was evil I'm evil" and that crap.
To be honest, the only reason I actually finished reading it is because it's short, if it had been 20ch longer I'd have certainly dropped it.

... Last updated on March 20th, 2018, 4:02pm

This manga was so gripping at the beginning. Each character's story was interesting and I was really routing for the main character, the third prince, whose claim to the throne is not as pure as his other brothers'.
The MC got stronger and more dependable as the story went along - gathering allies and dealing with the plague - and I got the sense that everything was all leading up to a particular conclusion. But then, after a whole lot of confusing stuff started happening, the conclusion came and I have no idea what it was. All I know is it wasn't what I expected and left me feeling very disappointed.
As with a lot of great manga, this one was let down by its insufficient, rushed ending that left me with more questions than answers.

It was mentioned before, and I agree, the characters feel like props, not real.
During the first few chapters, it's a light read. After that, it gets better (plot-wise), but after chapter 30, things just got confusing. I don't know if it's bad translation (I only read the scanlations) or if it was around that time that the mangaka knew the series was canceled and tried to rush the story. So it feels very jumpy and gives you the feeling of 'was this mentioned before?' 'where is this coming from?' 'UH?'
Conclusion, only read this if you're not very picky and like cute characters.

This is not the best action fantasy manga here, but I think it's underrated compare to some others popular manga. Some characters are really unique and the art has improved a lot, the story is interesting too...
And I've not tired of the cross-dressing gag yet. It's my fav gag

"Maribelle is as cute and sweet as honey"~ <3

... Last updated on April 20th, 2013, 6:56pm

It is not the perfect manga, I'll give you that.


Pros:
-Most of the time the art is charming and well done.
-There are some really unique personalities, and some really unique funny/cute moments and scenes.
-The plot sounds typical, but it eventually grows. There is a bit more fluidity in how conflicts are handled between specific individuals, and the concept of the 'grey' character. There are more realisic attributes in how court drama, sacrifices nobles are required to make, ruling a country, handling civilians etc and beyond is handled, which is refreshing.




Cons:
-Sometimes the scene transitions aren't as smooth and clear. There can be some chocky bits.
-Lot's of scenes of guys wearing dresses for disguise purposes. It's cute the first time, but now it is getting to be a recurring gag that is feels a bit old.
- Everything still feels a bit basic, nothing is *completely* deep or intense yet, even if the plot is growing. There is this supposed great historical twist, but the twist felt underwhelming. And sadly, can be seen as a bit predictable.
- One exampled aspect still feels a bit cliched. The great prejudice of one culture over another culture..where the "inferior" culture are widely treated poorly and called monsters. But 'Lo and behold, one of the main hero protaganists (He himself the royal outsider bastard at that) learns more about them and discovers that they are not what they seemed - they are instead a great, friendly, amazingly advanced and talented people, and he fights on their behalf.
-There is still some unanswered questions, questions that were asked but seemed to have been forgotten. This of course can easily be forgiven, since the series is still technically newish and not completed yet.


Overall, at the moment it really does feel like a lighter fantasy read, but there is something to offer. I wish the best for it, and hope that it will expand further since I do feel it deserves to.

... Last updated on April 29th, 2012, 4:41pm

I agree with liquidsin's comment. The beginning WAS iffy. I had a hard time getting through it because the main characters have absolutely no common sense. Maybe the supreme naivete (and stupidity) is due to them being spoiled and confined in the castle all their lives, but that doesn't justify the repetitive ignorant actions. I have no idea how they will evolve into characters that I will respect and relate.
It's not all bad, but the bad is glaringly obvious to me personally.
The politics in the plot is cool and elaborate, however. The bigger picture of the conflict seems interesting.
The romance? Not that I can see. ...Actually... It may be a shounen-ai.
The crossdressing is funny.
I love the art, however. So well done. Clean, elegant, and cute.

EDIT: I'm on chapter 31 fight now. Sudden flashforward was confusing. But it got better. I'm reassured.

... Last updated on April 18th, 2012, 6:36pm

The plot is amazing- it's political without making the dense readers like me feel stupid and has enough twists to make you feel that the answer is just around the corner. The characters are intriguing and unique, enough to make you emphasise and share their emotions. It's not your simple "good and evil" or "black and white" manga- there are many shades of grey and it's difficult to tell which characters are which shade. I personally love the art style- simple yet captivating in a beautiful way. I really look forward to future chapters

This manga is actually pretty promising. the characters seem to develop as the plot gets deeper. it's also not as cliched as i first thought. the art is quite good and the characters get better after the first couple of chapters.
also, the fact that some characters that i thought had a big part in the plot were killed, which is really good for this kind of plot. someone already said this.
another person also said that there are too much 'childish reasoning' in this manga. maybe true but it's reality- this is what makes the manga even better.
many people change what they believe in because of the person they like, whether it's a stupid thing to do or not. and people still believe in things just because their ancestors believed it and many people still can't accept the fact that others may be right (so they kill them instead etc...). The fact that the manga managed to portray all these things really well is amazing- i think it's supposed to make us see how stupid people can be sometimes and even when they think they're right, they're actually wrong.
I think this manga is worth reading. it has a weird beginning but seriously gets better.