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The Review

First Impression

I have to admit when I first read Volume 1, I thought "...oh...another one of those back-in-time romance-shojo things...." But that wasn't really the case as I read on. While the beginning plays on shojo and gender stereotypes, it soon becomes apparent that Shinohara has a stronger idea of character-development than the typical shojo mangaka.

The Artwork

Gorgeous.

From an art perspective, it is hard not to admire Shinohara's skill with the human figure. She makes each character worth the extra look - even the subcharacters and nameless extras are carefully drawn to neat detail.

Overall Impression

A very fulfilling series that takes you from the beginning to the end of a fantastic, historical, romantic, and action-filled adventure.

First, the entire series is very out-of-this-world. Shinohara combines time-travel with a young, average Japanese girl, and sets the wheels of the story in motion by focusing on Yuri's wish to return home. While it is a very cliche beginning, the story becomes something extraordinary as Shinohara builds on her characters in a world where people still fought with spears and built their houses out of adobe.

Shinohara applies aspects of history in a very romanticized and effective way, drawing readers like me into her storytelling, as well as to the true history behind the story's settings and characters. Who ever imagined the Hittite Empire could be so exciting to read about? Their manner of dress, customs, standards of hierarchy and social status...it's like history made easy (with more pictures than words too!).

Shinohara also touches on social issues that, even today, run rampant. Gender issues!! Yesh. I'm a girl. And I hate it when I'm constantly slapped with the "Males are holier than thou" stereotype. And yes, Shinohara allows me the satisfaction of a story that misses most of that stereotype.
...But not in the sense that the male character becomes a retard either. Rather, she manages to take the idea of gender comparison, and pretty much throw it out the window. Very nice.

Then of course, there is romance :). I'll be the first to admit I hate cheesy love stories - they're as bad as Disney's formulaic, happily-ever-after endings. But in this case, Shinohara is able to add more value to her characters, making them truly worth lovin'. For instance, Yuri isn't portrayed as a gorgeous, feminine, grand prize princess - but rather as a natural leader who gains the admiration and trust of the people from real actions and real battles won. On the other hand, Kail wins the hearts of his people just as well as Yuri, and as one of the primary leaders of the Empire, realizes Yuri for her abilities (and at the same time, with hearts in his eyes).
For all that, Shinohara does take her storytelling to a mature level not suitable for young children ^^.

And lastly, but probably one of Shinohara's best selling points, is the action! By action, I am not only referring to the he-manly, fight-to-the-death-gimme-gore-and-glory crap...I mean action where tactics, both political and on the battleground, become the focus; where wars can be stopped even after crazy misunderstandings, and magic (yesh, magic) can be defeated by its own rules. Definitely a fun read.

Breaking It Down