Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura Vol. #05 Manga Review

Kohaku faces off against a former friend!

Creative Staff
Story: Arina Tanemura
Art: Arina Tanemura
Translation/Adaptation: Tetsuichiro Miyaki

What They Say
Aoba and the others storm Enju’s hidden palace to rescue Sakura. Byakuya must defeat Maimai for the key to the tower where Sakura is being held. Maimai is a ruthless killer, but Byakuya is about to unleash her secret powers…

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
At the end of the previous volume, Byakuya looked like she was in deep trouble, but given her abilities and wisdom, you’d suspect she’d be able to get out of it on her own. And she does – in a manner that’s surprising in more ways than one. Apparently, Sakura and Asagiri aren’t the only ones capable of transformation, and Byakuya’s triumph over Maimai unveils a previously unseen aspect that gives the hitherto mundane sage an air of mystery.

The story then moves on to the next fight between Kohaku and the deserter ninja Shuri. Those who are fans of the ninja characters will enjoy flashbacks of Kohaku, Shuri, and Hayate as children, but the focus is less on Enju’s minion Shuri and more on Kohaku.

With this arc, it feels like Tanemura-sensei’s trying to inject a bit of Naruto into the series with the ninja village and the child ninja who wants so badly to become the next leader. Kohaku, however, is not the underdog that Naruto is. As the current leader’s daughter, she’s hardly an outcast, and she’s beloved by her peers. So she doesn’t evoke the level of sympathy Naruto does and comes across instead as a klutzy crybaby, especially when she vows never to cry again and is bawling seven pages later. Given the mistakes Kohaku’s made thus far in the series, seeing her holding her own against Shuri is a bit of a stretch. It’s also rather strange that the Prince and the others don’t just leave Kohaku to dispatch Shuri and go rescue Sakura. Instead, everyone takes a seat to watch the fight, as if it’s a match in the ninja chunin exams, despite the fact that they’re very much in enemy territory.

By the way, Volume 5 includes several extras including bonus funnies, bonus illustrations, and the 50-page one-shot White Rose Academy: Vampire Rose.

In Summary
The Maimai/Byakuya battle ends with a surprising revelation. The story then moves on to ninjas Kohaku and Shuri. Through a series of flashbacks, Tanemura-sensei casts an air of tragedy over the fight between former friends, but from a battle standpoint, her depiction of the duel feels flawed.

Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B-

Readers Rating: [ratings]

Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: December 6th, 2011
MSRP: $9.99

Sakura Eries

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In addition to writing reviews here, I’ve authored a number of short works, including several stories in Cricket magazine. I also have novel-length projects in the works. Find links to my works at my blog: sqeries.wordpress.com.

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