Fairy doctor Lydia Carlton is waylaid on her way to London by a mysterious gentleman with an improbable quest for her.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Ayuko
Translation/Adaptation: John Werry
What They Say
Edgar Ashenbert claims to be descended from the human ruler of the fairy kingdom, and he urgently needs Lydia’s help to find and claim his birthright, the legendary sword of the Blue Knight Earl. Things will never be the same for Lydia as she is pulled into a dangerous quest against dark forces!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers): Lydia Carlton is a fairy doctor, a specialist with the ability to serve as an intermediary between the fairy and human realms. Unfortunately there are few people left who still believe in fairies and Lydia’s knowledge and skills are rarely put to use. That is, until she embarks on a trip to London to visit her father, and is intercepted by a certain Mr. Huxley. Huxley claims to be an acquaintance of her father, sent to escort her to his side, but he seems suspicious. Lydia’s suspicions are confirmed after a man claiming to have been held captive by Huxley leaps from her room’s armoire and begs her to escape with him.
After they reach the safety of another ship, the man introduces himself as Edgar Ashenbert, Earl of Ibrazel and descendant of the mythical Blue Knight written about in a popular novel. He’s the last of his family line, or so he claims, and is on a quest to search out the Merrow Star, a jewel belonging to his family. Because the object has ties to the fairy realm and Edgar himself lacks the power to interact with the fairies, he recruits Lydia to help him – whether she wants to or not.
This tale of fairies and thieves set in 19th century England certainly bucks many expectations one might have of a shoujo manga. Though the first volume does contain an undercurrent of budding romance, the bulk of the story is focused on the initial stages of a quest to obtain a long-missing object, with all the action and intrigue that goes along with such an adventure. Its problems arise not from its pacing nor its subject matter, both of which are atypical of what most people would classify as hallmarks of the shoujo genre, but from its characterization, which sends a lot of problematic mixed-messages about the relationship between the protagonist and her probable suitor.
For the most part, Lydia is what I would call a strong female lead, especially considering the time period in which the story is set. She has a strong personality and faith in her profession, even as the world around her seems determined to prove her obsolete. Unfortunately, the introduction of the first male character initiates an unsettling storytelling trend, and Lydia spends much of the remainder of the book being dragged around against her will, threatened, held captive, and hanging around dangerous men against her better judgment. In an example of Stockholm syndrome at its worst, she partially goes through with an escape plan only to reconsider out of misplaced pity for the Earl, who has repeatedly proven himself to be dangerous and unpredictable.
There’s an attempt to explain away Earl Ashenbert’s behavior as the result of a traumatic past. While that may serve to soften one’s unfavorable impression of the character, it unfortunately doesn’t do much to change the fact that the things he does to Lydia form the basis of an emotionally abusive relationship. While compelling love stories are rarely the result of two characters coming together under perfect circumstances, a relationship born of this combination of disrespect and denial of personal agency is neither convincing nor pleasant to read about.
Despite this major failing, the manga excels in the way that it incorporates elements of adventure and folklore into its narrative. While much of the fairy lore seems drawn from English and Irish sources, this volume also expands upon its own internal mythology, namely the story of the Blue Knight, to add its own creative touches to Lydia’s adventure. Assuming that future volumes are more focused on the quest aspects of the story, I’m hopeful that some of the more problematic relationship components will resolve themselves as a result of the characters’ shared goals.
On the more technical side of things, the character artwork is appealing and features a lot of fine detail work. The male characters all look a bit similar, aside from some differences in coloring, though in at least one case this similarity is plot-related. Though the nature of shoujo manga often requires that panels have a lot of negative space, this series eschews that much of the time in favor of some nicely-rendered backgrounds and settings. Some highlights are the countryside around Lydia’s home and the docks from which she first embarks on her journey. The downside of this is that some of the pages seem a bit crowded and the action is occasionally confusing, but it’s a relatively minor complaint.
In Summary
The relationship aspect of this story starts off on the wrong foot, mistaking emotional abuse for the beginning blush of romance. However, if that hurdle can be overcome in the future, there’s the seed of something interesting that could definitely bud into a satisfying adventure tale. The use of a Western setting and incorporation of English fairy mythology adds a distinctive flavor to this shoujo manga.
Content Grade: C+
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade:
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: VizManga.com
Release Date: March 6th, 2012 (Print)
MSRP: $9.99 Print / $4.99 Digital
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