The Land of Fire
Creative Staff
Story: Maybe
Art: Maybe
Translation: Andrew Cunningham
What they say
Ring King Satou is off to the Land of Fire to find his third bride, but she’s an incredibly strong warrior who won’t marry anyone weaker than she is. In order to obtain the Ring of Fire, Satou will have to step into the arena and best this powerful princess! Determined to make Hime swoon with a demonstration of his combat prowess, Satou insists on fighting without the power of the rings. But with so little time to practice, can Satou really achieve victory?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
A Tale of Wedding Rings volume 3 starts off on the right foot, and I have to say, I think Hime aka Princess Krystal might be something of a pervert. We’re given a very detailed color illustration on the first few pages where Krystal is back home in Japan. Satou soon arrives home dressed in a sharp business suit, and Hime greets her hubby with a stereotypical manga question: “Would you like dinner? A bath? Or me?” Naturally, Sataou chooses her, but then the situation takes a turn for the weird when Hime finds herself replaced on the bed by Nefritis—the elven princess who joined their party on the last volume.
Of course, all of this was a dream.
It appears Nefritis’ inclusion into the group has caused Hime to feel uncertain and maybe even a little under confident in her relationship with Satou. Our wayward hero isn’t helping matters either. It seems Satou, being the nice guy that he is, has decided to help Nefritis adjust to life on the move. As a former shut-in princess, Nefritis isn’t used to traveling or being around people, and so Satou trying to help her out seems pretty natural. However, this is causing Hime to feel stressed because he’s not paying as much attention to her.
I was rather fond of the first chapter. While it doesn’t seem like much, showing us how Hime feels gives us a good grasp of her character. I also liked how the conversation between Hime and Nefritis went when Hime confesses that she felt jealous of Nefritis because of how kind Satou was acting toward her. Both characters do a good bit of developing within this chapter in terms of emotional development and character dynamics.
However, the situation changes when the group stumbles upon a moving town.
Known as Needakitta, this town is called the Land of Fire, and it is where the princess who holds the Ring of Fire resides. It is also a town of catpeople. In this particular fandom, the catpeople are a renowned race of warriors who fought against the Abyss King alongside the Ring King many centuries ago. Their princess is a fierce warrior who holds “marriage interviews” every few days in the fighting arena. Of course, when I say marriage interviews, I mean she fights anyone who wants to marry her. It seems that to earn her hand in marriage, you must defeat her in combat.
Granart Needakitta is vastly different from both Hime and Nefritis. Strong and with an indomitable will, the first impression she leaves is that of a powerful warrior with a wealth of combat experience and the strength to match. Of course, she wears super skimpy clothing that doesn’t seem very practical, but this is a harem series, so I’m not gonna gang up on the woman for not even wearing a chestplate. While she’s my least favorite of the princesses so far, I can’t say I dislike her. That honest, frank, and willful personality presents a pleasant contrast to the other two princesses. She, like Hime and Nefritis, has a very likable personality.
What makes this volume stand out the most is a combination of Satou’s determination to defeat Granart fairly in one-on-one combat and Hime’s personal struggle. She doesn’t want Satou doing this. Her reasons are entirely selfish. She wants him for himself. This is honestly really understandable. No one wants to share the person they love, and I like that Hime has these thoughts and feelings because it makes her character seem more believable. On the other hand, Satou isn’t just fighting Granart to win her hand in marriage: He wants to look cool in front of the girl he loves. That girl being Hime.
One of the things I like about Satou is his straightforward personality. He’s not a dense, oblivious unlucky everyman who is stumbling his way through a harem. He knows what he wants and is actually trying really hard to get it. I appreciate that we finally have a frank protagonist who willingly admits he loves someone and strives toward making that person notice him. Fortunately, his love is already reciprocated. Now if those two could just get passed the traditional awkward phase that’s become so prevalent in anime and manga, I will be satisfied.
In Summary
Volume 3 does a good job of bringing the series back up from volume 1 by introducing a new character, new developments, and showcasing the struggles of Satou, Hime, and even Nefritis. I really appreciate how the series developed the dynamics between these three. Granart’s inclusion into the harem also adds an interesting twist since she is a lot more forward than either Hime or Nefritis. The only thing I’m wondering now is where this series will go from here.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: OT
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: August 21, 2018
MSRP: $14.99
