“Women and Their Wars”
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Kei Saikawa, Kotaro Shono
Translation: Angela Young
Lettering: Mark McMurray
What They Say
Eunuchs, the only men allowed to serve in the secret garden known as the harem. When a young eunuch named Jafar encounters three beautiful sisters there, their meeting shakes the country to its foundations! Brought to you by the tag-team of Kotaro Shono, the artist of World’s End Harem, and Kei Saikawa, the creator of Hero Organization, a tale of suspense in a beautiful, otherworldly country unfolds!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
One of my struggles with manga is that when a new series launches, the double or triple-length chapters invariably work against keeping my interest. Weekly chapters in the twenty-plus range work well and feel like they’re well-balanced, but this series comes in at just about sixty pages for follow-up chapters, and that’s working better than I expected. This series has some interesting talents behind it that manage it better than most, with Hero Organization writer Kei Saikawa paired with World’s End Harem artist Kotaro Shono. Shono has a lot of works to their name and a number of hentai titles, so with this property focusing on actual harems in a distant past, it feels like they’re ideally suited to it. And it helps that Saikawa layers the start of the story well with a tease and some decent character focus, so you get the basics quickly and then can just enjoy the more lurid scenes.
With the Empress Dowager putting the plans into motion for who may catch the eye of the Emperor when he returns, the first test gets underway in this chapter. That test, of course, was dancing. There’s a bit of a tiered system put into play that’s lightly explained, but it’s not like this is about to turn into a real tournament or anything. In fact, the choice is made toward the end of the issue before things go in a different direction. What we do get are some interesting looks at various people lined up for it, which reinforces that it’s good that Mortche is sick and not participating because she’s awful compared to most of the others. The chapter does some good stuff in introducing a bit more court intrigue and reminding us of the stakes when it comes to Jafar because he’s still on the hunt for the murderer.
While we get the small moments, it’s Elza’s arrival that ups the ante as she has chosen a dance that, while hard to portray through illustration, is one that stands out in a huge way to those assembled. There’s a sensuality and intensity to it that Elza can bring about and it certainly makes a statement to all who see it. Unfortunately, we don’t get to find out who the Empress Dowager has chosen because just as she was about to, the masked killer walks calmly into the room and begins to sow chaos. It’s a disjointed kind of attack that feels like a fever dream in some ways with how the attack goes, and her target feels like it’s more of a perfunctory servant person than someone significant, but in the mix of it all Jafar gets to stand up and in the way as well. I love his tenacious nature and that he won’t stop trying, and combining that with the eerie nature of the attacker, we get something haunting.
In Summary:
The series definitely needs to step things up a bit more with the current mystery, but also to start seeding more of what’s to come afterward, if there is indeed a larger and long-term plan here. I really liked seeing how Elza steps up, knowing that her winning would mean a better chance for Jafar because she does have a larger goal here. The small nods between the eunuchs have some fun moments, and the bits of intrigue are interesting and will certainly read better in compiled volume format. There’s a lot to like here, and some gorgeous artwork at times, but it needs just a bit more meat on the bone that this new attack may give it in the next chapter or two.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Manga Plus
Release Date: June 1st, 2025
