#IReadsYou Review: THE WATER DRAGON'S BRIDE Volume 11

THE WATER DRAGON'S BRIDE, VOL. 11
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Rei Toma
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Abby Lehrke
LETTERS: Monaliza de Asis
EDITOR: Amy Yu
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0958-8; paperback (November 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

The Water Dragon's Bride is a shojo fantasy romance manga from writer-artist Rei Toma (creator of Dawn of the Arcana).  It was serialized in the Japanese shojo manga magazine, Cheese!, from 2015 to 2019.  VIZ Media published an English-language edition of the manga as an 11-volume graphic novel series from 2017 to 2019.

The Water Dragon's Bride focuses on Asahi.  A modern-day girl, she is pulled into a pond and is whisked away to a strange and mysterious new land.  She meets a boy, Subaru, the son of a prominent family from a nearby village, but his mother immediately dislikes Asahi and plots to sacrifice her to the god of the Great Lake.  The Water Dragon God wants Asahi to be his wife, and though she refuses, some locals still see her as a priestess.

As The Water Dragon's Bride, Vol. 11 (Chapters 41 to 43 to Last Chapter) opens, the Water Dragon God continues to weaken because he previously transferred his powers to Asahi.  Now, he wants to return Asahi to her world before his powers disappear, but when he sends her home, this god will die.  Although she struggles to stay with him, Asahi knows that the day when they must part is coming – sooner than either realize.  Is it truly the end for these two star-crossed lovers?

[This volume includes the four-panels comics, “The Water Dragon God's Chill Zone #1-3” and bonus manga.]

The Water Dragon's Bride manga sometimes suffered from a sense of the sameness.  As the series approached its conclusion, however, it recovered some of the edginess it showed in its earliest chapters.

The Water Dragon's Bride Graphic Novel Volume 11 is the final volume of the series.  Creator Rei Toma has more surprises in store for her readers.  Vol. 11 depicts the love between Asahi and the Water Dragon God at its most passionate.  I found myself racing through this volume, hoping for a happy ending, and Toma does not disappoint.  The resolution is off-beat and edgy, and she makes us work for our happy ending; real love is bittersweet, and it doesn't come easy.  Toma offers the perfect ending because she leaves us wanting more.

To that end, Abby Lehrke makes the most of this volume's sparse dialogue, as she captures the wanting, the desperation, and the yearning.  Monaliza de Asis splashes her lettering like glittering water droplets throughout the art, helping to give this timeless tale of love an ethereal quality.  So, dear readers, The Water Dragon's Bride gives me the substantive ending for which I had hoped.

9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.


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#IReadsYou Review: THE WATER DRAGON'S BRIDE Volume 10

THE WATER DRAGON'S BRIDE, VOL. 10
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Rei Toma
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Abby Lehrke
LETTERS: Monaliza de Asis
EDITOR: Amy Yu
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0503-0; paperback (July 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

The Water Dragon's Bride is a shojo romance and fantasy manga from writer-artist Rei Toma (creator of Dawn of the Arcana).  It was serialized in the Japanese shojo manga magazine, Cheese!, from 2015 to 2019.  VIZ Media published an English-language edition of the manga as an 11-volume graphic novel series from 2017 to 2019.

The Water Dragon's Bride focuses on Asahi.  She is a modern-day girl who is pulled into a pond and is whisked away to a strange and mysterious new land.  She meets a boy, Subaru, the son of a prominent family from a nearby village, but his mother immediately dislikes Asahi and plots to sacrifice her to the god of the Great Lake.  The Water Dragon God wants Asahi to be his wife, and though she refuses, some locals still see her as a priestess.

As The Water Dragon's Bride, Vol. 10 (Chapters 37 to 40) opens, the Water Dragon God has transferred his powers to Asahi.  Now, the “water priestess” is going to put an end to the god of darkness, Tokoyami's plot to cover the world in darkness.  First, Asahi is going to have to change the heart of Kurose, a boy from her world, who is the god of darkness' pawn.

Then, Asahi is confronted with another problem.  Why has the Water Dragon God fallen asleep?  Can she save him?

[This volume includes the four-panels comics, “The Water Dragon God's Chill Zone” and bonus manga.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The Water Dragon's Bride manga can sometimes suffer from a sense of the sameness.  However, as the series approaches its conclusion, it recovers some of the edginess it showed in its earliest chapters.

The Water Dragon's Bride Graphic Novel Volume 10 is the penultimate volume of the series.  Like the previous two volumes, it is out to offer surprises.  Creator Rei Toma digs deep into Kurose's despair and also reveals more about the first moments in the human boy's relationship with the god of darkness (whom the boy named “Tokoyami”).  Toma also confronts the status quo of the relationship between her star-crossed lovers, Asahi and the Water Dragon God.

So the series is headed for a substantial ending (hopefully) that will probably be consequential.  I would be surprised if Toma gave us only easy answers as she resolves this relationship.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Rei Toma will want to try the “Shojo Beat” title, The Water Dragon's Bride.

A
8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.



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Review: THE WATER DRAGON'S BRIDE Volume 2

THE WATER DRAGON'S BRIDE, VOL.2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Rei Toma
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Abby Lehrke
LETTERS: Monalisa de Asis
EDITOR: Amy Yu
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9256-5; paperback (July 2017); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

The Water Dragon's Bride is a romantic adventure shojo manga from Rei Toma, who is also the creator of the Dawn of the Arcana manga.  This series follows a modern-day girl who is transported to a mysterious world where she meets a supernatural being known as the “water dragon god.”

A modern-day girl named Asahi is pulled into a pond and is whisked away from her happy home.  Suddenly, she is a stranger in a strange and mysterious new land.  She meets a boy, Subaru, the son of a prominent family of a nearby village.  Subaru takes Asahi home, but his mother immediately dislikes the girl and plots to sacrifice her to the god of the Great Lake.  The Water Dragon God wants Asahi to be his wife; she refuses, and he steals her voice.

As The Water Dragon's Bride, Vol. 2 (Chapters 5 to 8) opens, Asahi hovers near the brink of death because of a burn inflicted upon her by Subaru's mother.  The Water Dragon God decides to heal Asahi although she has rejected him.  Feelings of compassion for the girl have awakened in the deity, but Asahi still fears him and is also desperate to go home.  When she hears rumors of another modern person who lives in this new world, Asahi hopes that she has discovered a way out, before her grief destroys this world.

[This volume includes Bonus Comics 1 and 2.]

I did not read the first volume of The Water Dragon's Bride manga, but my VIZ Media rep did send me a copy of the second graphic novel in this series.  The series, however, is easy to follow thanks to summaries on the back cover and near the front of the book and also because of the clean translation and straightforward English adaptation by Abby Lehrke.

The Water Dragon's Bride Volume 2 epitomizes Rei Toma's trademark of shojo manga with pretty art and edgy storytelling.  The graphical storytelling and art is soft-focused and has a sweet-nature, but the story it tells has hard edges and a dark center.  However, I don't know what to make of this manga.  The title character is shallow and not likable at this point in the story, and the lead character is a cry baby.  The characters are simplistic and simple, although I think that overall this narrative has an interesting premise.  I am curious to see where Toma takes this, as I was really impressed by her manga, Dawn of the Arcana.

B
6 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: DAWN OF THE ARCANA Volume 1

DAWN OF THE ARCANA, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Rei Toma
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Alexander O. Smith
LETTERS: Freeman Wong
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4104-4; paperback, Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S. $12.99 CAN

On a small island, there are two kingdoms:  fertile and prosperous Belquat on the south side and poorer Senan on the north side.  Princess Nakaba of Senan is forced into an arranged marriage with Prince Caesar of Belquat in order to bring peace between the two countries.  Will it work?  Will this even be a real marriage?

In Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 1, Nakaba arrives at the royal palace in Belquat and discovers that everyone is entranced by her red hair, which is not found amongst royalty in either Belquat or Senan.  Also, accompanying her is her attendant, Loki, who is an Ajin.  A race of demi-humans that have the ears and tails of beasts, Ajin are slaves and soldiers in both countries.  Loki’s presence causes more consternation, and Nakaba is soon a prisoner in the palace, and her new husband insists that she is his property.

THE LOWDOWN:  Although she includes a few subplots, creator Rei Toma is as straightforward as she can be in telling Dawn of the Arcana.  If he or she had the time, an adult reader could quickly read this entire graphic novel in one sitting.  Except for some mild innuendo, Dawn of the Arcana is really a comic book for preteens and younger teen readers.  It does not have the dramatic heft to really grab the attention or imagination, for that matter, of adult readers.  It’s not bad at all, but it is for younger readers, after all.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Young readers looking for shojo fantasy will want to try Dawn of the Arcana.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

EDITED: Wednesday, January13, 2021


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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