Hanatsukihime

Story: 7 The story is definitely not a unique. It follows a storyline of demons, contracts and impending death. It was pretty much a shoujo version of Kuroshitsuji to me. There's probably plenty of other manga with the same elements, I just have not read them. Even with the similar storyline, Hanatsukihime added something special to it. Being a shoujo, the story was undeiniably cute and heart warming. It's a bit tedious at the start, having that repetitive thing going on like Sailor Moon but the story gets deeper later. True it was quite dark for a shoujo but it didn't exactly pull the strings for me.At least it made the story more interesting, keeping you on your seat yet you still have a brief idea on what's going to happen. Weird huh? Art: 7 The art was above average. I loved the desert theme to the story. It really does look nice. The bishounens were very sexy ;D The female characters had annoying designs though. Pretty, but in that over exaggerated which lowers the quality. The background characters are pretty much forgetful, nothing special in their design at all. The art was also a little dodgy here and there. Like you'd get a big guy then they'd get these under proportioned feet. Just a little something that bugged me. Character: 7 Lys was pretty much your typical happy-go-lucky-with-a-terrible-fate sort of girl. She wasn't very inetersting. Siva, on the other hand, was quite likable. Whenever he smiled you'd just go awwwwwww. I felt for his side of the story. Lys' was pretty sad as well. Even though I've written this pretty much right after I read the manga, I'm already forgetting every other characters' names. Only the main characters seem to stand out. The supporting characters are cool just not memorable. Enjoyment & Overall: 8 & 7 Hanatsukihime was a manga that I enjoyed. It's passable as one of the mangas that you might actually want to read. I read this in my spare time and it was fun to see Lys' and Siva's journey. It made you think, what are these characters going to do? I guess that's what gives the manga an edge. Even if it is kind of predictable, I love seeing which characters from what stories do what. It's interesting to see each author's depiction. The story is cute and heartwarming. It is quite the read for your spare time. It is not a waste of time and I enjoyed it a lot.

It’s always the short ones… Story: 9 I’m a sucker for fantasy, so it’s no surprise that this manga attracted me like a moth to flame. Add in adventure, a contract with a devil, and romance and I’m a total goner. I instantly fell in love with this manga’s storyline even if the trope’s not original. Sure it’s cliché, but what do you really have to lose when it’s only 2 volumes/8 chapters long? It’s explained in the first chapter why devils offer their hearts to humans in the form of a contract: devils do not feel emotions by themselves, but when their hearts are in a human,they feel the human’s emotions as well. In other words, it’s a way to pass time since devils live long lives. However, there are time limits set in those contracts (Lys’s is sixteen years and she’s currently 15) in which the devils must claim their hearts back and if that condition isn’t met by the time limit, there are dire consequences that must be faced. Art: 10 Beautiful. There’s no other word to describe the artwork. It’s drawn in shoujo fashion (of course) and some people may not enjoy that, but I happen to. The people are attractive, the scenery is attractive, and the clothes are attractive! The “desert fashion” is drawn really well and only adds to the beauty of Lys when she dances and the environment in general. Characters: 8 The main character, Lys, is a strong individual who knows what she wants—which is to find the devil who gave her his heart so that she can somehow convince him to extend her life for a little longer. Honestly, her actions are understandable. She just wants to live like any normal person. Though she’s shunned by other humans because she accepted the heart of a devil, Lys doesn’t hate the owner of her heart since it was him who allowed her to live in the first place. Yes, she may sound like a typical overly-nice and forgiving shoujo heroine, but I was never bored of her character. Siva is Lys’s companion and it’s no surprise, the devil who’s the owner of her heart. He’s been traveling with her ever since she was very young (like toddler age). He claims that he protects Lys because she’s the holder of his heart and he cannot allow anyone to harm her, whether human or devil. Siva is typically detached from everyone else but Lys and she’s the only person he shows emotion in front of. He’s very protective of Lys and we as readers know it’s because she has his heart—in more ways than one. (In replacement of Enjoyment…) Romance: 9 This isn’t a slow romance and I wouldn’t call it fast either. It just happens. The bond between Lys and Siva developed over the years they traveled together and though Lys states that Siva is like a brother or father-figure to her at the beginning, she eventually realizes that her feelings for him go beyond that. After all, Siva was the reason why Lys wanted to live longer in the first place. However, romance between a devil and human is only doomed to end in tragedy. In fact, there’s a couple who reflect Lys and Siva’s relationship in the story and they show us, the readers, and the protagonists what is bound to happen to them if they fall in love. Yes, even the romance is cliché, but I believe it’s done well. You can see how much Lys and Siva truly care for each other and how much it pains them to be separated from the other. Overall: 9 Yes, the approach to this story is clichéd, but in all honesty, I’ve never really read any other stories like this. The only one I can think of at the top of my head is Hana to Akuma (which I also enjoyed). Hanatsukihime has all the right combinations to make me love this manga to death. The only negative is that it’s so short! Two freaking volumes? Really? It’s always the short ones. *sigh* Well, at least everything’s cleared for in the eight measly chapters. The majority of shoujos consist of teenagers’ experiencing their high school lives so it’s always a breath of fresh air to read a fantasy like Hanatsukihime. Still, there aren’t enough stories like this.

This manga is short, but powerful. On the surface it seems like a pretty typical storyline - devils and magical contracts - but the setting and the way the plot turns out makes it feel very unique. I won't post any spoilers, but the ending is absolutely incredible. One thing that really makes this manga stand out is the art. It's absolutely gorgeous, every page, every scene, and the big scenes are just breathtaking. There's not so much detail that it's distracting, but just enough to make you say "Wow" out loud. I did that a lot when reading this. The characters and the story are reallyquite fun and dramatic. It's definitely a romance, too, but it's not cheesy - it's really quite realistic, not much mention of "true love" or whatever. It rarely SAYS they're in love. It just shows you, and that makes it all the more powerful. The only thing I dislike about this manga is that it's so short! Only 8 chapters, but some of the best 8 manga chapters I've ever read. There manages to be a dense plot, carefully crafted characters, and excellent art, all in that short space.

This manga will always have a place in my heart because of its beautiful artwork and amazing storyline. It's especially sad that it only had two volumes to read, but nonetheless it was jam packed with interesting moments with all the characters. I love how the story progressed and it kept a steady pace for story telling. There doesn't seem to be anything unlikeable in this manga. I highly recommend this to anyone who adores a fantasy shoujo piece that heavily resides a desert setting, or to anyone who just loves fantasty shoujo. It will surely make you want more chapters all throughout the end.