Ayeshah's Secret

Do you ever get annoyed by an anime/manga trope that isn't even a trope? A story so overly cliched yet so original that it leaves you perplexed. The more I read stuff like this, the more I realise how conservative this medium can be in regard to works being inspired by foreign literature and/or cinematography. Manhua's are fairly more wide-ranging, but they still end up in a same spot, dealing with a similar conundrum. It's only reasonable as they're obviously derivative of manga culture as a whole. With that being said, let's jump into it. Enter Ayeshah, an ill-fated orphan who gets adopted by a bunchof aristocrats, and as you would expect, they're all snobby and, in the purest sense of the word, downright sadistic idiots. The characters are dull and the protagonist could very well be a front runner in a stupidity contest. But the suffering doesn't stop there, no. See, during chapter 4, I got to experience a muster of shockingly bad plot twists. Plot twists they were, as I didn't see most of it coming. I'll give the author some undeserved credit here. After that it progressively spirals down into a bottomless pit of horrid narrative by repeating the same scenarios over and over. Her 'secret' had no substance, considering how hyped up it was all throughout. It was just way too predictable. Overall, it's a theatrical neo-impressionistic psychodrama and a poor tearjerker that tried to salvage whatever it could with random poetry and religious metaphors in the latter half. Ayeshah's Secret may very well be a synonym for melodrama, due to how overt it is with it's approach. Art is incredibly inconsistent and can be quite confusing with how it diverges from seinen-esque gothic style to realistic imagery in a span of few panels. On a surface level: just digital eye candy. Internally: a monotone mush of various art styles trying way too hard to be symbolic. In addition, it does nothing in regard to differentiating between reality and fantasy/dreams. I really tried to enjoy this, but I guess it was not to be. So, if I haven't at least slightly swayed you over, then I'd suggest reading first 5 chapter so you can decide for yourself. If you liked Akame ga Kill's (anime) thematic, then you're probably gonna like this as well. It's basically that, just way more condescending... and it has hot guys.

A dark fairy tale that was much more complex than the Cinderella story it took its inspiration from. The story was told elegantly with its own share of well made surprises. It made me feel like I was part of the realistically constructed universe. The characters felt human in that fairy tale fashion, with all characters having a purpose in the story. The art was realistically gorgeous with almost every panel looking like a painting. Overall, as an appreciator of death centric horrid tales of human's ugliness, Ayeshah's Secret was very enjoyable. Yet, it was also just that, a dark and complex fairy tale, whichdid not leave much for the afterthought.

For most of the story, you’re led to believe Ayeshah is a quiet, kind soul burdened by tragedy. But in the final chapters, everything unravels, and you realize the truth she’s been hiding is far darker than you could have imagined. The seemingly peaceful world around her is built on a horrifying lie, and Ayeshah herself is at the center of it. As the story races to its conclusion, the truth comes crashing down. Ayeshah’s “secret” ties to a cruel ritual that’s been sustaining everything and everyone around her. Watching her wrestle with guilt and her duty is heartbreaking, and her ultimate decision in the finalmoments is haunting. The ending doesn’t give you easy answers, leaving you to question whether Ayeshah was a victim, a villain, or something in between. The final scenes stay with you long after you’ve finished. It’s a gut-punch of an ending that turns everything you thought you knew on its head, making Ayeshah's Secret impossible to forget.