Manga Review: Dawn of the Arcana

Do I know where to start? I don't know where to start. This series OMG. Ok, let me start with a short synopsis because this is usually how one starts a review, right? Ok, ok, calm down Sheila. So, Dawn of the Arcana or Reimei no Arcana which is its original Japanese title, follows the story of Nakaba, a princess of the Senan kingdom, Caesar, the second-born son of the Belquat kingdom and Nakaba's loyal assistant, Loki. Senan and Belquat are located on the same island, Senan constituting the northern half while Belquat is located in the southern half. Throughout history, these two nations have been at war constantly with momentary periods of peace after a prince or princess of one kingdom marries into the royal family of the other. 

Reimei no Arcana begins at the start of another such cease-fire, when Princess Nakaba of Senan is married to Prince Caesar of Belquat. In these two kingdoms, members of the royal family almost always have black hair; commoners have brown, red, and blonde hair. As a red-haired princess, Nakaba is considered the shame of the Senan royal family and is also treated as such when she joins the royal family of Belquat. Having been raised in near loneliness, Nakaba's closest companion is her attendant, Loki. Loki is an ajin, which means that he is a form of Demi-Human with the characteristics of an animal - in Loki's case, it is a wolf. Loki is Nakaba's protector, confidant, and best friend. Despite his loyalty though, Loki holds many secrets that he will fight fiercely to keep quiet. 

On: AKB49 Musical Renai Kinshi Jourei

From left to right: Suda Akari (SKE48), Owada Nana (AKB48), Miyazawa Sae (SKE48), and Kojima Mako (AKB48)

Y'know those moments when you should be doing homework, but stumble across something really awesome that you just HAVE TO WATCH? Ok, maybe you don't actually have to do it, you can put it off until after the end of the semester, but life is short and I love musicals so I screwed myself over on schoolwork and just watched the AKB49 Musical Renai Kinshi Jourei.

So, some quick background on this before we jump in. AKB49 is a manga series and is largely considered an "official" manga title of the super mega Japanese idol group AKB48. Of course, it's a bit AU because a lot of the stuff that happens in the manga wouldn't happen in real life but it's a neat concept, similar to the "official" anime, AKB0048 (which I quite liked and still wish we could delete the last 5 or so episodes because that was a silly way to end the anime and there was so much potential for something greater~!! I should type up a separate post about the anime...) Anyways, the stars of the musical are Miyazawa Sae who play the male lead, Minoru Urayama; Suda Akari as Ai Okabe, who plays the main antagonist; and Owada Nana and Kojima Mako, who both play the female lead Hiroko Yoshinaga (they take turns portraying her character throughout the stage's run). I watched the version with Owada Nana as the female lead.

Now for a quick synopsis: Minoru always wanted to be a great baseball player, but due to an injury, he was forced to give up his dream. One day, while in class, he founds out that the girl (Hiroko Yoshinaga) he likes is a huge AKB48 fan and that she plans to take the audition to become a trainee. Deciding that he wants to help support her, Minoru decides to become Minori Urakawa and also audition to become a trainee. When the staff members announce who has passed the audition and Hiroko's number is called, Minoru decides his job is done and turns to take his leave. Right before he leaves however, his number is called and next thing he knows, he's a trainee of AKB48 alongside Hiroko!