You Higuri

I haven't read the manga, but I did enjoy the brief Angel Sanctuary OVA. I had somewhat high hopes for this manga given it was published at around the same time as RG Veda. Lest to say, while I love how You draws human faces, this manga is pretty much a trainwreck.

It seems like the protagonist Hilda has memory problems that were caused by the villain named Lauress. He wants her for himself, but he wants her to fully fall in love with him. The problem is that while he does save her from the occasional loser that snares lewd comments at her beauty (because apparently an attractive young woman that works as a professional dancer in a tavern is just asking for the wrong kind of attention), he's the worst person of them all. Putting his beauty aside, Lauress is just a really awful, abusive and jealous person and Hilda seems to be just too stupid to realize he's up to no good.

I just don't understand Hilda. One moment she's all cuddly and goodie good shoes, then the next she has this evil grin on her face where she wants everyone to die and then the next moment Lauress tortures a guy in front of her and then she berates him one minute and kisses him the next.

What kind of tragic love story is this?

The sidekick characters are also confusing. Hilda is being kidnapped by thugs and one of the presumably heroic sidekick characters doesn't care and doesn't recognize Hilda's face when the apparent hero Roderique attempts to talk to Hilda to stay away from Lauress.

At just 10 volumes that are rather short, I could easily continue reading this series but dammit, the plot is so stupid and the artwork a hit-and-miss that I feel like I'd be wasting my time. You have been warned.… (mehr)

When writing about the historical Borgia family, one does not have to embellish much; indeed, they were accused of murder, theft, nepotism, and even incest. This story, however, starts when Cesare Borgia, the oldest Borgia son, is just a teenager, before most of the crimes were allegedly committed. As a teenager, Cesare finds out that his father, the newly elected Pope, sold Cesare’s soul when he was born to demons in order to become Pope. Now that he has, the demons have come to claim Cesare’s soul, and it’s up to Cesare to defeat them--or let them consume him.

Besides the story of the Borgias being enthralling, Higuri’s depictions of historical Italian buildings and dress are extremely detailed and believable. Throughout the story, it’s unclear, at times, who’s the villain and who’s the hero, something most readers will enjoy trying to figure out (if there even is a right answer!). Although some parts of the plot are straight from Higuri’s imagination, many of the places and people are real, and will perhaps encourage readers to research more of this mysterious and beautiful time period. Because this manga (and later volumes) depicts all of the vices the Borgia were known for, it’s best left for older readers. However, for older readers that love historical fiction, a tale of good versus evil, and ambiguous characters you aren’t sure whether to love or loathe, Cantarella will surely please. Highly recommended. Grades 9 and up.… (mehr)