Review Corner: The Crimson Spell
Aug. 6th, 2007 02:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jukebox_csiAh feeling the Yamane Ayano lurve.
Title: The Crimson Spell
Mangaka: Ayano Yamane
Publisher: Media Blasters/Kitty Media
From the back cover: The curse of the magical crimson sword has turned Prince Bald into a monster...To break the spell, he sets out onto a journey with the sexy and gorgeous magician, Havi. Bald has no idea that when he turns into a beast at night, Havi uses his "unique talents" to pacify his beastly appetites...The luscious journey of Bald and Havi begins...
I have seen a lot of comments on the translation of the Prince's name to Bald. The name does not really bother me or make me cringe. In light of the fact that his full name of Baldrigr is mentioned in the first meeting between our two lead characters as well as the period of the story being in Medieval times, it is obvious that all the names throughout the book are based on old world European backgrounds. Instead, I focused on the quality of presentation, as well as enjoying the story that I first read several years ago.
The story begins with the Prince's kingdom under attack from a horde of demons. In order to save his people, Bald calls upon the cursed Yug Verund sword that belonged to his father. It is a sword that binds a demonic god to an eternity of pain. By using it's power to save the land from the demons that attacked, Bald himself becomes cursed. At night, his body turns into that of a beast with sharp fangs, long claws, beautiful markings all over his body and a bloodlust that can not be denied. He also has an almost unlimited source of energy in his demonic state. He seeks the help of the wizard Havi to free him from the curse. Initially, the wizard agrees to help the Prince in exchange for the sword. Havi is a man who loves to collect rare and precious items. But the spell is not so simple as Havi comes to discover, and he soon becomes infatuated with the beautiful demon creature that the Prince changes to. On their first meeting, as Bald attempts to attack and eat Havi, the wizard manages to restrain the beast with magical bands and discovers another way to sate the beast's hunger. A side benefit to this discovery is that the demon's vast source of energy also restores the wizard's flow of magical powers. After Bald returns to normal, he has no recollection of what transpires during his beast form.
The two men travel together. Their first destination is to collect an animal spirit that has been trapped in a cave. This introduces the lovable 'bunny' known as Rulca, who has the ability to appear in human form as well as his rabbit form. While Bald and Rulca form a friendship, similar to a master and his pet, the wizard and the bunny have a strained relationship at best; jealousy playing a prominent part to fuel the animosity. When it is realized that the curse may be too powerful for Havi to simply break, the trio decide to trek to Havi's homeland. It will be here that both men will learn the origins of the curse, as well as the crime that caused Havi's banishment. It will also become evident that with each day that passes, the demon side of Bald grows more and more powerful; his change into the beast no longer limited to night. Along the journey, both the Prince and Wizard encounter all kinds of adventures that slowly bind the two together in more than just a physical way. These growing feelings are what spur both of them in their determination to continually seek a way to break the spell.
This fantasy story is absolutely fantastic as it draws the reader into the tale. It was quite easy to finish the entire book in one sitting and feel utterly satisfied in the end, with a growing anticipation for the next volume. The drawings are detailed and crisp within the panels, and the book is full of passionate, uncensored scenes between gorgeous men that make me worship Yamane Ayano.
For the most part, Media Blasters did an excellent job in the production of this book. The paper is a fine quality, the translation and editting are top notch, and the cover of the book is a high gloss finish with rich coloring and drool-worthy full page pictures of our heros. There is even a beautiful color page insert at the beginning that is very much appreciated. The only complaints I have with this book, as with all of MB's releases, are the total lack of translation for sound effects (which can be exceedingly annoying) and the close crop/margin of the book which leads to speech bubbles being cut off.
Overall, I can not praise the book enough. Any BL fan who hasn't yet picked up this title is truly missing out on a gem.
Title: The Crimson Spell
Mangaka: Ayano Yamane
Publisher: Media Blasters/Kitty Media
From the back cover: The curse of the magical crimson sword has turned Prince Bald into a monster...To break the spell, he sets out onto a journey with the sexy and gorgeous magician, Havi. Bald has no idea that when he turns into a beast at night, Havi uses his "unique talents" to pacify his beastly appetites...The luscious journey of Bald and Havi begins...
I have seen a lot of comments on the translation of the Prince's name to Bald. The name does not really bother me or make me cringe. In light of the fact that his full name of Baldrigr is mentioned in the first meeting between our two lead characters as well as the period of the story being in Medieval times, it is obvious that all the names throughout the book are based on old world European backgrounds. Instead, I focused on the quality of presentation, as well as enjoying the story that I first read several years ago.
The story begins with the Prince's kingdom under attack from a horde of demons. In order to save his people, Bald calls upon the cursed Yug Verund sword that belonged to his father. It is a sword that binds a demonic god to an eternity of pain. By using it's power to save the land from the demons that attacked, Bald himself becomes cursed. At night, his body turns into that of a beast with sharp fangs, long claws, beautiful markings all over his body and a bloodlust that can not be denied. He also has an almost unlimited source of energy in his demonic state. He seeks the help of the wizard Havi to free him from the curse. Initially, the wizard agrees to help the Prince in exchange for the sword. Havi is a man who loves to collect rare and precious items. But the spell is not so simple as Havi comes to discover, and he soon becomes infatuated with the beautiful demon creature that the Prince changes to. On their first meeting, as Bald attempts to attack and eat Havi, the wizard manages to restrain the beast with magical bands and discovers another way to sate the beast's hunger. A side benefit to this discovery is that the demon's vast source of energy also restores the wizard's flow of magical powers. After Bald returns to normal, he has no recollection of what transpires during his beast form.
The two men travel together. Their first destination is to collect an animal spirit that has been trapped in a cave. This introduces the lovable 'bunny' known as Rulca, who has the ability to appear in human form as well as his rabbit form. While Bald and Rulca form a friendship, similar to a master and his pet, the wizard and the bunny have a strained relationship at best; jealousy playing a prominent part to fuel the animosity. When it is realized that the curse may be too powerful for Havi to simply break, the trio decide to trek to Havi's homeland. It will be here that both men will learn the origins of the curse, as well as the crime that caused Havi's banishment. It will also become evident that with each day that passes, the demon side of Bald grows more and more powerful; his change into the beast no longer limited to night. Along the journey, both the Prince and Wizard encounter all kinds of adventures that slowly bind the two together in more than just a physical way. These growing feelings are what spur both of them in their determination to continually seek a way to break the spell.
This fantasy story is absolutely fantastic as it draws the reader into the tale. It was quite easy to finish the entire book in one sitting and feel utterly satisfied in the end, with a growing anticipation for the next volume. The drawings are detailed and crisp within the panels, and the book is full of passionate, uncensored scenes between gorgeous men that make me worship Yamane Ayano.
For the most part, Media Blasters did an excellent job in the production of this book. The paper is a fine quality, the translation and editting are top notch, and the cover of the book is a high gloss finish with rich coloring and drool-worthy full page pictures of our heros. There is even a beautiful color page insert at the beginning that is very much appreciated. The only complaints I have with this book, as with all of MB's releases, are the total lack of translation for sound effects (which can be exceedingly annoying) and the close crop/margin of the book which leads to speech bubbles being cut off.
Overall, I can not praise the book enough. Any BL fan who hasn't yet picked up this title is truly missing out on a gem.
