I've really grown out of the rapey-vibes and power dynamic tropes that infest so many teen-oriented romance stories, including Dawn of the Arcana. It's totally okay if others read this for fun, just don't go basing your real life relationships on it, because yikes. I had such an adverse reaction to Caesar that I mistook him to be the main antagonist in the romance between the princess and her servant. But no, it's a love triangle! And Caesar isn't a villain, he's actually the romantic lead, with the servant functioning as a rival but not ultimately a threat. Oh noooo
The world building, at least in this first volume, fell flat for me, too. The art was plain, with pretty but unexpressive faces and non-existent backgrounds. Kind of curious about the to-be-developed magical aspect of the story, but I don't think that'll push me to read more. ( )

A political and racial romance. A bit too pathetic and cliched to really enjoy. And the ending sucked. ( )

Not bad, though without Nakaba being who she is, I don't think I would have cared. ( )

Dawn of the Arcana is about 2 countries at war. Nakaba and Caesar belonged to each countries. They were married as a peace treaty. The peace treaty was just a show to their countrymen. Their relationship did not start good but it eventually warms up.

The manga shows the difference of culture, status in life, and politics. The issues here are the same in real life. The hair color was a distinction, like skin color in real life. The animal-type are discriminated like racism against different cultures. Also, Nakaba is a strong female character which I like. ( )

~This review is for the entire series of 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? 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 located in 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.

Dawn of the Arcana - man oh man, I thought I knew where this was going! When it's revealed that Nakaba has a special power (cause duh right, no one knows who her father was and she has red hair so there's bound to be something special about her), the Arcana of Time, which allows her to see the future(s) and the past, I was so sure that the main plot of the story was going to be about trying to keep her power hidden. Due to her power, she can become a powerful pawn for either nation, and I thought that was what we were heading for - keeping her powers hidden and eventually, in the long run, war. But that wasn't exactly it.

Read the rest of my review at: http://intersomniaindiem.blogspot.com/2016/05/manga-review-dawn-of-arcana.html#m...