Manga Review: Real/Fake Princess Volume 1

[Floating_Sakura]

Real/Fake Princess Volume One
Author: I-Huan
English Adaptation: Ailen Lujo
Published by: Dr Master
Genre: Shoujo/Romance


Real/Fake Princess is the story of Tang Zhi Li, the daughter of the late Emperor, and is set during the Sung Dynasty of ancient China. The country is in the middle of a war shortly after the Jin Kang Rebellion. Because of all the turmoil, Tang Zhi Li is entrusted to Tang Hui, a commoner who is instructed to escape with Tang Zhi Li. As a result, Tang Zhi Li keeps her true identity hidden and poses as Tang Hui’s younger sister.

Tang Hui is not happy about the fate of the princess and decides to rectify the issue by speaking with the local magistrate about restoring Tang Zhi Li’s title. During this period, the fate of the real princess is unknown to the magistrate and the people. This proves to be a slight problem for Tang Zhi Li because many women have come forward claiming to be the real princess and proving to be impostors. It is also a crime to impersonate royalty. Tang Zhi Li’s world is suddenly turned upside down when she is introduced to Zhong Lu Wu who holds the title of The Seeker and is the man tasked with locating the real princess.

Several other elements are introduced throughout the story which give the storyline depth and make it interesting. Although Zhi Li comes across as a stubborn little brat at the best of times, her temperamental mood is often balanced out with the equally temperamental Zhong Lu Wu. Whenever these two characters meet, the storyline really begins to pick up the pace.

The characters in this manga are great. They are well written and really show that a lot of thought went into their creation. The character interactions hold this manga together, especially when the feisty Zhi Li and Lu Wu clash. You can almost feel the tension jumping off the pages. Stubborn and strong-willed, Tang Zhi Li is hiding her feelings for Tang Hui who really only looks upon her as a younger sister. To make things even more interesting, although Lu Wu acts like he really dislikes Zhi Li, it’s pretty obvious that he is slowly beginning to fall for her.

What really makes this manga interesting to read, aside from the great characters, is the historical background behind the manga. Set in the Southern Dynasty of ancient China, the background pages at the end of the book give you a good idea of how the world must have been during the turbulent times of the Jin Rebellion against the southern Song.

There are 165 black and white pages in this book and the drawings are all extremely elaborate. In fact, if you pay particular attention to the amount of detail that went into the garments worn by the characters of this manga, you will see just how beautiful the artwork is.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first volume of Real/Fake Princess. The characters are solid and the interactions between the characters are interesting. Although the characters seem to be somewhat over-emotional, this doesn’t detract from the story in any way and is actually very entertaining. The dialogue is also never boring. Real/Fake Princess is definitely another great title from Dr Master, and we eagerly anticipate the next volume.

Reviewed by: Xen
Proofed by: wintry
Edited by: Firedog