Hanatsukihime

I just finished reading Hanatsukihime and i thought it was amazing, couldn't stop reading it and why it doesn't have more recognition I do not know.

I loved the way devils were perceived as not extremely sinister creatures and It was an amazing story with amazing characters ( loved Siva ) however i do think it was slightly predictable what was going to happen at times, thats why i gave the story a 9 .

Overall I love how they made the devils scary but still beautiful at the same time and I really think it should be made into a film xx

Story: This story plot was a little different from the normal shojo mangas you read. I personally never heard of Hanatsuki before and it kind of grabbed my attention. Though after a while I was able to figure out some parts of the story. The story did seem predictable, but the situations the characters put themselves in made it interesting to see what would happen next. One thing that did bother me and I kind of wonder if I may have passed it up, what happened to the Hanastuki's mother? She played the main roll putting the main characters into the situation that ultimately makes the story, but they don't really talk about where she is and if she was dead what happened to her. Overall though, the story was new, interesting, and very touching, about chapter 6 (of 8) I couldn't put it down, I HAD to see it through to the end.

Art: BEAUTIFUL. There are several pages I'm going to have to go back and attempt to draw they are just so beautiful. The art screams Shojo and has that beautiful detail that shojo manga readers crave. The artist put a lot of work into designing the dancing clothes and the devil's vines and body marks. I have no complaint with the art what so ever. Of course not all the art was highly detailed, the main parts of the story were drawn simply so it wouldn't be too much for the reader.

Character: Lys and Siva, Love them to death. There were some characters like Thor and Russet who to me just seemed to get in the way. Though they were good characters with good personalities, they only popped up in the story every now and then and it seemed to mainly be when you wouldn't want them there. Once again, as I mentioned before, though they followed the story of Lys (The main character) the story went from her birth when her mom asked for the devil's heart to Lys being alone. Mother just dropped off the face of the Earth and no one explained that.

Enjoyment: Very enjoyable, though they did nothing but travel, they always had a new experience. Some people knew what Lys was and shunned her, others didn't. So it was interesting to see how far she would go and what town would welcome her and what town would shun her. I was always interested to see what happened next and how the story would end.

Overall: It got a 9 for being great. It wasn't an outstanding masterpiece, but it was very enjoyable. It wasn't the normal love story you would normally read and that's what I liked about it. It was something very different and though it was short, it satisfied my crave for a good romance. It wasn't overly long and drawn out like a lot of romance stories are. This is just a good manga to read when you have nothing to do and need to keep your mind occupied for a few hours. Hanastuki Hime takes "I will give you my heart" to a whole new level.

Story: 8
This type of story has been used many times and as it is a version of the story A Thousand And One Nights it can't be very original but it was an interesting twist to the story that I found enjoyable. Even though it lacked originality it was still very engrossing. It also reminded me of Red River which is one of my top three mangas ever which was a plus.

Art: 7
The art isn't that great but it fits the story and doesn't have any mayor flaws that I can find

Characters: 7
The characters were very enjoyable but it sorta frustrated me that some of the minor characters really didn't do anything they were just there and didn't do anything. Contrary to the minor characters the mayor characters were very enjoyable and got you emotionally invested in them.

Enjoyment: 9
Even though it has flaws it was a very fun read that I would recomend.

Overall: 8
Looking through the minor flaws this was a very good read that I would recomend to any fans of the historic/fantasy genre.

I finished Hanatsukihime and honestly it was a weak series. ITs a short shoujo 2 volume series and its not like its complicated. A classic story about a demon (male ofc) who has no feelings (obviously) and takes care of a girl who gives him joy and life and how to feel stuff and shit. and then she grows up to be mega hot. Im not against cliches but the problem here is the pacing and choreography which are both kinda choppy. It has a couple of amazing double pages but its just weak. I didn't hate the series but it just was kinda weak all around. Nonetheless it did have its moments. Just were far too few. 5/10

This manga will always have a place in my heart because of its beautiful artwork and amazing storyline. It's especially sad that it only had two volumes to read, but nonetheless it was jam packed with interesting moments with all the characters. I love how the story progressed and it kept a steady pace for story telling. There doesn't seem to be anything unlikeable in this manga.

I highly recommend this to anyone who adores a fantasy shoujo piece that heavily resides a desert setting, or to anyone who just loves fantasty shoujo. It will surely make you want more chapters all throughout the end.

This manga was not one of my top favorites, but it was still interesting to read.

The story line was...alright; a bit bleak in the beginning with your average plot - innocent young maiden who views the world with such optimism even though she has such a terrible past and whatnot and her companion, who turns out to be the one person she's looking for, traveling the world to succeed in their (her) goal. Which, in this case, is for Lys to get a longer period of time to live. It's sad, but it's still a good read. Reading through it in the beginning is a bit of a struggle because it's sort of repetitive, with the characters being attacked by other devils wanting Lys' current heart over and over again, but it becomes a little easier to read as you progress, and as I neared the end of the story, I just kept turning the page. I couldn't put it down. I wanted to see what happened next so badly! But despite it being a little dark, there were still plenty of touching, heartfelt moments that made you just want to go, "Aww!" out loud...which I might have done a couple times...

The art was BEAUTIFUL. I have no complaints; I enjoyed the desert theme that the author created. And the costumes she created for the dancers was very eye-catching. The tattoos/birthmarks (whatever you want to call them) that were on Lys and Siva were outstanding.

The characters were very enjoyable. Lys was your average heroine in this kind of story, though (as I said earlier; the innocent young maiden who views the world with such optimism even though she has such a terrible past...) I did enjoy watching her character progress throughout the manga. And Siva was amazing! Every time Lys made him smile, it was just a heartwarming moment that made you want to squeal. Then there were the supporting characters who were so brilliant; little Thor was adorable, like the sweet little brother every girl dreams of having. Russet was a bit annoying at first, but the more the story went on, the more his character grew on me. For a supporting character, I really liked him because, to me, it didn't seem like he tried to push Lys into staying with him. And Fatima...she was beautiful, and you really can't help but sympathize with her because of everything that happened throughout the manga.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. Everything about it was spectacular, in my opinion. I have no complaints with this manga and I highly recommend reading it!

this manga to begin with doesn't have any wikipedia page or something.. :]

but i've fallen inlove with the "a thousand and one nights" (giggles)

This is a story of a girl named Lys who just borrowed her heart from a demon, and she is on a journey to find the demon whom she is indebted to. Together with her
friends: Siva: the mysterious guy, Prince Russet: the egoistic prince and Thor: the genie of the lamp.

Just read the manga done by Wataru Hibiki and you will surely enjoy the twist and turns. :]

Story: 7

The story is definitely not a unique. It follows a storyline of demons, contracts and impending death. It was pretty much a shoujo version of Kuroshitsuji to me. There's probably plenty of other manga with the same elements, I just have not read them.

Even with the similar storyline, Hanatsukihime added something special to it. Being a shoujo, the story was undeiniably cute and heart warming. It's a bit tedious at the start, having that repetitive thing going on like Sailor Moon but the story gets deeper later. True it was quite dark for a shoujo but it didn't exactly pull the strings for me. At least it made the story more interesting, keeping you on your seat yet you still have a brief idea on what's going to happen. Weird huh?

Art: 7

The art was above average. I loved the desert theme to the story. It really does look nice. The bishounens were very sexy ;D The female characters had annoying designs though. Pretty, but in that over exaggerated which lowers the quality. The background characters are pretty much forgetful, nothing special in their design at all. The art was also a little dodgy here and there. Like you'd get a big guy then they'd get these under proportioned feet. Just a little something that bugged me.

Character: 7

Lys was pretty much your typical happy-go-lucky-with-a-terrible-fate sort of girl. She wasn't very inetersting. Siva, on the other hand, was quite likable. Whenever he smiled you'd just go awwwwwww. I felt for his side of the story. Lys' was pretty sad as well.

Even though I've written this pretty much right after I read the manga, I'm already forgetting every other characters' names. Only the main characters seem to stand out. The supporting characters are cool just not memorable.

Enjoyment & Overall: 8 & 7

Hanatsukihime was a manga that I enjoyed. It's passable as one of the mangas that you might actually want to read. I read this in my spare time and it was fun to see Lys' and Siva's journey. It made you think, what are these characters going to do? I guess that's what gives the manga an edge. Even if it is kind of predictable, I love seeing which characters from what stories do what. It's interesting to see each author's depiction.

The story is cute and heartwarming. It is quite the read for your spare time. It is not a waste of time and I enjoyed it a lot.

Though I have my favorite mangas that follow the genre and plots I love, never has the word 'masterpiece' fit so well as it does with this manga..

It’s always the short ones…

Story: 9

I’m a sucker for fantasy, so it’s no surprise that this manga attracted me like a moth to flame. Add in adventure, a contract with a devil, and romance and I’m a total goner. I instantly fell in love with this manga’s storyline even if the trope’s not original. Sure it’s cliché, but what do you really have to lose when it’s only 2 volumes/8 chapters long?

It’s explained in the first chapter why devils offer their hearts to humans in the form of a contract: devils do not feel emotions by themselves, but when their hearts are in a human, they feel the human’s emotions as well. In other words, it’s a way to pass time since devils live long lives. However, there are time limits set in those contracts (Lys’s is sixteen years and she’s currently 15) in which the devils must claim their hearts back and if that condition isn’t met by the time limit, there are dire consequences that must be faced.

Art: 10

Beautiful. There’s no other word to describe the artwork. It’s drawn in shoujo fashion (of course) and some people may not enjoy that, but I happen to. The people are attractive, the scenery is attractive, and the clothes are attractive! The “desert fashion” is drawn really well and only adds to the beauty of Lys when she dances and the environment in general.

Characters: 8

The main character, Lys, is a strong individual who knows what she wants—which is to find the devil who gave her his heart so that she can somehow convince him to extend her life for a little longer. Honestly, her actions are understandable. She just wants to live like any normal person. Though she’s shunned by other humans because she accepted the heart of a devil, Lys doesn’t hate the owner of her heart since it was him who allowed her to live in the first place. Yes, she may sound like a typical overly-nice and forgiving shoujo heroine, but I was never bored of her character.

Siva is Lys’s companion and it’s no surprise, the devil who’s the owner of her heart. He’s been traveling with her ever since she was very young (like toddler age). He claims that he protects Lys because she’s the holder of his heart and he cannot allow anyone to harm her, whether human or devil. Siva is typically detached from everyone else but Lys and she’s the only person he shows emotion in front of. He’s very protective of Lys and we as readers know it’s because she has his heart—in more ways than one.

(In replacement of Enjoyment…) Romance: 9

This isn’t a slow romance and I wouldn’t call it fast either. It just happens. The bond between Lys and Siva developed over the years they traveled together and though Lys states that Siva is like a brother or father-figure to her at the beginning, she eventually realizes that her feelings for him go beyond that. After all, Siva was the reason why Lys wanted to live longer in the first place.

However, romance between a devil and human is only doomed to end in tragedy. In fact, there’s a couple who reflect Lys and Siva’s relationship in the story and they show us, the readers, and the protagonists what is bound to happen to them if they fall in love.

Yes, even the romance is cliché, but I believe it’s done well. You can see how much Lys and Siva truly care for each other and how much it pains them to be separated from the other.

Overall: 9

Yes, the approach to this story is clichéd, but in all honesty, I’ve never really read any other stories like this. The only one I can think of at the top of my head is Hana to Akuma (which I also enjoyed). Hanatsukihime has all the right combinations to make me love this manga to death. The only negative is that it’s so short! Two freaking volumes? Really? It’s always the short ones. *sigh* Well, at least everything’s cleared for in the eight measly chapters.

The majority of shoujos consist of teenagers’ experiencing their high school lives so it’s always a breath of fresh air to read a fantasy like Hanatsukihime. Still, there aren’t enough stories like this.