Wanted

by Matsuri Hino

Synopsis
In the Mediterranean at the end of the 17th century, former songstress Armeria disguises herself as a boy and boards the ship of the pirate Skulls -- the man who kidnapped Luce, her first love. Captain Skulls is arrogant, violent, and a skirt chaser! And unfortunately for Armeria, he discovers she's a woman....

Review
More fluff from Hino Matsuri. I've gotten used to her style, so I know what to expect, but I guess sometimes I wish for more. This is a one-shot, so it doesn't have much time to be developed, and it shows. The whole pirate angle doesn't interest me at all, and it doesn't seem to interest her either, as she glorifies the pirate lifestyle to suit the story she wants to tell. Whatever. I didn't expect that it would be accurate anyway.

Anyway, cute little girl Armeria has a crush on nobleman Luce, who is kidnapped by the pirate Skulls. Supposedly she holds onto this crush for eight years, just to find out what happened to him. Well, a lot changes in eight years, and if you've seen The Princess Bride, I guarantee you already know what's happened to Luce. Not that this is a secret or anything, at least the author admits that. So, her crush isn't what he used to be, but she still hangs around, though I honestly don't know why. And hilarity ensues. Seriously. They go on different adventures, and it's hinted that the two like each other, and it's cute, I guess. And then it ends. It was an enjoyable enough read, but the abrupt ending was just lame. It seems like there should have been a lot more to this manga. Oh well.

Two things I have to point out: one, why do girls take their figure so seriously? Ok, so she disguises herself as a boy to get on the pirate ship, so clearly she's not that curvy. But when Skulls says that he can't sleep with her because she's too skinny, she gets angry. All I could think was: What? You'd rather he force himself on you? Stupid women. Two, why do women always have to get in trouble so that the hero can save them at the last moment? I am so tired of this cliche and yet, I see it in most manga that I read. Is it a shortcut so that the author can show how heroic the hero is? How did the hero even know she was in trouble? That's the part I have the hardest time believing. Sometimes they would have to be omniscient.

Finally, there's a "bonus story," called Spring Cherry Blossoms, tacked on the end that was actually worth reading. Probably because I was wanting to read more of anything at that point. It's a simplistic story about a Meiji-era girl who learns to make her own choices in life. But it was mostly serious, and personally, I think Hino Matsuri does best when she's serious. Of course, I'd probably say that about anyone, though I don't mind comedy when it's done well. I actually think that story was better than the manga it was included with, though I do tire of the running-away-from-an-arranged-marriage cliche.

Final thought: Worth reading, but not buying.