Maid War Chronicle Volume 1 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “OT Ages 16+”

The Kingdom of Arbansbool has been without a king for a long time, so it prepares for the coronation of Alex Arbansbool II, Prince of Arbansbool as the next king.  Then, forces from the Kingdom of Nowarie invade the royal capitol, Arban.  The young prince barely escapes, with only a handful of loyal attendants by his side.  They are, however, only maids, whose job is to pour tea and pamper the spoiled, lecherous young Prince Alex – not help him reclaim his throne.  Now, chief maid Cacao Sardonyx must lead her five colleagues in an effort to take up arms, raise an army, and save a kingdom.

In Maid War Chronicle, Vol. 1, Prince Alex christens his maids, “The Order of the Maid.”  The maids aren’t buying it, but their discovery of the Twelve Holy Weapons just might make these maids up to the task of reclaiming the throne.  Meanwhile, the conspiracy against Arbansbool proves to be far reaching, so Cacao leads her refugee band to the Fortress of Zess, where they find one surprise after another.

THE LOWDOWN:  Maid War Chronicle is a medieval-inspired “campaign” fantasy with similarities to something like Dungeons & Dragons.  Created by Ran (the pen name of Ryo Sawano), Maid War Chronicle is also a comic fantasy that gently tweaks the genre, but the narrative emphasizes action and humor more than it does parody.  Unfortunately, the first volume of this series doesn’t offer any memorable characters, although there is some potential in Cacao, but the emphasis here seems to be on plot and fight scenes, neither of which is special.

If anything here is special, it’s the art.  Ran and his assistants are good storytellers and are even better at page design, presenting the panels in ways that make the entire page look attractive.  It’s an adventure for your eyes.  The character drawing, done in a cartoony style, is not only pretty, but also shows excellent draftsmanship.  Maid War Chronicle is a graphic narrative in which the narrative is soft, but the graphics are impressive.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Although there is enough innuendo to attract male readers, Maid War Chronicle is mainly shojo manga (comics for teen girls).  It is light entertainment for young readers, but some adults may find it mildly amusing.

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