Niehime to Kemono no Ou

Man, it sure is cool to call a young guy edgy for hating and wanting to kill all creatures like the ones who destroyed his home, killed everyone he knew or cared for and ate his little sister before his eyes while he couldn't do anything about it.

Edgy is something like young Thorfinn from Vinland Saga who goes along with a band of criminals (honoraburu vikingus) and actively keeps helping them destroy lives of countless people just so he can have a shot at the most important thing in the world, aka his revenge. But I dunno, maybe it's just me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Great shoujo, by the way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke6MgMf8og8

Yes. Ilya needs this.

Okay, time for the king to bust out his expert negotiation and diplomacy skills.  Please?  Show me a competent, intelligent king.

It looks to me like the little shit isn't open to negotiation.

Okay, time for the king to bust out his expert negotiation and diplomacy skills.  Please?  Show me a competent, intelligent king.

 

Also, the mangaka might want to consider what adding the dead little sister added to edgy McGee's backstory, because it seems rather redundant.   We already knew Ilya had a tragic backstory that lead him to hate demons, so mostly we just learned he had a sister at one point, but she died very young.

OMG......... I think I might need to drop this... The guy is just too... much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke6MgMf8og8

Oh geez. I think the only way he'll ever notice his (obviously stupid mistake) of kidnapping the lady friend he had and of course ignoring what she truly wants (by spouting the excuse that she's being brainwashed) is if the girl suddenly gets hurt, tries to defend the king, or of course dies.

And there's the Dead Little Sister. I wonder, how many edgelords in fiction had one of those?

I'm rolling my eyes so hard right now my eyeballs are this close to falling out.

 

Y'know, I suddenly miss Kanata Kara (From Far Away) so dang much. There are many similarities with this manga especially the character designs and some themes, but Kanata Kara does it so freaking well and satisfyingly that it's hard to any fantasy shoujo to measure up. What I'm saying is that I'mma go reread that to get this sour taste out of my mouth.

 

P.S.: I can't believe I can swoon over a lizard demon, but I'm proven wrong, Oooh Amit and Jor~ u so cool~~

"Rather simple foundations"?  Really?  Every harem manga, like, ever, has not just one main ludicrous premise but typically an extra one for each harem member (except for a couple who just don't get explanations at all).  If anything, as near as I can figure it one of the characteristic features of shounen manga in particular is an emphasis on complex, even Rube Goldberg-esque plot foundations.  Shoujo try to make you forget how derivative the basic flow is by inundating you with pure fluffy vanilla sugar-shock and/or by tweaking the characters and their level of genre-awareness.  Shounen tend to try to make you forget how derivative the basic flow is by coming up with ever more elaborate premises and settings; from "Assassination Classroom" to all the increasingly variant variations on "Game turns real-life", shounen are all about adding layers of razzle-dazzle and getting people to obsess over the details and cool costumes so that routines like the basic "getting stronger and facing tougher foes, rinse and repeat" don't get so stale.
There are certainly exceptions, maybe even a shounen sub-genre that keeps things simpler and more genuine, but I wouldn't consider them the majority or anywhere close to it.

I mean, I get what you're saying, broadly, but you still kinda are making a lot of hasty generalizations in your argument. Fallacies don't make for a good foundation, though I understand others have started first (but following them in the same mistake is not bright either).

Also, why even mention harem mangas? Is it not a comparision between shoujo and shounen, not the specific genres within it? (Nevermind that there are also harem mangas in shoujo.)

Not enough incest.

 

Give it time. From what we've seen, there isn't a shortage of countries and peoples in the demon realm. Who knows what wondrous and/or insane inheritance laws they may have XD

So far, it reminds me of Ookami Heika no Hanayome, but with the "land of demons" twist. And sometimes it's as if I was reading a novelization of Crusader Kings II:

 

"It is no wonder the vassal lords all hold a grudge against you".

 

What I really like is that the demon people are literally not human. It makes the landscape more entertaining. Now I have to keep reading to know who is this "childhood friend" everyone is talking about.

 

EDIT: Ok, the reptilian princess, for being so endearing, good-natured, giving good advice, having that story with the coolest lizard knight ever seen, defending her friends and providing this immortal line ("We heard that this king was into some rather unusual things") has become my favourite for now. Jormungand too, so knightly.

 

Not enough incest.

Usually cant read shoujo because of how stupidly sparkly it is this manga is an exception

Amit is da real mvp here

"Rather simple foundations"?  Really?  Every harem manga, like, ever, has not just one main ludicrous premise but typically an extra one for each harem member (except for a couple who just don't get explanations at all).  If anything, as near as I can figure it one of the characteristic features of shounen manga in particular is an emphasis on complex, even Rube Goldberg-esque plot foundations.  Shoujo try to make you forget how derivative the basic flow is by inundating you with pure fluffy vanilla sugar-shock and/or by tweaking the characters and their level of genre-awareness.  Shounen tend to try to make you forget how derivative the basic flow is by coming up with ever more elaborate premises and settings; from "Assassination Classroom" to all the increasingly variant variations on "Game turns real-life", shounen are all about adding layers of razzle-dazzle and getting people to obsess over the details and cool costumes so that routines like the basic "getting stronger and facing tougher foes, rinse and repeat" don't get so stale.

There are certainly exceptions, maybe even a shounen sub-genre that keeps things simpler and more genuine, but I wouldn't consider them the majority or anywhere close to it.

To quote from the wisdom of the ancients "nihil sub sole novum" -- there is nothing new under the sun. Read enough of any genre and you will understand that they all end up being the same overarcing premise. As you've pointed out the layers of pretty or complex storylines are designed specifically to make us ignore that. I mean hell most shoujo manga can be summed up as "Girl meets guy and falls in love" and most shounen can be summed up as "Guy proceeds to fight in order to reach *goal*". There is almost no story out there that you can call "unique" if you break it down into it's most basic of basic premise. it's the details that make each story unique.

So far, it reminds me of Ookami Heika no Hanayome, but with the "land of demons" twist. And sometimes it's as if I was reading a novelization of Crusader Kings II:

 

"It is no wonder the vassal lords all hold a grudge against you".

 

What I really like is that the demon people are literally not human. It makes the landscape more entertaining. Now I have to keep reading to know who is this "childhood friend" everyone is talking about.

 

EDIT: Ok, the reptilian princess, for being so endearing, good-natured, giving good advice, having that story with the coolest lizard knight ever seen, defending her friends and providing this immortal line ("We heard that this king was into some rather unusual things") has become my favourite for now. Jormungand too, so knightly.

The way to charm a lady:

 

And Amit, you once again prove you are an absolute sweetheart and a worthy friend. Now go charm the socks off that Captain!!

Sure. But on average, shounen stories are rather simple foundations, and the implausible bullshit is normally relegated to throwing in fanservice here and there. And it's not like shoujo doesn't have stories whose foundations are equally ridiculous...

"Rather simple foundations"?  Really?  Every harem manga, like, ever, has not just one main ludicrous premise but typically an extra one for each harem member (except for a couple who just don't get explanations at all).  If anything, as near as I can figure it one of the characteristic features of shounen manga in particular is an emphasis on complex, even Rube Goldberg-esque plot foundations.  Shoujo try to make you forget how derivative the basic flow is by inundating you with pure fluffy vanilla sugar-shock and/or by tweaking the characters and their level of genre-awareness.  Shounen tend to try to make you forget how derivative the basic flow is by coming up with ever more elaborate premises and settings; from "Assassination Classroom" to all the increasingly variant variations on "Game turns real-life", shounen are all about adding layers of razzle-dazzle and getting people to obsess over the details and cool costumes so that routines like the basic "getting stronger and facing tougher foes, rinse and repeat" don't get so stale.

There are certainly exceptions, maybe even a shounen sub-genre that keeps things simpler and more genuine, but I wouldn't consider them the majority or anywhere close to it.

Damn it, I wanted to see Captain Argonian have a fight to the death with the human brat.

I read this because his majesty is super fluffy not for kidnapper-san to push her down. (Seriously I suspect he will stay in the story and not as an enemie, so why do you have decided to let him push her down like that? Well maybe I will be positively surprised and he gets thrown out of the kingdom and is never seen again or something. (Not dark enough of an story for the king killing him.))

ARG! IM SEETHING IN ANGER!!!!! Can't even!!!

amit is one of the cutest characters i have ever seen in anything. it's a redeeming factor for me.

Goddamn can we just drop this childhood friend guy from the manga? Are there actually shoujo fans that like the borderline rape-y "Only I can have you because only I understand you" love interests? I've yet to see a good one written and I'm pretty sure you can't.

Why does she fail to take into account other peoples perspectives? friend pops up (that hasn't been talked or even shown once until now btw) and doesn't even bother explaining her situation ( to top it off she knew he had some kind of grudge against demons that sets him off and still she doesn't say anything) first thing she sees him,she carries on talking about stupid pointless shit as misunderstanding pile up, he assumes shes being forced to stay(cutting her off when she FINALLY does try to explain) uses force, not caring about her opinion and acts like hes entitled to do whatever the fuck he wants, and more drama ensues..and shes like "huh?"

lol wtf

 

why are female leads always these empty headed clueless sheep? They have a unrealistic mary sue type character, and magically trip over nothing...thanking and apologizing to people constantly over nothing

 

all these cliches...

why don't authors ever try a different approach when making shoujo's? instead of sticking to the same old generic shit ( I know they're just looking to sell something that reaches alot of people but just ..ugh)

 

 I mean I enjoy the fluff and all but then the same kind of typical manga scenario's (predicting the outcome of it already) pop up again and I just find myself annoyed....i guess i knew what I was getting into reading this so I shouldn't be complaining *sigh*

I wasn't going to get into the level of ridiculous that shounen will use for actual premises.  Consider the amazingly successful TWGOK:  Forced (by cute demon girls) to seduce all the cute high school girls for the sake of saving the world from the wrong kind of demons, whose wicked plot apparently revolves around exploiting the romantic frustrations of all the cutest girls.  Uh huh.  Luckily, our vehicle-for-all-the-otaku hero is primed for incredible seduction success by being a massive gamer nerd with an encyclopedic knowledge of otome games.  Riiiigghhhtttt.  And at that, I may have left out a couple of layers of elaborate implausibility.

Sure. But on average, shounen stories are rather simple foundations, and the implausible bullshit is normally relegated to throwing in fanservice here and there. And it's not like shoujo doesn't have stories whose foundations are equally ridiculous...