Trusty Bell - Chopin no Yume
by Kuroi Mimei
On his deathbed, the famous composer, Chopin, drifts between this life and the next. In his final hours, he experiences a fantastical dream where he encounters a young girl named Polka facing a terrible destiny and the boy named Allegretto who will fight to save her. On the border between dreams and reality, Chopin discovers the light that shines in all of us in this enduring tale of good, evil, love, and betrayal. (Something-Or-Other Scanslations)
I checked it out because the art seemed pretty and I love fantasy stories that involve famous music figures in the real world; and in this case it's Chopin. I already expected myself not to appreciate the leading girl, but I like the idea of the main boy acting as her knight. Plot almost mentioned that the story also deals with alternate worlds (in this case it's Chopin's dream world and the real world) so that got me even more interested!
However, to my disappointment, this manga sucks. Beginning with the art: yeah, the covers and several pages seemed pretty but the art on the manga overall is mediocre. I don't think it has something to do with the mangaka's art style; to my eyes it's simply freakin' fugly for a supposedly very pretty magical shoujo manga.
And the story? I don't remember how many times it made me go: "DUUUHH . . .". It has the cliches and characters are stereotypical as well. I already got sick of the leading girl after seeing her in one panel! Oh she's the usual type who brings something flowery and act cute to people, and she helps people in need being the saint she is, but she has magic and people fear her so she acts as some tragic heroine in the end. I can't feel sorry for her . . . she's just too pathetic.
The Chopin? He was just some guy who popped out of nowhere and though it was his first time in the place, in a short while he was able to deduce PERFECTLY what was going on and he even has the role of being able to predict the past, present, and future of the characters in it just because he had concluded that it's his made-up world. And no, when he thought of that, he wasn't shocked at all. Oh gawd, the mangaka should take lessons from the mangaka of Princess Tutu. The storyteller there, or the one who takes charge of the story's world, is better presented and characterized over there than in this one's.
As for the guy I'm supposed to adore? The one I think who'll be some knight? Ugh, no knight at all. He's just a common guy who ocassionally steals to feed to his kiddie friends. No special skills whatsoever, at least from the chapters that I've read. He's not that cute either, and his sidekick is just by his side for display or for him to have someone to talk with.
Oh yeah, about the chapters I've read, I only read a few. I couldn't go on. I browsed through the later chapters though (since I've already downloaded them anyway) and my headaches have increased!
I don't recommend it. It's just too horrible! Unless you are bias to shoujo fantasy and anything that has something to do with musical composers like Chopin. But if you want to read a manga that deals with a musical composer, go read Mozart Doesn't Sing Lullabies instead.
And the story? I don't remember how many times it made me go: "DUUUHH . . .". It has the cliches and characters are stereotypical as well. I already got sick of the leading girl after seeing her in one panel! Oh she's the usual type who brings something flowery and act cute to people, and she helps people in need being the saint she is, but she has magic and people fear her so she acts as some tragic heroine in the end. I can't feel sorry for her . . . she's just too pathetic.
The Chopin? He was just some guy who popped out of nowhere and though it was his first time in the place, in a short while he was able to deduce PERFECTLY what was going on and he even has the role of being able to predict the past, present, and future of the characters in it just because he had concluded that it's his made-up world. And no, when he thought of that, he wasn't shocked at all. Oh gawd, the mangaka should take lessons from the mangaka of Princess Tutu. The storyteller there, or the one who takes charge of the story's world, is better presented and characterized over there than in this one's.
As for the guy I'm supposed to adore? The one I think who'll be some knight? Ugh, no knight at all. He's just a common guy who ocassionally steals to feed to his kiddie friends. No special skills whatsoever, at least from the chapters that I've read. He's not that cute either, and his sidekick is just by his side for display or for him to have someone to talk with.
Oh yeah, about the chapters I've read, I only read a few. I couldn't go on. I browsed through the later chapters though (since I've already downloaded them anyway) and my headaches have increased!
I don't recommend it. It's just too horrible! Unless you are bias to shoujo fantasy and anything that has something to do with musical composers like Chopin. But if you want to read a manga that deals with a musical composer, go read Mozart Doesn't Sing Lullabies instead.
 Sapphire Pyro | READ: 3 chapters (out of 9 scanlated chapters released so far of a 1 volume complete manga) VERDICT: Dropped and Exterminated |
| It's fantasy that has something to do with different worlds and a musical composer from reality (in our world)! Story seems to be interesting anyway so I thought of checking it out. But it turned out to be really really horrible. Especially in narration and characterization. It sucks. | |
