Scan barcode
A review by rumireads
Red River, Vol. 1 by Chie Shinohara
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Red River has been quietly stalking me for the last decade, and that cover is really nice, so what can I say? I'm intrigued.
I've been going down this very strange rabbit hole of Shoujo/Josei hot takes on Middle Eastern history lately, and since I've already tried Shinohara's series on Suleiman the Magnificent, Ibrahim Pasha and Hurrem Sultan (to mixed results), I figured I'd finally take the plunge and read her magnum opus.
First Impressions:
We start in medias res with the typical Shoujo drama of an awkward first kiss, but things quickly speed up with Yuri getting Isekai-ed into ancient Turkey. The specifics of the portal in this portal fantasy are surprisingly spooky, and hint at a magic system that takes into account historical usage of astrology in the ancient world, while still being familiar enough to fantasy readers. This is my shit.
And of course, I wouldn't be the first person to point out the similarities between the beginning of Yuri's magical journey and Fushigi Yuugi. There are conniving High Priestesses and distant gods with potentially dangerous intentions. There's a love interest with a terrible introduction that'll probably take him at least the next 20 chapters to make up for. There's an odd emphasis on the clothes the main character was wearing when she was transported into another world, that for some reason are not only plot relevant, but crucial to her getting back home. I could go on, but the comparison is unavoidable.
I've been going down this very strange rabbit hole of Shoujo/Josei hot takes on Middle Eastern history lately, and since I've already tried Shinohara's series on Suleiman the Magnificent, Ibrahim Pasha and Hurrem Sultan (to mixed results), I figured I'd finally take the plunge and read her magnum opus.
First Impressions:
We start in medias res with the typical Shoujo drama of an awkward first kiss, but things quickly speed up with Yuri getting Isekai-ed into ancient Turkey. The specifics of the portal in this portal fantasy are surprisingly spooky, and hint at a magic system that takes into account historical usage of astrology in the ancient world, while still being familiar enough to fantasy readers. This is my shit.
And of course, I wouldn't be the first person to point out the similarities between the beginning of Yuri's magical journey and Fushigi Yuugi. There are conniving High Priestesses and distant gods with potentially dangerous intentions. There's a love interest with a terrible introduction that'll probably take him at least the next 20 chapters to make up for. There's an odd emphasis on the clothes the main character was wearing when she was transported into another world, that for some reason are not only plot relevant, but crucial to her getting back home. I could go on, but the comparison is unavoidable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail