Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life, Yuri, Isekai

A Peculiar Princesses Magic Dreams and a Noble Lady’s New Start!

Yen Press’ latest new license release is a fun and unique take on the Otome genre, mixing comedy, drama, romance and fantasy into a compelling and interesting story!

The story begins during an Otome staple, Euphyllia being unjustifiably condemned and her engagement to the countries’ prince harshly broken off. Just as things seem dire, our story’s heroine comes quite literally crashing through the window to whisk her away. Now in the company of princess Anisphia at her villa, Euphyllia is in for some major changes to her life becoming an assistant to the princess’ “magicology” studies. Even her strict education as the future queen will be put to the test as one day will never be the same as the peculiar princess moves from creating lightsaber-like devices to hunting down dragons to save the nation. There’ll never be a dull moment for Euphyllia or the reader as the author transitions from one event to the next with a natural pace and a talent for witty and interesting writing.

Characters are a true standout in the series making it a cut above some of the other series in its genre. The main protagonists have complex characters that are easy to fall in love with. Princess Anisphia is your typical free spirit. The confines of royal life have never really suited her and after she renounced her claim to the throne, she fully devote herself to her scholarly pursuits creating magic tools and finding different techniques so that she might one day be able to use magic. She is always a positive character whose actions that may seem selfish at first are almost always in her subject’s or friends’ interest. What I love about the sections from Anis’ point of view is how the author has melded her positive and witty attitude into the writing, always getting a chuckle out of me.

Euphyllia is a character in a transitional phase of her life and her character throughout the volume reflects this. True to her transitional state, she starts the volume with rather subdued emotions. Barring the odd outpouring of emotion, she’s figuring out where to go with her new situation both in terms of life goals and emotional ones. As the volume progresses, she starts to come out of her shell likely due to the influence of Anisphia. Her more open-minded approach to age-old facts and life, in general, has managed to open new doors for Euphyllia firming up what she wants from life, which at this point is to be closer to Anisphia and help her journey of “magicology.” Their interactions with one another have a positive impact on both characters to progress emotionally even to the point where there are flickers of romance in the air. Whilst this may be slow going, for now, this volume does an admirable job of setting the foundations for quicker progression in later volumes.

Side characters and character interactions are also done well throughout the volume, generally feeling natural and genuinely human. The relationships between the two main protagonists and the numerous side characters feel believable due to the background we are given by the author. Two prime examples of this are between Anisphia and her maid Ilia and between Euphyllia, Anisphia and their fathers. With Anisphia and Ilia, they’ve been together for years and have been through a lot together. The author conveys this through the informal back and forth they have together often including things that would have any other maid or servant executed showing the level of respect and friendship between them. As for the two fathers, they don’t follow the caricatures of being all good or all bad but rather flawed and innately human. They admit their mistakes leading to some wonderful emotional moments and great character development.

Given that this series is generally viewed as more comedic in nature, you would expect it to stay away from more emotionally hard-hitting moments and settings that require a more serious atmosphere. However, this series manages to blend both comedy and seriousness in a way that gives them the necessary depth and a unique sense of emotional maturity. Looking at the talk between Ilia and Euphyllia towards the end of the novel about purpose is a perfect example, covering the heavy topic whilst keeping the overall tone of the novel.

This volume also covers the serious atmosphere required for a battle of grave importance to the safety of the kingdom. In the final chapter of the novel, Euphyllia and Anisphia come face to face with a dragon, a creature of legend and one that could very well spell the end of the kingdom. This is treated as a pivotal moment for Anisphia and her studies in “magicology.” Will her magical tools be up to the test? Can they be a replacement for magic in battle? The answer is a resounding yes not only providing a win for Anisphia boosting her credibility but also for “magicology” and its potential uses. The dragon fight is also a climax in Euphyllia’s emotional arc, it’s here where she finally lets go of whom she was, finding the confidence to trust Anisphia and her methods vowing to stay with her and achieve her goals.

Finally, one aspect I haven’t mentioned yet is the effectiveness by which this novel delivers large amounts of information. In general, I think this novel handles it rather well and its most information-heavy chapter, chapter three, is aided by some great visual delivery. Imagining Anisphia as a cartoon-esque teacher whilst delivering vital information on the world’s system of magic can be quite entertaining.

Magical Revolution feels fresh in amongst an already packed genre. It perfectly blends a mix of comedy, drama and fantasy together that always feels fun and interesting. The volume ends leaving several avenues open that could end up being the main storyline plot in upcoming volumes, especially the rivalry between Anisphia and her brother. The problem I have with this series is that I must wait several months for a second volume. True agony!