Red River, Vol. 1
by Chie Shinohara
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The unlikely story of Yuri, a Japanese teenager pulled back in time to the 14th century BC by the Tawannana (empress) of the Hittite Empire. Stuck between wanting to return to her home in Japan, and staying to help the man she loves, Yuri becomes Ishtar the goddess of war and has the romantic adventure of a life-time.
This makes it into my top 10 manga (there may be more than 10 in the list, but… this is one of them). An absolute must read. It’s intensely romantic, terribly tragic, and perfectly satisfying. It’s easy to sympathize with the characters being both a well-developed story, and a well translated one. And, such fun when some famous characters from Ancient Anatolia & Egypt are thrown in the mix.
I’ve read it every year (at least once), and the only thing I regret is how much sleep I lose when I’m at it! I really should consider taking a week off of work to dedicate myself to this epic series. I just can’t stop reading when I get started!
manga hoarder 