The Kickstarter for the English dub of Emma: A Victorian Romance is fully funded for both Seasons 1 and 2 (the entire series), which means I'll get to hear an English dub of Hans. When it comes to William vs. Hans, I'm Team Hans, especially in the anime. I think it was more of a toss-up in the manga, but it's been so long since I last read the manga that I can't really remember. I plan to do a reread project in 2019 in order to gear up for an English dub viewing.

 

In the meantime, I might try to catch up on A Bride's Story, another beautiful manga series by Kaoru Mori.

Beautiful, I did not expect less from Mori-sensei. The art is cute but less pretty than in [b:A Bride's Story, Vol. 1|10105459|A Bride's Story, Vol. 1 (A Bride's Story, #1)|Kaoru Mori|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331910205s/10105459.jpg|15002691] (this one is one of her earliest works). There are 3 stories, all of them with a gentle maid as a MC, who has a strong bond with her mistress/master. I loved all 3 of them, all cute and heart-warming!

1. Shirley: the little orphan girl of 13, who is quiet and skillful, and comes to love her mistress very much. I love that her mistress was a pretty and independent, single woman, which was hard to be in those times. There is certainly more to be narrated (what with that handsome young man, what is Shirley's story, etc).

2. Nelly: the maid who is very close to her little master. The little boy is a bit lonely since his father died when he was a baby and his mother is never at home. So he bonds with Nelly who is the youngest of the mansion staff. I like that the mother was not a 2-dimensional character.

3. Mary Banks: she and the accountant guy are the only members of the mansion staff who can stand their master's pranks. This one made me cried a little bit at the end.

The author's note at the end was a lot of fun! The mangaka is not only skilled, but also funny XD

I was flipping through this volume, waiting for my cold meds to kick in. I can't wait until my concentration comes back, because I really need to get caught up on this series, if only so I can properly read this volume instead of just flipping through it. Like this reviewer said, it's basically a love story starring two women (who happen to already be married, but that's not so much a problem).

 

Gah. Mori's stuff is so lovely.

4.5 stars. I loved the Emma series (manga/anime), so I was delighted when I found this little gem.

 

Amir's family (father, brother and cousin) form an alliance with Baltan, in exchange of Amir as a wife. They attack Amir's village, but Azel changes sides in the middle of the battle.

These siblings are spectacular. I think I am without words when it comes to Amir, it is not enough to praise her, it is a must to read it (and isn't she the cutest when she is worried for Karluk? True, she needs to stop to treat him like a child -he is, but he is also her husband- but it is sweet nevertheless). And her brother Azel is not behind. He has to be one of the most ridiculously handsome guys in a manga ever.

How is this manga not one of the best sellers in beyond me. There are 6 volumes translated only (as far as I know, only 6 were released, cuz the mangaka takes hours to work on this; she is very meticulous in her art and in the story).