Manga: Balance is Best!

My newest manga discovery was Snow White with the Red Hair by Sorata Akiduki. I was so excited when I first heard about it that I couldn’t wait until I had the funds to officially invest in my own copies, so I started reading it through my local public library :-D. I’m still working on collecting all the volumes for myself, but this story is worth the wait!
           
Snow White with the Red Hair is fantasy-type manga that takes place in a faraway kingdom. At the beginning of the tale, Shirayuki wants to become an herbalist, but the prince of Tanbarun is planning to make her his concubine! She makes a run for it and encounters Zen, the second prince of the nearby kingdom of Wisteria. Zen helps her escape from her plight and escorts her to his kingdom, where she becomes a full-fledged court herbalist. The rest of the story follows their adventures together (and apart!) as they develop deeper feelings for one another and work to overcome the gap between their social stations.
           
What impressed me the most about this story was how balanced the characters were. Often, characters are written with extreme characteristics and stereotypes. While this can be funny and distinctive, it can also get old after a while. It was refreshing to see that Shirayuki wasn’t a helpless princess, nor was she refusing assistance. She certainly did want to do things for herself and on her own, but she wasn’t above accepting help when she needed it. Even Zen, despite his stubbornness and rule-flouting tendencies, didn’t just rush off to do whatever he wanted all the time. Instead, he faithfully played the role of prince and followed his duty rather than his emotions.
           
Personally, I find it so much easier to connect with a character who knows how to flex and adapt as their situation changes. Plus, it was so exciting to see these characters build their relationship the “right way,” by working through the rules and customs of their world so they could perform the roles they’d been given to the best of their abilities. The notion of lovers who elope in order to pursue a forbidden relationship may seem romantic, but it’s also not very relatable for most of us. Watching a young couple go through the hard work of balancing their positions in society with their desire to be together was actually very encouraging for me, because it served as a reminder that love doesn’t have to come at the expense of family or career. Balance in all areas of living allows for a full and satisfying life, both in books and in reality ;-).
           
I certainly hope I’m able to weave a good sense of balance into my own novels. Well-balanced characters feel more realistic – even if my characters start off a bit extreme, I intend to write them into a better place of being by the end! (Just think of Jesse and how his temperament evened out over the course of my first two stories.) And I love the idea of writing a romance that finds a happy ending by following the rules rather than breaking them. Hard work really does pay off, and I want to encourage that in my books. Stay tuned to see how well I do!

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
Until the next time, keep reading!

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