More Starlight To Your Heart

    (ADV Manga, 2005)
™ and © 2002 Hiro Matsuba

It’s romance Shakespearean style, as Lady Akane of noble birth disguises herself as a (not particularly good) serving girl so that she can follow her love Aogi into the Japanese Imperial Palace when he becomes a Captain of the Inner Guard. Thanks to nice art and pleasant characters, this sweet romance is every bit as engaging as it is silly, even if readers do have to accept that Akane’s single-minded devotion is seen as the epitome of nobility (and not just simpering, whimpering dependency). There must be something to it, since it’s obviously strong enough to not only withstand Aogi’s own reticence but the machinations of a sexy servant who wants him all to herself. If you can manage to forget everything you learned about Japanese feudal aristocracy from reading Lone Wolf and Cub and suspend your disbelief long enough to believe that life in the Imperial Court was like a British boarding school, you’ll likely enjoy the simple plots and harmless intrigues of More Starlight to Your Heart.

— S.A. Bennett
Jump to issue:
  NotesWriterArtist