Dawn of the Arcana

The manga follows the story of Nakaba, a princess who has been shunned her whole life for having red hair. She is forced into a political marriage with a prince from the enemy country, a marriage that is supposed to bring "peace". But the prince, Caesar, is kind of a racist asshole, so the only friend she has in the enemy palace is Loki, her servant and childhood friend, that came with her from her home country. She also discovers that she has an arcana of time, a special power that might help her change the rotten world around her.

The story starts out as a fiery romance and the gradually evolves into a reflection on the origins of evil in human nature. You see, the world of Dawn of the Arcana is a dark place plagued by systemic inequality, prejudices, hatred and war. As the story progresses, Nakaba learns more about why people hate and hurt each other. It's human weakness that breeds evil, people's inability to see past their own suffering. People who can't cope with their personal tragedies hurt others, further spinning and spinning the spiral of hatred and violence. But the more Nakaba understands, the more she suffers, because she knows that even if she sympathises with the villains, she can't let them off the hook. I like that the manga doesn't forgive (well, almost),

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(whether or not Caesar was left off the hook is up for debate)

... but I can't help but feel sad, as well.

But there are hundreds of stories out there that attempt to explain or justify the actions of assholes. But what really makes this story stand out from all the others is just how skilfully it draws the reader's attention from a tragedy that is unfolding behind the scenes. While following Nakaba's story and cheering her on her adventures we miss the same things she misses and we take for granted what she takes for granted. Almost like the villains that Nakaba condemns, she gets so immersed with her own suffering that she fails to notice the suffering of others. In a way, the manga manages to fool us by playing into our romantic trope and character expectations. I mean, even tags here on Anilist feature "love triangle" and "male harem". ~~Because, apparently, when a heroine so much as breathes next to more than one male character it automatically makes it a reverse harem... ??? wtf~~ Because we think we know what to expect from the characters, we're in for a very rude, ruthless awakening at the end.

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

The fact that Nakaba decides that Loki has a one-sided romantic affection for her and never ever questions his devotion to her is crucial here. Because when you dismiss his feelings as "unrequited love" and write him off as an "unfortunate love interest" you choose not to look, you choose to let that door stay closed. But she could have reached out to him and she could have saved him, she could have embraced his loneliness. He was not a sacrifice for the future and what happened to him was not a result of a single decision — it was a result of her choosing not to ask and not to look throughout the entire story. She suffered for having red heir her entire life and yet didn't realise just how much Loki had it worse. I'm not letting Loki off the hook here, of course, he also chose not to open up, he chose to wallow in his sorrow instead of sharing it. But still, the fact that he overused his arcana, probably, by constantly revisiting the past with her or just by coming to look at her, his only family and companion who just gave up on him, is soul-crushing.

This story is definitely not perfect and not all the elements of it make perfect sense to me, and I don't always agree with the author's sentiment. However, it was definitely quite a powerful read and I find myself thinking about that ending even long after I read it. Even though it's dark and sad and bittersweet (like all Rei Touma's manga, to be honest), it's definitely not a tear-jerker and it was very fun to read.