I certainly understand why this series was popular when it was originally published. I think I would've loved this back when I first got into shoujo manga as a teen. It was a very fast-moving relationship, which was a rarity back when I was a teen. (Or it's possible I only picked up slow-burn ones, but honestly I'm pretty sure the shoujo troupe back then was dragging out the romance plot until the end of the series). This fast moving relationship would've been a game changer for me, and I think it was at the time. The setting is also fairly unique and it's really cool that the author has done her research to write and draw during this time period.

A large portion of the tension here is Prince Kail need to go save Yuri. This is much more dramatic if you're invested in the romance, where I personally am not. I found this volume to be a bit repetitive-- it seemed to drag some scenes out by repeating the same information over again.

I do think Yuri grows here. She reads very young to me (which is fine given the target demographic)-- the author has had her grown very organically thus far and she may be one of the most relatable teen heroines.

I'm uncertain if I will continue on with the series, but I do think it's a good historical isekai romance. And it certainly will be popular with today's shujo audience, as I've found modern day shoujo's have fast moving relationships as well. I am somewhat intrigued to see how the entire series ends up being a total of 28 books!

It's nice to see a title like this come back in print! Some aspects of this nearly thirty year old series have not aged well, like the prince still being pretty handsy, but he's also trying to be respectful of Yuri's wishes, so milage may very. It's still a fast-paced political/ romance/ soap opera that has a lot of fun charm to it. This is what isekai or "other world" stories used to be like! No cheats, no world-breaking skills, just a normal human flung into a strange new world with only her will to survive. (No shade to the current trends!) If you liked this back in the day, or maybe you're interested in it now, give it a shot!

I really enjoyed this volume. Like the previous volume, this is a 3-in-1 edition of the book, so there was a lot to read and enjoy. Even still, it felt like this book flew by! This furthered the plot between the warring countries, and ended on a cliffhanger. The artwork was gorgeous and very reminiscent to the classical shoujo style of the 70s that I really adored, and I loved the heightened amount of drama and emotion in this volume. Geniunely looking forward to the conclusion of this storyline!

I'm somewhat surprised we're already seeing a vol 2 in the omnibus editions of Red River, but I'm not mad. This 3-in-1 edition contains volumes 4-6 of the Red River manga and I kid you not Yuri spends 99.9% of these volumes held prisoner by various people.

Volumes 4-6 lead us away from the melodramatic, yet still somehow comically inefficient evil plans of the Queen Nakia to the neighboring kingdom of Mitanni. Coincidentally the prince of the land is referred to as The Prince of Darkness. Yuri and Kail must navigate not only the upcoming war, but the machinations of the queen, the prince of darkness, and the upcoming deadline of the water season back in Hattusa.

Essentially volumes 4-6 don't change my overall opinion of the series discussed in my review of the first omnibus. Red River is very of its time. I sighed out loud when someone made a "women are hysterical during certain times of the month" comment. I also because really frustrated with how quickly Yuri oscillated between bad ass boss babe to tragic crying heroine. One moment she's fighting a lion, the next I'm kind of hoping the Prince of Darkness will actually kill her if only so she'll stop being so tragically useless. The story continues to be enjoyable, if not messy. It gets more and more unbelievable that the thought "I could just stay here" hasn't occurred to Yuri. Still a suggested read for classic shojo fans.

Same trigger warnings for rape, sexual assault, violence, and gore apply.