Star Crossed Volume 1 Manga Review (Spoiler‑Free)

Synopsis

Polaris is the king of the stars, and in constant battle with his older brother for the throne. By his side is his ever loyal knight, Yildun. The pair are desperately in love, but Yildun’s loyalty to the kingdom prevents him from taking what is freely given. How could their love ever hope to overcome their vast status difference? Polaris deserves to be with another noble, someone who can stand by his side in front of the whole kingdom! But Polaris only wants Yildun, and will wait as long as it takes for him to realise that. It’s true what they say: the course of true love never did run smooth, especially for such star-crossed lovers.

The Plot

Like a lot of 30-something Brits, my fujoshi brain chemistry was permanently altered as a teen by the unrequited romance of Merlin and Prince Arthur from the hit 2008-12 BBC drama, Merlin. (They just don’t make queer bait like they used to!) I am completely unable to resist a love story between a monarch and their loyal knight who are kept apart by their dedication to their kingdom. It’s like catnip to me. So needless to say, this story is not only my cup of tea, it’s my full high tea banquet with jam and scones!

Every beat of this story was intimately familiar to me. The creak of those well walked stage boards was a symphony to my heart. Of course, what that also means is that there’s nothing especially new happening here. This story has been told a lot, and creator Crimson Chains is going through the motions with this one. Whilst there is some creative worldbuilding, such as how the brothers battle with ink made from their own blood to paint constellations, the basic romantic plot has been done a thousand times over.

Whilst the romance between Polaris and Yildun is entirely reliant on an understanding of pre-existing tropes, Crimson Chains’s understanding of what makes these tropes so beloved is what sells it. There were plenty of moments throughout that had me squeeing over how in love they were. The first chapter does speedrun things a little though, which is a shame. The early chapters feel more like a series of vignettes loosely strung together. There were several story beats that I wish were fully fleshed out but were just dropped in favour of drawing the next cute moment between our main pair.

However, as the comic goes on, the story becomes more polished and consistent. There suddenly becomes an actual plot with a plan! One that I have a genuine interest in following.

The Artwork

The artwork is without a doubt the standout here. Crimson Chains has some of the best understanding of colour I’ve seen from any webtoon artist yet. By giving herself a limited colour palette of blue and gold, with occasional splashes of black and white, she’s been able to create an entire world of the stars upon the page. Every stroke of the brush helps to pull the reader into her world. Reading it felt like dancing in the cosmos. The cover images are particularly beautiful, and I would love to have them hanging on my wall.

In terms of layouts, they’re all a little route one. The panel work isn’t bad, but it’s nothing to write home about either. It didn’t excite me, and I think Crimson Chains could have better used page turns. I suspect this might be the difficulties involved in converting a scrolling webtoon to a physical book, but it’s still worth noting. I did appreciate how the space between the panels was done, though. Instead of one block colour, they were black with white ink flickered across like stars. Once again, this understanding of art helped to draw the reader into the universe. It made me feel as though I, too, was a part of this cosmic kingdom.

The Character Design

I loved the costume design in this. The clothes were a beautiful mix of contemporary fashion and classical fairytale couture. It brought to mind series such as Witch Hat Atelier and Snow White With the Red Hair. Some of the background characters lacked originality, but the main characters all had a visual style that showed both their personalities and their allegiances. Whilst it would have been good to have fewer characters with European-style features, I was still happy to see such a plethora of dark-skinned characters—and in particular, the fact that they were almost all in positions of authority.

I think the series could be improved by having a wider variety of body types and gender presentations. However, this is a critique common amongst all graphic media. The series felt very male heavy, and at first I thought that this was simply a universe where everyone was male-presenting. However, there were several feminine-presenting people in the crowd scenes. Whilst I’m a fan of androgyny, the fact that the only she/her named speaking character has an identical gender presentation to all the he/him characters isn’t the win for inclusivity some might think. It still suggests some element of forced gender presentation, even if it’s hierarchical.

The Verdict

This series is incredibly tropey. There were times I thought the author might have been stalking my AO3 history! As such, it might not be to all tastes. However, romance fans such as myself often love when a trope is well done! And here, they are cooked to perfection. The artwork is gorgeous throughout and worth reading for that alone. Whilst there’s certainly room for improvement, this speaks to Crimson Chains’s skill as a creator. There’s promise on every page and I am excited to see where it will lead.

If you liked Star Crossed you may also like…

• A Beast’s Love Is Like the Moon
• Goodbye My Rose Garden 
• Snow White With the Red Hair

Credits

Story and Art: Crimson Chains
Editor: Lena Atanassova
Retouching and Lettering: Vibrant Publishing Studio
Cover and Interior Design: Aracelli Ejarque Villegas
English Publication: Tokyopop

Thank you to TokyoPop for providing a review copy. Receiving this copy did not affect the reviewer’s opinions as expressed here.

Article edited by: Stephanie Liu