| | |  | SHOJO BEAT | Home » » » Red River, Vol. 1 | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | Youri, a pretty Japanese girl who just passed a college entrance exam, is ecstatic after her first kiss with her handsome childhood friend-turned-boyfriend, Himuro. Meanwhile, she starts to notice that water becomes agitated whenever she goes near it! One night, hands appear out of a puddle on the street and drag her into the water. She emerges from the water to find that she has been transported to an ancient village somewhere in the Middle East. She is then captured by armed troops and taken to the queen's palace, where she learns that the queen had her kidnapped so she can offer her blood as part of a ritual that will kill two princes in competition to inherit the kingdom. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Chie Shinohara | | Paperback:
| 200 pages | | Publisher:
| VIZ Media LLC | | Publication Date:
| June 23, 2004 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 159116429X | | Product Length:
| 7.46 inches | | Product Width:
| 6.46 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.66 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.43 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.4 inches | | Package Width:
| 4.7 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.6 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.4 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 22 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 22 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 46 found the following review helpful:
Shamelessly, shamelessly great. The shojo that hits the spot!Jan 03, 2006
By Nichole Beaulieu
I really only write reviews for items I've thoroughly enjoyed, and RED RIVER is shamelessly, shamelessly great.
Shamelessly, shamelessly great. A friend enthusiastically endorsed it saying, "sex and violence," which always appeals to me when I need some serious escapism. I grew up on a steady diet of romance novels thanks to a mother who worked in a bookstore and collected them. This series can stand with the best of that book-world, and its own. RED RIVER is the _supreme_ shojo ("female appeal") manga series. It hits the spot where some other manga series fear to address - or just miss completely. It's overtly (and maturely) sexual, has moments of aggressiveness and a few vignettes of outright carnage, some great humor, but ultimately the RED RIVER (series) is one of the most addictive page-turners I've ever come across (Japanese serial comic or not). I would even recommend this for those that like romance novels and have never tried manga (Japanese comics).
"Addictive" is the exact word for it, because once you start, you're stuck on the couch until you finish ... I devoured the first five in an afternoon and was so eager about the series that I made the boyfriend take me out right away to buy the available next four ... and not one of them have disappointed me. I think I'm suffering serious withdrawal awaiting the next few installments. Heh, it almost hurts to think I have to wait to read all 28 volumes.
The storyline is classically 'shojo' - young girl zapped from her own time & space to another land - in this case the ancient middle east when Turkey was the Hittite empire. But don't be fooled, like I wrote, this series hits the spot where every other 'mature' shojo misses, and it never lets up. Modern teen Yuri has been marked for sacrifice by a power obsessed queen from the ancient world. Suffused with political intrigue, the RED RIVER books follow Yuri's adventures of survival in early history - and her budding romance (um, more like "burning encounters") with warrior-royal Kail Mursilis.
Interesting tidbit: a bit of digging reveals that Chie Shinohara has more than a passing interest in history - quite a lot of the story behind RED RIVER is factual. There was indeed a real a King Mursilis II of the Hittite empire, (a younger son of great King Suppiluliuma I), his brother Zannanza did suffer the same fate as the books on route to marry an Egyptian queen, and Mursilis worked to keep his kingdom united despite hostile forces. He destroyed his enemies in the Mitanni kingdom and staved off the Egyptian empire. He also battled off his evil step-mother - in particular, there are documents where he recounts how she tried to leverage a solar omen into an attempt to demote him. Despite all this, it seems he ruled faithfully for nearly 27 years, presumably as a kind and just king. Further intriguing, he kept chronicles of his life, in which he is translated as writing: "Even before I sat on my father's throne, all the enemy lands were hostile to me (...) I took up (my) hand to the goddess of Arianna, my lady, and I spoke the following "(...) O Sungoddess of Arinna, my lady, stand with me: forward (and) smite (my enemy lands)" And the Sungoddess of Arinna, my lady, heard my word, and she stood with me and while I sat on my father's throne." Which, if you read RED RIVER is this whole story and seems to take the idea of the 'Sungoddess of Arinna' (presumably Ishtar) literally as the character Yuri. Pretty neat!
Forget feeling silly, or feeling like you're 'too grown up' to read comic books! Artist Chie Shinohara has created a story and artwork that is fantastic, stylized and lovely. It's a pleasure (!!) to read, and reread, and . . . RED RIVER is a must-add to your 'mature' shojo library. It's like the best vacation you can take on a page.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
superb love/adventure storyMay 18, 2006
By Dorothea
This is one of the few mangas that uses the girl-in-another-world formula well. Of all the ones I've read, the only one I would put on equal standing with Red River is From Far Away.
In this first volume, Yuri, a relatively ordinary girl living in Tokyo, is transported into the ancient past where an evil queen wishes to sacrifice her in an evil ritual so as to kill off all the princes and put her own son on the thrown. Prince Kail, heir to the throne and one of the few magic-users strong enough to rival the queen, rescues Yuri during the ceremony and brings her back to his palace. Although he's well known to be a playboy, his feelings for Yuri are serious almost from the start. Yuri, on the other hand, hates his flirting and angrily rejects him. Their love story is just gorgeous, but it never dominates the plot. Instead, it's something that develops steadily and intensely in the background of all the political intrigue and battles.
Yuri is a phenomenal heroine. She's passionate, intelligent and brave. At times, she's dignified and even regal, and at others she's just cute, feisty and endearing. This first volume is only the beginning of her long adventure; having only just arrived in a new and strange place, she often requires rescuing and has little control over her situation. However, as the story progresses, she gains more and more power, until she's the one rescuing the prince and foiling the queen's evil plans. Yuri isn't a flashy heroine who uses spells or force of arms to get what she wants; although she becomes an adept fighter, usually it's her incredible intelligence and slyness that help her succeed. It was so wonderfully refreshing to read a manga like this, where the heroine isn't just incredibly kind-hearted and just, but also astoundingly SMART.
For those who start reading and get fed up with Yuri requiring rescuing, it's only natural that in the beginning, she should be somewhat vulnerable. However, she soon becomes strong enough to defend herself.
9 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Love it!Aug 01, 2005
By Kim H.
"kimthebookworm"
Red River by Chie Shinohara
Red River is about a girl names Yuri who just got a kiss from her childhood friend-turned boyfriend. She also just passed her high school entrance exam so she's got nothing to worry about, right? WRONG! Mysteriously hands start comming out at her from anything with water. After avoiding them for about 3 days she suddenly gets sucked into 1500 B.C. in The Hittite Empire, Anatolia. If that isn't weird enough the queen is looking to murder her, because her blood can curse the 5 princes that come before her son to succede the throne. Coincidentally while she was running away from the queen's guards that were chacing her she ran into a mysterious person who suddenly hides her. Turns out her first impression of him was that he is a pervert, but she was totally wrong. He is the 3rd prince to the throne..... prince Kail..... who saves her life A LOT in the beginning of the series. *lol* He's the best candidate for king as of now. Later on when Kail takes Yuri to war he tells his people that she is Ishtar, goddess of war and fertility, who has come to lead his people to victory (actually that was just an excuse to take her with him ). Turns out, however, that she actually turned the tide of war from bad to good! Now Kail's people worship her as Ishtar!!! Kail secretly loves Yuri and Yuri secretly loves Kail, but they both won't confess their feeling because Yuri is about to leave. What a mess it turns out to be when she actually doesn't leave, but stays to avenge a killed servant! The story gets more and more interesting with people, war tactics, and courage this is a really good series!
Ack SO rated OT!
5 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Boring title--Entertaining Manga!Jan 09, 2005
By Andie
"curlyq"
It's hard to just glance at this manga and think it's any good at all. But since I research manga to find new and interesting reads, this one seemed odd enough to look into.
Yuri is the protagonist--she's a normal Japanese girl--who is suddenly sucked into a puddle on the street, and it magically brings her to the Ancient Middle East (Anatolia--Hittite Empire, a little history there) and blah, blah, you can read the summary. But what makes this manga better than most is the great plot and the detail in the characters. The artwork is lovely (I've seen better artwork, but not better storylines) and it keeps you moving along, wanting to know what's going to happen to Yuri and Prince Kail. I found myself thinking of what it must feel like to be in their shoes. It's just so imaginative and catchy.
I don't think many people have heard about this manga; I think it only came out in the US recently considering I'm only getting to book 3 now. But it's a really good twist from the typical shojo ("true-to-life characters...and relationships"). But I have to warn you, if you read it and want more like I do, it's a 27 (yes, TWENTY-SEVEN) volume commitment. Kinda scary, but I like a challenge if I can afford it.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A shojo title that breaks the mold in some places, conforms in othersMar 25, 2007
By Violet
As a history nut, I simply had to try out Shinohara's shojo take on Anatolia and Mursili II. I was well pleased to discover not only a thoroughly researched world rich with historical factuality and detail, but also a gripping and complex story line. The premise should be familiar to any manga reader, as it uses many conventions of the genre; average Japanese school-girl gets transported to a strange and distant land where she quickly forms a attraction-aversion relationship with the male lead while meanwhile discovering her own inner self and power. However, Shinohara throws in several delightful twists to the shojo standards and elevates the story away from the cliche.
Yuri, the protagonist, breaks from stereotype and actually possesses a sharp mind for politics and military tactics. It's truly delightful to see a shojo lead think on her feet. Prince Kail (the historical Mursili II), the requisite pretty-boy lethario, shows demension and depth as well, although I find his character more cliche-driven than some of the other cast members. Although the core cast remains more or less the same, all receive a good dose of personality from Shinohara -- the reader finds their stories nearly as fascinating as the main couple's.
One final note is on the pacing of Red River. I grow weary of reaching volume 15 of a series only to realize the characters have yet to evolve and the plot is stagnate. Not so for Red River; the pacing is phenomenal! Both Yuri and Kail go about several deep transformations of character as the plot progresses. Months and seasons pass, characters grow old, political tensions ebb and flow just like they did 3500 years ago. Shinohara is not afraid to trim the cast when necessary, either. It's refreshing for a shojo writer to get her hands bloody, so to say.
Overall, Red River is a surberb shojo manga that rejects the pink-and-angst saturated conventions of the genre in favor of a surprisingly deep story dotted with historic detail. (As an anecdote, my Ancient Mesopotamia professor caused me to supress giggles when she referred to Mursili II as "More-silly" to help us remember his name. Imagine Yuri teasing him with that moniker!)
Whether you enjoy time-travel, action, history or romance, Red River delivers. The art is classic shojo, but Shinohara renders Hattusa and its people beautifully. I heartily recommend this series.
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