Dívčí VálkaDívčí Válka: Maidens' War Edit What would you like to edit? SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links   2o535d

Time for another review, this time on Divici Valka (or otherwise known as "Otome Sensou") For those wishing to read it, search "Otome Sensou."

Story 10/10. - The story apparently shows the Bohemian-Hussite wars. This is a historical manga where you will see the crusades that took place in 1420.

The story follows Sarka as she s the Bohemian army led by Jan Zizka against the Christian armies, there she struggles with the realities of war and the costs needed for victory. Even if you know nothing of these wars, it is still an interesting read.

Art 10/10. - Loved the art, it was so detailed.

Character ... 8/10. - The story only really goes into Zizka and Sarka, it hasn't really gone into detail on anyone else but such is the reality of war.

Zizka - He is a smart man who has always tried to find the best army, one that follows his orders to the letter. Known as the "Killer of Knights" he has the ability to command women and children to defeat a knights charge. However, he is also cold and calculating.

Sarka - A young girl who was the sole survivor of her village, at first she wished solely for revenge but now she wishes for the power to protect. That being said, she struggles with the fact of actually taking a life.

Enjoyment 10/10. - I just love it.

Overall 9/10. - While there are many good points I cannot give it a 10 overall, personally I would like to see more character building on both sides but it is still a great read.

For anyone looking for a good war manga this is for you.

It's difficult to recommend.

On the other hand, it's just not a really good manga. Most of the tactics aren't presented in an an interesting way, some characters look nice but the characterization is rarely that compelling.

The manga also has the bad habit of using rape and torture for cheap shock values over and over again that you just become numb to it.

On one hand, it's a story about the Hussite Wars and Jan Žižka, most famous for the use of firearms and war wagons in a time still dominated by kings and knights. There's just not many alternatives in visual media to fill that ... gap in historical medias.

Conclusion? Lower your expectation, and it might be a decemt read, especially for historical nerds.

This manga has been a pretty big disappointment for me, as it squandered its potential by meandering through "shock value" storylines.

STORY

I wanted to like this one, I really did. Historical fiction set during the Hussite Wars of the 15th century, when the execution of a dissenting Czech priest by the Roman Catholic Church set Central Europe ablaze? Sign me up. But then the manga opened with graphic sexual violence and only ramped it up from there. It was at Chapter 32 when I realized I was following three separate plotlines... and ALL were centered on grotesque violence and smut. Before anyone tries to write this ... off as the rantings of a Puritan who can't handle a little adult stuff, let me state that my unchallenged all-time favorite manga is 'Vinland Saga', a series that is hardly shy about depicting graphic violence of all sorts. But the adult content in 'Vinland Saga' has a point: it directly ties the darkness and depravity into the story's main theme and then (and this is the critical part) promptly moves on once the point has been established rather than wallow in it. It's why Yukimura Makoto's story comes across as one intelligently dealing with heavy, mature content and "Divci Valka" at times seems more like an outlet for a loli rape fetish than a real story. It has occasional moments of seriousness, but can't pull itself out of the muck.

ART

The art was actually pretty decent. Not the most incredible stuff like you'd see in Kaoru Mori's historical fiction, but not terrible overall. I don't have much to say beyond the fact that it looked fine and at least some attention seems to have been paid to historical detail.

CHARACTERS

Wasted potential here. what I said about the story opening with graphic sexual violence? Well, that at least COULD have been used to develop our main character- a young peasant girl named Sarka. Properly handled, the story of an innocent little girl from the bottom of society choosing to move past her pain and take control of her life, all while trying to navigate a maelstrom of political and religious warfare, could have been a great tale. But the story only seemed obsessed with how much degradation and misery it could put her through. And most of the other female characters don't even have her squandered potential to begin with, usually being little more than excuses for the story to sidetrack to yet another sexual violence subplot. And most of the male characters range from 'rapist' to 'openly brags about being a rapist'. Not exactly the greatest depth and complexity here.

ENJOYMENT

Did I miss something? Was this supposed to be a hentai manga and I confused it for a more serious story? I kept hanging on due to this manga's theoretical potential, but after a while I just had to give up.

OVERALL

Not badly drawn, but when dealing with this kind of content it takes delicacy and intelligence to walk the fine line between sugar-coating things and writing grotesque schlock- and "Divci Valka" just jumped straight into the deep end. If you're a historical fiction fan skip this one and read "Vinland Saga".