Blue Ramun by Ryou Yuuki

Blue Ramun (Blue Blood) by Ryou Yuuki

Art and story (c) Ryou Yuuki

Genre: Fantasy Shojo
Length: 3 Volumes - 15 Chapters and various related extras



            Art is a bit messy and flat a first, especially in the eyes and hair, but the art steadily improves as the first volume continues. There were a few awkward body lines but they were hardly prolific, and there was some blank space that made me read dialog out of order. Just beginner mistakes that are very easy to forgive. The clothes are very interesting to look at right from the start; the Arabic influence is especially nice. It is a fantasy, so the clothes have mix of modern and old to them that gives a unique look to the manga as well. The eyes do fill out, like I said, but they aren't incredibly expressive, they more give each character their own look than show what people are feeling, for example, the resting face of the main character is usually wide-eyed innocence and so you see that face quite a lot. It has a style of its own, though, a bit cartoonish instead of realistic, but with good detail.
             Jessie Jackson is of the Blue Ramun (Blue Blood) people. The Blue Ramun are gifted people who's very life blood can heal others, and who, after strict training for the first 15 years of their lives in caravans, are given up as doctors for districts in the Empire. Jessie is newly appointed to her own district, a bit shy and withdrawn, she is happy to finally be called 'doctor' and puts her all into her work. Her priest helper is a drunk though, and things are stretching her a little further than she would like. When one of the Imperial soldiers decides to keep an eye on her, a very handsome one at that, Jessie quickly finds her feelings are getting away with her.
            Blue Blood (not that show with Tom Sellek's mustache, just to be clear) is such a creative premise that I was interested as soon as I read the description. The Arabic, desert-y type of aesthetic really adds to the world, too. Around volume two, the story does drag a little, but not to the point of boredom. In fact, it almost has the opposite problem, things happen a lot and sometimes you are not given proper explanations for things, the 'Empire' for example and where exactly the 'Blue Ramun' come from is hazy. Just lean into it and some times you get the account of something you were wondering about. Jessie is a little more helpless than she should be, but the love interest is the prince type so I suppose that’s the normal heroine you pair with that. She's not mindless, though, just innocent and naive, and the fact that all she wants to be is a good doctor gives a wide enough plethora of plot options. At three volumes its a good day read with lots more action than you would expect. The world created is interesting and fresh, while the art has its own look to it not wholly like any other I've seen. Truthfully, a little extra story would have been nice instead of the sharp ending. A few times there was some abruptness between chapters, or too many thought bubbles split across too many pages, but I can't really think of much else to complain about. Its well worth a read, the idea of blood as a healing agent is so unlike anything else I've read and its done in a simple, matter of fact way that it seems to be completely normal. When you've read so many school shojo in a row and they all start to look the same, something like this is an amazing find.




5/5 Despite the amateur feel, its an incredibly fresh manga.