Captive Hearts 3

Unfortunately, after having read volumes 2 and 3 together, I can say that I’m pretty sure this story isn’t going to be something I can enjoy.

At this point, the story is still messy and there’s not much of a central plot other than curing Megumi from the servant curse.  While I still think the “manservant attacks” are pretty awesome, a lot of other things about the series are starting to wear thin.  The two main characters need to constantly reaffirm their love for each other, which can get a little annoying.  A rival for Megumi’s love is introduced in one chapter and promptly discarded.  The thing about Suzuka being sold into child slavery from last volume is not mentioned in this volume, and it seemed like it was a pretty significant event in her past.  The weird plot threads and stories are all over the place.

The characters are also still a little off and I can’t bring myself to like them.  I do like Megumi all right, mostly because he’s so devoted and for the manservant fits, but Suzuka is fairly two-dimensional and does everything you would expect her to in any given situation with no personality whatsoever.  I have to say, I’m also becoming a little uncomfortable with the whole master-servant relationship, because these people are being forced to serve Suzuka against their will, basically.  Suzuka doesn’t take advantage of that, but the fact she’s supposedly “better” than Megumi, his father, and the maid character introduced in the last volume is implied off and on, and I’m never sure how I should stand on it.  I don’t know.

I did like the flashback to the original pair that started the curse, the master and servant and why it was the dragon decided to curse the ancestor.  In that story, it depicted the two as in love, but the girl could not marry the man because they were in different social classes, so the man decided to be her servant, and she thought this was okay and married someone else?  This seems a little weird, but maybe I just need to consider the time period.  Or something.

Yeah, this isn’t really happening for me.  I may finish it though, just to see how things wrap up.  And I did buy the first volume just before I read this one, so maybe there is some context I’m missing that will help make the characters better or clarify their roles.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.