Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #manhua(9)

I watched the anime and then came to this manhua because I loved the characters and story so much. Body swap between the Emperor of Chen and his warrior like Empress. Plots to overthrow the throne. A harem full of secrets and a dowager Empress with little liking for her sons wife. War. All this and a sweet love story too! It’s a beautifully drawn story that was hard to put down. Highly recommended.

Completed Opinion: It took several chapters to warm up to the MCs in this story but it turned out to be really enjoyable. Perhaps too many chapters sans the ML but it all made sense. Main couple: 8/10 FL: 8/10 - Imperial Princess Chaeyeon. Definitely a strong female lead, the amount of suffering she endured in her lives, especially the former one, was the stuff of nightmares. But she had incredible resilience and a will to survive and protect her loved ones. ML: 7/10 - Great Celestial Phoenix/Daeryeo. Started as a rather immature tsundere type that really needed to be socialised. It made sense given he isn’t human and was stuck yearning for his lost love. But he had some lovely growth and acknowledged his errors. Ultimately, he became a very likeable protector and a loving partner. Story/Concept: Ill fated princess x Celestial being. I loved the different mystical creatures and lore that peppered these pages. The human political sphere amidst an Imperial setting was a point of considerable influence on the FL but it wasn’t dull, thankfully. The character development for both MCs was very satisfying especially given the consideration given to the differences between a past life and a current one. Tropes: Reincarnation romance. Arch enemy- the resenter. Time skip. Evil step mother. Shoujo. Ending: Happy. Would have liked some couple time in side stories though. Art: Started as nice and really became beautiful towards the end. Smut: Zero. TW's: Gang rape. Abuse. Animal cruelty (implied).

Completed Opinion: Sadly annoying, some good ideas poorly executed, unsatisfying overall. Main couple: 4/10 FL: 2/10: Beth. The woman born to bad luck. Pure Yang energy. Reincarnated. The perpetual damsel in distress. ML: 4/10 -Yama. Ruthless and powerful but at the same time got some pretty huge weaknesses and flaws. Bit of a rapist creep but he isn’t human so.. idk. Protective of Beth, or is he? Story/Concept: I liked the concept of being the bride of Yama and getting revenge on those who sacrificed her and treated her and her parents so horridly but yeah, that just didn’t really happen. This was an annoying series of FL actions and choices where she kept putting herself in dangerous situations that required the ML to rescue her, call her honey and smite her foes while clasping her in his arms as he manfully said (nearly each and every time), “nobody harms my wife”. Sure, she helped him a couple of times, suddenly able to wield a sword like a boss, but it was just a flat attempt to give her some strength of character that felt very out of character. My main issues (other than the above & including spoilers) were that she hated Yama at first but it just took a couple of “not my woman” moments to have her all over him, there were loads of other powerful characters but no real explanation of who they were, their relationship to Yama or Beth, or why they were allies or enemies. Yama was always using her but had a “revelation” at the end that had him understand (wish I did) and he left her only to return after years at the end (didn’t actually see him btw) with no reason of what he did, if it mattered, where they would go, were they together now, why he went, what happened to the other woman (I could go on). Having a baby was meant to kill her but suddenly we see the kid and her no problems. In short, this story was immaturely written and full of flaws. Tropes: Shoujo. Reincarnation. Powered enemies. Yin & Yang. Demons. Damsel in distress. Deception and lies. Ending: Happy? Many, MANY unanswered plot questions. Art: Nice, but sometimes faces looked a bit weird and inconsistent. Smut: None. TW's: Ritual rape (implied no smut). Available on WebComics

Opinion: A truly beautiful story that kept getting better with every chapter. Main couple: 10/10 MC: 10/10 - Wei Yu, General Commander of Wei. Killed by his most fearsome enemy yet revived and transformed under order of his King. Now Wei Yu has assumed the fake identity of Xie Quingyu and is to use his beauty to marry and assassinate the Night King. ML: 10/10 - Rong Yun, Prince Ye of Chen, the Night King. This God of War and demon of the battlefield is ruthless and cold. He lives under the wintery “curse” of his childhood affliction. As the story progresses we get to see what drives him and the man beneath the reputation, as well as the love he feels for Xie Quingyu. Story/Concept: What started as a story of a boy toy assassin and a ruthless demon of a war general became so much more as the author wove layers of connections between the two MCs. By the end their love was one to make your heart ache and the author made the most of moments spent together amidst the plots of the power hungry and the battles. Tropes: Shounen ai. Historical. Royalty. Enemies to lovers. Assassin falls for target. Self sacrifice. Smut: Discrete, infrequent. Ending: A cliffhanger, reader decide. But any way you decide, they are together. Art: Beautiful, colourful, kept improving. By the end the art had to have its own moments to be admired it was so lovely. TW's: Dub con. War. Extra: This is best read with official translation. Available and completed on WebComics app.

A spin off to the manhua, ‘Ruthless’. This story follows Starshine Company’s top model Yuan Cheng Zong (Clan) and his bodyguard, the coldly composed, Lu Zheng. Set to a backdrop of family expectations and corporate rivalries, this was a good story for the first 2/3 or so, but became heavily bogged down with secondary and tertiary characters and the family business towards the end. I found it to be a bit of a slog to remember characters from early who reappeared for the end run and the story didn’t sustain my interest towards the end. Still, the main couples story was consistently cute.

Completed story Opinion: I enjoyed this a lot but it had a few flaws. Firstly, there was not a lot of couple time as most of the story occurred with each in their separate residences and not even physically crossing paths for a while. Secondly, the entire arc of the FL sister and ex boyfriend was incomplete. There was absolutely no resolution for whether they ended up together, or turned on each other, or if the crown prince had a part in their relationship or even if the crown prince got to stay the crown prince. Extremely unsatisfying for all story aspects apart from the MCs.. Main couple: 8/10 FL: 8/10 - Liu Shuangshuan, eldest daughter of Prince Mu. I liked the FL, she was intelligent and kind, and refused to stay the victim in a toxic relationship. Transmigrated with her younger sister from the modern world. Her sister transmigrated to be Liu XiangXiang, younger daughter of Prince Mu and daughter of the current princess consort. ML: 8/10 - Fifth Prince . Poisoned as a child, the fifth Prince managed to miraculously survive but remained in a weakened body and remained sickly. However his mind was sharp and cunning and his calm presence earns him the love and loyalty of many. Story/Concept: An interesting story that has three connected people transmigrating together. In the Imperial era there is a lot of palace intrigue and the carry over hostilities between the FL and her sister and ex. The MCs dynamic was really lovely, but I would have enjoyed more couple time. We never even got a kiss. And as mentioned above, too many unresolved issues like what happens with the Mu men when they return home, and did the baby get safely delivered. Too much incomplete. Tropes: Historical. Royalty. Transmigration. Sibling rivalry. Cheating ex. Bitchy younger sister syndrome. Childhood meeting. Forgotten memories. Assassins. Palace intrigues. Smut: None. Ending: Too many unresolved plot points. Happy for MCs. Art: Consistently pretty. TW's: Extra: Available and completed on WebComics app.

Even though this is unfinished as a manga, I have read the complete web novel and really enjoyed the story. While they start young their story follows them through several years and it’s lovely how they deepen their connection and manage to fall in love, defying the boundaries of space and time in a cleverly contrived way by the author. Suxi, who had been well cared for since childhood and had achieved excellent results, was a good girl everyone liked. Lu Huan was exiled from his childhood and suffered humiliation before he became an emperor. One day, Suxi downloaded a love cultivation Game App, and found that the game protagonist’s eyes were dark and beautiful. He was drawn completely according to her taste, and she immediately opened the mode of baby raising mode. “Why is there no fire in the cub’s house? Do you want gold to buy it for him?” “The pup looks better in snow white. Ouch, buy, buy, bought it!” “Why was there a trace of footprints on the cub when he came out of the door? Is it a side mission to deal with the bully ?!” Suxi enjoyed playing the cultivation game. Lu Huan had lived in mud and blood since he was a child. He thought that living was just a matter of getting through one day then another. Until he made a complicated discovery- A warm charcoal fire was smuggled into his room. His torn old clothes were quietly replaced with new ones. Those who bullied him and ridiculed him, who knows who taught them a lesson, but their faces were swollen and they dared not go out. On his long lonely journey, he had a female bodhisattva walking his path with him.

Han Junran was the popular idol known as Juno, lead singer of the group Luka before he left amidst a scandal of being gay. Now he is off to uni and about to share a dorm room with the 20yo Xian Xian who happens to be the idols Number 1 Anti-fan commentator! It’s chaos and confusion for Xiao Xiao as he adapts to the kind and charismatic Han Junran; the tidy man with the extensive skin care regime, sculpted abs, tendency to get lost, and teasing nature. It’s hard to hate someone when you start being drawn to them but Xian puts in his best effort. The story was cute and comedic. Sadly the ending was rushed though, which let things down. Even one more chapter to sort loose ends and be a couple would have been appreciated.

Story complete on WebComics -Xie Yanhuan: Sent in place of The Ninth Princess of Xie Huan to be wed to the Emperor of Ming Guo, Yan Gui. Under a curse and following the Ninth Princesses commands under duress, Xie Yanhuan’s sole hope for success is that the Emperor live up to the rumours that he isn’t interested in women and never visits the concubines of his harem. Because if the emperor were to visit, he would discover that Xie is a man. -Yan Gui, Emperor of Ming Guo: Known as the God of War, Yan stepped into the seat of Emperor following a thwarted attempted coup by Prince Anle. Now he wields politics in his harem and his country and deals with the machinations of those with their eyes on his throne. The story was enjoyable with its balance of harem political shenanigans, character romance, magical curses, and the shadow of a looming war. There were some unexpected moments, but on the whole the story followed a comfortably expected trajectory. Let down a bit by a rather rushed final chapter, but overall still enjoyable.