Some of the questions that fly won't be answered until around the third volume, but the complex back story encourages continued reading; that is precisely this series' key charm point. The emotional investment, though, rests squarely on the characters.
Speaking of characters, where does the prince come in? While she was illustrating this series, Fujieda-sensei admitted that the reaction to Tsubame as a hero had been lukewarm, so perforce she had to include a character who would become Tsubame's foil and deliver the shoujo hero readers expect. That is Arata, leader of boy band Splash, who also insists that he is Agemaki's soul mate. Although he didn't kill himself with her, Arata used to be Agemaki's (Kanoko's) most ardent patron, and, having lost Agemaki in the past, Arata is not about to lose Kanoko in the present.
That I'm one of those fangirls who went squee! over Arata has no bearing on my eventually realizing that Kanoko should be with Tsubame. I agree with what Kanoko said to Arata: there's nothing more egregious than being pursued because "it was meant to be." Sure, in the beginning, that was also Tsubame's agenda, but, after meeting his Agemaki, Tsubame cottons on the fact that for him, in the present, no one else would do but Kanoko. Disarming destiny is a position that endears and, ultimately, makes this low-key shoujo series (the art is very spare, almost minimal in its use of angsty angles) precious.
I'm also grateful to Fujieda-sensei for knowing when to stop giving characters past lives. Laudable restraint.
Even though some people maintain that you shouldn't base your manga buys on the manga-ka, I look forward to other shoujo titles by Toru Fujieda-sensei.
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