A young lady, on the run from an entire army division, and aided by dozens of operatives risking their lives. An “Informationist” charged with guarding her, whose secret may be even more explosive than her own. Will these two make their escape? And what explosive secrets do they hold, and powers do they possess, to make them such targets?
Thou, As My Knight… begins with a relentless opening chapter that sets the stage for an exciting, if flawed, opening volume. The young woman in question is Holy, whose defection from the Balga Empire to a “free” state has drawn the full force of the kingdom. Somewhat timid and apparently innocent, she’s quite a foil for her violent, cold bodyguard, Rindou, who is an “Informationist,” a soldier who can make anything appear that he can construct in his mind scientifically. The back and forth between these two is fun, and the intensity of the series is ramped up by the appearance of uber-powerful assassins who you’d think would be “bosses” rather than already showing up in volume one. Add to that the thrill of knowing that “bad guys” know exactly where the duo is headed, and you’ve got a recipe for quite a thrill ride.
For the most part, the series does well with these elements. It’s an engrossing read—you’re either rooting for the Rindou and Holy to learn more and care for each other, wondering about their backgrounds (and the answer to who they are is satisfying in both cases), or reading about the well-described battles between Rindou and those sent to eliminate them.
But the series is severely lacking, too. There’s a lot of contrivance in the plot, with everything falling “just so” in order for the story to be completed in the way the author, Rintaro Hatake, wants it to, rather than unfolding in a more authentic way. Hatake-sensei wants to accomplish a number of things in this volume, and it feels like the places the characters go and the powers of those involved exist to complete that mission.
But this isn’t high art, and those machinations don’t bother me too much—at least not as much as how quickly Rindou and Holy’s relationship develops. This is the type of thing that would be best stretched out over volumes (indeed, the end of this volume feels like the end of a series or at least arc, rather than of one book). Rindou himself seems to have been bent and changed to be able to get to where Hatake-sensei wants the series to go. The Rindou we read about halfway through this volume until the end is not the Rindou that’s introduced to us; they’re simply different characters with vastly different personalities.
Still, I enjoyed the very visual descriptions in the story and how exciting it was. The final fights were especially fun reads. And Rindou and Holy are likeable, if quite a bit underdeveloped. This may be a flawed start to the series, but I’m nonetheless eager to see how the author builds the story from here. There are so many places it can go—let’s just hope Hatake-sensei follows the tale to where it naturally leads, rather than forcing it to go the route he intends it to take.
Thou, As My Knight… is published by Yen Press.
