Ruined
With art by Nikki Smith & Sarah Winifred Serle
It’s not every day that I get to review a romance-related manga at AAR, so I was delighted to read the spicy Ruined, the story of a woman whose social status has been ruined by rumors – and a man who needs someone with cash enough to help him restore the family seat.
Catherine Benson is entering into a loveless marriage to improve her reputation. It’s been rumored that she was despoiled by her former crush, though the details surrounding the incident are very fuzzy. The man she loved is engaged to another, and now no man of honor will touch her.
Andrew Davener is marrying Catherine for her inheritance. His estate is crumbling down about his ankles and he hopes to use her dowry to restore it. He – embittered by his family’s past – is determined to live for his business and plans on keeping a separate residence after their wedding night.
Catherine and Andrew are total strangers on their wedding day; they vow not to let something like love interfere with their hopes and plans, though they will try to get along. Unfortunately – no matter how hard they fight, and how much Catherine pines for her first love – affection seems determined to pull them closer. But can true love really blossom between them? Or are they destined for more pain?
The art is cherubic; while sometimes this is cute, it often comes off as undetailed and overly indistinct, especially during the sex scenes. The end result is something weaker than it could have been. Very muted colors, however, help to build a very lush and delicate feeling. So while the art is a mixed bag, and the plotline does drag a bit, Ruined is still a warm-hearted and provocative read. There are a lot of classic romance tropes on display here; even ghosts. And we get a secondary romance between Catherine’s worried sister and her closest friend.
But those tropes do run a little thick. Hero-with-a-tragic-past meets heroine-who-is-hung-up-on-someone-else, until she realizes she wants a real marriage, which disarms him and makes him do something hurtful. Love ought not to blossom but oh, does it. All of this makes for a fast-paced read.
Just a warning for those who might not be expecting it: this one definitely has some nudity and on-page sex going on. So if you’re sensitive to seeing on-page genitals this isn’t the book for you. But if you’ve never read a manga-based romance novel, Ruined is a perfectly decent place to start.
Recent Comments
Darn! When I heard about this, I was hoping it would be something different…
Like honestly, give it a loan! You might like it more than me.
I liked this a bit more than Lisa did and gave it a B-. The plot certainly broke no new ground, but as with almost everything, it is the execution that counts. I thought the soft colors were lovely and fit the repressed emotions quite well. It took me a bit to realize that the actions depicted in grey were those in Catherine’s past. My main complaint was that the art takes up so much space that, even though it helps tell the story, I felt the emotional and character arcs were somewhat shortchanged – but then, that’s an issue I have with graphic novels overall. It’s a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”, as I know many others don’t have this problem; I guess my brain is just hardwired for words rather than pictures (although I do love seeing some things rather than having them described in the classic show-don’t-tell).
I was very much on a lower-scale B to a C+ borderline on this one for a long time.
I think that was a big problem too. The best comics blend these things neatly together naturally. I still want more romance manga in the world, though!