Prince Freya is a relative newcomer in the world of shojo manga. Since its debut in 2017, the series, serialized in Japan in the magazine LaLa DX, has been collected into nine volumes in its home country. Here in the United States, Viz Media has licensed the series for an English release, and currently has seven translated volumes in circulation, with the most recent release being September 2022. The series is written and illustrated by Keiko Ishihara, a mangaka with over a decade of shojo manga experience.
The story starts by introducing us to the titular Freya, a girl living in the countryside of the fictional country of Tyr. Freya lives with her ill mother and takes care of her with the help of two of her childhood friends, Aaron and Aleksi, both of which are knights in service of the nation of Tyr. Freya is a bit of a crybaby and is frequently relying on others, but when a tragedy befalls her nation, that personality is forced to change. An incident at the capital leaves the prince of Tyr, Prince Edvard dead, and due to Freya’s appearance being similar to the young prince’s, she is thrust into the role of prince, and must live as Prince Edvard of Tyr to hide the real prince’s death and keep the kingdom’s morale high in a time of war. As the plot progresses, we see the a lot more of the political situations both internally within the kingdom of Tyr, but also their war with the enemy kingdom of Sigurd. After becoming Prince Edvard’s replacement, she is accompanied by Julius, the assistant of the real Edvard, who is one of the only characters who knows that the current “Edvard” is really Freya. Julius, while strict and possessing a no-nonsense personality, helps Freya assume the role of prince politically, physically and mentally. While the two do not have the best chemistry at first, Julius is the only person who can be Freya’s pillar of support after her life changes and she is forced to live as nobility. Leaving her old life as a commoner behind, Freya must take on the challenges of being an integral political figure, as well as a warrior prince in order to save her homeland from the Sigurdian empire.
The characters, as well as their development, play an immense role in the overall narrative. In the first chapters, we see Freya’s day to day life, taking care of her mother, and then see her transition to a whole new way of life. This new life opens up an entire world of character relations and chances to further development, and the author makes sure to capitalize on that. Freya must now learn to live as Prince Edvard, assuming the late prince’s speech patterns, mannerisms, relationships and attitude. With this comes a whole new set of people in Freya’s life; she sees new interpersonal relationships grow with soldiers under her command, royalty, and Julius, her personal bodyguard and assistant. The dynamic between the two is well-written and is a total treat to see explored. While initially unlikable, Julius goes through just as much development as Freya, as his life is altered just as much at the loss of the prince he deeply respected. As the dynamic between the two blossoms throughout the narrative, the reader is bound to ask themselves, does Julius see Freya as just a replacement of the late Edvard, or does he privately harbor more affectionate feelings for her? Watching Freya and Julius grow as people, learning to adapt to the horrible tragedy that has befallen their kingdom, as well as seeing the friends and allies they make along the way, make for some truly memorable scenes.
Fans of medieval settings will love the European Middle Ages ambiance the manga possesses. The fictional medieval setting is complete with the architecture, weaponry, armor, clothing and overall mood of that point in history. While the character development and growth undoubtedly follow the traditions of shojo manga, the backdrop of war and political conflict add to the unique flavor that Prince Freya has. The world bulding of Prince Freya is excellently executed as well; complete with distinct regions with their own aesthetic choices when it comes to things like castles and armor. The series even gives the reader visual aids in the form of panels that are drawn maps of the series’ world, so the reader can really see how the geography of the region, and where the different kingdoms and regions are in relation to each other. The addition of these map panels make me feel a higher level of immersion, and I feel like I can follow Freya and company’s journey in such a way that makes the world of the story feel all the more real.
The art style of Prince Freya is a joy to take in as well. As a fan of both medieval fantasy and shojo manga, seeing the two combined into something that feels like the stylings of the middle ages with a shojo sheen to it is wonderful. The character designs all capture the previously mentioned combination of aesthetics and show the strengths of both. As for the combat panels, the motion and action is easy to follow, and some of the battles get pretty creative in how they play out. A few volumes in, large-scale combat and siege warfare become part of the story, and the level of detail in those sequences is spectacular. Much like the one-versus-one duels, the action is drawn in an intuitive manner, making it extremely easy to follow along with the events unfolding. While the overall art art style is undeniably shojo, the art during some of the panels of conflict can get quite brutal, with dismemberment and characters being crushed by catapult fire. The way these two are melded with the overall tone of the story is executed in a way that feels totally natural, and with the combination of the character designs, development and unrelenting action sequences, Prince Freya is a manga with cross appeal that spans outside of your usual shojo reader.
Prince Freya is one of my favorite currently running manga, and its mixture of well-developed characters, beautiful art, intense warfare, political drama and medieval setting make the perfect recipe for a delightful read. Fans of both shojo and action manga will undoubtedly find something to enjoy within the pages of Prince Freya. With seven English translated volumes in circulation as of right now, there is plenty of time to dive in to the series and catch up with the captivating world of Prince Freya.
