Mapmaker Unen has her first major gig, but she needs another bodyguard besides her friend Irena. Just as the strange voices in her head come back, a strange man demands to know if she made an eerily accurate map. Eventually, the man, Ori, agrees to be Unen’s bodyguard; his partner, Mouru, also joins the crew as Unen tries to piece together why she and her former caretaker (Hereh) appear to be persons of interest by the two men — as well as others.
That may be a lot to take in, but that pretty much covers this first volume of Dawn of the Mapmaker. And that’s what this is — an opening volume. That’s not to say nothing happens (there are no less than three life-threatening situations), but this feels more like a setup to a personal journey rather than the start of one. Although Unen gets a promotion, compared to most light novels, I don’t look back and say, “Wow, a lot happened.” No main antagonist has been revealed, and all the main mysteries are far from being solved.
So, as an introduction to Unen’s world, how is the story? For me, the first couple of chapters were bumpy. Before readers can get a sense of who Unen is, we learn she’s stopped hearing mysterious voices about three years ago. That’s an important fact, but it’s dropped on the fourth page. This is when the author should be describing the scenery, what people eat, what animals exist, etc. Readers barely know magic exists at this point.
I was also disappointed that a couple of scenes were skipped. For example, Unen is attacked, and then the next thing you know, everyone’s chatting and talking about the person who planned the plot. We don’t actually see the mastermind get captured and their reaction to being outed as the villain. That’s something readers shouldn’t have missed out on.
The bright spot for me was the characters themselves. It isn’t often that a story doesn’t harp on the fact that character(s) are beautiful. Unen’s past was my favorite part of the story, plus it shows why, for instance, she feels guilty for stepping on a suspicious stranger in the opening chapter. Plus, a mapmaker is a rather unique job choice for a protagonist, especially in conjunction with the forbidden knowledge aspect of the story. Irena is also special enough that should could have been the protagonist, as she’s basically a self-trained knight. Mouru is one of those types who likes to irritate people, but I think he has more room for growth over the serious and quiet Ori. In fact, Nashiki says she created Ori and Mouru first before Unen, so it’s possible they could steal the show.
So far, hints of romance are minimal, but that could be because Unen is 15 while the guys are 22-23. Instead, there’s at least one dramatic confrontation between the characters, and the awkwardness afterwards isn’t immediately resolved with everyone becoming BFFs. That’s a nice change from most stories.
The art is done in a realistic style rather than the usual big-eyed anime faces. It reminded me of the video game Lost Odyssey, in particular Mouru who could double as fellow mage Jansen’s twin. But if you haven’t played Lost Odyssey, perhaps you’ll be familiar with the character designer: Takehiko Inoue of Slam Dunk and Vagabond fame. MonoKubo’s illustrations share Inoue’s penchant for serious-looking characters, so this works in a fantasy-drama.
Dawn of the Mapmaker: The Surveyor Girl and the Forbidden Knowledge takes a while to set up its world. The next volume should take the series out of its prologue-like stage, and we’ll see if Unen can reunite with Hereh before those who are after him can.