Krystallina: This is Fiancée of the Wizard, but this volume should first be called Friend of the Wizard, then Funeral of the Wizard, and finally, Fiesta of the Wizard. Either way, by the end, this series doesn’t need to be called Fiancée of the Wizard anymore. And if you’re wondering why, just look at the cover!
Filimena hasn’t given up on marrying Edy, but there has been no mention of setting a date or anything. Soon, though, the Lord of Darkness returns and terrorizes their homeland. In true RPG fashion, a hero, knight, healer, and spellcaster are needed to defeat him. Of course, Edy is chosen for that last slot, and Filimena worries their journey will result in one of two outcomes for the magical misanthrope: he’ll either sacrifice himself or fall in love with Princess Clementine. She worries about either scenario and asks him not to go, but he heads off.
Then the manga bizarrely turns to Yurifaldt, a backwoods noble who pulls the sword out of the stone. He feels a bit over his head when he goes from worrying about crops to facing a wyvern horde, and his companions tend to be eccentric. At the top of the list is Edy (although no one but Filimena is allowed to call him that!), but Yurifaldt’s straightforwardness and genuine interest in the wizard whittles away at Edy’s walls. But Edy’s defenses are truly down when he casts a spell to take down one of the Lord of Darkness’ strongest minons — a spell so powerful that it brings the end for both target and caster!
…And if you believe that when there’s still half a volume left and wedding attire on the cover, for the love of Pete, please stop sending money to the prince of Nigeria!!
Filimenia mourns the loss of her beloved, wishing that Edy had granted her one wish (to not go) and/or that she had been more demanding and affectionate over the years. She also believes the standoffish Edy probably only sacrificed himself because of how important the princess was to him. Despite being the heroine (and the titular character), she doesn’t do much besides mope — and even when she regains her smile, she still doesn’t do much besides get a reminder that this world isn’t just a story. I know protagonists aren’t always the star of their own manga, but Filimena is so one-dimensional.
Fiancée of the Wizard‘s sudden switch to Yurifaldt’s perspective felt out of place as well. Volume 1 changed point-of-views too, but it stuck to the main couple. I don’t see him being a character other than Edy’s sort-of, barely tolerable friend, so I don’t know if it was necessary to show his journey to the capital and first battle. It doesn’t even add anything new or deeper to Edy’s personality, as he’s still acerbic to Yurifaldt and the others even later.
I don’t know where Fiancée of the Wizard goes from here, as this second volume could be mistaken for an axed manga’s rushed ending. But while the plot is subpar, the art is not. The cover and the opening color splash page are gorgeous, and the soft pinks and flowers are chocolate to a shoujo reader’s sweet tooth.
Still, I’m not sure whether I’m not liking Fiancée of the Wizard‘s story, or if it’s the adaptation failing to bring out the plot. Although based upon the ending, maybe these first two manga volumes are more of a prequel than the title suggests? I’m curious as to what’s next, although I hope what’s to come is better than what’s seen here.
Krystallina’s rating: 2.5 out of 5
Helen: The fantasy world that Filimena has reincarnated in is a fairly rote one, to the point where she’s almost not surprised to hear that some dark villain has appeared and that her fiancé Edy, the best wizard in a generation, must join the party to save the country. Filimena is worried about the outcome of this adventure however: she knows that this story either ends with Edy giving up his life in a heroic sacrifice or with him falling for the princess who’s also a member of this party, so it doesn’t seem like there’s anything Filimena can do to fight that fate!
The situation ends up playing out slightly differently than Filimena expected but not by much; Filimena has already realized that her role in this story isn’t to be the main character but a side character and this is taken to the extreme where a large part of this volume doesn’t follow her at all, instead focusing on the hero of Edy’s adventuring party. While that section wasn’t bad per-say, I would have much rather see the story commit to embracing Filimena’s side character role and not switch perspectives; I’m sure there’s an interesting story to be mined as the average citizen in a country facing a literal Lord of Darkness. As it currently stands, we the readers don’t know that much about Filimena’s life in general, especially outside of her relationship to Edy; we see some of her dealings with her family but outside of that we know nothing. Like the title of the series suggests, we know Filimena based on her relationship to other people but not much about who she is outside of that.
So the big question is, what next? Filimena is no longer the fiancee of the wizard, she’s the wife of the wizard, and as far as everyone knows the Lord of Darkness has been defeated, yet the series is only half over! Once again I’m curious if this manga adaption is closely following the original light novels or if it’s diverging and that’s why the title is no longer a perfect fit. Heck the last few pages have Filimena thinking about how happy they are now — I didn’t spot a single clue about what’s coming next! That little foreshadowing is making more nervous than curious about what comes next, but I’ll certainly be here to finish up this short series.
Helen’s rating: 2.5 out of 5