Author / Artist:
Kyoko Shitou
A new series debuts from renowned fantasy manga artist Kyoko Shitou! After a king and his eldest son die, the kingdom of Laudere is left without a ruler. Asta, the last surviving member of the royal family, stands in line for the throne. But before he can claim it, he must fulfill a quest: find the legendary "Key to the Kingdom." Both ancient beasts and a variety of contenders — including a princess, a dimwitted military captain, and a villainous aristocrat — imperil his journey. Someone will find the Key, but will it be Asta?
Mon, 04/26/2010 - 22:42 — Anonymous
Pull Quote:
The country of Landor has a problem: both the king and the heir, Prince Winslott, have been killed in battle! Now the burden of ruling the country has fallen on 13 year old Prince Astarion’s shoulders, only he doesn’t want anything to do with it. Content to read his books and spend hours in contemplation, he’d rather use his brains than his brawn, which doesn’t bode well for a country at war. Fearful of a civil war, the country’s advisors have concocted a plan. Who ever finds the legendary "Key to the Kingdom" shall inherit the throne. Now Asta’s caught up in the quest, and it just might cost him his life.
Mon, 04/26/2010 - 22:43 — Anonymous
Pull Quote:
What the synopsis doesn't mention is that Asta is more interested in books than swords, and he actually doesn't want to be king. (What really bothers me is that his mother, the Queen, is still alive, but they didn't make her the regent, since Asta is still too young to rule. I know, I know, it gets in the way of the story the author wanted to do.)
Tue, 04/27/2010 - 23:40 — Anna
Pull Quote:
It took a couple attempts for me to get into this series, mainly because the first few pages introduced a main character I didn’t initially care for. Once all the pieces were lined up for the quest to start I was eager to read about the rest of the journey. Asta is an indifferent prince. He prefers to spend his time reading in the garden, and declines when his best friend Letty offers to teach him how to use a sword. Unfortunately when Asta’s father and older brother die in battle, his responsibilities are going to have to change.
Fri, 05/07/2010 - 21:27 — Anonymous
Pull Quote:
One of the things I liked was the way the tone of the series shifted towards the elegiac at the end. While the beginning of the manga showed Asta starting out on his quest haunted by the deaths in his family, he and Badd quickly shift into a bantering type of relationship which Badd often provoked by boasting about his womanizing exploits. Badd’s fate and Asta’s reaction to it ensure that the manga ends with a melancholy and reflective moment, which isn’t what you might expect from a swords and sorcery fantasy manga. Key to the Kingdom was a solid, slightly quirky fantasy manga, which is just what I’ve come to expect from CMX.
