MANGA REVIEW | "How to Treat a Lady Knight Right" - Volume One
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say. For mage Foolie Dent, beauty is found via strength, bravery, and great abs! Hence why he has fallen head over heels in love with Leo Cornelia, the strongest lady knight around. Her response: completely flabbergasted! But as the premiere volume of Kengo Matsumoto’s How to Treat a Lady Knight Right shows, she’s not entirely weirded out by Foolie.
At first, Leo cannot believe her ears as Foolie confesses his love for her. After all, how can someone fall for a woman covered in scars and muscles? But as Foolie quickly proves, he’s not pulling her leg. Leo’s quiet smile, her stance, and — yes — her abs are what he found himself smitten over. Reluctantly, Leo allows Foolie to go on quests with her. As the two partner up, Leo starts seeing the kinder side of Foolie, and vice versa.
On top of his love for Leo, Foolie also proves his worth in battle against a foray of fantasy characters. His healing powers come in handy for the lady knight, especially for deep wounds and magic curses. Foolie also has a knack for training others with their magic skills, as he shows Leo how to control hers. (Before he came around, her explosion magic literally blew her up!) Even a training sessions shows just how much Foolie is putting into both this hopeful relationship and his desire to become stronger.
But it’s the love factor of How to Treat a Lady Knight Right that’s the manga’s biggest strength. The idea of a scrawny man fallen for a muscular woman could’ve been just a one-note joke; instead, it’s a proper showcase of how love can come in all shapes and sizes. How Leo blushes when she tries on a birthday present, the way Foolie blushes when Leo falls asleep on his shoulder, and the care in his words when talking about the scars on her back are presented with such care and sweetness.
However, it’s when the comedy is elevated when this manga is firing on all cylinders. Leo’s first time eating sweets, Foolie’s jealous sister Anri’s antics, and Foolie constantly praising Leo’s abs are great comedic highlights. There’s even some good humor on how human the tough Leo really is, especially when it comes to her fear of thunder and her first bout with a cold. Thankfully, nothing here is mean-spirited; every joke has a tinge of heart placed in the strong humor that’s presented.
Matsumoto also does a great job with the visual aspect of the series. Whether it’s how Leo’s muscles are drawn or the sweetness of a sleepy Foolie, there’s so much care that’s placed into every frame of this manga. Although there’s not a lot of action in the premiere volume, Leo’s battle with a cyclops is shown with plenty of intensity and a good sliver of gore. But it’s when moments are calm between Foolie and Leo when we can see the beauty in everything that the mage sees.
How to Treat a Lady Knight Right is a delight! It’s funny as hell, but it’s also one of the sweetest fantasy rom-coms this side of the drawbridge. Readers will find it very easy to root for Leo and Foolie, as well as laugh at the two’s wacky antics throughout this premiere volume. There’s a new rom-com power couple in town, and How to Treat a Lady Knight Right will surely slay any sort of competition that wishes to stand in its way!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Kodansha Manga.
