Bugle Call – Song of War (戦奏教室)

I started reading mangas again, because, why not?

I picked up Bugle Call because I liked the random pages I stumbled upon social media. I am a simple person, I see a drawing style I find pleasing, I want to read. I do find Bugle Call an interesting read. The settings mixes real history with fantasy an somehow science-fiction (?!). It is a lot of war thoug. Like only war, all war, very bloody, but compelling nonethless. Set in Europe around 1200-1300ish, there is someting funny reading caracters going to Limoges to fight war. Poor Lucas only wants to be a musician in a world of war, and he’s stuck playing the orders of war with his trumpet.

It does the “the story gets more nonsensical the more you read and you’ll only wonder what the hell you read after finishing” mangas and animes manage to do so well. The magic system and surreal setting won me over, the author does some very creative things with the magical powers of the characters. Which I find pleasing after all those shonen with similar supernatural powers. I did find the mirror maiden especially impressive in that regard.

Apparently the manga doesn’t sell well and there is a risk of it getting dropped. Which is a shame. In the sea of mangas, this one, although with its flaws, is a hidden gem.