REVIEW: ‘She’s My Knight,’ Volume 1

She’s My Knight, a new ongoing series by mangaka Saisou and published by Kodansha, follows the plight of arrogant, 17-year-old Haruma Ichinose as he finds himself falling for Yuki Mogami: a classmate who seems to effortlessly and frustratingly defy everything Ichinose believes about how boys and girls should act and who they can be. The English translation of She’s My Knight Volume 1 is by Mari Au, with lettering provided by Mohit Dhiman and Monika Hegedusova. 

Quick, light, and chuckle-out-loud funny from panel to panel, She’s My Knight Volume 1 is a great read for anyone looking to jump into a comedic romance full of charming high school vignettes, with some refreshing twists on common shoujo tropes. It also wastes no time getting to the point. Our protagonist, Haruma Ichinose, is introduced in a shower of sparkling roses and fawning, faceless female classmates. Ichinose has always been popular, he explains, never having to do much more than flash a smile or cast a sly glance for teachers and fellow students to fall over themselves around him. 

Ichinose is also a typical tsundere, constantly at war in his head with his own feelings, and adorably blowing up at anyone who dares to poke at his delusion that he isn’t head-over-heels infatuated with his classmate Mogami. That creeping crush is established within the opening pages of She’s My Knight Volume 1’s first chapter. His obsession with Mogami is the source of Ichinose’s outbursts, his near-constant state of blushing, and the crux of the story. 

Yuki Mogami hasn’t done anything to draw Ichinose’s ire, other than to exist. Unfortunately, her existence overturns everything Ichinose expects. She’s taller than him, for one thing, and stronger, too. She doesn’t need his help, and she doesn’t fall under the spell other girls do when they talk to him. In fact, she barely matches the image in his head of a girl at all. With Mogami, Ichinose’s fantasies always end up shifting. Where he’d once imagined himself swooping in to save the day, he instead finds himself the damsel in distress. More and more often, it’s Ichinose who is looking up into the familiar, tender gaze of a girl who happens to be the ideal kissing height taller than him.

While visual gags and momentary twists on shoujo tropes are charming, it will only take this story so far. Initially, it seems as though what drives Ichinose’s feelings for Mogami has more to do with how her features and personality contrast with his own expectations, rather than being attracted to her as an individual person. But is this projection just a defense mechanism? There’s a possibility that deep down, maybe Ichinose doesn’t want to always be put on a pedestal. Maybe there’s a small part of him that wants to be saved. But to get there, he’ll need to shed some of his own pride—and learn to communicate with someone who isn’t immediately rendered speechless by his presence. He’ll also need to let go of some of his hang-ups around masculinity long enough to let someone in who doesn’t need to be swept off of her feet. 

Fast-paced and full of laughs, She’s My Knight Volume 1 is a fresh addition to the shelves of anyone who enjoys a good high school romance. Great chemistry between the romantic leads, plenty of comic miscommunications, and new takes on the genre’s tropes make for an enjoyable ride from start to finish, leaving the reader eagerly awaiting more. 

She’s My Knight Volume 1 is available digitally now wherever e-books are sold.

Spencer Icasiano

Spencer Icasiano (they/them) is a queer and mixed Filipinx writer, product designer, and co-host of Pixel Therapy, a podcast about the emotional connections people form with video games. They have written on topics of queer and trans identity, art-making, and advocacy for several online and print publications.