Peach boy riverside vol 1 by coolkyousinnjya

Illustrated by Johanne

Princess Sartrienne, or Sally, wants nothing more than to go on an adventure and escape the dull life she leads every day. Outside the walls of her kingdom, there are fierce ogres with tell-tale horns trying their best to eat as many humans as possible. One day, Sally meets the mysterious Mikoto, who is hunting ogres, and he’s seems to have a special ability that makes him particularly deadly to any ogre he comes across. Mikoto kills the ogres he finds in Sally's town, then sets off again, leaving her to her hum-drum life. But her safe little kingdom is threatened, and Sally's father decides to send her away. Sally finally gets her wish and sets off to explore, fight ogres, and find Mikoto again. Out in the wilderness, she meets a demi-human, an anthropomorphic rabbit named Frau, and discovers there is a lot of prejudice against demi-humans from the villagers in her kingdom.

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This was an easy adventure story with plenty to like. There is some integration with the popular Japanese myth of the Peach Boy Momotarō, a legendary figure born inside a peach who grew up to fight demons. Since the story is not set in Japan at all, this break to acknowledge the myth is a slight bit distracting. It could have very well been a prologue or translation note at the end, rather than introduced by an unknown narrator in the middle of the story. Sally is the typical spoiled princess when we first meet her, so hopefully her travels make her a more well-rounded individual. With no wilderness survival training or combat experience, it's going to be interesting to see how Sally survives. I anticipate that Frau is going to have a lot to do with her survival, and it's very possible she'll meet other creatures that will help her survive the harsh outside world.

The biggest irritant in this story is the way Sally is drawn. Every top, dress, or blouse perfectly outlines the entirety of her oversized breasts, and several panels are drawn from angles that feature her breasts in the forefront. 

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Publisher: Kodansha
Publication Date: February 17, 2016
ISBN: June 29, 2021 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 7/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Action Adventure, Fantasy