Nishikata, Mai: Hana No Kishi (The Knight of Flowers) v. 1-3 (2010-ongoing)
Ran Kurono's adored older brother Rei was supposed to be the knight who protected Sei Ohtori, the heir to the Ohtori family's wealth and power, but he died saving Sei from an attack. Ran is determined to take her brother's place. She disguises herself as a boy and follows Ohtori to Rogress Academy, a school for the rich and ambitious, where only Sei knows her secret, and she must protect her position against challenges from boys who want to replace her--and from cousins and rival families that want to kill Sei.
Sei and Ran spend all their time together. They protect each other. They know each other's secrets and vulnerabilities. Ran kisses Sei's hand and helps her down steps and escorts her everywhere with perfect gentlemanly devotion. Ran threatens to kill anyone who gets in Sei's way -- including Sei's fiance, Ibara Tennou. Ran saves Sei through feats of daring like diving to catch her when she's pushed down stairs and leaping from one horse to another to prevent Sei's mare from running off a cliff.
In short, they are romantic like whoa.
[Description of linked images: Sei commands Ran to stay by her side; Sei thanks Ran for saving her, touching Ran's face; nothing brings Ran more happiness than staying by Sei's side; Ran kisses Sei's hand; Sei trusts Ran to save her, no matter what; Sei silences Ran by touching Ran's mouth; Ran and Sei are inseparable and surrounded by flowers.]
Obligatory heterosexuality intrudes in the form of Ibara Tennou, Sei's fiance, who is very obviously going to end up with Ran. He initially pisses Ran off by being slovenly and careless of etiquette and appearances, but of course this is all caused by his Secret Pain and he is quickly won over by Ran and Sei. His Secret Pain is much less impressive than Ran's Dead Brother and Sei's Grim Determination, though, so I don't mind him too much. Okay, actually, I am kind of fond of him and could totally go for the OT3 instead of just the Ran/Sei4EVA. And he ends up cementing the closeness between Ran and Sei instead of separating them. Sei is envious that Ibara makes Ran relax! Ibara is envious of Sei's closeness with Ran! Sei is in love with someone she won't name! I know who it is going to all collapse into heteronormativity eventually, but at the moment I am perfectly content to read Sei as being in love with Ran.
Nishikata keeps edging up to the cliff of sexist tropes--and then leaping over to the other side in a single bound. Ran wants to wear dresses, not just masquerade as a man -- but it's not worth giving up her desire to be a knight. Sei is in love with someone -- but it doesn't matter, because she is focused not on love but on her desire to become head of the Ohtori family. Ran might be falling in love with a boy -- but even so, protecting Sei is the most important thing to her. Boys who fall in love with Ran want to protect her from fights -- and she tells them she won't forgive them if they try it, and proves she is just as inclined to work off her bad mood by beating up bad guys as any of the boys around her. I'm beginning to trust that the series will end up with Ran as Sei's knight and Ran defeating a man in a triumph of arms, even if both Ran and Sei get paired off with boys.
The series isn't quite the series of my feminist dreams. Technically, it passes the Bechdel test -- Ran and Sei talk about a lot more than love and boys -- but I'm not quite sure whether having one of the girls disguised as a boy qualifies. (It helps that Sei knows Ran's true sex.) What worries me more is that all of the new cast members have been male, and when Ran follows the typical shojo route of gaining strength and emotional health through forming friendships, all the friendships she forms are with boys. I love Ran and Sei -- I just wish they weren't the only real female characters amongst nameless background girls and specific individuated boys.
Still, this is one of my favorite gender masquerade mangas. There's nothing terribly original in the background or plotting, but it is unoriginal in a charming and relaxing way -- especially if you like girls as knights and girls as friends and girls disguised as boys. And Ran makes a very convincing boy -- she has broad shoulders and is pretty butch for shojo. (Seriously! This is the series' major male character.)
cups brewed at DW