The Abandoned Empress Manhwa Review
I had been keeping an eye on The Abandoned Empress for a while, after finding the first volume and reading the synopsis while browsing through the bookshelves and tables of the bookshops I frequent. Finally after a few weeks of seeing it repeatedly and mulling it over I decided to purchase the first volume. So I started…and finished the series all in one night… One hundred plus chapters in one sitting… It’s very rare I do such a thing. So what do I think after the marathon?
A quick synopsis of the story. The main character Aristia was destined to be the empress of her country, the “child of prophecy.” However, after another girl is transported to her world and declared the real child of prophecy, Aristia is cast aside left at the mercy of an outwardly abusive former fiance. When her anger and depression finally reaches a fever point she attempts to kill him, only to be stopped and eventually executed. As soon as she dies, she wakes up as her ten-year old self. Now given a new shot at life she resolves to change her life and fate.
The series follows the, “villainess/misfortuned woman given a second chance” archetype that is now a bit of a staple in the isekai genre. Considering the recent oversaturation of the genre as a whole, there aren’t many series that really catch my eye. Especially when it comes to this archetype since almost all stories of this type are too similar (if not identical) to each other. The only series of this elk that I consider truly good and original is, Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter.
The Abandoned Empress looked like a ray of light in a tired genre and archetype as it took a different angle. Instead of the main character being some who is isekai’d and reincarnated, it was simply a character going back in time.
At first it was. The first chapters got me hooked, perfectly encapsulating and portraying the situation Aristia was in. The tragic backstory made me root for her. Again, it was a breaking convention with the genre. Not even in the Accomplishments of The Duke’s Daughter did I get a full backstory of the protagonist in question.
Speaking of Aristia, she is hands down one of the more likable protagonists I’ve seen. the backstory makes her into a sympathetic character who I found myself rooting for throughout the story. Although as the story went on, Aristia did start to fall into type for protagonists of this genre.
That sort of encapsulates everything with The Abandoned Empress after the first few chapters, falling into type. As it went on, it became predictable. From the typical tropes associated with the genre. Not only that it continued to veer into a frustrating and obvious route with regard to Aristia’s love life. It all culminated into an ending that was unsatisfying and felt rushed.
On a more technical note one of the things the series has going for it is the impressive and well-defined art style. Done in full color, the characters and backgrounds are full of life. One of the draws to making me read the series is the cover art seen above.
Overall, The Abandoned Empress fails to realize its potential as a game changer in a tired genre, falling into after a strong start. It will go down as one of the biggest disappointments I’ve read.
