Konnichiwa minna-san~ It's me your ridgette again, and for today I'm going to share a manhua recommendation that I've just reread last night. Originally, I finished reading this one last month (I think), and I'm really planning to share it after I've read it. However, I got entrapped with its longer remake, and later I got sidetracked—and well, I somehow forgot about it along the way. But it seems I really need to share this because yesterday I saw a post about it in my feed, and that's definitely a sign for me! So join me as I share with you all a little of what is Ayeshah's Secret.
Ayeshah's Secret is a manhua written by Zhang Jing, a Chinese author and artist. It was published on December 1, 2012. Its genres are seinen, drama, historical, mystery, psychological, and tragedy. Despite the sinister vibes that the art style gives off, it wasn't much of a horror because it's more like a pile of tragedies. This manhua was already completed with 11 chapters (plus a prequel or teaser chapter for its remake, Aisha).
So it started with a couple yearning to have a child, and their wish did later come true. However, just after giving birth, his wife died. Heartbroken, the husband soon remarried, and like the usual stepmothers, the one that he had married was also a nasty woman. Forced to cope with life without a mother, Ayeshah constantly struggles to get along with his stepmother and stepbrothers. Her stepmother tried to somehow gain her favor, but as soon as her father departed, that effort also vanished.
Her father's death became the start of a whole new height of torment. Greed, envy, and anger soon gave birth to a forbidding intent—an intent that would soon evolve into a violent plan, but Ayeshah intends to claim what rightfully belongs to her. She wants to make that wicked family pay, and not even death can stop her.
Since it's just a short manhua, I finished it in just a few hours of reading, and finishing it was really satisfying. The ending, tho I don't want to spoil, was really shocking for me, but upon rereading it last night, I noticed some subtle details that foreshadowed it. The plot twist was really brilliant and dark, and if you're a lover of dark romance, you'll definitely love the way it ended.
As for the art style, it isn't really like the usual manhua style. My first impression about it was that it's a horror manhua, but it turns out that horror wasn't part of its genre at all. It's kind of unsettling the first time I read it (especially when I'd read it during the night), but rereading it made me marvel at its unique art style. The characters were really wan, but they do emanate well those dark emotions. I'm not sure with happy ones because for me, their smile also looks menacing and quite creepy, but nevertheless it suited well with the plot's theme.
Speaking of plot, it has a fast-paced one that was really gripping. It focused more on the important parts of the story as well as the turning point of Ayeshah's life, thus leaving out the other mundane details of Ayeshah's life into our imagination. I really like how it progressed because each chapter was intriguing, and I don't remember being bored while reading it. There's no dragging parts, so every chapter was definitely a must read.
The characters were well written, and although their backstories were not that delved further, they were hinted at all across the dialogues. The character that really intrigued me was Sean, because he's really the odd one among the siblings. For me, he's the most charismatic among them, but he's not the character that I simped. It's Nemo (not the fish ahahahaha)! He's totally an adorable character, and the most loving among them. I really relate to how introverted he was, and it's really sweet to be the object of his affection (˵°~°˵)!
Overall, my personal rating for this manhua is 9/10. It's really one of my all-time favorite short manhuas, and I really liked how it ended. The characters were well-written, tho not that well-developed because they ended briefly. The plot twist was definitely something that I didn't expect, and I badly wanted to discuss it, but I don't want to spoil it, so I leave it to you to discover. So if you're up for a short yet satisfying read, then you definitely need to dig into her dark and mysterious life in Ayeshah's Secret.
That's all for now, minna-san! Have you already read this manhua before? Or was this your first time encountering this recommendation? Feel free to comment out your opinions about it. Anyway, thanks for being with me 'til the end.
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