MeruPuri, Vol. 4

めるぷり メルヘン☆プリンス [MeruPuri: Märchen Prince] #4

by Matsuri Hino

All high-school freshman Airi Hoshina ever wanted was to someday live in a cozy home with a loving husband, and find joy in the little things in life. As a result, she makes it her daily mission to get to school on time because school legend has it that the longer one's non-tardy streak is, the better boyfriend one will find. But just when her daily routine is working like clockwork, an occurrence of fairytale proportions threatens to disrupt her grand plan.

The bizarre adventures of reluctant pair Airi and little prince Aram wind down as their love story comes full circle. As the gap between the kingdom of Astale and the real world narrows, revelations about Airi’s and Aram’s quirky family members begin to float like pixie dust. Will Airi ever achieve her dream of sharing a cozy home with a loving husband? And what happens to her magic mirror? Discover the wacky twist that’s sure to leave readers begging for more!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Young Adult, Magic

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2004

About the author

Name in Japanese: 樋野 まつり

Matsuri Hino was born on January 24 in Hokkaido. She was a bookshop keeper who one day decided to become a manga artist, and all of nine months later, in 1995, she published her first manga title, Kono Yume ga Sametara (When This Dream Is Over), in Japan's LaLa DX magazine.

Reviews

[Jena · Rating 3 out of 5]

8/2020 Update: When I see reviews like this sitting on my shelf, it forces me to come to terms with the fact that I've been on GoodReads since 2010. When I read this series in 2010 I was 17/18, and saw 0 issue with this (and if we're being honest, at that age I was HEAVILY subjected to age gap relationships/grooming myself so I didn't even think twice about it). I still have the physical copies on my bookshelves. However now as a 28 year old woman, the way I would approach a story like this is completely different. The premise of a young boy transforming into an older version of himself so he's "old enough" to date an older girl is something that I would not be ok with now. However, in acknowledgment of my original 5 star rating, I've changed the ratings on this series to 3 stars (halfway between 1 and 5) to preserve my original rating somewhat while acknowledging that I've changed.

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I‘ be been putting this off for a bit now bc I was kinda bored at Volume 3.

It’s an okay series if you just want something quick to read, the main characters are likeable and the story started off promising but I had trouble following the story at some points, I just ended up getting confused by the end tbh.

I really do love the author’s art style a lot but it’s not one of her best story wise, it was just too rushed so it became confusing.

[Katie (Katie's Corner Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

see full review @ Katie's Corner

Hi, everyone and welcome back to Katie’s Corner! I’m having a very weird but nevertheless very fun story. I believe this is one of the first works by Hino Matsuri. However, everyone knows her best for Vampire Knight. You can read the review on my blog!

But let me get back to the story. As I have already mentioned this story is plain weird, fast paced, actually very fast paced and quite fun. Imagine that a weird 7-year-old appeared from your mirror. Well, because you’re a very kind-hearted person you actually let the guy stay in your house. And all the fun starts when you wake up and instead of a 7-year-old next to you is a 17-year-old. Weird doesn’t describe it. And that’s how Airi’s story starts. If you want to know more, go read it! It’ll make you laugh a lot.

You might find weird some of the things like how a 15-year-old could fall for a kid, but it’s not disgusting at all, because the romantic relationship is always between the teen Aram and Airi. I won’t keep you waiting!

Enjoy this fun and interesting story and don’t forget to share your thoughts below! Stay tuned for more reviews as well as promos. Don’t miss your next favourite book or manga! Happy reading

XOXO

Katie

[Home Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3*
Cute, but it gets boring at some points.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so in hindsight Aram isn't actually as young as I thought. I guess it's just the way he's drawn. That settled me a little. It was also nice to have a happy ending but I think it happened too soon and it was slightly too sappy for me. Everything was so neatly done, it was slightly dissatisfying. And the little extra storyline at the end could've been expanded more, it would have added to the plot, maybe even resulted in another volume. Ah well.

[moi, k.y.a. · Rating 4 out of 5]

bkz bu kız yumoş oldu, Aram 🖤

dört ciltlik serinin sonuna gelmiş olduk. güzel çizimler, güzel konu ve tatlı karakterlerle akıp giden bir seriydi benim için. aram’ın son hâline ciddili düştüm ayrıca 😍

[haven ⋄ f (hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finally finished this series.

My major problem with this one is that it tried to include so many stories and POV that it became confusing. If they had included those stories at the end it would have been much more logical.

Other than that, the only other things that stood out was the ages and the nicely wrapped up ending.

The ending was a great and funny resolution. It was better than some other series. I feel that the rest of the stories included in this were all rushed. Sadly, that includes the ending. It doesn’t make sense if you think about it from one aspect (they were already married and it was formalized already).

I don’t know the age difference between the MC and male lead and that’s kind of major. He was 7/8 for most of the series and then he suddenly grew up after a time jump that was altogether way too jerky. I’m so confused.

[MAG Scrittrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rilettura.
Ho deciso di rileggere questo manga perché avevo bisogno di qualcosa che mi tirasse su e ho fatto la scelta giusta. Meru Puri è un racconticino sul quale si potrebbero anche sollevare delle critiche, ma come sempre ciò che conta per me sono le emozioni che mi ha regalato. La dolcezza di Alam riempie il cuore e fa sognare, soprattutto chi ha la fissa per i principi come me. Ovviamente avrei apprezzato un epilogo più lungo per ammirare l'Alam ragazzo e quello che può essere considerato un amore più "maturo". Tuttavia, le favole finiscono sempre così, con un bacio e tanti sogni.

[Seobin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end of Merupuri and certainly was the expected outcome, but still, it was an excellent end to a short but sweet manga series. Though the first volume left some bad impressions, the author managged to redeem herself in the end. The art and the fashion of Aram's world was also exquisite.

[Marguerite · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars.

A really wonderful conclusion and series overall! I really love Matsuri Hino's artistic style (which is just gorgeous!!!!) and the story was so cute :D Magic, romance and drama! Can't wait to re-read soon.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was pretty much done with this series after volume 3 but I decided to force myself to read this volume since it was the last one and I was hoping for at least an entertaining wrapup, but it was so repetitive and banal that it was a chore.
1.75/5

[Aimeekay · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Spoiler Alert*** There's gonna be some spoilerage throughout this review so I'm just letting you all know now! ***End alert, but not necessarily the spoiling*** (Also I LOVE happy endings, and this book is suppose to be the final one in the series and it has one! So I am very happy about that)

So even though he doesn't remember who she is, Aram still goes to rescue Airi from The Deserted house. Jeile, in keeping with his noble streak, is right by his side. Of course true love conquers all!! (yes this is a good thing) Aram rescues her and their love restores his memories. (see told you there's spoilers all over this one)

But the story doesn't end there. It's revealed that Aram's mother has been a major player behind the scenes in trying to break up Airi and Aram! Even after Aram and Airi announce their vow to each other in front of everyone, she still insists Airi face a set of trials. I really didn't like Veedua, Aram's mom. I think she is cruel and manipulative. Especially how she toys with Lei.

Of course her insistence on the trials leads to Airi having to learn magic, which is pretty cool, and includes A LOT of laughs. Even a scene where Jeile receives his own "Maiden's Kiss". (Although not from who you'd expect!!!) Plus we finally get to meet Jeile's fiance. (He was getting engaged on the same day as Aram remember?) AND she's Lei's sister, and looks EXACTLY like him! Plus more is revealed as to how Jeile and Maruru ended up being so close.


I really love the art work in this series. Especially the cover portraits for the chapters. I really liked the authors side notes too. It's nice to know what they were thinking when they did certain drawings, and I love all the little extra details and background trivia on the characters. Plus there is another extra story/chapter at the end of this one too! I love how she made sure to tie up some of the loose ends regarding Raz and Nakaoji. (although they did lead to some other questions and I will be looking to see if there are more MeruPuri out there, since I know the ones I've recently read were published awhile back. Hopefully there will be more!)

The only problem I had with this volume was it seemed to jump ahead in certain areas. I understand the author was ending the series, but it just seemed to jump ahead in years at a time. There really wasn't anything saying that you had gone ahead a few years in the story either. It just happened. I didn't even realize it until after I had read a couple scenes. Then I was confused for a moment and thought I was missing some pages in the book. (maybe there was something and I was just missing it, but I reread it a few times and still didn't see it.) I still really loved the book though, and while I loved the happy ending, I would love to read more Merupuri if given the chance!

[Luna's Little Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall Series Rating 2 Stars

There is a wrongness to MeruPeri – Aram might “grow” due to his brother’s messed up spell but he’s still a little kid (he’s 7!) so after the first volume when Airi starts falling in like/love this starts getting uncomfortable.

Airi is 15 and Aram’s grown-up body is 17 and if he actually was 17 this would all be cheesy and cute. The fairy-tale aspect of a prince, a magical world and nice artwork but ARAM IS A KID! And I can’t get past that.

I’m awarding points for the artwork and the fact that the beginning of the story acknowledged the weirdness of this but then it just went wrong…

[Hannah Haake · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve already mentioned on past volumes that the concept of this manga disturbs me. I remember reading this and loving it back when I’d discovered it in high school (about 16 or 17) and now picking it up (at 28) I recognize just how off the idea of the manga is and I’m concerned how I didn’t see a problem reading it in the past. If the age gap wasn’t so wide between the main character I may have enjoyed it but sadly this manga is not one I can appreciate.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork is beautiful and the romance is incredibly satisfying if your craving that cheesy-everything-goes-right type of romance. That’s all this series achieves and I love it just for that reason. Definitely a feel good romance.

[Yvette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so cute!!

[Taylor Craft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this series back in high school, and I still love to reread it every so often. Amazing artwork and such a heartwarming storyline 💜

[Roberta · Rating 1 out of 5]

RECENSIONE INTERA SAGA

Ho visto delle tavole su TikTok e vedendo uno stile molto famigliare, mi son fiondata a leggere, ma forse una ricerchina in più e avrei volentieri evitato di leggerlo (e non solo perchè è il cugino di Vampire Knight senza vampiri).

Seguiamo una protagonista liceale con uno specchio magico appartenuto ad una sua antenata scappata da un regno lontano. Lei ovviamente non sa nulla di tutto questo, quindi quando un bambino di tipo 8 anni le si para davanti con la magia, lei se la ride. Scopre pian piano che è tutto vero e dovrà risolvere la maledizione che affligge il bimbo, che altro non è che il principe dello stesso regno da cui era scappata la sua ava.

Ora attenzione agli spoiler e soprattutto TW PEDOFILIA

La trama super banale e troppo veloce, poi l'arco da maid ce lo potevamo risparmiare così come il fratello maggiore del tipo che va dietro la protagonista o la regina che ha fatto grooming all'assistente del principino. Inoltre, ho capito che in VK c'è il mezzo incesto, ma qui non mi aspettavo la mezza pedofilia della protagonista che si innamora della versione adolescente del principino ma LUI HA OTTO ANNI BROOO. Che schifo raga, davvero un senso di inquietudine per tutto il tempo che lui è in forma bambina e gli dice che lo ama, ma anche tutto il resto del tempo. Big nono

[Wallflower · Rating 1 out of 5]

⁵Mais horroroso do que imaginava. Este mangá seria resolvido facilmente se a Hino tivesse um pouco de noção.

Talvez "ao invés de uma criança de 7 anos se transformando em uma pessoa de 17. Uma pessoa de 17 anos se transformando em uma criança de 7, perdendo seus poderes e preso no mundo humano, assim uma humana acaba protegendo-o. Assim, aos poucos, o rapaz, quando estiver na sua aparência de 17 anos, aos poucos vai se apaixonando pela humana".
E o resto da história pode seguir normalmente...
Faria muito mais sentido. Porque uma criança de 7 anos beijando, ficando noivo com uma pessoa de 15 anos não é normal.

O problema não é a idade da Aili, o problema é que é uma criança de 7 anos!

E analisando agora o Jeile também é um cara bem esquisito... lembro que quando era mais nova, adorava ele. Agora percebo que ele tem um monte de esposas, supostamente, e uma fada, que é meio apaixonada por ele... E foi apaixonado pela cunhada (ou é, a obra não deixa muito claro) 🤡

Esses 4 volumes acabaram demais com a minha pouca sanidade. Mas ainda acho os traços da Hino lindos, pena que ela é uma sem noção filha da puta. 😃

E pensando bem, se o Japão não fosse um país tão estranho, essa bomba jamais seria serializada. E também por que diabos a Panini publicou essa bomba? São muitas perguntas sem respostas...

[Ayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a difficult read, I always find it best to refresh with a cute manga series.
This time. I went for a rom-com. It was cute, quirky, and quick.

The premise is simple - a normal high school girl has a magical prince from a different world land pop out of a family heirloom, and she has to take care of him while he’s stuck in this world. Unfortunately, said boy has had a spell put on him where he gets older when he is left in the dark! Thankfully, the spell wasn’t perfect, so he only ages to 17, but to be honest, it’s SO WEIRD. Ultimately she falls for this boy, but it’s a little uncomfortable that he keeps bouncing ages, and even when he is in the 17 year old body, his mind is still much younger. This leads to a slew of hilarious events, and we get to travel to different worlds while trying to help this mysterious boy break the spell.

Oddness aside, it’s a silly manga that will make you smile. I devoured it, and was a little disappointed when it ended because I wanted more!

[ej_bookcorner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish there could have expanded the series, most especially in building more on the other characters backstories, I would like to get to know more about Nakoiji and his connection with the world of Astale, yes it was briefly explained what his connection was but the story could have prolonged the story for more development. But it also made sense why it is such a short manga there would not be an interesting twist and turn to keep the story going.

[Sundee Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd forgotten how this series ends. I love the ending, and the complete circle that it creates. I also love the little moments this volume highlights, especially of Airi and Aram and their ever growing and changing relationship. I wish there had been more volumes to this series, because I feel like there were so many other paths that could have been followed and explored, but I greatly approve of the ending.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Best is came!

Una storia stupenda...un principe azzurro di tutto rispetto ed un mondo pazzo e contraddistinto dalla magia davvero surreale e incantevole!
E' una manga ed una storia coi contro-fiocchi che fa bene ai cuori innamorati o sognatori e che non smette mai di stupirti anche per la comicità o simpatia dei personaggi love-love. E? un successo e non se ne può fare a meno di rileggere all'infinito ed oltre.
Meravoglioso!!!!!

[Kio ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blame the guy for a mistake you made that both physically and emotionally affected him, resolve big conflicts in a page or less, and fall in love (in a span of a few months) with an actual child that happens to be in the body of a teenager. That's the romance between Airi and Aram.

Sound horrible? That's because it is.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

En verdad, estos mangas ya me los leí en su día (no recuerdo el año), así que técnicamente tendrían que ser relectura. Pero como en su día no los puse como que me los había leído y ahora me los he vuelto a leer completos, pues los añado ahora.

[MontseMH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha aguantado perfectamente, sigue siendo una serie liviana, divertida, adorable con un dibujo para enamorar y bien resuelta en cuatro tomos.

El único punto negativo es que la verdadera edad del protagonista da grima. Pero el propio devenir de la historia hace que te vayas olvidando.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last book in the series and completed the whole reread. I enjoyed this one the most, simply because it's in the fantasy land, however, there's a few extra chapters at the end, that almost spoil the whole thing. Even saying that, I still enjoyed the love story and the end. It's still all cute.

[برق · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story failed really hard but the art is 10/10. The fashion was my cup of tea really and the characters are adorable.
I was mad about this series tbh. Now, I'm not.
I deeply acknowledge the effort that Hino-sensi have put in this series.

[Soraya Cuadrado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta ❤️
Es una historia preciosa y taaaaaaaaaan divertida. La he leído 4 o 5 veces, sé todo lo que pasa, el final feliz... Y aún así, cuando me acercaba al final, me entró una angustia terrible.
Estoy harta de no poder disfrutar nada sin una buena dosis de sufrimiento de regalo...

[Em Mirra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pending.