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Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower | Light Novel | Volume 1

Name: Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower Type: Light Novel Creators: Miri Mikawa (Story), Kasumi Nagi (Art), afm (Translator) Genre: East Asian Historical, Cooking Tags: Cooking, Reverse Harem

To celebrate my first post on the blog, I decided to write a review about the light novel I am currently reading. I have a class of cold water near me, though it has been raining over the last few days the weather has become somewhat warm. I have not yet switched on the AC, but the fan is running at full speed. As I read on my laptop, I have a few thoughts about this book.

I was looking for a nice East Asian historical light novel - having recently read My Happy Marriage and The Apothecary Diaries, so I was eager to experience the intrigue of palace politics and learn more about emperors and kings, and consorts. And I was not disappointed at all!

So what is the light novel Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower about?

The light novel follows the story of Setsu Rimi, a princess from the land of Wakoku. While she served as the Umashi-no-Miya, she was sent as a tribute to Konkoku, a powerful foreign empire as their new Emperor ascended his throne. As a foreign princess and having basically done nothing but cook for her god, Rimi has no clue about Konkaku's customs, and importantly, food. With just her pot of kaorizuke will Rimi be able to win the hearts of the people in the palace? This is somewhat the understanding I have of the story so far. 

Let's discuss the main character.

The main character, Setsu Rimi is wonderfully carefree and kind-hearted. Although she seems to be smart enough to sustain herself in a completely foreign land, she is somewhat of an air-head. She is obsessed with food, and her chatter with Shusei has been very interesting to observe. Most of the situations and trouble she gets into are because of external circumstances - misunderstanding because of the language, cultural differences, and the fact that no one thought of hiring a tutor to help her assimilate into the Rear Palace. Her reactions seem to be natural, and her carefree attitude is backed by a solid backstory from her childhood. We haven't yet seen her personal involvement with the male character cast, and she gets dragged into politics as the story goes on. Overall, although her character is pretty common in reverse harem light novels, I am eager to see how she develops!

How is the male (also known as the bishounen)cast?

There are four important men in the cast and needless to say, they are all beautiful. 

As a tribute, the person who technically owns, Rimi is the Emperor himself, Shohi. Shohi seems to be a cold-hearted and sadistic person. Though he ascended to the throne at such a young age, he was smart and beautiful and his heart is made of ice. The Emperor also cannot seem to taste food. 

On the other hand, the one Rimi has interacted with the most, is Shusei. Both of them share food & cuisinology as deep interests. He is smart and though intelligent chooses to involve himself in studying food sciences to the point where he is known as the Loveless Scholar. He is the kind of person who wants to use any chance he gets to conduct experiments and learn more about food.

Then we have Master Hakurei, a 'supposed' eunuch from the Rear Palace, who is very high in the hierarchy. Because of Rimi's kind-heartedness, he has saved her life and ensured she was not worse off in the Rear Palace drama. He is said to be intensely beautiful and has taken a certain liking to Rimi. However, he seems somewhat forceful and his liking towards Rimi doesn't seem to be without ulterior motives.

Finally, we have Shin Jotetsu. While there isn't really much interaction between Rimi and Jotetsu in the first book, he seems to be the strong, rough fellow you often see in the reverse harem genre.

Overall Impression?

I liked the premise of Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower, and I enjoyed the pleasant writing in the light novel. I had not expected it to have a reverse harem when I started reading, but I appreciate that the romance is slow-paced and the men haven't fallen for the main character without reason. I also loved how the main character was insightful and down-to-earth. It seemed to be a slightly refreshing take on the typical reverse harem heroine. Although I was feeling intimidated by the male cast, I have come to enjoy them and their bonds with each other. The first book seems to focus on establishing the characters in their roles and does so successfully. 

As a side note, I also enjoyed the descriptions of how the main character interacted with a different culture too. 

By the time I finished writing this post, I'd finished my glass of water and enjoyed a nice lunch of rice and sambhar. The light novel talks highly about flavors in stock and I wondered if I would be able to even taste it as I come from a place where spices and combination flavourings are the norm. Maybe I should stop by a Japanese restaurant soon!