When the natural order of the world has been turned upside-down, what is the nation to do? In this case, nothing- the death of an Utahime has been hidden from the villagers, by the village leader and the brother of the girl who was pretending to be Utahime so her brother could roam the country free. Two years ago he returned in distress at the sound of her voice, only to find her dead, and has taken over the duties of the Utahime. Now the nation’s princess has sought him out, another unnatural birth in this world. They know that never before has this happened, and they are the signs that things should be changing.

The manga delves into the history of the Utahime, the things they must deal with and the pressure they are under. There is a lot of family drama, from Maria who is unable to continue her mother’s work as a songstress, to Kain, who does have the voice of a songstress but is distressed by it, to their friend Thomas who loved Maria and has lost her forever. It also delves into the evils that a country and it’s countrymen will commit and allow when they desire to keep themselves safe.

There is also a one-shot in the back of the manga, titled “Darika”, concerning an experiment to create a ‘child of God’ who brings about enlightenment. The government creates them, attempting to remove negative aspects of their personality, and executing those that find the ‘door’ to those aspects the government doesn’t desire. This is also a very well-told story, quite melancholy, about needlessly throwing away imperfect life.

Overall, though it’s a one-shot, it’s an incredibly touching story of love and duty.

Violence/Gore: You see Maria in a pool of blood, though this isn’t a close-up or graphic. In the oneshot, Darika is executed. You merely see the body lying face-down on the ground.

Nudity/Sexual Content: The villagers continue the bloodline by raping the Utahime. An attempt is shown.

Problematic Theological Themes: The Utahime's song apparently has an ability to keep the nation at peace. This is obviously because it has a magical quality, but it's never overtly stated.

Violence: There's a death scene that involves blood, though it isn't violent.

Sex and Nudity: There's a brief mention of sexual violence as a means to continue the line of Songstresses.

Theological Themes: The songstresses have magical singing powers which protects the cities, allows them to recognize each other's voices, and sing without stopping.

Problematic Themes: None.

Overall: It was short, but I was impressed with the world building, and the characters. The concept of the songstresses was very compelling, and their relationships with the villagers were very interesting, complex, and true to life.

I was surprised by how much I liked the characters. They were all very distinct, and they had their own goals. Thomas and Emma were my personal favorites, though Maria and Kain were equally compelling with their own things to go through. I only wish I had gotten to see more of the female king. This story is primarily Kain's origin so we see him grow and figure out his place in the world, as well as the tragic events that made him who he is.

The art is also gorgeous. By art, I mean the character designs, which are beautiful. The artist doesn't really do backgrounds. Like at all. Despite the blank backgrounds, I was impressed.

I feel like the story is usually pretty tame. I'd say 13+ because of the more mature themes and implications.