Sakura of DOOM

(licensed in the UK as Cavalier Princess by Shiau-Jing Tsen)

Note: I don't remember most of the names in the series, and I can't look them up since I borrowed them in Taiwan.

Yaxi and her father wander about; Yaxi tries to keep her father out of trouble, and her father tries to pick up women. But soon, he tells her that her mother is actually the queen. They set out to the palace to catch a glimpse of her mother, and on the way, Yaxi ends up cross-dressing as a palace guard, getting to know her half-sister the princess, and falling in love with one of the guards.

There's a lot of plot so far: someone's controlling the king, the princess is to be engaged to a prince of another kingdom to prevent a war, the princess is in love with the same guard Yaxi is in love with (for values of "in love" for twelve- and fourteen-year-olds), and there's a mystical power passed along the royal bloodline that Yaxi of course has.

The art is actually better than most manhua art I've seen, though the bodies are still a little stiff and awkward. The plot has been interesting, and Cen has been pretty good about introducing a large cast of characters and giving a sense of history. I particularly like the hints about Yaxi's father and mother's story, along with the people in their generation.

Looking forward to seeing what happens next (although frustrated that I'll have to wait for my next trip back to do so).