This chapter of “Sabaku no Harem” felt like a transition from the prologue of the story to the meat that will start coming in chapter 5. I guess we all expected Johanne to be evilish. I can’t call him evil because he’s just a selfish kid. That said, I’d like to see a short spinoff about him coming into his own. It seems sad to cast him off as a brat and them move on.

Nothing too deep in this chapter. There was a lot of very fluffy, feel-good shoujo, and that’s what I need right now. I like how Mishe acknowledges her own “blandness” and resents always being saved. It’s nice to see a shoujo heroine who wants to be more than rescued and loved. Mishe’s decision to become a woman of distinction before marrying Prince Kallum is a wise one. The question is whether the mangaka can break the cycle of Mishe’s getting in trouble necessitating the need to be rescued. I’ve skimmed through chapter 5, and it looks like we’ll start to get an answer to that question in chapter 6. Will Mishe be able to rescue herself?

There were lots of scenes I loved in this chapter. No matter how much I try to deny it, I really do like cheezy romances.  Here are my favorite scenes from chapter 4.

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Chapter 5 is out in the current issue of Lala DX. Chapter 6 will come out on February 10th in Japan. There’s also an extra story that came out in Lala. I’m looking forward to reading all of them!

Oh! I almost forgot! If you enjoy this series, consider buying the book. The cover is lovely and it includes a loose leaf drawing. The ISBN is 978-4592195917

Here are some purchase links: Amazon JP / Kinokuniya / Yes Asia