Ellen is the intern for famed wizard Lize but but she just cannot get her magic to work. No matter how hard she tries – and she tries very hard. Is it that she is unworthy or is something else the problem?
In Salvia no Bouquet, Volume 1 Ellen must take several journeys into her own emotional state in order to understand herself, her magic and how she feels about her mentor.
Ellen’s first hurdle is answering her mentor’s question – why do you want to study magic? Ellen, an abandoned child, a orphan, feels that magic is a way she can survive. Lize suggests that that is what is holding Ellen back. With her magic released, Ellen becomes the star pupil/intern of one of the world’s greatest magic-users. When Ellen gets into the biggest school of magic, she has an important favor to as of her mentor. Ellen makes friends and uses her magic to help a classmate. Even as she continues to be a star pupil, some things weigh on the young girl heavily in this story written by 4ka enpitsu and illustrated by Koga Yuto.
The world-building here is vaguely Europeanish university town. We see people carrying bread and carts and horses, but there are trains (the ghost of William Goldman laughs at me when I write that, I know, I know.) The bulk of the story is carried in short, but dense conversations between Ellen and Lize, or Ellen and her friend Stella. The story is paced quickly, but with a lot of information to get across about the people, the magic and the situations, every chapter is quite talky. The art is not polished, but it gives the story a home-y feeling.
Once again, the magic system is really interesting, which is a draw for me. I like when people really think through the magic systems they set up, rather than simply create rules that the protagonist doesn’t follow.
As the volume wraps up, Ellen is faced with yet another crisis, one that will take up much of Volume 2, which completes the story.
Ratings:
Art – 7
Story – 7 A bit messy, and very in Ellen’s emotions almost every chapter
Character s- 8
Service – 0
Yuri – 6
Overall – 7
