What if a hand suddenly reached out from a puddle in the middle of a regular date—and what if the next place you opened your eyes was an ancient empire thousands of years ago? Red River by Shinohara Chie is a grand historical romance that begins with such a shocking event. The protagonist is Suzuki Yuuri (Yuuri), an ordinary girl who had passed her entrance exam for her top-choice high school, was blessed with a loving family, and was enjoying a smooth romance with her boyfriend, Himuro Satoshi. However, her happy daily life changes completely due to a pair of mysterious hands that appear from a puddle during a date. She is dragged underwater, and when she finally lifts her face, what spreads before her is not modern Japan, but the Hittite Empire in the 14th century BC. Summoned through time and space to its capital, Hattusa, Yuuri is thrown into the midst of a massive conspiracy without even being given the time to understand what has happened.

The answer waiting beyond the question, “Why am I in an era like this?” was all too terrifying. The culprit who summoned Yuuri to ancient times was Queen Nakia, who wields absolute power in the Hittite Empire. In order to place her own son, the 6th Prince Juda, on the imperial throne, she summoned Yuuri as a “sacrifice” to curse and kill the elder prince brothers who stood in the way. Saved while being chased by Nakia's private soldiers without even understanding the situation was the 3rd Prince, Kail. Superior not only in bloodline but also in ability, Kail is considered the leading candidate for the imperial succession, and for that reason, he is also heavily guarded against by Nakia. He protects Yuuri by falsely claiming she is his concubine and hides her in the palace. In this way, the destinies of the girl from modern times and the prince of an ancient empire, two who should never have met, begin to overlap.

The intrigue of this work lies in the fact that Yuuri is not simply a heroine who is saved by Kail. The girl who was initially bewildered by an unfamiliar land and wished to return to her original era gradually changes into someone who thinks and acts for herself, gaining the trust of those around her step by step while getting involved in the queen's schemes and conflicts between nations. That sight eventually moves even the hearts of the common people, and Yuuri becomes known as the “Ishtar, Goddess of War.” She is not all-powerful just because she is a modern person; she embraces fear and doubt, yet still stands up for the people in front of her. Because that accumulation becomes her strength, as you read further, you cannot help but look forward with anticipation, thinking, “What will she do next?” While she is the protagonist of a shojo manga, there is an uplifting feeling like reading a story about the birth of a hero.

Of course, when talking about Red River, the relationship between Yuuri and Kail is also essential. At first, the two merely borrowed the status of “concubine” in order to survive, but as they overcome numerous crises together, their distance gradually changes. However, Yuuri has family and precious people in modern Japan, and furthermore, opportunities to return are limited. The wish to “return to the original world” and the new feeling of “wanting to stay by Kail's side.” Her heart swaying between the two creates a very human poignant sadness within a story large enough to move history. Choosing love does not resolve everything, nor can she easily sort out her feelings just because she chose to return. It is precisely because of this painful choice that their love does not end with mere sweetness.

I feel that the charm of Red River is that different elements such as romance, adventure, court conspiracy, war, and historical romance are intertwined into one grand story. Becoming tense over Nakia's schemes regarding the imperial throne, being deeply moved by Yuuri's growth, and having one's heart stirred by her romance with Kail—the drama is so dense that it does not let the reader's emotions rest. Yet, because the setting is the ancient Near Eastern world, the struggles for power surrounding foreign cultures and the royal palace also have a unique scale. This is not merely a “story of a modern girl going to the past.” It is a story of a girl who had only grieved over her suddenly stolen daily life finding a place to live by her own will and carving out her own destiny. What will Yuuri protect in the end, and which path will she choose?—it is a full-scale historical epic that makes you want to witness that answer.