I have gone back and forth on whether I should review this title not constantly. On the one hand, it's really not BL in the traditional sense. On the other hand, with a basic plot of "guy dresses as a girl to join the sultan's harem in his sister's place, guy stays with sultan," a lot of people might think it's BL and buy it (or not) based on that. And there IS a bit of guy-on-guy action-- more than in some of the lighter titles from Juné, actually.

So, I'll just call it "slashable." One Thousand and One Nights is a retelling of the Arabian Nights, in which a girl joins the sultan's harem and will be killed if she doesn't tell the sultan a story every night.

In this version, the sultan is still known for beheading girls-- one every night, in fact. So when his sister gets tagged to join the harem, Sehara dresses as a woman and takes her place to save her life. The sultan of course figures it out pretty quick, but he doesn't kill Sehara. Instead, Sehara becomes a sort of bard, telling stories to the Sultan.

He doesn't just tell the Sultan these stories, however-- we see them fully depicted in the manga. Some of them, like Cleopatra in volume 3, you'll be familiar-ish with. Others, like the tale of the dimwit who became a sea god, are less well-known. All are beautifully drawn and interesting in their own right.

They're told in the mist of a larger plot, in which the Sultan has to deal with a rebellion-- which is led by a friend of Sehara's whose girlfriend was among the first to be beheaded by the sultan.



Can I just say that this art is beautiful? I know some people are a little put off by manhwa, especially styles like the super-enormous eyes of Boy Princess, but I think most people will be able to appreciate the aesthetic of Seung-Hee Han, the artist.

And the story's nothing to scoff at either. Writer Jin-Seok Jeon takes his time with the plot, but it doesn't feel slow-- in part because of the excellent additional stories scattered throughout the main plot.

As for its BLness...the main focus, at least at this point, isn't on any couple. And there isn't even a defined couple for Sehara. On the one hand, the obvious-- and more BLish --choice is the Sultan/Sehara. But Sehara loves his sister dearly and there have been multiple implications that they might be in love, or that at least she might be. So we've got gay lovin' on one side, and siblingcest on the other-- is it any wonder I adore this manhwa?

But it's not for everyone. It's definitely shoujo rather than shounen, although there is a certain amount of action/fighting. The interruption of the main plot by all the short stories might irritate some of the more impatient readers. And of course, manhwa simply isn't for everyone.

...But I absolutely recommend that everyone try it out and see anyway. <3

Writer: Jeon JinSeok
Artist: Han SeungHee
Publisher: ICE Kunion
MSRP: $10.95
Censorship: N/A
Warnings: Implications of het incest; a character who looks a little like Under Grand Hotel's Sword (but isn't), no actual gay sex except kinda in volume 1.