Ogura, Volume 1 Cover Art, Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen, Hakusensha.
Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen – Information
Author of Story: Akane Ogura
Chapter Count: 4 Volumes, around 19 chapters
Status: Completed
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Blood, death
- Weapons, violence, war
- Partial nudity, mature content
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen – Plot Summary
Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen is a historical fantasy with an enemies to lovers trope. It is a slightly older read, but many readers will still enjoy the romance and plot!
It starts with two neighboring countries who are at war with each other. In order to stop this war and prevent further bloodshed, Prince Johanne of Meteora (to the north) and Princess Euda of Cannon (to the south) arrange a contract marriage.
Under the guise of their protecting their love and precious relationship, they are able to stop their countries from continuing any more violence. This doesn’t completely stop each nation’s citizens from starting conflicts with the other, but at least creates a start towards peace!
However, these two characters were actually not in love to begin with, and now they must fake their relationship in order to keep the pact of peace between their two countries! This love story is very much a push-and-pull or cat-and-mouse sort of romance—with a shy, tsundere princess and a short-tempered yet understanding prince.
They bicker from the very beginning, but are slowly forced to work together for the sake of their people. Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen brings a pretty fun and slightly older sort of storyline that is still enjoyable today!
Ogura, Volume 1 Cover Art, Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen, Hakusensha.
Why I Enjoyed Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen
Although I feel like the plot of Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen wasn’t extremely unique or different, it was still an enjoyable shoujo story with a sweet, slow-burn romance. It’s also a relatively short story with only about 19 chapters, so you can read and finish this love story quickly.
The story isn’t overly complicated; we have the young princess who is skilled in battlefield medical care, often known as a saint by those around her for attending to the wounded no matter which side they’re on. Then we have the army general prince who is reliable in leading his people to victory.
They obviously wouldn’t actually be in love considering their people are at war with each other and both nations are losing precious lives, but for the sake of their nations, they create a plan for peace. I also really like the story of how they met, as it is pretty interesting.
This manga is a nice choice for readers looking for a simple and easy read. It’s got a silly and cute romance, an enticing story involving royalty and diplomatic challenges, and a happy ending that makes the story feel more complete. This is especially due to all the push-and-pull interactions between the main two characters!
It’s also not too complicated of a plot to understand or follow, so most readers will be able to easily read and enjoy this manga. Sometimes historical fantasies can get very detailed and complicated, but this shorter manga isn’t the case.
Another reason I enjoyed this manga is because of the art style. I really like this sort of style that was popular with older mangas. It feels very intricate and detailed at times! I know it isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea and that it can occasionally look sort of dated—but I personally feel like the environments, outfit designs, and character expressions feel well-thought out.
It’s still a very lovely style in my book, and I never seem to tire of it. Although I say “older” to describe the art style, this manga is only from 2008 at the earliest, so it actually isn’t too dated (compared to 90’s or earlier mangas, anyway).
I also liked seeing the design differences for the people who lived in each country, as these two nations were supposed to have lots of differences in their landscapes and living styles.
It made the historical inspiration in the story feel more realistic and the opposition between the two sides easy to identify. Historical fantasy mangas are always interesting to me because of the unique and fun designs of the people, architecture, clothing, and landscapes.
In this story, we see romance alongside a plot about conflict between countries and disagreements between different peoples. We also get to see the main characters grow closer as they deal with hardships and solve many challenges.
It reminded me a bit of Yona of the Dawn, another great historical fantasy. Although Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen is much shorter! However, it still gives a cute and complete story as the main characters overcome many hardships in order to create peace (and love).
Ogura, Volume 3 Cover Art, Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen, Hakusensha.
Any Cons?
There’s lots of cliche story-writing and character personalities in Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen. Although this has never bothered me, I know some readers won’t favor it. So if you hate cliche shoujos, maybe try a different story!
Secondly, while I usually really like tsundere tropes, the sort like this where the tsundere is violent towards the other person (even if it’s for comedic purposes) is kind of annoying. Personally not a fan! Even if a character is embarrassed or confused by their feelings, I just don’t find constant beating of the other character (especially the love interest) amusing.
I think it’s an outdated form of comedic relief that just doesn’t work anymore. Princess Euda’s character definitely improves after a couple chapters, but I honestly thought she was a bit annoying at the start.
Lastly, the ending conflict felt a little strange and slightly rushed. This might not make sense until after you read the story, but I didn’t really understand the “punishments” that were given to certain characters as a result of the final conflict.
I feel like this portion of the story could have been fleshed out a bit better, but regardless of this con, it wasn’t a terrible ending. The romance is fluffy and happy at the end, which at least makes the story feel worth all the conflict.
Final Thoughts
Although Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen is slightly on the older side, the manga is still cute and enjoyable. At first it seems like it would be a bit repetitive, but the story becomes more interesting as more background information is revealed and more conflicts arise!
We get to enjoy a cute enemies to lovers romance that blooms slowly, but ends very satisfactory. Overall it is a short, cute, and easy to binge story!
Disclaimer: Any images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Ogura, Akane. Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen, Hakusensha, 2008.
