The plot parodies feminism, gender equality/relationships, and military secrets. Cacofonix at last gets to beat up Fulliautomatix (instead of vice versa). It borrows plot elements and visual gags from a large number of previous stories. This is the second album in which Asterix is exiled, the first being Asterix and the Cauldron. Personally, having gotten used to Goscinny's writing, I must admit I'm not a fan of Uderzo's speech bubble style, but that is a very minor criticism.

That wasn't as good as the previous issues. Ok, there were some scenes that were actually funny, like when

Bravura starts singing and she turns out to be just as bad as Cacophonix

, but the story itself felt so… sexist and stereotypical.

The female bard that arrives in the village is presented as a straw man-hater feminist who harasses Asterix and treats him as a baby, because she doesn't see him as a threat (because of his height), in a similar way that a misogynistic man would mistreat and harass a woman. I'm quite sick of presenting feminist and progressive women in such a light, because it gives the false impression that all women are like this, which is not true.

And the men themselves aren't fond of the idea of women doing "manly" jobs, like being chiefs or bards or druids etc (though this was mostly because of the time period). And when the story ends,

both men and women decide to return to their old ways, with the women accepting their limited role that they possessed when the plot started

.

The ending was really disappointing.

I has hoping to see the Gaulish women fight the Roman women in a episodic battle, like how it usually happens with the Gaulish men against the Roman men, but… the battle never occurs, because the Roman women got distracted by all these trendy shops in the village and decided not to fight but instead go shopping.

The conflict was solved without violence, which is a good message and something that Bravura herself wanted, but it's solved in such a stereotypical way, that it's just unbearable to consume

.

It's those small details that keep the story away from being as entertaining as the early installments, like

Cacophonix' voice being so terrible that it causes rain, dragons appearing from nowhere (yes, there're dragons in the Asterix universe now, wtf Uderzo?!) etc

.

The artstyle is enjoyable and beautiful to look as always. Uderzo may not be a good writer, but he's a tremendous artist!

I wouldn't recommend it to those who have never read Asterix but want to start, because it gives a false image to the series. Start with the first 24 albums and you won't be disappointed! 😉

A woman bard is unheard-of in Ancient Gaul – but when the mothers in Asterix and Obelix’s little village decide that besides being a terrible musician Cacofinix, the local bard and school teacher, is not educating their children properly, it’s Bravura they call in.

The men of the village are horrified at first, but Bravura proves a useful ally in countering Julius Caesar’s secret weapon – the Roman leader has sent in a troop of female legionaries, relying on the chivalrous Gauls not to fight women. But Bravura has no such scruples, and together with Asterix thinks up a good idea. Even Cacofinix’s music comes into its own…

A book all about the "emancipation of women" and standing up to the man that saves the day by using female stereotypes. What a bore