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薔薇王の葬列 [Baraō no Sōretsu] #1
Requiem Króla Róż, tom 1
Anglią wstrząsa wojna domowa – dwa potężne rody, Yorkowie i Lancasterowie, walczą o to, kto zasiądzie na tronie. W tych mrocznych czasach ważna rolę do odebrania będzie mieć Ryszard, trzeci syn przywódcy Yorków. Chłopak już od samych narodzin skazany był na cierpienie, zaś pole bitwy nie jest miejscem dla niego, lecz ten, kto już raz wejdzie na ścieżkę wytyczona przez przeznaczenie, choćby chciał nie może z niej zejść… Przygotujcie się na mroczną historię z elementami fantasy, inspirowana twórczością samego Williama Szekspira.
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 14, 2014
43 people are currently reading
1907 people want to read
About the author
Aya Kanno
66 books196 followersAya Kanno (菅野文; Kanno Aya) is a Japanese shōjo manga artist.
Former assistant of mangaka Masashi Asaki of Psychometrer Eiji fame, she made her debut in the January 2001 issue of Hakusensha's magazine "Hana to Yume" with Soul Rescue. Her works include Otomen.
Former assistant of mangaka Masashi Asaki of Psychometrer Eiji fame, she made her debut in the January 2001 issue of Hakusensha's magazine "Hana to Yume" with Soul Rescue. Her works include Otomen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 288 reviews
April 14, 2015
This doesn't deserve a 5 star rating probably but it is a shoujo manga about the Wars of the Roses and Richard III might secretly be a girl. It doesn't make an enormous amount of sense and is kind of hard to follow and many of the character portrayals are questionable but it is a SHOUJO MANGA ABOUT THE WARS OF THE ROSES AND RICHARD III MIGHT SECRETLY BE A GIRL, so your star rating system is invalid.
December 29, 2017
Because the York/Lancaster dynastic conflicts weren't confusing enough as history, we need non-factual versions illustrated with anime people who mostly all look alike.
Seriously, this is probably better if you ignore the historical basis altogether. It is dark and angsty but seems solid, at least at this early point. However, I did have a very hard time telling any characters but young Richard apart, including the ones on opposite sides, which made the political parts hard to follow.
And of course there are multiple Richards and multiple Edwards.
Seriously, this is probably better if you ignore the historical basis altogether. It is dark and angsty but seems solid, at least at this early point. However, I did have a very hard time telling any characters but young Richard apart, including the ones on opposite sides, which made the political parts hard to follow.
And of course there are multiple Richards and multiple Edwards.
January 24, 2018
There's only two ways to approach this manga: you either cleanse your mind of any expectations or demands of historicity, accuracy and plausibility, not to mention a good dose of suspension of disbelief, or you simply don't read it at all.
This is marketed as a retelling of Shakespeare's take on the Wars of the Roses as per the Henry VI and Richard III plays, but I'd say this is its own story altogether, more "inspired by" than "based on" Shakespeare. And while I've never had trouble with Shakespeare's outlandish plot because of knowing exactly what its inaccuracies are as well as the reasons the Bard had for writing them (hint: look at who his patroness was), I struggled to see the point of the plot in Aya Kanno's manga.
For a start, Richard of Gloucester goes from the Shakespearean hunchback with a withered arm and a black soul to . . . a hermaphrodite cursed by witches? Yes, that is it. "Richard" is, by choice of his father who bestows his own name on him, raised as a boy, identifies as a boy out of love and worship for Richard, Duke of York, but at the same time his "other side," the girl side, comes up all the time to torture him, so he ends up being a nebulous, androgynous someone. This was hard to understand, given what we now from archaeological and historical sources. Shakespeare's hunchback does have at least some remote basis in reality, as the real Richard III had scoliosis, but inter-sex, two-gendered Richard? That's pure fantasy.
Second is the characterisation of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York. Oh, sure, the Cecily in Shakespeare does lament being the mother of a monster, in the same way the poor mother of a serial killer would feel horrified and burdened by being his mother. But this Cecily here is a cold bitch, abusive even, and outright hates her son for no other reason that he was born with two sets of genitalia. Please, at least Shakespeare was perceptive enough to have Dickon's mother have cause for her feelings, while Kanno doesn't bother beyond her Monster & Devil's Spawn hysteria. In other words: Cecily Neville in Richard III hates her son for his black deeds, Cecily Neville in Requiem of the Rose King hates her son for existing.
I could go on and on. What's Joan of Arc doing here as a ghost who appears to Richard? How come Richard wouldn't know who Harry Buckingham was? Why have they erased Edmund of Rutland from history? Why does Richard have that Emo haircut with the lock over one eye that's period-inaccurate? But I don't have the energy to bother with a full breakdown. This is very evidently NOT meant to be historically correct, but at least it could have been more credible. As it stands, I'd say the art is its only selling point, though it's also very generic in how it depicts characters (they all look alike, with long flowing hair more suitable for fantasy manga than for 15th century England, save for Richard and his Emo hair).
This is marketed as a retelling of Shakespeare's take on the Wars of the Roses as per the Henry VI and Richard III plays, but I'd say this is its own story altogether, more "inspired by" than "based on" Shakespeare. And while I've never had trouble with Shakespeare's outlandish plot because of knowing exactly what its inaccuracies are as well as the reasons the Bard had for writing them (hint: look at who his patroness was), I struggled to see the point of the plot in Aya Kanno's manga.
For a start, Richard of Gloucester goes from the Shakespearean hunchback with a withered arm and a black soul to . . . a hermaphrodite cursed by witches? Yes, that is it. "Richard" is, by choice of his father who bestows his own name on him, raised as a boy, identifies as a boy out of love and worship for Richard, Duke of York, but at the same time his "other side," the girl side, comes up all the time to torture him, so he ends up being a nebulous, androgynous someone. This was hard to understand, given what we now from archaeological and historical sources. Shakespeare's hunchback does have at least some remote basis in reality, as the real Richard III had scoliosis, but inter-sex, two-gendered Richard? That's pure fantasy.
Second is the characterisation of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York. Oh, sure, the Cecily in Shakespeare does lament being the mother of a monster, in the same way the poor mother of a serial killer would feel horrified and burdened by being his mother. But this Cecily here is a cold bitch, abusive even, and outright hates her son for no other reason that he was born with two sets of genitalia. Please, at least Shakespeare was perceptive enough to have Dickon's mother have cause for her feelings, while Kanno doesn't bother beyond her Monster & Devil's Spawn hysteria. In other words: Cecily Neville in Richard III hates her son for his black deeds, Cecily Neville in Requiem of the Rose King hates her son for existing.
I could go on and on. What's Joan of Arc doing here as a ghost who appears to Richard? How come Richard wouldn't know who Harry Buckingham was? Why have they erased Edmund of Rutland from history? Why does Richard have that Emo haircut with the lock over one eye that's period-inaccurate? But I don't have the energy to bother with a full breakdown. This is very evidently NOT meant to be historically correct, but at least it could have been more credible. As it stands, I'd say the art is its only selling point, though it's also very generic in how it depicts characters (they all look alike, with long flowing hair more suitable for fantasy manga than for 15th century England, save for Richard and his Emo hair).
March 3, 2023
This may be the most complicated review I’ve ever written as I have very complicated thoughts and feelings about this first volume.
I knew next to nothing about this series when picking up this volume. I’ll first say that one of my degrees is in History. A good chunk of my education revolved around the history of England and the War of the Roses was a big component of those studies. I have also enjoyed reading and watching Shakespeare’s Richard III, though I am hardly a Shakespeare expert. That’s all to say that I’m very familiar with the greater context of the story depicted in this manga.
However, if you’ve read this manga then you know that it throws a bit of a curveball at the reader. In real life, Richard III had scoliosis which caused an arch in his spine. From what I know about the subject, the arch in his spine wasn’t very severe and could easily be hidden under his clothes. In Shakespeare’s version, Richard is often depicted as quite deformed and he’s also straight-up evil. It’s probably important to note that Shakespeare wrote this play for the Tudors, so exaggerating Richard’s negative characteristics was probably in Shakespeare’s best interest. I can’t really answer whether or not the real Richard III was “evil” per say, but I think that we can all agree that most dudes during this time period were probably a bunch of chicken shits.
Anyway, In Requiem of the Rose King Richard is a bit different. He does not appear to have scoliosis. Instead, Richard is intersex. Now, this leads me to my first issue. Is it okay that the author replaces someone’s disability with them being intersex? That strikes me as odd since being intersex, as far as I know, isn’t a disability. I think that medically it is classified as a disorder, but I’m also under the impression that a lot of people in the intersex community don’t like that terminology. While I understand that I’m viewing this story through a modern lens, to me it would make more sense for Richard to be intersex AND have scoliosis. Whether or not Richard’s disability erasure is “okay” isn’t for me to decide, but it’s something that made me thoughtful while reading.
In Rose King, Richard is tormented by his mother who refers to Richard as a demon and devil because of his “misshapen” body. Richard’s father on the other hand loves him dearly and seems more than happy to raise Richard as one of his sons. Richard seems to be comfortable with he/him pronouns however he has a lot of discomfort and dysphoria about his body which has atypical binary sex characteristics. There are two occasions in which Richard’s body is shown to the reader. Both times his chest is revealed. The first time is after a monologue where he takes his shirt off and looks at himself in the mirror. I didn’t have a problem with this necessarily as the scene wasn’t graphic or explicit. It was also not portrayed in a way that was supposed to be titillating to the reader. Instead, it was meant as a way of showing from Richard’s perspective how he feels about his own body.
However, the second occasion is uncomfortable. Richard is captured by the enemy and is assaulted. His shirt is cut open revealing his chest. In this scene, Richard is drawn in...what I can only describe as a wistful, pretty, anime boy kind of style. And given the context of this scene, it feels out of place. My fear while reading this series is that the author, Kanno is attempting to romanticize and sexualize Richard’s dysphoria and his body in a way that is supposed to appeal to and titillate an audience. I’m not saying that this IS the intention, but it is something I’m concerned about while reading. Who is this story meant for? Does this story have good intentions? Or is this just written out of some morbid curiosity and fetishization? Is this story good representation? I don’t know. I haven’t read enough of it to know. And honestly, on some of those questions my opinion is irrelevant. I am far more interested in hearing from the LGBT and Intersex community on the subject.
The other thing that gave me pause while reading this: In real life, Richard III married Anne Neville. Anne is a character in the manga and is most likely a prospective love interest for Richard. However, clearly, this manga is setting up a possible romance with King Henry as well. IRL Henry is like 30 years older than Richard. I don’t know how old Henry is supposed to be in this manga. Because everyone looks young and pretty. But like… … … hmmmm. Sketchy? I’m wondering if these two romances are just plot devices to further complicate Richard’s dysphoric feelings. My guess is that in the next few volumes Richard’d gender and sexuality will be called into question. Which feels predatory from a writer's perspective, as Richard’s gender and sexuality shouldn’t be up for debate based on who he decides to choose as a partner. His gender and his sexuality belong to him and him alone and should not be dependent on his love interest.
I also wonder if the mangaka knows that there is a difference between being intersex and transgender. A person can be intersex and transgender, but these two terminologies are not interchangeable and are not the same thing. I’m wondering how knowledgeable this author is and how much care has gone into writing this complex story.
In spite of all the confusing complexities of this story, it was an interesting read. I have my reservations about it, but the reality is that this story made me think for many hours after reading it. It made me question and challenge some of my own preconceived notions about gender and sex. Which for me makes it at the very least “interesting.” I am hesitant to read more without having some of my fears about this story addressed. But I think manga-Richard is a compelling character and I do prefer his more sympathetic character to other retellings of War of the Roses. (2.5-ish/5)
I knew next to nothing about this series when picking up this volume. I’ll first say that one of my degrees is in History. A good chunk of my education revolved around the history of England and the War of the Roses was a big component of those studies. I have also enjoyed reading and watching Shakespeare’s Richard III, though I am hardly a Shakespeare expert. That’s all to say that I’m very familiar with the greater context of the story depicted in this manga.
However, if you’ve read this manga then you know that it throws a bit of a curveball at the reader. In real life, Richard III had scoliosis which caused an arch in his spine. From what I know about the subject, the arch in his spine wasn’t very severe and could easily be hidden under his clothes. In Shakespeare’s version, Richard is often depicted as quite deformed and he’s also straight-up evil. It’s probably important to note that Shakespeare wrote this play for the Tudors, so exaggerating Richard’s negative characteristics was probably in Shakespeare’s best interest. I can’t really answer whether or not the real Richard III was “evil” per say, but I think that we can all agree that most dudes during this time period were probably a bunch of chicken shits.
Anyway, In Requiem of the Rose King Richard is a bit different. He does not appear to have scoliosis. Instead, Richard is intersex. Now, this leads me to my first issue. Is it okay that the author replaces someone’s disability with them being intersex? That strikes me as odd since being intersex, as far as I know, isn’t a disability. I think that medically it is classified as a disorder, but I’m also under the impression that a lot of people in the intersex community don’t like that terminology. While I understand that I’m viewing this story through a modern lens, to me it would make more sense for Richard to be intersex AND have scoliosis. Whether or not Richard’s disability erasure is “okay” isn’t for me to decide, but it’s something that made me thoughtful while reading.
In Rose King, Richard is tormented by his mother who refers to Richard as a demon and devil because of his “misshapen” body. Richard’s father on the other hand loves him dearly and seems more than happy to raise Richard as one of his sons. Richard seems to be comfortable with he/him pronouns however he has a lot of discomfort and dysphoria about his body which has atypical binary sex characteristics. There are two occasions in which Richard’s body is shown to the reader. Both times his chest is revealed. The first time is after a monologue where he takes his shirt off and looks at himself in the mirror. I didn’t have a problem with this necessarily as the scene wasn’t graphic or explicit. It was also not portrayed in a way that was supposed to be titillating to the reader. Instead, it was meant as a way of showing from Richard’s perspective how he feels about his own body.
However, the second occasion is uncomfortable. Richard is captured by the enemy and is assaulted. His shirt is cut open revealing his chest. In this scene, Richard is drawn in...what I can only describe as a wistful, pretty, anime boy kind of style. And given the context of this scene, it feels out of place. My fear while reading this series is that the author, Kanno is attempting to romanticize and sexualize Richard’s dysphoria and his body in a way that is supposed to appeal to and titillate an audience. I’m not saying that this IS the intention, but it is something I’m concerned about while reading. Who is this story meant for? Does this story have good intentions? Or is this just written out of some morbid curiosity and fetishization? Is this story good representation? I don’t know. I haven’t read enough of it to know. And honestly, on some of those questions my opinion is irrelevant. I am far more interested in hearing from the LGBT and Intersex community on the subject.
The other thing that gave me pause while reading this: In real life, Richard III married Anne Neville. Anne is a character in the manga and is most likely a prospective love interest for Richard. However, clearly, this manga is setting up a possible romance with King Henry as well. IRL Henry is like 30 years older than Richard. I don’t know how old Henry is supposed to be in this manga. Because everyone looks young and pretty. But like… … … hmmmm. Sketchy? I’m wondering if these two romances are just plot devices to further complicate Richard’s dysphoric feelings. My guess is that in the next few volumes Richard’d gender and sexuality will be called into question. Which feels predatory from a writer's perspective, as Richard’s gender and sexuality shouldn’t be up for debate based on who he decides to choose as a partner. His gender and his sexuality belong to him and him alone and should not be dependent on his love interest.
I also wonder if the mangaka knows that there is a difference between being intersex and transgender. A person can be intersex and transgender, but these two terminologies are not interchangeable and are not the same thing. I’m wondering how knowledgeable this author is and how much care has gone into writing this complex story.
In spite of all the confusing complexities of this story, it was an interesting read. I have my reservations about it, but the reality is that this story made me think for many hours after reading it. It made me question and challenge some of my own preconceived notions about gender and sex. Which for me makes it at the very least “interesting.” I am hesitant to read more without having some of my fears about this story addressed. But I think manga-Richard is a compelling character and I do prefer his more sympathetic character to other retellings of War of the Roses. (2.5-ish/5)
Read
February 7, 2021Wow, this story really had all the bad tropes about intersex characters one after another. It kind of signaled that it would eventually subvert... ONE of them, but I am not sticking around to find out more. Maybe more later, but I wanted to quickly get this off my chest.
Sure, this is supposed to be an extremely random retelling of some of Shakespeare's Histories for wacky entertainment, but really, there was no actual content behind the intersex "rep" besides a set of stereotypes I've seen so many times before and they were bad the first time around. From the forced disrobement to the Horrible Secret Which Must Be Concealed At All Costs. I would like my wacky Shakespearean entertainment to be less frustrating, please.
_____
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library
Sure, this is supposed to be an extremely random retelling of some of Shakespeare's Histories for wacky entertainment, but really, there was no actual content behind the intersex "rep" besides a set of stereotypes I've seen so many times before and they were bad the first time around. From the forced disrobement to the Horrible Secret Which Must Be Concealed At All Costs. I would like my wacky Shakespearean entertainment to be less frustrating, please.
_____
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library
March 13, 2015
Okay, bear with me here. This is a manga retelling of the War of the Roses, based upon Shakespeare's Henry VI cycle and Richard III. But in this version, instead of being a hunchback, Richard was actually born intersex, and his mother treats him as a demon spawn, seriously warping his personality. Oh, and he's haunted by the ghost of Joan of Arc, who's using him as a vehicle to exact revenge on England.
Oh, and it's published in a magazine aimed at teenage girls.
And people wonder why I prefer manga to American comics.
Oh, and it's published in a magazine aimed at teenage girls.
And people wonder why I prefer manga to American comics.
October 19, 2022
Seguro que luego es muy interesante, pero a mí me ha aburrido mucho y el dibujo no me ha gustado nada. Eso sí, ahora me han entrado ganas de leer novelas sobre la guerra de la dos rosas.
November 24, 2017
Ladies and gentlemen! Presenting the "What In The Hell Did I Just Read" shelf! Because sweet jesus what in the hell did I just read?
The scene is England in the Middle Ages where the land is fraught with war and strife as the War of the Roses rages. The house of York meets the house of Lancaster over and over on the field of battle and just when one seems to have overcome the other the tables turn and the fighting rages on.
In the midst of this endless struggle for the throne Cecily Neville, the beloved duchess of noble Richard of the house of York gives birth to...a devil's spawn...
Wackiness ensues!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If, like me, you're partial to historical accuracy at least up to a point in your historical manga I think its relatively safe to say you want to run, not walk, but run the hell away from this. If, unlike myself, you always wanted to know how the story of Richard III might shake out if Richard was
I've made a noble effort here but its time to say bye bye to War of the Roses manga style.
The scene is England in the Middle Ages where the land is fraught with war and strife as the War of the Roses rages. The house of York meets the house of Lancaster over and over on the field of battle and just when one seems to have overcome the other the tables turn and the fighting rages on.
In the midst of this endless struggle for the throne Cecily Neville, the beloved duchess of noble Richard of the house of York gives birth to...a devil's spawn...
Wackiness ensues!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If, like me, you're partial to historical accuracy at least up to a point in your historical manga I think its relatively safe to say you want to run, not walk, but run the hell away from this. If, unlike myself, you always wanted to know how the story of Richard III might shake out if Richard was
I've made a noble effort here but its time to say bye bye to War of the Roses manga style.
Read
July 25, 2023The series had me hooked, and before I knew it, I had finished all 16 volumes. 🫣
The following statements contain spoilers.
The manga follows Richard and his life struggles towards the crown, where he sacrificed almost everything to have it. And most of the characters here are like him; they will do anything to have that power. But there are still Anne, Catesby, and little Edward, who remained kindhearted until the end. 🥺
Inspired by a Shakespeare play, this is a tragedy from start to finish. Richard's life was showered with darkness from his own mother, romances, and ambition. He fell in love, then got really hurt. The gothic art style and the combination of drama, historical fiction, and horror made it darker for me.
Now, I am waiting for the release of the last volume, and I think I have an idea how this will end, but I hope I am wrong. 🥲
The following statements contain spoilers.
The manga follows Richard and his life struggles towards the crown, where he sacrificed almost everything to have it. And most of the characters here are like him; they will do anything to have that power. But there are still Anne, Catesby, and little Edward, who remained kindhearted until the end. 🥺
Inspired by a Shakespeare play, this is a tragedy from start to finish. Richard's life was showered with darkness from his own mother, romances, and ambition. He fell in love, then got really hurt. The gothic art style and the combination of drama, historical fiction, and horror made it darker for me.
Now, I am waiting for the release of the last volume, and I think I have an idea how this will end, but I hope I am wrong. 🥲
June 23, 2024
Interesante e intrigante comienzo.
El protagonista definitivamente va a ser el el circo de los dramas, y no puedo esperar a ver como avanza la historia, sobretodo con el final del tomo.
REREAD 2024:
DIOSMIO lo que me queda todavía me estoy acordando de cosas y quiero leer más asdfkjsdfjsoafjsdaf
El protagonista definitivamente va a ser el el circo de los dramas, y no puedo esperar a ver como avanza la historia, sobretodo con el final del tomo.
REREAD 2024:
DIOSMIO lo que me queda todavía me estoy acordando de cosas y quiero leer más asdfkjsdfjsoafjsdaf
January 11, 2021
*Read as part of the 25 Days of Manga challenge for December 2020.*
THERE ARE NO WORDS, ONLY SCREAMING.
I DON'T KNOW HOW OR WHY I ENJOYED THIS BY THE END.
HELP. I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T GET UP.
THERE ARE NO WORDS, ONLY SCREAMING.
I DON'T KNOW HOW OR WHY I ENJOYED THIS BY THE END.
HELP. I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T GET UP.
January 14, 2022
[3.5]
I'm confused 🤔 but I kind of like it (?)
This story is unique, being a sort of a retelling based on historical events is new and confusing to me. But I'm weirdly excited to keep reading.
The drawings are BEAUTIFUL, so so beautiful. I'm in love of Catesby and Henry ✨
I'm confused 🤔 but I kind of like it (?)
This story is unique, being a sort of a retelling based on historical events is new and confusing to me. But I'm weirdly excited to keep reading.
The drawings are BEAUTIFUL, so so beautiful. I'm in love of Catesby and Henry ✨
September 7, 2021
Letteralmente divorato in una nottata. Affascinante rielaborazione dell'opera di shakespeare e degli avvenimenti storici concernenti la guerra delle due rose. Era da tempo che un primo volume non mi rapiva in questo modo.
I panel sono meravigliosi, raffinati e carichi di dettagli; i personaggi interessanti. Ho particolarmente apprezzato l'intenzione dell'autrice di mantenere i dialoghi simili a una piece teatrale. Consigliatissimo a tutti
I panel sono meravigliosi, raffinati e carichi di dettagli; i personaggi interessanti. Ho particolarmente apprezzato l'intenzione dell'autrice di mantenere i dialoghi simili a una piece teatrale. Consigliatissimo a tutti
February 4, 2017
I have NO idea what to make of this.
It's been 7-8 years, but I have read Richard III and Henry the VI (both inspirations for this manga title) so I thought I knew what I was getting into. I was a little leery of mashing the two titles together, but Shakespear is so dramatic (especially his Histories and Tragedies) that I thought it would make a good pairing with a Shoujo manga.
What's completely thrown me are the liberties that Kanno has taken with the characters and historical inspiration. I mean, first off, Kanno decided to swap the physical deformity of Shakespeare's Richard III to him now being intersex (!?!?) and Joan of Arc is a character, but she's now a spirit who haunts Richard. UMMM??
I'm not intersex, so I can't at all speak to the depiction of it that Kanno presents here, but I'm dubious of it (to say the least).
The plot is also a little jumbled - things seemed to happen VERY quickly and I initially had trouble keeping track of who was who. This issue may lie more with me, but I felt like all the faces (except for Richard's) looked very similar which lead to some of my confusion. The narrative would occasionally jump around time-wise and I found these scenes weren't clearly delineated either.
The art is typical shoujo-fare: very lithe, tall and beautiful people with sharp features everywhere. It is very pretty to look at though.
I'm curious about the 2nd volume, and I'll probably give this series a few volumes before I decide to commit to it (or not), but for now, this was simply an 'okay' read for me.
It's been 7-8 years, but I have read Richard III and Henry the VI (both inspirations for this manga title) so I thought I knew what I was getting into. I was a little leery of mashing the two titles together, but Shakespear is so dramatic (especially his Histories and Tragedies) that I thought it would make a good pairing with a Shoujo manga.
What's completely thrown me are the liberties that Kanno has taken with the characters and historical inspiration. I mean, first off, Kanno decided to swap the physical deformity of Shakespeare's Richard III to him now being intersex (!?!?) and Joan of Arc is a character, but she's now a spirit who haunts Richard. UMMM??
I'm not intersex, so I can't at all speak to the depiction of it that Kanno presents here, but I'm dubious of it (to say the least).
The plot is also a little jumbled - things seemed to happen VERY quickly and I initially had trouble keeping track of who was who. This issue may lie more with me, but I felt like all the faces (except for Richard's) looked very similar which lead to some of my confusion. The narrative would occasionally jump around time-wise and I found these scenes weren't clearly delineated either.
The art is typical shoujo-fare: very lithe, tall and beautiful people with sharp features everywhere. It is very pretty to look at though.
I'm curious about the 2nd volume, and I'll probably give this series a few volumes before I decide to commit to it (or not), but for now, this was simply an 'okay' read for me.
April 21, 2021
Primo volume interessante da leggere con attenzione perché, nonostante lo stile di disegno sia incantevole, si rischia di fare confusione tra alcuni personaggi fisicamente simili.
Caratterizzazione dei personaggi principali ottima! Tutta ancora da approfondire ma quella che ci viene data, in questo primo volume, basta a comprendere quello che vediamo succedere e a incuriosirci su quello che accadrà.
Caratterizzazione dei personaggi principali ottima! Tutta ancora da approfondire ma quella che ci viene data, in questo primo volume, basta a comprendere quello che vediamo succedere e a incuriosirci su quello che accadrà.
October 9, 2015
I read this awhile back, and I wanted to like it. Really, I did. I just couldn't. It feels like it tries too hard to be all dark and such, but ultimately, just fails.
The art is nice, but I didn't care for the story.
The art is nice, but I didn't care for the story.
April 24, 2015
Aya Kanno's art and a re-imagining of two Shakespeare histories. Yes, so amazing.
January 22, 2022
2.5 stars
I found this unnecessarily confusing, disjointed, and hinging way too much on a spoiler:
I found this unnecessarily confusing, disjointed, and hinging way too much on a spoiler:
December 2, 2018
I really wanted to like this as I have a particular interest in the War of the Roses. This story and history combo are far too complicated to be translated into manga and without my previous knowledge, I would have been incredibly lost.
October 30, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½
Naprawdę mi się to podobało! Trochę chaotycznie opowiedzane, dużo postaci i wątków ale pod koniec zaczęłam już ogarniać historię i bohaterów. Wtedy się serio wkręciłam. Czuję że to wreszcie może być manga, która mnie totalnie wciągnie w swój świat.
Naprawdę mi się to podobało! Trochę chaotycznie opowiedzane, dużo postaci i wątków ale pod koniec zaczęłam już ogarniać historię i bohaterów. Wtedy się serio wkręciłam. Czuję że to wreszcie może być manga, która mnie totalnie wciągnie w swój świat.
July 30, 2023
Estoy disfrutando mucho de la relectura. Y me estoy dando cuenta de lo bien hilado que está todo.
December 9, 2017
I absolutely love this manga. In fact, it's one of my favorites. It's a reimagining of Richard the Third, but instead of Richard being crippled, he is intersex, which causes all sorts of problems for him in his relationships with others, in his own character growth, and in his feelings of self-worth. His mother Cecily has always referred to him as a demon spawn that will bring down their noble house, and he's haunted by the ghost of Joan of Arc, who is continually feeding his inner hatred. There's also the backdrop of the War of the Roses, in which the House of York and the House of Lancaster are at odds, competing for the throne.
This manga, aimed toward an older female audience, delves deep into the relationships between the characters while managing to retain a strong balance with the plot, bringing out the best of both aspects. It's a great reimagining of one of Shakespeare's best works, and one that is emotional and addicting all the way through.
This manga, aimed toward an older female audience, delves deep into the relationships between the characters while managing to retain a strong balance with the plot, bringing out the best of both aspects. It's a great reimagining of one of Shakespeare's best works, and one that is emotional and addicting all the way through.
March 19, 2015
While it was interesting, this book also had me checking my copies of the plays it is (loosely) based on, Shakespeare's Henry the Sixth parts 1 - 3 and Richard the Third, constantly in an attempt to see where Kanno was quoting and how her characters were shaping up compared to her admitted source material.
So yeah, if I wasn't an English professor, I would have enjoyed this much more. That's my fault, not Kanno's.
So yeah, if I wasn't an English professor, I would have enjoyed this much more. That's my fault, not Kanno's.
June 12, 2019
Really enjoyed this! Full review coming soon!
July 5, 2019
I was immediately hooked after reading the first volumn. The story and illustrations are fantastic! Highly recommend!
September 26, 2019
WOWWWWWWW 🤯🤩
February 18, 2022
Can I just hug Richard? This child deserves better and my heart breaks for them. I also find this retelling of the War of Roses interesting so far!
August 1, 2024
3.5 I love the art and the story has me intrigued! Henry seems too manic pixie dream boy though
January 30, 2022
3 stars
not quite sure how I feel lol
not quite sure how I feel lol
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