A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Loo, Egan (23 March 2021). " Requiem of the Rose King TV Anime Unveils Main Staff, Teaser Visual". Anime News Network . Retrieved 23 March 2021. requiem of the rose king: featuring that awkward moment when you discover you're in a love triangle with your father and patricide is the only option) I’m also quite in love with the drawings. There’s something eye-catching in the androgynous look this Richard sports—not what I’d call handsome, but attractive in his own intersex way.

Interest Stacks

A spin-off novel, Bara-Ō no Sōretsu Original Novel: Itsutsu no Makuai ( 薔薇王の葬列 original novel 五つの幕間, "Requiem of the Rose King Original Novel: Five Interludes"), was published by Akita Shoten on 15 December 2021. The novel was written by Yō Makusu, with cover art by Kanno. [15] [88] 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.

Richard's choice at the end to keep on struggling and somewhat be at peace with all the choices he has made hurling him towards all the losses in his life is very moving and compelling and strangely life-affirming (I am aware I am a weirdo that sees this as life-affirming as opposed to tragic). A major theme of this series is how the crown and power is an illusion, and is the tragedy and downfall of the entire cast of characters, especially Richard. This isn't going to be every Ricardian's cuppa tea, but if you are willing to take a chance on it, I think you might end up liking it. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (15 March 2021). " Requiem of the Rose King TV Anime Premieres This Fall". Anime News Network . Retrieved 16 March 2021.

Resources

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. Morrissy, Kim (19 April 2022). " Requiem of the Rose King Stage Play Casts Female, Male Actors to Portray Intersex Protagonist". Anime News Network . Retrieved 20 April 2022. I really loved this volume of the manga. It's clear that Aya Kanno has done research on the Wars of the Roses and knows the history. I love how they are able to weave history with the story they are wanting to tell. It makes the story so interesting and I've been so invested when I have been reading this story. I love how it's a retelling of Henry VI and Richard III from Shakespeare as well. Among those dark thoughts? Richard is both male and female, which by itself would be hard enough to deal with. He is also haunted by supernatural beings (something I forgot to mention in my review of volume 1), particularly the spirit of Joan of Arc, who is much sexier looking than I’m sure the real Joan ever looked. And though not dark, there is Richard’s white boar, a real animal that is part pet, part heraldic emblem, that shows up from time to time.

A man who has no awareness as king... A man who is not qualified to be king... Neither of them is fit for the throne." This was truly not a love story, but it was at the same time. It was an internal love, and that payoff, I can see now, was never going to be external or by someone else’s hand, it had to be Richard being able to love himself, and free himself from his own hell. Another interesting turn is that Catesby is loyal to Richard is his biggest friend and support their relationship is actually very sweet, and to me he represented that people who loved and supported the real Richard.

Recommendations

Asselin, Janelle (3 April 2015). "Gender & Shakespeare in Aya Kanno's Requiem of the Rose King". Comics Alliance. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. En este tomos dejamos la guerra de lado para centrarnos más en la venganza y en los conflictos internos.