Baraou no Souretsu
Requiem of the Rose King

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Baraou no Souretsu 9/10

You like manga and William Shakespeare? Well look no further, this time Aya Kanno shows us her skills by taking on the classic play "Richard III" and accompanies it with beautiful illustrations, which make reading and looking at "Baraou no Souretsu" pure joy. It has all the darkness of Shakespeare's play, dirty games of/for thrones, a little love, a little religion, a little scandal, some mysteries - what is Richard? I just love this play, so to be able to read it as manga is amazing. If you aren't familiar with Richard III, it's fine, in the manga the story gets explained ... well enough. I couldn't stop reading once I started, it's profound as it should be (but also has some light moments) and all those great characters, constantly we are forced to ask ourselves, if this person in front of us, for doing what he does - is evil or just a human like everyone else, aren't we all doing evil things, what is evil anyway?! A soldier that kills to protect someone else? A parent that can't love her child, because she is scared of it? A woman tortured and punished for wanting something seemingly impossible? A story about life, hope, death, loneliness, revenge and so many other things.
If you would like to read something that comes close to perfection, it's Shakespeare's Richard III, a piece of literature, which many other great artists have made plays or movies about (some good some bad) or used as inspiration, but rarely did I enjoy literature that comes in manga format, so Aya thank you for this well done piece of work, something different from typical shoujo or shounen manga, which hopefully won't end too fast :) As a matter of fact, now I want to search for more mangas that are based on Shakespeares plays.

Firstly - I don't understand why so many of these reviews are calling Richard a trans man. It is made VERY clear from the beginning that Richard is (visibly) intersex at birth, there are many references to Richard being born with/having "both sexes" throughout the series, on occasion the confused "what are you?" reaction to seeing his body, and even references by Richard himself regarding having ambiguous organs. Richards father decides to raise him as a man, and he identifies as such for the entire series. Richard is not a girl, or a trans man, he is just a(n intersex) man.

I found the story ... to be quite interesting from a psychological standpoint - it covers a lot of different perspectives and characters, so I quite liked seeing all of the different reactions and character developments throughout. I'm not particularly into history so can't comment on how accurate the story is, but overall thought it was worth reading, particularly if you're interested in a lot of war and power struggles.

I initially only really read this manga specifically because it had an intersex character - as someone with a likely similar intersex variation to Richard I wanted to read it out of curiosity more than anything (which is partially why it's a little frustrating seeing everyone else erase his intersex identity) but I would probably suggest that this isn't suitable for other intersex people who are sensitive about the topic - Richard is not exactly treated kindly because of it so it may be a trigger for some people.

this won't be the most coherent review but i absolutely adore baraou no souretsu! i read the whole thing so far in about four sittings because i was so intrigued.

Richard is a tragic and cool character and observing how each character treats him is very interesting. his internal struggles are unlike any characters i've ever seen before. we get to see the evolution of how he feels about his body, and about gender itself, like how it determines so much of your life, especially in the 1400s or whatever.

it isn't a spoiler to say it is a tragic story so far, but i can't ... help but want him to have a happy ending or as happy as it can get being in a royal family during turbulent times.

personally, i wasn't confused on the family tree or the names/heritage of other characters. i thought the pacing was good, and the art was beautiful. the story has a way of pulling you in and making you feel completely present while reading it, which i really liked. also love the queerness!! i want to buy all the books so bad but my wallet </3

best shoujo i've ever read lol, i'd love to read more stories like this. and i hope manga and anime continue to include intersex characters, they deserve to be seen.

First off, let's get some of the confusing stuff out of the way. This is a manga published in Princess, a magazine that contains shoujo manga aimed at teenage girls. Now, do I personally think the best audience would be teenage girls? No, actually. The content for me felt much darker than what I would expect for a typical shoujo, and covers some very heavy themes. It's as much a shoujo as a manga like Banana Fish, perhaps. Now, is it a BL? That depends. There are certainly male/male relationships depicted, with the main character being a bisexual man, and they are an important part ... of the story and the development of the main character. However, I would hesitate to say they are the focus, the way they are in most BL manga.

Now that that's out of the way, here are my thoughts on Baraou no Souretsu.

Story - 7/10
I went into this manga thinking it would be a typical tragic historical BL, and was pleasantly surprised to find an engaging historical retelling with large heapings of war, drama, tragedy, and betrayal. Although I found parts of the plot to be confusing or boring, or even slightly nonsensical, most of that had disappeared by around 10-15 chapters, giving way to an amazing story filled with twists and turns that shape the characters realistically, and that tell a captivating, compelling story. I finished 50 chapters in just one day and was unable to put it down. The story does happen over the course of main character Richard's life, and at times the time skips were slightly jarring, but overall I thought it was executed very well.

Art - 9/10
This will be a bit subjective, as I understand many people dislike BL-typical art styles. However, I found the art and character designs to be beautiful to look at. The covers and chapter titles are absolutely gorgeous, and the manga is filled with beautiful symbolism and plenty of attention to detail. At the very least, the art never got in the way of my enjoyment.

Character - 8/10
The main character Richard was born intersex, and the son of Richard II, who tries to gain the throne and become king of England. He struggles with the label of "demon" from his birth due to his possession of "both male and female sexes". Although his character seemed dull and typical of an angsty "MC with tragic backstory" trope throughout the first third or so of the story, it is fascinating to watch him develop and change through his relationships with both his family and romantic interests. By the 50th chapter, I have become quite invested in his character and look forward to seeing the things he will do next. My own interpretation of his gender is that he is a trans man, due to the large amounts of dysphoria and hatred towards his female parts throughout the story, though others may have different perceptions. Is he a well written trans character? That is up to debate. Considering the setting the story takes place in, and the developments that Richard goes through, I would say it is a somewhat realistic portrayal.

The side characters, from family members to romantic prospects vary in their writing. Many are extremely well-developed and multi-faceted, while some are obviously more symbols than anything else. This is not a bad thing though, and I found myself growing attached to many of them and developing a strong dislike of others.

Enjoyment - 10/10
Not gonna lie - this manga is absolutely my cup of tea. Although I am picky with manga that have BL vibes, this one was the perfect mix of dark, fucked-up romance and twisted, intricate story for the kind of stuff I love. It did bring to mind some elements of Akimi Yoshida's works, and the complexity of some of the relationships reminded me of Code Geass, both of which are some of my favorite animanga media. None of the places where the manga flagged a bit really got in the way of my enjoyment, and I am looking forward to the next volume.

Overall - 9/10
Baraou no Souretsu is perhaps a somewhat controversial work. The main character and his gender is the subject of a lot of discourse around the manga, and some people will no doubt avoid it due to the BL elements and tropes present. However, for fans of historical retellings, dark romance, heaping loads of tragedy, and who can handle some really fucked-up and unhealthy relationships (please check trigger warnings before reading!), I would highly recommend this manga.

If you like Shakespeare or medieval fantasy this is a great manga to read. Requiem of the Rose King is based off of (or at least heavily inspired by) the story of the Wars of the Roses. The characters are interesting, the story is sad but compelling and the art is top notch. Richard especially is interesting because intersex representation has little to nothing at all and I'm glad it's put on to a character that really grows throughout the series. Some would call it BL but it's a lot more then that. It's hard to put down the book and each val ends on ... the best spots (and when I say best I mean worst because I really want to know what happens next). My only big complaint is that the story can get extremely confusing at times and the age gap between Richard and //spoiler// is pretty big and it can get kind of uncomfortable. There are also some panels where you do not want people looking over your shoulder. But besides that it's an amazing read and Def would recommend.

TLDR: great manga with beautiful art but be ready for heartbreak

If you like dark fantasy, this is for you. Based off William Shakespeare play "Richard III". The author changes the story but still manages it keep it interesting using the original characters as the basis. Our protagonist Richard, is born intersex, upper body of a female and lower body of a male. I thought this was really interesting because the it literally built a harem for Richard (both men and women). I liked seeing how characters treated Richard differently depending on what they thought of Richard.

There are a few disturbing things in the manga like rape, assault, cheating, beheading, etc. But I also think ... its realistic for its time period. I just really hope this has a happy ending for Richard.

The author's art makes the manga just as creepy, twisted, interesting, and beautiful like the storyline. Personally believe that without the art-style, the story would not be as great.

Requiem of the Rose King... has... its problem, story wise with lots of randomly random events and concerning its characters development that can be quite incoherent..... But.....
I just love this manga. As much as I actually understand where people could see bad elements in there... It didn't bother me at all when I was reading it.

As this manga is "inspired" by the "Richard III", Shakespeare theatrical work, so it's not surprising to see the story taking "overly dramatic" routes with lots of emotional conflicts form misunderstanding, stories of betrayal or even some "scenes" etc... But it doesn't try to hide it and just makes ... it part of the manga "identity", so again : it don't really bother when reading.
Of course this point of view I present, is subjective and as I said I do understand where "Baraou no souretsu" may not seem attractive to people story-wise....

BUT
The ART! The ART is absolutely gorgeous, I can't say I've never seen "better" elsewhere and even much better in term of realism or movement , or lanscape, but the author has such a way with faces and subtility when drawing people. There's a huge gap here compared to her previous works. As if the dramatic tension the story brings just let her transmit more emotions in a new manner.

Even if it were for only this artistic aspect of the manga I'll still truly consider buying every volumes, when I'll be able to.

I didn't really reflect much about the characters and how "good" they are, because as in a real theatrical works, characters are more ones that "undergo" more than "act" and really influence the plot. Apart from 2 or 3 main characters, I have to say most of the cast is actually weak and it doesn't help that many of them are jerks (tho this point does have coherence in the atmosphere the story wants to install, it's just a pesonnal preference).

In the big picture, the manga is enjoyable and despite the light storyline it follows, the author manage to make it up with the atmosphere and the way she deepen her characters with internal or external conflicts beautifully portrayed with the art.

This is a story not for the weak hearted, because as I read this it felt as if my heart was being stabbed again and again.

There are many conflicting things in this story, and knowing the tale of the war between cousins, Lancaster and York, I am not ensured of a happy ending. However, I still have hope that this story will end beautifully and with a twist at the end.

If you like somewhat tragic fantasy tales where when all seems lost, the protagonists are still able to overcome it (such as Code Geass, Kuroshitsuji, etc.) then this may be a story for you.

What I ... loved so much about Baraou no Souretsu was how sad it felt to read it. I still have some hope that the ending is not as I think it would be, for this is only based off the story of York and Lancaster, but not the same tale.

The story of Aya Kanno's version of Richard III has really touched my heart, it's beautifully sad and it's very interesting to see figures of history be interpreted differently through her perspective and creativity.

p.s. so far Margaret Beaufort (Henry Tudor's mother & Stanley's wife) wasn't adapted in here which is kinda sad since to me she was the most interesting figure in the wars of the roses imo but oh well

I was on a bit of a historical manga spree, and thought I'd finally give this a try, but was severely disappointed. First listing some good things about this story: the art is gorgeous and the action is great. Then onto the flaws, I have mainly three issues with this manga, which I feel to be shared with some other comments: the historical aspect, the treatment of Richard's intersexuality, and the author's clear obsession with trying to write BL harem (which pretty much ties into how the author treats the intersexual issue). Now, I think an amazing thing for historical fiction is how writers manage ... to blend fact with their own story, but in my opinion there should be some intentionality to it; when you pick a character, specially one for whom there's documented records, it's because they fulfill the purpose of your story, so that readers can go "Woah, I can totally see how well crafted this is because it makes sense". However, though the author in here does the bare minimum of following the documented history, there is absolutely no reason given for why this story is about the very real, very documented Richard III; no part in this man's trajectory fits the kind of storyline this author wanted to have. Like someone else said, his only ailment was scoliosis, which wasn't even a determent to his daily life, and the only remarkable thing about him was killing his nephews for the throne which basically every royal from back then did... how did the author even turn that into an intersex person suffering for years due to nobody loving them and not being able to love the one they want? Why on earth pick the most unrelated historical figure ever for such a plot? If such is the case, then just make up original characters and use history as a reference. I think even a full on story where Henry VI is the protagonist would have been much more compelling than constantly being subjected to whatever pedo mess that 60 chapter arc was. Again with intentionality onto the next topic... does Richard being intersexual serve any purpose for the story? Is it really an interesting read that X historical figure whose life story could not possibly make sense with such a plot point, is intersex? What does it even do for the character except 1) serve for childhood trauma... which honestly any other thing could have provided, most logically a disability like the real one had and 2) serve for a not gay enough its gay but gay enough the fujoshis jump at it encounter with about every male character in the manga? You come here and tell me he's identified as a male his whole life, and only starts to question such an identity when he's in some lovey dovey encounter with the ML, and only ever considers himself as "half-woman" in relation to the men around... what does that even say about this character's capacity of having any thoughts or troubles of their own. What does it even say about the author's capacity of actually using intersexuality as a complex plot point beyond being a romantic complication. If all they were gonna use it for is romance, then why not a crossdressing woman or a gay man or anything else? Back to the historical discussion, there was absolutely no reason to make this historical figure intersex, specially when it does not provide any vital eureka moment when recounting their life. Again, this could have very well been an original story with original characters.

Basically, there is about zero logic ever applied to anything in this story. Either pick a historical figure that serves your purpose so the narrative carries smoothly, limit yourself to a faithful historical recount, or write an original story; since you can't possibly have a well written manga when ignoring and not committing to any of these. For those who want good historical fiction there's better works around, hell I think even for historical BL, ao3 fanfiction would be a better read.

Requiem of the Rose King is one of the best manga publishing in English right now, and truly unlike anything else I've read from English manga. I highly recommend it to fans of Shakespeare, LGBT+/queer manga, BL, and/or dark Shoujo like Banana Fish.

This manga is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry VI and Richard III plays, and while in terms of events it does stick fairly close to what happens in the plays, author Kanno Aya adds in a lot of new material and character interpretations. One of them is that this version of Richard - a physically disabled hunchback in the play - is ... in this manga, an intersex, Bi trans man. Don't look to this manga for a morally spotless portrayal of LGBT+ characters though - Richard (alongside other men in the manga who are gay/Bi) is both the victim and the villain of this story.

Richard himself is for me atleast the main draw of this manga. He's certainly more sympathetic than the famously villainous Richard in the play, but at the same time Kanno avoids giving one simple explanation of the roots of Richard's evil. The manga strikes an interesting balance of letting us inside Richard's mind and keeping his true nature and motivations mysterious.

One of the other major focuses of this manga is the romance, as expected from a Shoujo manga though in this case most of the romance fits more into BL (originally an off shoot from Shoujo) than the typical straight romance of today's Shoujo.

As mentioned earlier, this manga's version of Richard is Bisexual, so he has love interests of multiple genders. Most of the focus is on gay romance, with a major male love interest for both the 1st and (currently ongoing) 2nd Acts, though there's plenty of options in Richard's harem if you're into shipping ;). As for the romance itself, I found myself emotionally engaged with the main romances, and there's definitely interesting contrasts with the dynamics between Richard and his various love interests. Unlike many romance manga there's also a lot of emphasis, especially from Richard's perspective, on the physical, sensual and in some cases sexual side of things. Many of the official arts and chapter covers are also very striking and sensual too.

The other major aspect of this manga is that this story, like the stage play it is adapting (original full title "The tragedy of King Richard the Third"), is a tragedy. I don't want to give any specific spoilers away, but there are some truly devastating moments that are key turning points for the story, for example vol 2 or vol 7.

The manga has a range of depictions that readers will expect from the time period - violence, murder, sexual assault, and so on - but specific to Richard being trans and intersex, he does receive hostility from people around him due to this and there are some uncomfortable situations involved. While Richard's gender identity as a man is repeatedly affirmed throughout the manga and by the author, there are some times he is drawn in quite a feminine way and/or wearing women's clothes. Neither of these were a problem for me (I think the manga and author handles Richard's queerness in an respectful way) but I mention them in case people looking for LGBT+ manga might be uncomfortable with them.


--Story--

Overall Rose King is more of a character driven manga rather than plot driven, still, the plot moves at a fast enough pace to keep you engaged, there's usually a major event or two per chapter and several per volume. One of the flaws of the manga though is on my first read through I sometimes struggled to follow the story events, without knowing the stage play or much about the real history. The manga lacks a narrator - for example at one point there's a large timeskip but it's not entirely clear exactly how many years have passed or what year the story is now taking place in. I don't think it's a huge issue but it might be a good idea to familiarise yourself with the basics of the history or stage play before reading this.

--Art--

The art is generally very good to excellent. There are some truly striking sequences and memorable imagery at key moments of the manga which compliment the story being told and emotions conveyed wonderfully. Richard himself is also very beautiful and the centre of the art's attention when he's on page - the other men and women who comprise Richard's love interests are pleasing to the eye too. I especially love the chapter covers. (there's an colour Illustration collection for this manga which is worth checking out)

--Characters--

The cast is the strongest draw of this manga. I've already talked about the protagonist Richard, but most of the main cast are interesting and distinctive characters, and its always interesting to watch them play off eachother. Many of the characters end up - like Richard himself - having other sides to them too which can lead to them acting in ways you might not expect.

--Overall--

Requiem of the Rose King can be considered a hidden gem. Perhaps due to the unusual mixture of elements (Dark fantasy, Shakespeare, BL, trans themes, Shoujo) it hasn't been noticed by many, though that might change with the recently announced anime adaptation. But if you're a fan of any of those elements, or just want to read a truly compelling tragedy of a manga, I can't recommend it more highly.

I’ve wanted to write a review for this for so long, so here we are. This series is still on-going, but I’ve read all the 60 chapters currently out in English, and I think it’s enough for me to form an opinion. To put it simply : I. NEED. MORE MANGAS LIKE THIS!!

Story : looking for that good medieval era drama?? You like stories where the characters find love in a world of war?? Fan of that GOOD angst ? I got you. The story is very interesting, it was never obviously predictable, and I love the storytelling in this. You can see ... there’s so much care in every page. Does a good job at portraying gender dysphoria in a medieval society. In fact, I loved how Richard starts owning his body in the last 30 chapters, after all these years of hiding and feeling ashamed. And at the same time, I really like his character development, going from “I hate myself I’m an ugly demon” to “yeah I’m that badass demon you guys keep talking about”. 10/10

Art : 10/10, no doubt! The art is average looking at the start but as you progress with the story it gets soooo gorgeous. Especially the illustrations before every chapter. Thanks Aya.

Characters : Catesby. 10/10

No, jokes apart, I’m gonna give it a 9/10, because the age gaps are a bit weird (Buckingham I’m looking at you) and Henry was so annoying at times even though he was literally the main love interest? Idk if I’m the only one but I enjoyed a lot his new persona. Also, spoiler warning, Edward of Lancaster deserved a character development.... I wanted him to realize that Richard isn’t a girl and that it’s okay to like men as a man but naaah!! He had to die like that. I’m still mad but love this story and the characters regardless.

Enjoyment : 10/10 couldn’t put this manga down, amazing read especially if you can’t concentrate during zoom class (don’t tell my teachers)

Overall I’m very satisfied with this, I don’t give 10s easily but this deserves it. Sorry for bad English oops

The artwork is amazing. I wanted to get that out of the way, because it's one of only two redeeming qualities of this Manga. The other is that it's based off of the Henriad by Shakespeare, and that man knew what he was doing. The main conceit of the series, and it's not a spoiler for saying so, is that the main character, Richard, is a girl. But she's treated by her parents and the rest of the world as a boy. Consequently, her mother regards her as a demon and a witch. Because, you see, Richard is a boy, but with the body of ... a girl.... The entire thing reeks of exploiting transgenderism for the sake of having two beautiful boys in a romantic relationship. Shakespeare famously wrote Richard to have a hunchback: that was the external ugliness to mirror his internal ugliness. By treating transgenderism as the external ugliness instead of a hunchback, for the sake of making a yaoi-not-yaoi novel is just completely inappropriate.

But the art is gorgeous.

I honestly was on cloud 9 when I was the most effing gorgeous art I’ve ever seen in a manga that takes place in England. I literally am obsessed with Richard who has overcome the struggles of being transgender that is part of the royal regime. I felt sorry for the fact they were downgraded all the time by their mother for who they are. I mean literally Richard had all the qualities of a badass protagonist that we all need for a literal royalty.

For people who aren’t really that bothered by English history or just aren’t aware of it, this manga does ... cover how grutty and messed up fighting for the crown can be if you’re put into that position. It is definitely true to life unfortunately. Thank the f I’m not born in a royal household lol!

Now the story can be a little dense and confusing at first but my god lads, you are missing a ton on this glorious historical shoujo. The art just draws you in every damn chapter of most of the main character looking like full course meals lemme tell ya (except for the mother’s of course f them yo).

Just read the manga or watch the anime folks (when it comes out), it’s beautiful piece of work by Kanna-san trust me.

I do find the story rather interesting but the family tree is confusing at times. The characters are genuinely interesting and well designed except for the protagonist Richard. I feel a lot more could have been done with his character and I am unsure of how to feel about his constant identity shifts. I am constantly unsure if he is a trans-man struggling in this era due to lack of vocabulary and information or a masculine woman facing prejudice so therefore posing as a man. It seems everything he feels about his gender is contradicted at one point or another and often happens multiple times. ... I am unsure of whether this is intentional or not. I see this through a trans-man's eyes, so I am quite knowledgeable about what it is like to be ftm as I live it everyday. But considering I have this experience with the inner turmoil and dysphoria and the outward prejudice and it is still confusing I imagine it must be so much more confusing for someone who doesn't know much about the topic. And that would be most people.

Also at times it feels as if Richard is supposed to just be a "girl crush" for female readers or just another feminine yaoi man for fujoshis to gush over. He is put in both a relationship with a woman at one point and at another a man. Richard's whole character comes across as either fan service or a horrible misinterpretation of trans-men. Even though some of his feelings and experiences are accurate to those of many trans-men he is still made to look like just a girl many times throughout the story. Again not sure if this is intentional. I don't want to come across as triggered as I am not but I found him a very odd character with many holes.

For a story written about a cripple, I found it insulting as a cripple myself.

I was rather excited for this series and found myself rather disappointed. I think if this wasn't based off real events and people I wouldn't have found much issue. But Knowing the historical figure, Richard, who is the protagonist in this story. I can't help but say I'm disappointed and honestly offended that they changed his disability. Richard the 3rd Duke of York was known for being a cripple and having a curved spine. Something we would now call scoliosis. This is why I was excited, as someone who grew up ... a cripple and with this same painful condition, I was hoping to see representation and possibly exploration into what body dysmorphia is like. Instead they remove Richard's crippled spine and instead imply that he is a trans man. (Which yes, trans men can also use some representation) but seeing the nature of this manga; it's obvious they chose to make Richard's gender a question because androgyny is more appealing in shoujo than seeing someone with a crippled back.

But then why continue to refer to the character as a cripple? I think erasing his actual condition is only more insulting and honestly triggered my own dysmorphia.

That being said trans dysphoria is also an important and very valid topic that I do think should be explored more. But in these circumstances it felt inappropriate to rewrite Richard the 3rd's medical condition, solely so that the reader would find him more attractive.