Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 1

I've been purchasing each volume as it came out based on the premise alone. Finally started reading the series a few nights ago and I am absolutely obsessed. This review is based on 1 - 6 rather than just volume 1 as a result. I intended to write a review immediately after finishing volume 1, but I couldn't stop reading long enough to write one!The beginning is a little bit slow because the creator takes the time to set the stage, so to speak. But the payoff is HUGE. By the time I got to volume 3, I was clutching my chest and sending frantic tweets out into the void because I was so invested. You know a tragedy is really good when you want with all your heart for the characters to be happy and you're rooting for them with all your might despite knowing things won't end well.This series definitely isn't for everyone. There's some challenging content, particularly if you're sensitive to sexual assault and characters with deep-seated hatred for their body. The intersex element is also HIGHLY dramatized. However, if you're willing to wade through all that, there's really compelling, really tragic (queer) love story here.Recommended if:-you like Shakespeare but want it to be even queerer-you enjoy having your heart torn apart by fiction-you're hungry for trans masculine character portrayals in manga (even if it isn't handled super well)-you love stories with a big, fleshed out cast, everyone having their own motivations and altering the course of the story

A wonderfully creative presentation. Richard III has been such a favorite figure for novelists (particularly lady novelists!) to weave fantasies around, that one would think the imaginative options were exhausted. Aya Kanno does something different, and it works: I was intrigued. I agree with what other favorable reviewers have said. It presents, not so much the early years of the actual historical King Richard III, youngest son of Richard Duke of York, as Shakespeare's presentation of him in 'Henry VI, Parts 2 and 3'. That's important to remember. It presents the boy Richard in interestingly imaginative and creative ways, picking up on the lurid language in Shakespeare about the horror people felt at his birth, and building on a brief hint in Shakespeare that his father identified with Richard more than with his other sons. It also takes the character of Henry VI and develops Shakespeare's line in ways that make Henry appealing. The links between Richard and Henry, and Richard and Jeanne d'Arc, are interesting. The story grips throughout, and is sufficiently deep that, unlike the typical graphic book or comic, one doesn't "get it all" in the first reading. The drawings and the dialogue are also very well done. I look forward to the second and third installments.

This manga is a loose retelling of the Shakespeare play, Richard III. So don't go into this manga expecting to be like the play. Its different but it is an intriguing read. The dialogue is in modern English, so you don't have to worry about getting confused about the story.What drew me to this manga was the beautiful cover. The artwork inside is just as lovely as the cover and I love the Gothic atmosphere in this manga. I liked the way Aya Kanno draws the characters' facial expressions and the clothing the characters wear are gorgeous. The plot was really interesting and different from the usual stories you see in shoujo manga. I read this in one sitting and I can't wait for the next volume to come out.Fans of Kaori Yuki's work and other dark shojo manga would enjoy this manga.

Love the art! -that's what made me want to buy it. Haven't finished the manga yet so I can't say much about the story. What I have read, it's been interesting.

I have bought all 12 volumes that have been released so far, and felt I needed to write a review. The artwork is beautiful, the plot gets more and more complex and keeps you guessing on what is going to happen next.It is dark, as based off of tragic plays. The battle scenes are well drawn and heartstrings are rugged on a regular basis. I do not want to give away any spoilers, but I will say this manga series will go down as one of my absolute favorite and I have read a LOT of manga.

The cover art is gorgeous and so are many of the panels inside. The concept is very intriguing and is what drew me to this manga in the first place. However, it's hard to tell what's going on there some of the time, some of the characters are drawn too similar, and the plot, while it has potential, just doesn't quite get there. Doesn't feel like value for money, especially with how quickly it reads. I probably won't bother getting part 2, though I might try watching the anime (if there is one).

While I didn't read this myself I can say that the person this was for absolutely loves this series and plans on collecting them and reading them all, which is saying something since they are willing to spend their own money buying them. ;)

THis is my lifeBuy it buy it buy itThis book has brought me to my knees

I bought it off a whim because I thought that it’d be cool and IT WAS. It has a really intriguing storyline and the art is beautiful, I immediately bought 2 more of the series after reading the first volume !!

Excelente serie, vale muchísimo la pena el dibujo es increíble y la historia mucho más, es horrible tener que esperar a que salga cada nuevo volumen! Si no lo han leído se los recomiendo muchísimo, es una historia muy diferente.

Ich hatte den ersten Band bereits auf einem anderen Medium gelesen. Als dann der Hinweis erschien, dass es den Manga jetzt auch auf englisch in Printform geben wird, war für mich klar: Den MUSS ich haben!Der Zeichenstil ist etwas düsterer angelegt und so ganz anders, als man dies in den heutigen Standart-Mangapublikationen findet. Sehr erfrischend.Historische Vorlage der Hauptfigur ist Richard III. Die Story handelt zu Zeit der Rosenkriege, den englischen Thronfolgekämpfen. Der Manga bedient sich dieser Vorlage und folgt lose dem Plot über die beiden Adelshäuser York und Lancaster, schlägt aber eine ganz eigene Richtung ein. Diese ist fesselnd erzählt, sodass man am Ende des Buches schon sehnsüchtig dem nächsten Band entgegen fiebert.Ich kann diesen Manga absolut empfehlen!

I’m hoping the receiver of this book will be delighted, as it’s for Christmas

Have to read the others now! I only just discovered it’s existence. It’s extremely good. It’s the first manga that I’ve really got along with, reading it on my iPad.