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Monday, March 30, 2015

Manga Review: Requiem of the Rose King, Volume 1, by Aya Kanno



Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5
Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: March 10, 2015
Volumes: 3+
Spoilers?: No.
Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Richard, the ambitious third son of the House of York, believes he is cursed, damned from birth to eternal darkness. But is it truly fate that sets him on the path to personal destruction? Or his own tormented longings? Based on an early draft of Shakespeare’s Richard III, Aya Kanno’s dark fantasy finds the man who could be king standing between worlds, between classes, between good and evil.

Richard’s father, the patriarch of the House of York, is poised to become king of medieval England during the bloody Wars of the Roses. But just as success is imminent, he is abruptly cut down. Plunged into despair, Richard acts out in revenge and must face a powerful and beautiful new enemy.

Review:

I’m a little unsure what to say about this book, honestly. Mostly because I’m a little confused.
I guess for disclaimers sake, I should say that I’ve always had a hard time with Shakespeare. His plays have always been confusing and hard to understand for me. Plus, I haven’t even read or seen the play this book is based off of. And this book seems to play in the same realm of writing, at least some of the time, with those books.
Now, this book is by the author of Otomen, so of course I was going to pick it up, either way. No doubt about that. And I intend to read more, hope it grows on me. And the artwork is so very pretty, too. When drawing anything, really, I love it; but for example, Richards expressions and his one eye showing is very impressionable.
The story line has me a little confused, but also a little curious. I think it’s the Shakespeare influence that I’m having a hard time with, but I kind of want to compare it to Kaori Yuki. Yuki’s series are always gorgeous and addicting, but also somewhat confusing at times. I got enough though to want to see what happens next.
Despite my hardship with this volume, I did somewhat enjoy it, and fully intend to pick up the next one. I’m interested to see what happens next. And more Aya Kanno is never a bad thing.



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

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