Status Royale, Vol. 2

Status Royale #2

by Ru Xu

Mission success! Vell and her new Team Guillotine teammates, Henry and Pepper, advance to the next round of their esports tournament debut! Their first public win has caught the eye of several high-profile attendees, including wealthy entrepreneur Shae Chevalier, who’s looking for an underdog story as her next trendy investment. But the game is not over yet. Vell is still behind in the chase to defeat Jun as he joins one of the top pro teams in the nation, the New York Dollars. Can Vell and Team Guillotine level up in time for their next showdown, or has Jun become unstoppable?

Genres: Manga

184 pages, Paperback

Published February 25, 2025

About the author

Ru Xu grew up in Indianapolis and received a degree in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She is the creator of the popular webcomic Saint for Rent, and NewsPrints is her first graphic novel. Her favorite things include historical fiction, fat birds, and coffee-flavored ice cream.

Reviews

[Liv L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

So happy to get this book in so quick! I will always come back to Ru Xu’s works, and I’ve been reading them for years, since the very first time I discovered Newsprints. Status Royale is such a refreshing story and the relationships between both Vell and Jun, and Pepper and Henry, feel so real. The want to be the best at something is a thing that is true and the arguments between friends is something inevitable that will always have to happen. Like Na-ri said, “You need to either settle things… or move on…” I’m excited to see what you have in store for future relationships and team-building, and in the end, I’m still rooting for Vell. Go for the crown!

[Niche · Rating 2 out of 5]

The events of the tournament. We finally get a little bit of the background between Vell and Jun, but it still feels really YA soapish. I think I'd like it more if the story focused more on the found-family team building and less on the e-sports culture "marketing" that's a mix of idol culture and WWE showmanship and toned down or ditched the teen moods/drama. Doesn't help that the tournament MC/Dollars manager is a creeper. *cringe* I'm still glad there's no real romance plotline which was why I kept reading, but it follows the only other permitted heroine arc of the drama/trauma trope.

[The Book Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

So… based on the last book we know that CMYK has beef with Vell, which is why she’s going so hard to try and get to his level and beat him at Status Royale. BUT!the why is extremely unclear.

Until now. Also, I found out a lot about the characters that seemed to be left out in the last volume. Because Vell used to be an Olympic level gymnast?! (Did this just get added or am I just dumb?)

But anywho, Vell, Henry, and Pepper form an official team with a manager and a coach and even get a new member. Vell also makes some new industry friends. Now they just have to qualify for the tournament.

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and a half stars out of 5, slightly better than volume one, we continue the Esports tournament, with some good fights for the first half of the book. than in the second half some good character development for the main 3 characters as a 4th joins their team.

[River H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I WANNA BE JUN OMG. I need Vell's wardrobe and i changed my usernames to checkmateyourking-

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Team drama abounds, as our heroes grow and reinvent themselves!