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Black Knight #1
Black Knight, Volume 01
Zeke O'Brien may have his eyes on the title of Black Knight--the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a knight in the kingdom of Aran--but he's also after another The young prince, Chris! Black Knight is a sweeping romantic epic about the relationship between the prince of a medieval kingdom and his loyal guardsman, as they embark on a life-long relationship fraught with danger, treachery, and above all, love.
200 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 21, 2015
Cute, even though things happened within the first couple of pages ;)
The story was a little hard to follow and so I focused on the main romance mostly.
What I liked more than the main story was actually the bonus - his father's love story.
The story was a little hard to follow and so I focused on the main romance mostly.
What I liked more than the main story was actually the bonus - his father's love story.
May 31, 2009
I have to say that this was a different choice for me, but it was still pretty good. I don't usually read mangas with romance themes, but I have to say this was a light and entertaining read. It is a story of a young, very sheltered prince, who is sent off to a boarding military school (I guess so he grows a pair, so to speak. From early on we get the impression he is a bit soft). There, he falls in love with his mentor, a dashing swordsman of common background. These types of yaoi novels are usually written to appeal to girls. According to Thompson's Manga: The Complete Guide, which I consulted, this is kind almost like the appeal lesbians have for some men, but in this case, the story is really a romance with a gay element. It is the romance element where I see the appeal to the ladies would be found, and I can see, as a librarian, how this story can appeal to young girls. In a way, it is almost like any other romance. The story takes place in some 18th to 19th century European setting, and there is a good amount of political intrigue as someone is trying to kill the prince's father, and they are after the prince too. It falls to the swordsman to protect him. The intrigue part is what appealed to me, but the story does grow on you for its warmth. The Black Knight title is a reference to the rank Black Knight, the highest honor a knight can receive in the kingdom, to which our swordsman hero aspires. I do have to note that, while very light, there is some nudity and sex in the story, which is why the book has a warning label on it. However, compared to other much more graphic works, this one is fairly tame, so to speak. Overall, it is pretty good, and it is recommended for manga readers who like romance. Yaoi readers will definitely like this one if they want a blend of romance with some action, and they like the sex on the lighter side. It is entertaining enough that I will continue reading the series.
June 13, 2023
I was surprised how good this was! Knocked off a star for a touch of dubious consent, but really it was more like the consent was there but not shown, and it really needed to be.
One thing I liked that other people might not is that it's a very very fast-paced story in a "we all know where this is going let's just go ahead and get there" kind of way, which I like a lot because of my short attention span. But what that means is you have to really make an active effort to be like "okay, this is this dude, his name and role is this..." for the bazillion knights running around. So it CAN get confusing.
This volume is very light on sex, it's just there to sort of flavor and strengthen the relationship, which is exacts what my little demi heart loves. Very pleased.
One thing I liked that other people might not is that it's a very very fast-paced story in a "we all know where this is going let's just go ahead and get there" kind of way, which I like a lot because of my short attention span. But what that means is you have to really make an active effort to be like "okay, this is this dude, his name and role is this..." for the bazillion knights running around. So it CAN get confusing.
This volume is very light on sex, it's just there to sort of flavor and strengthen the relationship, which is exacts what my little demi heart loves. Very pleased.
November 13, 2025
The story of Kuro no Kishi/Black Knight follows the prince of Aran,Christen Wilson Jeremy Clonmacnoise and his knight Sieg O’Brian.
The first volume begins with Christen joining the knight academy to learn the basics of battle.
The story then unfolds to various assassination attempts against Christen almost immediately which leads to a sudden romance between Christen and Sieg.
The first volume would have been more enjoyable if the pacing were better and if Christen and Sieg's relationship was developed over a course of chapters.
I doubt that a military school would be filled with so many commoners sharing the same space with a royalty unless they were particularly exceptional and even then I doubt they would be living in close quarters with Christen.
Kai Tsurugi takes every opportunity for Christen and Sieg to have romantic moments or love scenes but they don't put the same effort into making their relationship believable or realistic.
Sieg doesn't hesitate to spend a night with Christen despite their difference in status ,in fact it was only mentioned once in this volume by Rosetti but it was only a brief scene that was never mentioned again.
The rest of this is rushed.
I wish characters were better introduced and that assassination attempts didn't feel as forced as they did.
This is only the first volume so perhaps the other volumes will be better written?
I hope so.
I will have to find the rest of the series in English before I read them.
The first volume begins with Christen joining the knight academy to learn the basics of battle.
The story then unfolds to various assassination attempts against Christen almost immediately which leads to a sudden romance between Christen and Sieg.
The first volume would have been more enjoyable if the pacing were better and if Christen and Sieg's relationship was developed over a course of chapters.
I doubt that a military school would be filled with so many commoners sharing the same space with a royalty unless they were particularly exceptional and even then I doubt they would be living in close quarters with Christen.
Kai Tsurugi takes every opportunity for Christen and Sieg to have romantic moments or love scenes but they don't put the same effort into making their relationship believable or realistic.
Sieg doesn't hesitate to spend a night with Christen despite their difference in status ,in fact it was only mentioned once in this volume by Rosetti but it was only a brief scene that was never mentioned again.
The rest of this is rushed.
I wish characters were better introduced and that assassination attempts didn't feel as forced as they did.
This is only the first volume so perhaps the other volumes will be better written?
I hope so.
I will have to find the rest of the series in English before I read them.
January 12, 2024
Review of The Black Knight volume 1-4, English edition by BLU:
This manga is comprised of three intermingling storylines: youngest prince Chris who wants to find his own value in life, supported & loved by the eponymous black knight Zeke; his father Alan's history as he battled to carve out a kingdom of his own; and his nephew James who was betrayed by his brother, the king of the neighbouring country, and is tangled up with the anti-royal Talon bandits. Maybe it's my age, but I found the story of king Alan most sympathetic.
The drawing style is classic manga, with pretty boys and girls and flashy action scenes. However, contrary to most manga, this artist is well able to draw older characters who can even be easily recognised as their younger versions in flashbacks. This is important because the story contains many characters, of varying age categories.
Jarring was the reinterpretation of famous western names in what is otherwise a completely made up fantasy world, and the spelling changing from volume 1 to 4 (king Aran/Alan etcetera).
Recommended for those who like a historical/military story with ample personal drama (from poisonings to romance), who can stand a rather disjointed storyline.
This manga is comprised of three intermingling storylines: youngest prince Chris who wants to find his own value in life, supported & loved by the eponymous black knight Zeke; his father Alan's history as he battled to carve out a kingdom of his own; and his nephew James who was betrayed by his brother, the king of the neighbouring country, and is tangled up with the anti-royal Talon bandits. Maybe it's my age, but I found the story of king Alan most sympathetic.
The drawing style is classic manga, with pretty boys and girls and flashy action scenes. However, contrary to most manga, this artist is well able to draw older characters who can even be easily recognised as their younger versions in flashbacks. This is important because the story contains many characters, of varying age categories.
Jarring was the reinterpretation of famous western names in what is otherwise a completely made up fantasy world, and the spelling changing from volume 1 to 4 (king Aran/Alan etcetera).
Recommended for those who like a historical/military story with ample personal drama (from poisonings to romance), who can stand a rather disjointed storyline.
October 15, 2017
I wanted to like this, but the story was a bit hard to follow - like there were actual pages missing.
Also, there were a lot of characters introduced, often many at once, and you were supposed to remember them just from seeing their name once. The characters were developed very little or not at all, yet the creators attempted to establish something between quite many of them.
Some of the conversations didn't make any sense in context - again, as if pages were missing, or the translation had gone very wrong. Some seemed like random additions that accomplished nothing in the few frames they were given.
The art was pleasing enough, and I wish the other books will manage to be a more comprehensive reading experience.
Also, there were a lot of characters introduced, often many at once, and you were supposed to remember them just from seeing their name once. The characters were developed very little or not at all, yet the creators attempted to establish something between quite many of them.
Some of the conversations didn't make any sense in context - again, as if pages were missing, or the translation had gone very wrong. Some seemed like random additions that accomplished nothing in the few frames they were given.
The art was pleasing enough, and I wish the other books will manage to be a more comprehensive reading experience.
January 5, 2026
This story was actually very sweet. The art was gorgeous, especially the shading and attention to detail when it came to their clothing. Jeremy’s clothing looked wonderful. O’Brien was a good love interest, not full on abusing the other. There was only one scene where the Prince said no, but he kept going. It seemed to be a playful rejection rather than something he meant, I won't count it. The story was rather thin. He got there to practise—I am still not 100% sure what his motivation was for that—and then he returned after falling in love because his father was poisoned. I am also not sure if I could follow all the other relationships and alliances in the manga.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2021
Okay this really transported me back to the early 2000's era of yaoi. Goodness we got it all! Bad translation, silly plot, super fast romance, convoluted betrayal arc...I can't say that I hated it though. Definitely didn't age well, but all in all of you wanna remember the old days of yaoi, its so so so much better than say, Junjou. That being said, the Deadly Sin side story at the end was 10/10, I wish that were a whole book, God I loved it so very much.
May 14, 2017
Should be 3.5 stars.
Enjoyed both the story line and the artwork.
Looking forward to volume 2.
Enjoyed both the story line and the artwork.
Looking forward to volume 2.
June 8, 2017
Generic storyline with poor worldbuilding. Not terrible, but not a particularly unique story if you've been reading BL manga for a while.
January 15, 2018
Wirkt wie ein Schnellschuss, nicht richtig ausgearbeitet, nicht wirklich tiefgehend, zum Teil nur skizzenhaft. Schade.
July 15, 2019
I liked the concept, but the story seemed pretty rushed. Also, there were a lot of characters and I struggled to remember who they were.
December 24, 2022
The pacing is just really off in this which makes it not only hard to follow but not enjoyable. It needs to slow its role and enjoy expressing the moments more.
August 16, 2009
The Tasting:
Why I bought it:
Toy poodle flu. Oh, alright. I also have a passion for anime and manga.
Dislike/like (ending on a high note):
Dislike~ Not a huge dislike, but the spoiled prince(ess) who falls in love with his commoner protector is a pretty familiar plot device. I can handle it if it’s convincing and I thought it was in the case of Chris and Zeke. I think this was mainly because I witnessed the growth of the characters as the story progressed. Yes, I'm still a character-driven-story whore.
Like~ The artwork in this manga is terrific. The action scenes in particular are pretty damn awesome, especially the sword fight and chase sequences. It’s great stuff. I also liked (and I know this will come as a bit of a surprise since I’m admittedly a perve) the fact that the love/sex scenes were not overly explicit. This really suited the context of the story and the characters, and I think is a reflection of how much thought this author/artist gave to her work.
Dislike~ I know I said I found the love story between Chris and Zeke convincing and the character development good; however, I still would have liked the first part of the book – that of the burgeoning friendship and relationship between the two – to have been expanded upon. You do get a bit of a sense of this as well as that of time passing before the plot really gains momentum, but... more please.
Like~ A love story set in a medieval world where a beautiful innocent prince and his handsome dashing knight face danger because of political intrigue and mystery. Oooooh. It doesn’t get much more romantic than that! *g*
So, what I think:
Although I’ve only read the first book of the series, I would recommend it to those interested in trying yaoi manga for the first time. I loved it. The romantic in me was sighing. A definite keeper.
=====================================================
‘Tasting’ is my version of a mini-review where I talk a (very) little about what I liked and disliked about a book as well as who I think the story will appeal to. Oh, and I’ve added a bit about why I picked up the book in the first place – sometimes this can be interesting to know.
Why I bought it:
Toy poodle flu. Oh, alright. I also have a passion for anime and manga.
Dislike/like (ending on a high note):
Dislike~ Not a huge dislike, but the spoiled prince(ess) who falls in love with his commoner protector is a pretty familiar plot device. I can handle it if it’s convincing and I thought it was in the case of Chris and Zeke. I think this was mainly because I witnessed the growth of the characters as the story progressed. Yes, I'm still a character-driven-story whore.
Like~ The artwork in this manga is terrific. The action scenes in particular are pretty damn awesome, especially the sword fight and chase sequences. It’s great stuff. I also liked (and I know this will come as a bit of a surprise since I’m admittedly a perve) the fact that the love/sex scenes were not overly explicit. This really suited the context of the story and the characters, and I think is a reflection of how much thought this author/artist gave to her work.
Dislike~ I know I said I found the love story between Chris and Zeke convincing and the character development good; however, I still would have liked the first part of the book – that of the burgeoning friendship and relationship between the two – to have been expanded upon. You do get a bit of a sense of this as well as that of time passing before the plot really gains momentum, but... more please.
Like~ A love story set in a medieval world where a beautiful innocent prince and his handsome dashing knight face danger because of political intrigue and mystery. Oooooh. It doesn’t get much more romantic than that! *g*
So, what I think:
Although I’ve only read the first book of the series, I would recommend it to those interested in trying yaoi manga for the first time. I loved it. The romantic in me was sighing. A definite keeper.
=====================================================
‘Tasting’ is my version of a mini-review where I talk a (very) little about what I liked and disliked about a book as well as who I think the story will appeal to. Oh, and I’ve added a bit about why I picked up the book in the first place – sometimes this can be interesting to know.
January 27, 2015
Kurz-Meinung:
Leider war ich hier etwas enttäuscht. Die mittelalterliche Handlung lag mir eher nicht, da es viel Schwertkampf und Intrigen gab. Die Handlung erreichte mich nicht emotional und war auch kaum spannend. Ich habe mich über lange Teile des Mangas gelangweilt. Es geht hier um einen jungen Prinzen, der an eine Militärakademie kommt. Dort lernt er Zeke kennen. Um diese beiden geht es dann im Laufe der Handlung. Allerdings spielt sich nur ein geringer Teil der Handlung in der Akademie ab. Mir war es zu viel Schwertkampf und der Zeichenstil war auch nicht so wirklich meiner. Die Charaktere sahen sich wieder mal zu ähnlich und daher war es schwer der Handlung zu folgen. Ich hasse es wenn ich mich ständig fragen muss, wer da gerade spricht bzw. handelt.
Die Reihe werde ich nicht weiterverfolgen.
Meine Wertung:
3 von 5 Sternen
Leider war ich hier etwas enttäuscht. Die mittelalterliche Handlung lag mir eher nicht, da es viel Schwertkampf und Intrigen gab. Die Handlung erreichte mich nicht emotional und war auch kaum spannend. Ich habe mich über lange Teile des Mangas gelangweilt. Es geht hier um einen jungen Prinzen, der an eine Militärakademie kommt. Dort lernt er Zeke kennen. Um diese beiden geht es dann im Laufe der Handlung. Allerdings spielt sich nur ein geringer Teil der Handlung in der Akademie ab. Mir war es zu viel Schwertkampf und der Zeichenstil war auch nicht so wirklich meiner. Die Charaktere sahen sich wieder mal zu ähnlich und daher war es schwer der Handlung zu folgen. Ich hasse es wenn ich mich ständig fragen muss, wer da gerade spricht bzw. handelt.
Die Reihe werde ich nicht weiterverfolgen.
Meine Wertung:
3 von 5 Sternen
October 27, 2023
This manga bothers me. It's well drawn, and has plenty of intricate story, but there is a scene in which the protagonists have sex despite the fact one of them states very clearly that he doesn't want to have sex. To make this worse, sex turns out to be painful. I used to pay much less attention in the past, and I wouldn't have given it much thought. Nowadays a central character that does not respect choice and moves forward without clear consent really bothers me, because this is supposed to be a love story. What is more, I'm not sure if this will be redeemed in any way the next volumes.
Mixed feelings and grumpiness over this one.
Mixed feelings and grumpiness over this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2016
1st of 3 volumes following the love story between young Prince Christian and his loyal guardsman, Zeke (the Black Knight of the title) - love the two leads and the setting, but found the story very complicated. You've got different sets of asassins milling around, flashbacks, and its also confusing that some characters refer to the prince as Chris and others as Jeremy. Not my favourite artwork either, but not bad.
There's a bonus story at the end - romance between a lonely priest and a novelist poet he met on the internet.
There's a bonus story at the end - romance between a lonely priest and a novelist poet he met on the internet.
September 18, 2015
Story had difficulties: worldbuilding is rough to follow, for example. A rough read in those terms. Art is super-pretty, but suffers from that "legs for days" sort of thing I see in yaoi particularly.
March 19, 2013
such an amazing manga... i totally in love with the art.. what beautiful drawings.. surely waiting for the continuation of this series..
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August 19, 2014
Another manga I received from the random box I bought. It was okay, but the story lacked a lot. Not my type of story, but at least it had a story compared to a few of the others I found in the box.
February 4, 2017
I think the "falling in love" part was way to short. I like my romance to have more courting and witty banter. Definitely Mature, there is sex, so if that offends you, don't read it.
October 2, 2008
This is an okay series.
Want to read
October 5, 2009Kuro no Kishi: Black Knight 1 (v. 1) by Kai Tsurugi (2006)
January 7, 2010
Very good shounen ai historical. Not very smutty
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews