Princess Knight / リボンの騎士 1

Princess Knight [リボンの騎士] #1

by Osamu Tezuka

English/Japanese Bilingual Edition, Vol. 1 of 6

A comic and romantic epic inspired by European medieval romances and brought to life by one of Japan's most famous manga artists.

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels

115 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2001

About the author

Dr. Osamu Tezuka (手塚治虫) was a Japanese manga artist, animator, producer and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. He is often credited as the "Father of Anime", and is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, who served as a major inspiration during his formative years. His prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as "the father of manga" and "the God of Manga."

Reviews

[Lissibith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's play count the references to Western cartoons! Go on, I'll wait. :)

I only half kid. The story is supposed to be based on medieval romances, but it seems to draw a lot of inspiration for a lot of those from the western cartoon adaptations of such romances (as well as other stories!) We get Tink, a mischievous cherub who dresses a bit like Peter Pan. We get the princess who can talk to and get help from animals (generally small woodland creatures). We get the evil witch who can turn into a giant horned dragon. We even get a one-off gag that I feel certain was meant to evoke the old Warner Brothers shorts with the big bull dog taking care of the little black and white kitten. There's more but without the book in front of me, I can't begin to name them all.

The story has a lot of back and forth, a lot of action, and once you get past the gender essentialism (boy hearts are courageous and daring while girl hearts are demure and kind, give me a break) its really just an extended fairy tail. It's cute, and a fun read. And I do give them props for saying that while Sapphire has both a boy heart and a girl heart, she definitely identifies as a woman, that she's not confused about who she is at any point.

[Dorian Fernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pioneer of shoujo manga and one of my favorite Tezuka reads. Has an interesting concept regarding gender roles AND identity for its release date (early 50s), Sapphire was born with both a boy's heart and a girl's heart but she lives as a boy so she can inherit the throne. She also feels attracted to boys and likes to dress up feminine while refusing to give up on her boy heart.

Sapphire is a fun protagonist which at first strikes you as delicate and boring hero but once you get through the story, your whole perception on her changes after seeing the issues she experiences. Her androgynous design is very memorable and I loved it. As a fan of Tezuka's artwork and style, this one felt special thanks to the medieval European inspiration for the setting.

One of my favorite characters was Friebe, a young swordswoman whom you meet at almost the end of the story. I wished more about her was shown.

[Kristin ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

I like the art style and the important impact Princess knight has had on the shojo genre. The begining was cute but it didn't really keep my attention. Will continue.

[Arianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really lovely manga, probably the first shojo-manga ever written.
I love the drawings, typical of Tezuka, the story is simple and not pretentious, but it has quite some originality (considering especially the period it has been written).
It is nice to know that love and good always win :-)