Kiss of Rose Princess, Tome 3

薔薇嬢のキス [Barajou no Kiss] #3

by SHOUOTO

Alors que la rose bleue vient d’être enlevée par Haruto, qui veut empêcher les chevaliers de la rose de refaire le sceau, Anis décide de son côté d’assumer son rôle de maître et de passer le pacte ultime avec eux. Voyant que le sceau ne tiendra plus longtemps, ils partent tous à la recherche de Seiran (la rose bleue), qui s’est en fait déjà enfui !! Bien décidé à se sacrifier pour refermer le sceau et sauver ceux qu’il aime, celui-ci se positionne devant en attendant d’être « aspiré ».

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Shojo, Young Adult, Magic, Graphic Novels

180 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 25, 2009

Reviews

[Kayla Brunson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still loving this series! The art, the characters, and finding out more about what it means to actually be a sovereign. Like I said before, I feel like this could easily be a reverse harem. Am I hopeful about it? Heck yes!

Also, Seiran is so pure and is my favorite. So if anything happens to him, I’m gonna lose my shit!

Blog | Instagram

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume was so good ! I'm excited to for them to look for the cards, kinda excited for the idol group story next ! I think im gonna really enjoy this seriesssss

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Rose, oh reiner widerspruch. Rose, oh pure contradiction."

Kiss of the Rose Princess isn't a shoujo that takes itself seriously. And you shouldn't take it seriously either. Most would agree that as far as shoujo is concerned, most of it isn't something to be taken seriously. Then we get outrageous, pun-filled series like Ouran and Kiss of the Rose Princess that really go far out to make fun of itself, the reverse-harem and shoujo in general.


This is the shoujo I like. I want something to make me laugh, recognize cultural puns, and just relax. And most importantly-not have to nitpick the series because it's not trying to do anything to make you go "Wow! So original!"

Then we get series like Kamisama Kiss, where the plot and characters are so vital to the series as a whole that I can both relax and enjoy it, but also take a serious look at the development of the series. And for a serious shoujo, Kamisama nails every point. I have no gripes with that series at all. (I am biased, lol).

With this 3rd volume, Kiss of the Rose Princess once again tries to make a gloomy and depressing atmosphere only to twist it around and make fun of high school physical exams!! You know, the one where your measurements are taken? Nope? Yeah, only in Japan.

And Tenjo steals this spotlight, but of course, this is all for a plan Anise put into action. See, Haruto realizes he needs to stop being a butt, and sacrifices himself for Anise so Seiran won't have to. then BAM, her dad comes back as the school doctor!


Throw in some blooming romance, innuendo by Tenjo "Join me in penetration!, pop idols, daddy-weirdo problems, and just plain FUN and this series fulfills its job.

And I TOTALLY called the True Contract!! She's got to get "lovey dovey" with one of her Knights to seal the Demon Lord OR she could just find the Arcana cards-but we all know where this is going! ;)

Enjoyable shoujo comedy with cool style and gorgeous colored art!

I preordered this from Rightstuf and it came in early.

[DonutKnow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah the red rose is coool.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I'm really upset because there aren't actual physical English translated copies of this manga available which really sucks because I really wanted it on my bookshelf. The only ones available are either in French, German or Italian and I've completely forgotten any Italian and French I learned in school and have no clue how to speak German, let alone read it. I'm tempted to buy the Japanese versions just because the artwork is so pretty but they're so expensive and I don't want cheap used ones. I can't even buy any others from the author because NONE of them are available in physical manga books in English. UGH. FML.

Anywho, this was a good follow up. Anis and her interaction with her dad is quite comical and we start to see the relationships between the Rhode knights and the dominion grow. I wonder who she'll end up with? That last little extra was adorable and it was fun to read. Here's to hoping the next volume is just as good, although the boys entering into a competition as an idol group sounds like a really fun read to me so I have high expectations.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures: http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/20...

Volume 3 of Kiss of the Rose Princess is uneven in terms of plot. It starts off strong, with Anise needing to seal off an escaping Demon Lord. But then that scene ends and it’s back to high school. Anise’s dad is presumably a villain (maybe? not enough plot for us to really know…), and he comes to school posing as a teacher because he wants to find out what the Rose Knights’ abilities are. So it’s a comedic “hey guys, please be normal!” kind of deal. Unfortunately, the high school parts of the story are not my favorites. I want to see romance, plot, and Demon Lords, not gym class.

I think my problem with this series is that every time the plot seems to move, we’re back to high school hijinks. And there is an interesting plot somewhere in this manga. It’s just that it’s so spread out that I don’t feel like there’s any reward for continuing reading. And given that I had purchased three volumes of the manga, this is where I stop and switch to a series that I actually enjoy. I really wanted to like this series, especially because I loved Aya Shouto’s series He’s My Only Vampire so much. But in the end, this one just isn’t for me.

[Salma19 (And I Darken stan) · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020 reread
4.5 stars
I can’t feel anything but love for this series. Can we have a volume just about Mitsuki’s backstory? 😀

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*****This review sort of has spoilers*****

The story is entertaining and funny (full of cliches tho).
Anis continues to be a good lead; she takes shit from no one and most of the time is sort of immune to the "charm" of the boys... I really like that if they want her they would have to work to "seduce" her :P

The bat thing is not good as a companion animal, so in my mind its presence sort of takes away points from the story... the teacher is more helpful but barely (not sure how I feel about him).

For the sake of seeing how the story develops I'm going to rate the knights from favorite to least favorite:
1- Kaede (red rose knight) he's so transparent! (it's obviously he liked Anis even before he knew she was the rose princess) and despite the tsundere actitude he is a good friend to Anis (I suspect he is end game)
2 - the white rose - So he has the buffoon act going on but I'm pretty sure he's very Slytherin about his own motives (which are still a secret, but we'll see)
3 - the blue rose - I like him, but I don't see any romantic situations happening among him and Anis
4 - the black rose - I like this Sebastian look a-like (pretty sure years ago when I first read this manga he was my favorite), but now it feels like he is a very big walking cliché... I mean he looks like Sebastian, is not human, he's basically a vampire (dark stalker pff, don't forget the 'sleep for years in a coffin' LOL), at first he was like "I don't accept her as my dominion" only to change his mind when realizing Anis does care about other people (she was nice and considerate to him), and to top it of he has a lost memory problem!

And then we have the yellow rose, Anis' best friend from the past, whom I adored!! He was a drama queen (just as Anis dad!) about the 'betrayed by the other roses in my past life' but I really like how Anis confront him about that shit, and we would see more of him... but I suspect he would not have a bigger role.

[Jack Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-Read Review (October 6th, 2022):

Getting to re-read this volume made me re-discover parts to it I've forgotten in the last seven years. Anise taking charge in her next step, realizing that she can't put the pressure of this system on her own, the Rose Prince contract becoming more complicated (but in a fun/awkward way), and Shouoto deciding to make fun of school sports festival and examination tropes. Mary mentioned this is the kind of series you don't take seriously. After re-reading her review, this volume proves why. In the first fourth of the series, Kiss of the Rose Princess is able to delicately balance its humor and somber story beats without losing sight of itself or sacrificing its characters' comfort. Let the foreshadowing and shojo/reverse harem hijinks continue!

P.S. Past Jack, that anime's never going to happen, and not just because Aya Hirano doesn't do a lot of voice work anymore. Maybe a Tsukigami to Bonbon release stateside's more likely?

First Read Review (October 8th, 2015):

:3 Another fantastic volume. There were a lot of sweet and funny moments, and I'm very interested in where the plot developments are going from here.

I just found out there are drama CDs for the first 2 volumes. Kind of still makes me really wish this becomes an anime. I'd watch it. XD

[Kimiko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaede and Anis should totally get together!!!!

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ia fabulous. The characters are so hot and the action is eye catching. I want to read more.

[The Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anise forms a True Contract with White, Red, and Black and they're off to rescue Blue from Yellow (damn this sounds like I'm talking about Pokemon characters) and finally the group has gotten some sense knocked into them and hopefully they won't keep dangerous secrets anymore.

ROMANCE UPDATE
Kaede and Anise have a few nice romantic moments and they're so cute because Kaede is the type who's a complete tsundere but will readily admit his feelings if the circumstances are right... which for comedic purposes never are.

Seiren... I'm sorry, he's WAY to baby faced for me to see him as anything but a little brother... Please, no romance, only platonic love.

Mitsuru is more than willing to obey orders but is... a weirdo. A funny, precious (sometimes scary) weirdo, but a weirdo.

Mutsuki is the character I have mixed feelings on. Personally, he's my favorite and I can see some interesting chemistry between him and Anise, but at the same time the tsundere-kuudere usually ends up being the primary romantic rival who's doomed to fail even if (under other circumstances) he would've been the one to 'win the fair lady's heart'.

Haruto... apparently isn't a bad guy. He's just under the influence of an old grudge/curse and deep down he loves Anise same as the other knights. And another thing I wanna know is WHY CAN'T ANISE HAVE MORE THAN 4? Seems very unfair that one of the originals just gets replaced and has no opportunity to return to the team.

Also, Anise's father becomes the school doctor and has secret minions attending the school so more hilarious, wacky, supernatural drama is likely to follow.

This series has 9 volumes.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The plot thickens more. Hokuto sacrifices himself (and ends up in Hong Kong). The seal has some fragments left around in the form of Arcana cards, which they'll need to collect to fully deal the demon king/lord away. The blue rose is saved. The contract is fully bound. Apparently there are levels for the knights (four levels total) and you increase your power level as you get closer to Anise. The last level is reached by whichever knight she falls in love with. I don't like Anise's dad. Also, now there's an orange knight and a lime knight as well?

[Audiophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh. After picking up in volume 2 this one went straight downhill again with weird rushed pacing and kinda stupid gimmicks. It DOES seem like it's finally settling into its Sailor Moon-style format now, so I'm going to give it one more volume to see how I feel about that, but I'm guessing I'll end up dropping the series after volume 4

[Amanda Setasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was kind of hilarious.
I absolutely love the art style and they keep it going throughout. It reminds me a bit of Code Geass, but more refined.

Good plot building and some new characters thrown in near the end. Seems to be going along pretty well.

[gabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is so much fun! I want to learn more about these characters.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story!! I love it!

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things are just getting started....

The plot is thickening and heating up! Anything can happen.... I guess I simply need to keep on reading more to find out.

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great fantasy Shoujo manga, cool characters, great art and story 👍😻❤️

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay… I’m feeling like Kaede’s the one for Anise!!!!

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not even sure what to think of this series anymore; it's honestly so ridiculous. Am I still going to read it? Probably.

[Melanie Noell Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok. The characters are getting more development though the plot feels a bit cheesy. Hoping for more depth as the story goes on.

[Jessa Lee Mercedes Melo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars once again.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
I’m enjoying this series more than I thought I might!

[Nicole Pauley · Rating 5 out of 5]

im so dead

[Laura Martinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know that when I say I should just drop a series, but the reality is unless I get so pissed off by it, I’m probably going to stick it out until the bitter end. There are things about Kiss of the Rose Princess that I do really like—I like the idea of the plot, it’s a reverse harem (and I love me reverse harems), and I think although the character designs are super-busy, I still think that they’re cute. And the plot has actually began to show up, starting with the last volume’s introduction of the false Roses and Mutsuki’s locked memories and the Seal of the Demon Lord and how it relates to the Rose Princess (although that still hasn’t been answered.)

The problem is that instead of getting into or explaining any of the plotlines, Shouto Aya is more interested in the comedic elements rather than advancing the plot.

This starts off really strong. I really liked the fight between the Knights and Haruto in order to save Seiran, I really loved that end of the Yellow Rose arc is Haruto choosing to sacrifice himself to save Anise from getting pulled into the seal (although I don’t like the fact that we get a fairly emotional scene followed up “Oh, he’s okay! He’s in Hong Kong!”). I had kinda guessed what the purpose of the Rose Knights and the Rose Princess was going to be, given out what we found out about the Yellow Rose’s history in volume 2. I really liked the scene when Anise summons Kaede because she’s lonely and she wants someone to talk to. I liked that there’s a new threat that the group has to face as Anise’s father appears at the school and two new Roses.

And all of this would be great on its own, except that the majority of these plot points revolve around a chapter about wacky sports day hijinx that manages to throw in a bit of plot at the end. It’s made even more frustrating with the fact that one of the big reasons why this happens is that Schwartz does want to find out what the Roses’ abilities are, so Anise has to make sure that they act completely and utterly normal! (Except I’m going “But…he knows about the Roses already and who they are and ow my brain.”) This is volume 3. Yes, there’s been some development in the plot and getting into the history of the Rose Knights and their relationship with the Rose Princess but we still don’t know enough to figure out what’s going on. I don’t feel a threat coming from Schwartz (and to be honest, he doesn’t seem that threatening, especially when he answers “Why, I just want to see my cute daughter.” Skeevy, yes; threatening, no.), and I don’t like that Anise’s reaction to him showing up is “GUYS YOU CAN’T BE SUPER SPECIAL” and not, “Crap, what is he doing here we’re so screwed.”

This feels like a lot of padding, especially this early on (and I know, serialized storytelling), and it feels like Shouto doesn’t have a focus on whether or not she wants an action romance or magical romantic comedy. (Plus added in the factor of “We have to catch all the Clow Arcana Cards!”) It is bumpy, and although I do like that we are seeing elements of an actual plot line appearing, I still don’t think there’s enough to entirely work so far in this series.

[S.Q. Eries · Rating 1 out of 5]

In Summary

Kiss of the Rose Princess changes gears again. After a desperate battle to contain the Demon Lord and proclamations of self-sacrifice, the story shifts back to Anise’s embarrassing social life and a ridiculous school fitness check imposed by her dad. While the general thread of sealing away the Demon Lord continues, the plot’s a bit schizophrenic in its mood swings, which makes it especially difficult to take Schwartz seriously as an enemy.

The Review

Volume 2 left our heroes in a desperate situation. As such, they take desperate measures to rescue the Blue Rose Knight. The battle to thwart the Yellow Rose’s plot finally gives the guys a chance to act like real knights for once. Unfortunately, it ends all too quickly. I had thought the Yellow Rose would join the regular cast as a nemesis, but he’s pretty much done his job and exits by the middle of Volume 3.

Shouoto-sensei then begins the next arc by adding another layer of complexity to Anise’s contract with her knights. Apparently, the guys can “level up” in power, depending on their relationship with Anise. The whole arrangement has a distinctly videogame vibe, as does their new quest to collect Arcana Cards to keep the Demon Lord at bay. Add to that the knights’ new transformation sequences and uniforms (?), and Kiss of the Rose Princess really starts to look like a mishmash of tropes.

With this new card quest, I anticipated the story continuing in a more serious tone, but Shouoto-sensei instead returns to comedy. Anise’s dad, who’s been working in the shadows, abruptly shows up as Shobi Academy’s new doctor. He promptly imposes a schoolwide fitness exam as a means to gather data on the Rose Knights, but the exam mostly serves the purpose of reinforcing Anise’s impression that her knights are all weirdos. The volume closes with Anise forcing the guys to enter an idol contest to win an Arcana Card. Despite all Schwarz’ talk of punishment and despair, most of the Rose Knights’ efforts go into pretty superficial stuff.

Extras include the opening splash illustration and table of contents printed in color; character profiles and story thus far; a mini-manga about the mangaka and her editor; and bonus illustrations.

For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!

[Nightmaresweets · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's too predictable.
The main girl seem now a days to fall in love or chooses the very FIRST guy she meet in every reverse harem it's rather annoying cause the girl never pick the one you want her to pick in most picks of the litter.Like in MOSTLY ALL HORROR FILMS now a days it's predictable the jumps the scares the suspense.It feels as though now a day writers are bored and rushed and in patience to their readers the plot is simple like always:girl meet first guy she hates him or falls for him right on the bat he falls for her later or falls for her then but doesn't realize it until other guys shows her attention then he realizes it over jealousy.Anyways this is a manga on the girl falling in love and choosing the first guy she meets when in fact she shouldn't she should had fall for another in my own opinion but yet like i said it's predictable and wasteful and once you got the plot figured out there no point in reading it.I wasn't happy bout the writer decision to make it like this make it rushed and give you false hope which lingers a lot in these types of manga but in the end it never ends the way you wanted it to.It because the writer rushed time and haste the entire story for their own benefit to just finished it to make money yet again.That's how it felt on me.So if you like manga where she pick the first guy she meets in the end and you like that choose this is for you if not don't read you be disappointed.I wanted her to choose the black hair one,I cant recall his name out of the blue though but the one who flies her to school.:( He will never have love.

[Jason]

The interesting storyline lasted until the demon gate was sealed. Now they have to collect cards that represent the shards of the seal? So it's not totally closed? Seems kinda lame. It feels like the story is really about this girl who has all these boys fawning over her, and the rest is just being made up as the creator goes along. That said, I haven't read much shojo, so I have no idea if this is typical for the format. Truth be told, I don't have a lot of patience for your typical shonen manga, either. They seem to rely too much on the tropes of the format and cut corners when it comes to plot and character development.
As for this series, I have so many questions!
What is the deal with the boys who are knights? How long have they been knights? Are they all really old but don't look it? How do they find out that they're knights? The one was created with false memories, but the rest seemed to be regular high school students before Anise kissed the cards. Why is Anise's father such a d*ck? What is his deal?
And when they had to rescue the blue rose guy, couldn't Anise just have summoned him from wherever they were keeping him?
It just seems like there's a lot of stuff that goes unexplained and more time is spent oohing and ahhing over all the pretty boys and cringing when THEY ALMOST KISS than is spent on telling an actual story.
On to volume 4!!

[Judyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

~4/5

I think I’m running out of things to say about this series.

I really like it, don’t get me wrong. But a lot of it is the same, or at least feels the same. The plot is definitely moving forward, and something new happens every time.

Also, I know there’s some iffy feelings about this series. But I enjoy it for what it is, what I know it is and expect it to be. It’s a high school shojo reverse harem, with a bit of magical girl, and an Enemy. It’s fun, the humor works, I really like the group of characters, and the plot is moving forward. The artwork is gorgeous, and fits with the type of manga/shojo it is.

I don’t really want to delve into the plot. There are things I like and things I don’t about it—I like the twists and the suspense even, though some of the non-violent non-endings could have been better. Mostly I’m paying attention to the characters, and I think they’re all great.

I’m looking forward to picking up the next volume.

[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]