Requiem of the Rose King 3

薔薇王の葬列 [Baraō no Sōretsu] #3

by Aya Kanno, Alexandra Klepper (Translator)

Über Richard, den dritten Sohn des Hauses York, schwebt ein böses Omen. Er glaubt, dass ein Fluch ihn verfolgt und seinen Lieben Unheil bringen wird. Aber ist es wirklich ein Zauber, der sein Schicksal vergiftet? Oder sind es die Intrigen, die die Kämpfe um die Königskrone in England beherrschen, die ihn verdammen...?!

In ihrem düsteren Werk lässt sich Autorin Aya Kanno von den historischen Ereignissen und Shakespeares Erzählungen um den späteren König, Richard III., inspirieren. Und zeigt ihn als Jüngling, der zwischen Gut und Böse steht und verzweifelt nach etwas Höherem sucht...

Genres: Manga, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fantasy, LGBT, Comics, Graphic Novels

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 16, 2015

About the author

Aya Kanno (菅野文; Kanno Aya) is a Japanese shōjo manga artist.

Former assistant of mangaka Masashi Asaki of Psychometrer Eiji fame, she made her debut in the January 2001 issue of Hakusensha's magazine "Hana to Yume" with Soul Rescue. Her works include Otomen.

Reviews

[Ester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un increíble tomo que, aunque no ha habido ni guerras ni batallas físicas, sí que ha habido posicionamientos y estrategias políticas.

Edward York, rey de Inglaterra, se ha prendado de Elizabeth, una mujer de baja alcurnia que quiere vengarse de los York por el asesinato de su marido, un partidario de lo Lancaster. Edward, con la intención de casarse con ella a espaldas de Warwick y del matrimonio de estado que el conde estaba negociando con el rey de Francia, acude a Richard para que le haga de tapadera.

Richard, que no está del lado de nadie ya he se deja llevar por la corriente, acompaña a su hermano y es entonces cuando, de nuevo, se encuentra con Henry que le estaba buscando. ¿Qué pasará entre ellos?

Este tomo me ha encantado mucho más que los dos anteriores que eran una introducción a la historia. Ahora sí que estamos de lleno en la trama y empezamos a vislumbrar nuevos caminos por donde irá la historia, así como la entrada de nuevos actores en la historia.

Me parece genial la forma en la que Kanno ha sabido mezclar la historia real de la guerra de las dos rosas, las obras de Shakespeare y su propia imaginación. Creo que este va a ser uno de los mejores shōjos de los últimos años dentro del género histórico/ romance/drama/bélico

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I wanted! More Richard and Henry interaction 💙 It was so cutes ksksks I love it

Edward Lancaster is so... annoying. And now Elizabeth 🙄 I hate her.

The story is for sure getting more interesting. Can't wait to keep reading

[Yunebooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Estoy haciendo la relectura después de 4 años y ya recuerdo por qué era mi manga favorito. Que locura de historia ❤️‍🔥

[🌜Elliot🌛 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The drama of this series is so good. Also I appreciate the recap pages in the beginning of each volume, it helps make the story a bit less confusing.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Requiem of the Rose King, Volume 3
By Aya Kanno
Reviewed June 2022


And more manga mania!

Let me be perfectly honest with you. If this were a novel, I’d be tossing it into the circular filing cabinet, muttering “This is trash!” But instead, because of how the author presents it and its graphic novel format with fabulous illustrations, I’m hooked on it. I guess you could say it’s a kind of guilty pleasure, something I shouldn’t like...but I do. In fact, I’ve created “guilty pleasure” as a new category for my books on Goodreads.

In volume 3 of Requiem of the Rose King, the plot thickens as the saying goes.

Elizabeth has Edward IV totally in her thrall; while Edward is in lust...er...love with Elizabeth, she in turn wants only to destroy the House of York and avenge the death of her beloved husband, John Grey.

At the same time, Lord Warwick is in France negotiating a marriage for Big Ed (E4) with Louis’s sister-in-law, Bona of Savoy. And what can I say about this picture of Louis XI other than that he is one handsome dude! Certainly not the Spider King of history! Then again, everybody’s pretty in this fantasy world.

The proverbial shite hits the fan when Warwick returns to England with what he believes is great news, only to be told by Big Ed that he’s already married a *gasp* commoner! And this is done publicly, further humiliating Warwick who looks upon this as a betrayal. This part is actually very close to the historical record, although whether Elizabeth married Edward IV in order to destroy the House of York is the author’s own twist on things.

Richard and Henry have another encounter and spend a rainy weekend together in a hunting lodge, neither yet realizing who the other really is. Because Henry, who is happy no longer being king of England is wandering around the countryside, presenting himself as a common shepherd.

Margaret of Anjou sends her son Edward (I know, another Edward) with a small search party to find his father and bring him home. While searching, son Edward comes upon Henry and Richard, and spies them in an affectionate embrace. This doesn’t sit well with young Edward because ... yikes! ... he’s attracted to Richard!

And now, it’s on to volume 4, after which I’ll probably take a break and get back to reading something more traditional, because too much of a guilty pleasure can take away the delight. So I will be doling out future volumes a couple at a time.

Again, this won’t be every Ricardian’s cuppa tea, but in its own strange way is quite fun to read.

[Judyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

~3.5-4/5

I don’t know if it’s just me or if Kanno has finally reached a flow with this series, but this volume was really good for me.

Elizabeth has brought her plans of revenge on King Edward to fruition, and is made Queen. Richard is the only one who has real doubts about it, though Warwick feels betrayed. In the other house, Margaret has gone insane, and is using her son Edward to enact revenge on Henry.

The best point in this series for me, though, is Richard and Henry’s relationship. I really feel for them, and think they could have a real friendship or romance, if their lives were different. They get to spend some real time together in this volume, and it’s a sweet reprieve for both of them. I want more of that, honestly.

Aside from that, things are getting dark fast. Not a surprise, but still. And Kanno has a beautiful art style for this series; the expressions, dark and hopeful, are done extremely well. They’re gorgeous.

This volume has me hooked, and I’m excited for the next one.


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

[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]

[book_worm119 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what to think about this. This is either a 1.5 or 3 but the writing is so good that I decided to give it a 3. I'm not sure if I will continue this series because it is getting really confusing with there being two Edwards (who are quite similar-looking) and the plotline of Richard's love interests being Henry (the father of the other love interest) Edward. And the toxic behavior Edward showed towards Elizabeth (despite the fact that she accepted it and even used it to work in her favor) was unacceptable. I'm also confused what Richard's motivation is and what he is doing after he slaughtered multiple people in the previous book..

[Patrycja · Rating 5 out of 5]

O wow 😍😍

[DonutKnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww Henry is so precious 😍😍 But man, I’m scared, there are just so many people vying for political power- it’s so poisonous.

[marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vol. 1 ★★☆☆☆
Vol. 2 ★★★☆☆

I can't get over how stupid Edward of York is. I'm totally with Warwick on this one. Even without knowing Elizabeth's true intentions, it's an idiotic move. That said, it does make for some delicious drama! Richard is growing on me. Seeing him wrestle with self-loathing makes him a more complex and compelling character. Also, this is by far the most insane love triangle I've ever seen. I can't tell if Henry's feelings towards Richard are necessarily romantic. However, it doesn't actually matter because Edward of Lancaster sees it that way.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se puso mejor, ahh.
Edward es un tonto y le va a costar la cabeza; lo veo venir. Esa Elizabeth se ve bien metida en su papel de destronar el imperio, más ahora en Francia se enteraron del matrimonio.

El hermano George tiene potencial de ser más interesante pues es el único al que la madre manipuladora se acerca.

Richard, Henry y Edward traen su rollo acá que, híjole, se va a complicar la cosa.

[bow down to our ace king victor vale · Rating 3 out of 5]

and the plot thickens 👀 we’re now introduced to the duke of buckingham, probably richard’s future kingmaker so that’s exciting :0

also edward is so dumb istg is he stupid or is he stupid. honestly i gotta side w/ warwick here, he should have notified them or something at LEAST ahhh🙃

the other edward is also blah but whatever we’ll see

+ richard’s mom should just stay quiet damn

[Nea Poulain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se sabe que a Edward ser un pendejo le costó el trono y viendo a la reina blanca acá uffffff ya quiero ver cómo.
Neville se las cobra caras, no por nada fue el hacedor de reyes.
Aaaaa Richard, yo te amo, se que fuiste una persona horrible. Te amo igual.

[Hoppipolla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empieza a tener ciertos peaks, está bien, aunque es un poco lenta, esperaba algo más acelerado y sexy si soy sincera, por el momento tiene sus mamarracheos pero... Poco más allá

[Emi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este tomo tiene cosas que me flipan y me encantan y otras que no me convencen tanto. Me encanta la parte de politiqueo conspiranoico, las idas de olla de Richard son brutales, y engancha cosa mala. Lo que menos: la parte romántica, me ha parecido bonito, pero un poco flojo. No sé cómo explicarlo, esa parte me ha gustado, pero no me ha llegado tanto como otros manga.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This tale of an intersex Richard III becomes more and more interesting with each volume. Kanno is definitely having a lot of fun with the whole medieval milieu following the end of the War of the Roses. While the first two volumes were a bit confusing owing to a huge array of characters, by this title the list is narrowing nicely. It may still be a huge shock to see an actual Gallery of London portrait compared to the lovely stylized manga character. But the appeal of this title is definitely reminiscent of seminal 1970s shoujo classics such as Rose of Versailles: The pertinent historical facts are there but a whole lot of drama is woven around them.

Former King Henry VI has regained lucidity through Richard; but if Henry's insanity was a tragedy, his recovery is a national disaster. Abandoning wife Margaret of Anjou and disinherited son Edward, Henry seeks out the solace that Richard provides. Unfortunately, at this moment, Richard has to provide unwilling alibi to his licentious brother Henry V - who has decided to marry beneath status to widow Elizabeth of York. Her scheming, along with Margaret of Anjou's, threaten to destroy all the happiness any of the York or Lancastrian men can achieve. Caught between the scheming are the Kingmaker - Earl of Warwick and a young but fierce Duke of Buckingham.

Anyone knowledgeable about this period of the War of the Roses can enjoy the liberties taken by Kanno to create her story. Sure, it is high drama through a modern sensibility. But Kanno has laid her groundwork correctly and the known facts are there for a somewhat supernatural mystery taking more emphasis from Shakespeare (with all the historical faults therein) rather than Wikipedia. Little details - such as the two young men (Richard and Edward) who would marry the same woman, Anne Neville, share a 'kiss' in a river rescue. Kanno enjoys her foreshadowing that the men would share much more in the future.

Those without knowledge of the period can sit back and enjoy the plot of schemes and the rise and fall of kings. Although we know for sure that Richard III was slightly hunched but not a cripple (or intersex, here) this is still a greatly enjoyable fictionalization of history. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Miss Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

whooo boy. that escalated quickly

i'm horribly tempted to book talk this on my professional blog but i don't think i'm quite ready for my coworkers to know the kind of soap opera nonsense i find entertaining yet. maybe once i've got a permanent position

this'd be incredibly fun to book talk though, i think it may actually beat out one hundred years of solitude for things that are hilarious to describe to unsuspecting folks

(one hundred years of solitude has a boy who runs away from home and sails the globe 65 times before returning all tatted up and using his pirate charm to make a living as a gigolo. then he marries his adopted sister.

requiem of the rose king has henry vi and richard iii falling for each other, both unaware of each other's identity. meanwhile edward (richard's son) sees them together and is enraged because damnit dad, first you revoke my inheritance and now you have to go after my crush too??? naturally he responds by putting out a hit on him.

requiem of the rose king: featuring that awkward moment when you discover you're in a love triangle with your father and patricide is the only option)

i am sure none of you are surprised to learn that i found this highly entertaining and look forward to seeing what kanno comes up with next. 3 stars

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is beginning to remind me very much of Setona Mizushiro's Afterschool nightmare, Vol. 01 in how Richard handles his conflicting emotions. He clearly sees himself as being divided between "masculine" feelings of anger and battle and "feminine" ones more centered on love and needing human relationships. This is a Richard I can see killing the princes in the tower, and I am slowly becoming more comfortable with Kanno's interpretation of Shakespeare and history.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm getting the feeling with this volume that this series is going to be one of those that has some huge ups and downs. I didn't like this volume as much. There wasn't as much on the political intrigue and more of the strange inter-character relationships.

Like a weird love triangle between a father, son, and a hermaphrodite they both think is different genders. And some stupidity on a king's part.

I'm no expert on this time period, so I have no idea how much of this is remotely historically accurate. I'm inclined to say "stretching the truth," but if any of my history buff friends would like to read this and fill me in, I'd be very happy. :)

[K.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As darkly beautiful as Volumes 1 and 2. Kanno's version of Edward IV makes him every inch of Henry VIII's grandfather. You can almost see the cycle of the same obsession with a woman which led to even more civil war. Elizabeth Woodville's motivations are fascinating. She becomes a player as dangerous as Marguerite d'Anjou in this particular manga. Henry's son is developed in the most intriguing ways. The way the two of interact with Richard shocks me, yet it's very poignant in light of historical events. Especially since Kanno's Richard is an intriguing blend of historical Richard and Shakespeare's Richard. I'm not entirely sure where she's going with this, but I'm enjoying the ride!

[Gocrope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Estoy enamorado de la portada de este tomo, al igual que con el tomo en sí. La unión de la historia real inglesa, Shakespeare y la poesía bucólica y pastoril en un sólo volumen. El toque Wattpadiano/ novela juvenil fantástica-monárquica que se puede encontrar en las situaciones que ocurren y se plantean me fascina. ¿Obra maestra? Sí es.

[Kathaflauschi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vielen Dank an den Verlag für das Rezensionsexemplar. Bei diesem Manga hat mich das Cover sehr angesprochen, da es einfach nur wunderschön aussieht. Das ist auch mein erster Mange der Reihe und wie ihr seht, habe ich mit Band 3 angefangen. Es ist auch gar nicht so schlimm. Am Anfang bekommt man nämlich die Charakter beschreibungen und was vorher passiert ist, natürlich alles kurz gefasst. So konnte ich mich gut in die Story einfinden und konnte dieser auch flüssig folgen. Der Zeichenstil ist dabei auch ganz fantastisch. Es beginnt gleich mit Richard und seinem Bruder, der eine heimliche Affäre hat. Richard bekommt das mit, da sie ja eigentlich zusammen Jagen sind, doch sein Bruder benutzt ihn als ausrede und so bleibt es auch. Auch weiß Richard davon, das sein Bruder, der auch der neue König ist, seine Affäre heiraten will und so kommt auch das Unglück. Den seine Affäre will ihn nicht ohne Grund heiraten, sondern das ist alles nach ihrem Plan. Aber auch Richard hat ein Geheimnis von dem niemand weiß. Er fühlt sich zu Henry hingezogen, der allerdings aus einem anderen Haus stammt. Eigentlich wollte er ihn nicht mehr sehen, doch aufeinmal steht er direkt vor seiner Tür und so kann er nicht anders und nimmt ihn bei sich auf, bis der Regen aufhört. Dabei kommen sie sich wieder näher, bis der Regen aufhört.

Die Charakter fand ich ziemlich interessant und ich konnte das Manga nicht mehr so schnell aus der Hand legen. Vorallem fand ich dabei Richard interessant, da er von seiner Mutter als Teufelskind bezeichnet wird. Egal wo er ist, passiert etwas schlimmes und er bringt Unheil mit sich. Leider bekommt man sehr wenig vom anderen Haus mit, mit denen sie Krieg führen. Man bekommt nur mit, was sie vorhaben um den König zu besiegen.

Der Zeichenstil fand ich richtig schön und auch übersichtlich. Aber das Cover toppt hier wirklich alles. Ich bin wirklich gespannt wie es weitergeht und werde dieser Manga Reihe weiter folgen und auch die ersten beiden Teilen besorgen. Dadurch das die Manga Reihe um die Geschichte von William Shakespear handelt, finde ich es gut umgesetzt. Es ist also definitiv eine Empfehlung von mir.

[riri · Rating 4 out of 5]

aquí estoy una vez más para seguir trayéndoos reviews de la obra «Réquiem por el rey de la rosa» de Aya Kanno, editado por @tomodomoed 🌹

en este tomo 3, nuestro protagonista Richard descubrirá que su hermano, el rey Edward, esconde un secreto que puede afectar el futuro del reino: Edward está perdidamente de Elizabeth, la cual no se ha ganado para nada la confianza de Richard, y se escabulle cada vez que puede a su encuentro. esto no sería un problema ni sorprendería a Richard si no fuera porque su hermano, con la cabeza completamente en las nubes, le dice que piensa casarse con Elizabeth en secreto para que nadie se interponga en sus planes.

Richard se convertirá así en la principal coartada de Edward, que utilizará a su hermano menor para fingir que van de caza juntos y encontrarse con su amada. en una de estas escapadas, Richard se encuentra con alguien a quien no esperaba volver a ver... Henry, el cual lleva buscando a Richard mucho tiempo. pasan un tiempo juntos con la excusa de que no para de llover y Henry no tiene donde quedarse, y quizás evolucione su relación más de lo que ambos pueden permitirse... 🖤 el chico aún no sabe que este hombre es el anterior rey, y la verdad yo estoy temblando por ver el momento en que lo descubra! 👀

el Conde Warwick, siendo fiel a su título de kingmaker, intentará afianzar la posición de rey de Edward mediante un matrimonio con una princesa de Francia. para su sorpresa, Edward ya se ha adelantado en su matrimonio con Elizabeth, lo cual dejará a Warwick avergonzado ante la casa real francesa. qué se cocerá con este personaje y su sed de veganza? 👀

las portadillas de color de este tomo son espectaculares, tanto que os las he incluído en este post para que las veáis 🥰

voy a aprovechar ahora que tengo un poquito más de tiempo para ponerme a tope con los tomos que me faltan de esta obra, que tengo muchas ganas de beberme la trama y, por falta de tiempo, he estado ahí conteniéndome! así que agarráos, se vienen reviews intensitas! 😏

[Novels and Neckties - Kira Murasaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

and it keeps getting better.
I don´t like political intrigue when it´s too superficial, if you cannot see through the motives of the traitors and such. - but here everything is easy to follow.

well, I DO have to get something out of my system:

I have been asking, why did the author decide to depict Richard as a hermaphrodite?
We all know - thx to Shakespeare - that Richard was "crippled".
and I don´t like the term of hermaphrodite being used as a synonym for crippled!!
What I mean is Hermaphrodite is not a sickness or whatsoever and I can´t come to terms with it being used the same way as deformed or ugly.

I accept it being used in the story, cause back then - i believe - hardly anyone would know about hermaphrodites, their pain, their struggle or even see them as human beings but rather see them as something not-normal or deformed.

but we know better these days, so why use it THAT way in a story?

A friend explained the authors intentions to me. By watching Richards sadness and struggles and seeing how people treat him, we get an idea of the struggle people who look different still have to go through today. she got a point.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Requiem of the Rose King follows Richard who is the third son of the Duke of York and living in a world where the Wars of the Roses is on the precipice of beginning.
I really love this manga series so much. I have been so invested in what is going to happen next even though I know the history. This manga takes the story from history and Shakespeare and the magna artist makes this her own story.
I really loved seeing two of the characters come together again and give into their feelings a bit. The ending of this volume had me absolutely shocked and I needed to know more of what is going to happen next. I love how the manga writer is able to weave the actual history with the story that we got from Shakespeare in Henry VI and Richard III.
I don't want to say too much as I don't want to spoil this manga volume. I really love this series and I cannot wait to see what the next volume has in store.

[Ade Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Los tomos anteriores me gustaron pero este ya me ha encantado y enganchado del todo!! Que pena que el anime esté tan mal adaptado, aquí tiene todo mucho más sentido. Me han encantado los momentos de Richard y Henry juntos 🥺 Edward de Lancaster...no creo que sea malo. El de York más tonto no puede ser, y mira que me gustó al principio pero es que ahora, como se ha dejado engañar, luego el que dicen que no tiene luces es George, que me ha dado mucha pena porque se ha sentido dado de lado por sus hermanos. El final del tomo es súper potente, no entiendo cómo han podido saltarse eso en la adaptación!

[L. Luck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like this is just... a Game of Thrones that I would want to watch. Kanno is so far doing well in terms of intersex stuff, especially since it was confirmed in this volume to not just be a trans narrative alone (although I would say that it could be seen as an intersex AND trans narrative)... I’ll keep an eye on it though.

Warnings for everything I have previously warned, but also this volume contains a glimpse of a flashback to an attempted rape but also another to an implied rape, less than a page and not very graphic but be warned

[katherinareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

that kind of love triangle? damn didn't see that coming but I'm here for it.
I'm confused however about Henry, why does he look so young? shouldn't he be in his 40s?

but the thing I didn't get was how come Edward of York fell for that woman so easily? yeah she was beautiful but.. that's it? all it took? he didn't even consider the fact that she lost her husband quite recently, how on earth could have she moved on. also what about her kid from her previous marriage?

anyway loved the political tensions in this one. war is coming between France and England for sure.

[Printia_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hago un mini énfasis para decir que la portada es una preciosidad maravillosa. En cuanto a la trama he de decir que Henry me hace tanta gracia como me descoloca totalmente.

Este personaje vive en su mundo, ajeno al resto y con una obsesión grande por el prota. Me provoca demasiada gracia este sujeto por su pasotismo y me preocupa muchísimo por lo descuidado que es.

Además en este tomo aparece un pequeño sujeto que siento que va a ser de mis favs de esta obra. Veremos como se sigue desarrollando la obra.

[DitaHunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Wuola! GRITANDO ME ENCUENTRO CON ESTE NUEVO TOMO DE VERDAD.

Conforme vas leyendo este tomo, la oscuridad que alberga tanto en la trama como en el corazón del propio Richard, empiezan a tornarse luz. Por otro lado, tenemos a su hermano, Edward, quien caes en las redes del amor que parece abocar a la guerra.
Como he amado a Richard y a Henry en este tomo, de verdad, el corazón totalmente calentito.
Los dibubos son sublimes y la escenificacion exquisita.