Cantarella #9

カンタレラ [Cantarella] #9

by You Higuri

Driven apart despite their desperate efforts to stay together, Chiaro and Lucrezia continue to love each other from afar. Balancing Cesare’s dark scheming and Lucrezia's second forced marriage are a deep secret, a surprising ally and the faintest glimmers of hope for the future. Will Chiaro return to Italy to save his love – even if it means killing Cesare?

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

Paperback

First published December 22, 2004

About the author

You Higuri (氷栗優) is a Japanese shōjo and yaoi manga artist. She is known especially for her drawings of beautiful fantasy men in romantic storylines set in historical Europe, such as Gorgeous Carat in early 20th-century France and Cantarella during the Italian Renaissance.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Dorian Jandreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucrezia and Micheletto truly make me sick...
But... I want to see how the author showed the end. I still miss Savonarola and Da Vinci. :D But I hope they will come in next books.

[Nawal Al Hosani Scorpion DOADA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Story........... A perfect mixture of history and fiction.......... One of my favorite titles............. Ever Green in my heart........... Love you Cesare.............

[MarcMiccia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Della serie "Cantarella" ho molto apprezzato i disegni, un pò meno, ovviamente, che la serie si sia interrotta in Italia al numero 10 e non al 12, diventando, di fatto, monca del finale.

La storia segue quella dell'Italia dell'epoca, degli intrighi politici e soprattutto, di quelli della famiglia Borgia. Quello che manca alla serie, a mio parere, è lo sviluppo di alcuni personaggi. Oltre Cesare, ben narrato nella sua indole indomabile, alcuni personaggi sono stati poco sfruttati. Una su tutti Lucrezia: nella storia dell'epoca da agnellino sacrificale diventa un personaggio importante, invece in questo fumetto resta agnellino sin all'ultimo albo. Altri due personaggi che avrebbero meritato sicuramente uno spazio maggiore, sono il papa Rodrigo e il Cardinale Della Rovere, relegati invece, il primo, ad un ruolo da comprimario dopo i primi volumi, ed il secondo, non è stato rappresentato come concreto ed effettivo oppositore dell'ascesa dei Borgia.

In generale comunque i primi volumi sono ben realizzati, poi la trama si perde andando avanti negli albi.

Voto generale ★★★/5

[Alexander Adrien Ren Grey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I still remember that one part where the guy in town is singing about Lucrezia, insulting her "virtue". That with how she is divorced and remarried like a pawn. One of her husband's she refused to sleep with so he tried to take it by force narrowly being saved by her brother. That part was uncomfortable to read but bearable because he doesn't succeed, he's a bad guy so we're not meant to like him, and he doesn't stick around anyways.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cesare plunges darker into darkness, without Chiaro's light. Alfonso helps Chiaro escape Cesare's wrath, although he's lost an arm in the process. Alfonso offers to employ him, although Chiaro rejects this, feels worthless, etc. Lucretzia has his child, unknown to him. Cesare orders the boy killed, but the guard can't do it and takes him to his wife. Lucretzia is distraught, having never held him, but she is told he is still alive. She believes Chiaro is dead, but Alfonso corrects her. They marry, although they both love another (he loves his sister Sancia, ack). Because of this he does not pressure her to consummate, but Cesare finds out and gets violently angry, accuses him of helping Chiaro, etc. Meanwhile, Chiaro runs into Machiavelli again. Cesare resigns as cardinal, as it gets in the way with his sinister plans.

the bonus story gives us insight into alfonso and sancia's childhood. we learn that sancia's first love (a musician assassin) seduces and betrays her just to get close to kill her sister isabella. alfonso foils the plan, makes sancia mad, as she'd rather see her beloved sister dead than lose her lover. alfonso loses an eye defending her.

[Starbubbles · Rating 1 out of 5]

i think it's interesting that there are mentions of japanese sake in this book. i highly doubt it would have even been on an italian's radar during the renaissance. oh, and cesare becomes a vampire for a split second? really? i don't even know why i keep picking this up at the library.

oh, and i've heard it's a myth that people actually stood around your head and watched you consummate the marriage. i've read that it was common for commoners to tease the newlyweds about the issue, even surround their bed and thoroughly embarrass them, but as far as actually watching the action, they left them do it on their own. i mean, never having consummated the marriage wasn't even grounds for divorce. not being able to get it up, well, that was a different manner all together. so why have cesare be the only "witness" to them "doing it?" but regardless, i'm no expert in marriage practices of royalty in italy in the 15/16th century.

[Mely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucrezia gives birth to Chiaro's child and marries Alfonso, who is in love with his sister Sansa. Chiaro considers returning to Cesare, who has given up on him and/or possibly thinks he's dead and gives the mask of Michelotto to Volpe in one of the volume's best and creepiest scenes.

There's a side story dedicated to Alfonso and Sansa which unfortunately just convinced me I don't like either of them much. I am really in it for the Lucrezia/Cesare/Chiaro triangle of DOOM.

[Solace Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was even better than the last. Finally Cesare is succumbing to the darkness that is within his soul. Gone is the man who did not know what to embrace and enters the man who is embracing the darker side. I'm sad to know there is only one novel left because it can not span all of the Borgia time. I wondered how much time they could cover in this one novel and while it seems to be minimal it hardly is. Still, I fear for the next book, but I fell in love with this one.

[Melissa Kidd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cesare is not a likable character right now. Luckily, Alfonso is. He even gets a bonus story at the end of this volume so we can see his and Sancia’s childhood briefly. The volume was full of drama, only brief action, and plenty of awesome quotes. I’m intrigued by where this is going. It’s still mostly following history, inaccurately, but that’s okay – there is a deeper historical plot there behind all the familial tension going around. I’m looking forward to the next volume.