Princess Knight: New Omnibus Edition

by Osamu Tezuka

HAVE AT YOU!

Filled with narrow escapes, treacherous courtiers, dashing pirates, meddlesome witches, magical transformations, and cinema-worthy displays of derring-do, this early shojo (girls’ comics) masterpiece by the “Godfather of Manga” is a fast-paced tale of a heroic princess who can best any man at fencing, yet is delicate and graceful enough to catch the eye of Prince Charming. Its winning art style and canny infusion of gender politics into classic fantasy storytelling have continued to intrigue and delight readers of all ages.

A mischief-making angel’s prank goes too far when the newborn princess of Silverland ends up with two hearts—one male and one female. Since the laws of the realm only allow a male heir to ascend the throne, Princess Sapphire is raised as a prince. Will the avaricious Duke Duralumin discover her secret and snatch the crown for his own son?

Available for the first time stateside as a single-volume omnibus!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Romance, Classics, Graphic Novels Comics

696 pages, Paperback

Published August 16, 2022

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

[Spudpuppy]

It’s silly and fun and generally okay, but everything in here was honestly perfected in Rose of Versailles lol

Hecate is a DIVA tho

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Royalty, crossdressing, talking animals, angels, demons, gods, pirates, etc.! Amazingly charming and fun despite ending a bit suddenly. Sometimes obnoxiously steeped in gender essentialism, unfortunately, but given the subject matter and the age of the material, probably to be expected. Great nonetheless, an evocative extended fairy tale.

[William DiGena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel Tezuka's writing of gender dynamics can be messy (tho to be fair when is it not lol) and this book doesn't really know when to end. But hey, point for the creativity of his art and paneling which is still better than many mangakas who have come after him. He has non-stop ideas and that's why he's a legend.

[allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

the people who think this is sexist have no reading comprehension skills and no sense of humor. however it was repetitive and went on much longer than necessary. still enjoyed it but not as good as apollo’s song imo

[natasha howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun and goofy 🎶

[Juniperus · Rating 4 out of 5]

What intrigued me most about Princess Knight, after the concept and the art style, was the fact that it was published all in one volume. It may sound superficial but I feel like one of the reasons I don’t read more manga is that I get overwhelmed with long series with lots of volumes; it’s nice to not have to commit and wrap up the entire story in a single 600 page edition. Despite this, I can see Princess Knight working well as a series, because of how episodic it is, but not to its detriment; it’s still one continuous, riveting story. It felt like reading an old Greek myth, or a Shakespeare play, or a Grimm’s fairy tale, the way the story was so intricate and yet timeless. It’s a series that has a lot to say about modern gender relations, while simultaneously preventing any modern conceptions of gender identity being projected onto its characters — some call it outdated, but I think Tezuka was smarter than that. My favorite part is when Sapphire rallies the palace women in revolt against the men, who are unable to fight back because who would do the laundry? It reminded me of the Iceland Woman’s Strike of 1975, truly ahead of its time. The other sort of bizarre connection I made was Shrek. They must have been reading Princess Knight behind the scenes at Dreamworks! There is literally a character called Prince Charming, the villain is Farquaad-esque and themes of impersonation and mistaken identity definitely recall Shrek 2. Amazing art, with a swashbuckling story to match.

[Maria ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⚠ SPOILERS ⚠

incredible scenes in this manga, lots of gender shenanigans. it can be quite gender essentialist but it was written in the 1950s lol.

the plot was very fast-moving and melodramatic, which i loved because it was just so silly. i especially loved that prince franz, the love interest, was always trying to save others but always ended up becoming the damsel in distress himself. he's also a bit dim, god bless. my favourite character has to be captain blood, gotta love a (suspected bisexual) pirate who is willing to lay down his life for the one he loves even though his love is not reciprocated. also loved tezuka's dogged attempt at making me lose my mind by setting the whole story solidly within a christian mythology framework (God, angels, Satan, etc.) and then with only 100 pages left to go he says "and here is our final boss, the goddess Venus. also Eros is a magical horse. Venus is somehow christian God's daughter." 10/10 no notes, i did lose my mind a little.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Indubbiamente è figlio dei suoi tempi, con i suoi pregi e i suoi difetti. Quello che colpisce molto è il background dark di molte situazioni, trattate però con toni da commedia.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would actually be about someone who wanted to accept both parts (boy and girl) about themselves. She only wants to be a girl. She doesn't want to be a boy. Disappointing.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite it's frenetic pacing (there is SO much happening in here), the author explores themes that feel very modern. What makes it interesting is that those very modern themes (having both 'male' and 'female' interests, queer love) are very much tempered by traditional definitions (women must be beautiful and graceful).

The art is wonderful and the random bursts of slapstick humor were highly enjoyable.

P.S. Sapphire can do much better than Franz. He's ridiculous.

[orion · Rating 3 out of 5]

least favorite (and the most convoluted) tezuka plot thus far i fear ….. but the drawings were cute as shit like i think the best way to experience this book is to open to a random page and just really take in the illustrations SKDNDN

[Cait Cher · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is kinda so-so, but this was a retelling by Tezuka himself of the original 1950's version, which was the first shojo manga SERIES of all time. I am saving this because the artwork still holds up even today!

[Christine Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked reading this. It speaks to the view of gender for its time while also being a silly little story. The art is definitely reminiscent of Betty Boop and Popeye. It also has that frustrating, hackneyed romantic ending where the protagonist ends up with the wrong person, but it is what it is.

[Raaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely strong early shōjo manga based on Western fairy tales. Constantly firing off new ideas and characters from start to finish, as expected of Osamu Tezuka. Though some of the themes feel slightly dated as expected of a work written in the 50s.

[The Local Spooky Hermit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely more light hearted and fluffy then the others I've read by him. Its cute and even though its pretty long the plot zips on by. Classic start to the magical girl to later come.

[Zoey Selwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

astounding in its grace, economy of storytelling, and Tezuka's boundless compassion for his characters...while obviously much of what happens here is based around arbitrary gender distinctions, that's like, how the world views gender! any and all criticisms toward Tezuka for leaning on traditional gender norms fails to consider that this is the entire point of an otherwise rather conflict-free tale

Sapphire is unable to reconcile their view of themselves with the various gendered roles they must perform for others...what could be an internal conflict of identity and coming-of-age is instead complicated by the external need to suppress, to perform endlessly and only find glimpses of euphoria in disguise...i like how even as Sapphire leans more toward their feminine side, they still perform masculinity with complete competency; they are seen as desirable and exceptional and these qualities only alter with their gender for some characters with more limited perspectives

of course, the ending is a bit of Tezuka writing himself out of a corner...but it remains a little bit too true that for so many queer and non-conforming people (myself included) the closest thing to a happy ending is at least putting on the appearance of heteronormativity...if a couple can pass as such, so be it; this is a compromise on one end, but it's also genuinely what both parties desire at this point in the tale...so, it's complicated! as gender and sexuality always is

i'm just so happy to see something of this time period, with this great an influence over later works, that so freely displays the complex nature of these things...and especially a work of queer pop art that fights for and celebrates the happiness of its main character!! god, i love them so much...i kinda am Sapphire and i accept this! i love my wide, twinkly puppy dog eyes so fucking much

[Rob Marney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like getting a hug from Grandma. This book has heavy influences from fairy tales and early Disney animation, plus the frenetic pace and wild plot twists of a kids' cartoon. There's always something cute happening on every page, and everyone is so adorable in a straightforward childlike way, but there's no shortage of darker themes and shocking events to make you really invested in the characters. You just want to pinch everyone's cheeks as they go through every trope of fantasy stories with great gusto. Tezuka takes his usual round, economical drawing style and adds the fashion-conscious, flower-festooned, androgynous elements of shojo manga.

This is the kind of book where an evil witch just can't resist gloating like a Bond villain and casually name drops "my husband, Great King Satan". It's the kind of book where our hero dramatically turns her face away from the prince, her eyes welling with tears, and says, "Ask me anything but that!" It's the kind of book that is simultaneously respectful of Christianity and features Venus and Eros as major characters. Don't come in here expecting some epic story, this is escapism for girls and it warms the heart.

[Conner Barnier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that Sapphire never really definitively answers the question Tink poses of “do you want to be a girl or a boy?”
Sure, he wishes he didn’t have to hide the girly things, wear dresses, and marry a prince, but she also wants to fence, fight in tournaments, defeat her foes and make daring escapes. Her feelings are complicated, and it’s never really show that one is better than the other, more so that without both hearts Sapphire wouldn’t be the same person at all, losing half of who they are.

I also love that Plastic “becoming a real man” means giving rights to women and undoing foul play in acquiring the throne, and how Hecate refuses to become a “proper girl” because she’s happy the way she is. It’s not just Sapphire, but the younger generation in general who are starting to shake off the unnecessary boundaries of societal gender standards, much to the anger and disapproval of their parents.

Also this comic is very funny and had me laugh out loud at least a couple times, and chuckle for most of the rest. The cartoon gags are integrated so well into a comic format, and the panel breaking antics were always so fun and creative.

[Lewis Carnelian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A frustrating read. While resplendent with Tezuka’s wonderful art and amazing compositional skill, the plot has a freewheeling, make-it-up-as-you-go-along quality. While this isn’t exactly a negative, it does mean characters come and go, sometimes hastily. It’s also difficult because some of the more interesting characters are these secondary ones that just more or less disappear. In fact, the main characters, especially Prince Franz—the main love interest—is rather boring. Those looking for progressive gender politics due to the titular character will no doubt be disappointed. While Tezuka toys with non-binary ideas and flipping gender roles, he ends up being rather normative in the end, and the few ideas he toys with are not nearly as developed as some of his more adult material like MW. But, that’s probably to be expected as this was, after all, for children. It’s just that the promise of a non-normative Tezuka story set in a fantasy setting is quite tantalizing!

[Edward Hennell · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that is now looked back on as being pretty progressive is how it looks at someone struggling with gender identity and in what one do they feel most comfortable or both. It still struggles with certain stereotypes of the time but I won’t hold the book accountable as this was written for a popular magazine that had to appeal to a wide audience.

With its fairy tale and biblical influences the story for this starts out as strong and whimsical as you’d expect, with cute animals, lovely castles and the full royal Shabang you are swept up into the world of princess knight. Until unfortunately about the half way mark where this story becomes stale and repetitive, we are fed the same scenario but different scenery had me feeling like I was in a twilight zone episode and got rather tedious.

The art work as expected is brilliant, I’m a sucker for Tezuka and he’s on full form with this art style here.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in 1963!!!

Children's manga playing with ideas of gender, so of course I was interested. I did hope the main character would fall for a woman from the cover, but alas, they're both Sapphire.

I'm so fascinated by the Disney-like art, the inclusion of God, and later the Goddess Venus. A total hodge-podge, fun story, returning over and over to what it means to be male or female, which isn't ever clear. The "boy heart" makes Sapphire strong, yet Nylon is a total boob. The "girl heart" makes her weak and agreeable, yet Hecate is entirely her own woman as is and Friebe was cool as hell!

Pure fun, read it slowly. Cheers to Osamu Tezuka's manga being brought back again!

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a sexist fairy tale, but it wasn't too offensive because it didn't use derogatory stereotypes of only one gender. But it was still not nice that Saphire lost her warrior strength when her male heart was gone, or that Saphire was aggressive towards Franz when her female heart was gone. I don't think character traits are a gendered thing.

It was a fairy tale with beautiful adventures. I loved the character designs and it hurt me deeply when Hecate and Plastic died. Venus was also a much more enjoyable Villan to read than The Witch. I wish her story had lasted longer than The Witch's and that Saphire had continued to live with two hearts.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So adorable. If you love Tezuka, you will get a blast out of this cute manga.

Yes, the ideas about gender are out of date but it was written forever ago, and Tezuka has a good time with it and is actually pretty open minded.

A quick, fun read that takes you on many adventures with Sapphire, the prince(ss) knight. There are all sorts of monsters, gods, and romances, even pirates! You can tell Tezuka loved Disney, there are several homages to classic movies sprinkled throughout.

This will definitely be a comfort re-read at some point.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instantly engrossing and an absolute delight. As the genesis of the shojo genre, you can really see the germ of Sailor Moon and Utena and so much more. It's also fascinating to see how much of that giant doe-eyed shojo character design here is clearly connected to early western cartoon design infused with Tezuka's unique stylings. The gender politics of this are very confusing, at times biologically-essentialist, at times radically queer. There is so much fun to be had reading into this. A treasure!

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and magical manga chock full of romance, action, humor and tragedy. Kind of like a proto-SAILOR MOON with elements of RANMA 1/2 and a heavy dash of Tezuka's irreverance and imagination.

The romantic aspect of the work are among my favorite bits. Artwork is extremely charming and very similar to classic Disney in much of its execution. Gender-bending is less overt than I hoped but it still plays with the boy-girl concept in a way that's entertaining and clever, especially for the era it was published. Recommended for fans of fantasy manga and classic manga.

[Michelle]

Subversive or even remotely progressive gender politics this is not! Important to know the original publication was in the 50s, with all the stereotypical coding of femininity and masculinity, heavy inspiration from Disney cartoons, and mix of angels, devils, Greek goddesses, and prayer. The fencing and pirates and occasional breaking of the fourth wall were fun but I'm not sure why I read the whole thing.

[Amory · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sprawling story; definitely the most ambitious manga I've read in a while. There were constant journeys and obstacles and a lot of random side plots where humans were turned into animals. I did love the art in this throughout, and really did like Sapphire. I haven't read much 1960s manga, but this did sell me on the style of that era.

[Jenny Wilkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A curious little work. It's is deeply about gender and subverting what it means to even have a gender but also bound by the author's own limited views on what precisely a gender does. Groundbreaking queer fiction for the 50s but feels dated despite its commitment to ideas that are still controversial to this day. Anyway, Sapphire and Hecate should kiss send tweet.

[Mackenzie Hornik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Princess Knight has a charming art style with plenty of twists and turns. I would describe the story as a mix between early Disney princess movies and The Adventures of Tintin.

However, the two main issues that prevent me from rating it higher are the constant religious references and the abrupt ending.

[K. Fox (Cahill) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorably illustrated, a ridiculous and rollicking story. Don’t go into this one expecting anything serious or deep, this is a fun, charming tale for entertainment that doesn’t take itself seriously at all! I loved Princess Knight!