Requiem of the Rose King #14
Art and Story by Aya Kanno
Reviewed December 16, 2023
Continuing on to volume 14…and then I’ll be taking a break, leaving the finale for a quieter time.
In some ways, this is like a well written soap opera with equally well written sections of alternate history. No matter which way you choose to look at it, it’s a series that has even someone like me with no real interest in manga hooked! In many ways, it is one of the most original interpretations of the legend of Richard III, yet still manages to pay homage to not only Shakespeare but also the history behind the fiction.
Several things happen in volume 14. Richard confesses to Bucky that Edward of Middleham (Richard’s son) is not his own but is, in fact, the son of Anne and her first husband, Edward of Lancaster. It really, really helps to have a good understanding of this era. Otherwise, all the Henrys, Richards, and Edwards can be more than a little confusing! This leads to an argument between Richard and Bucky, and the beginnings of a split in their relationship when Bucky says young Edward needs to be set aside because he’s not a true York, while Richard has come to love this boy, who offers him unconditional affection, as his own.
And now things are getting really interesting, if not a bit bizarre. Preparations are being made for a coronation at York, but before that, Richard visits Buckingham at his estates. There, he reveals that he might be pregnant. Okay, I am willing to suspend belief for this one because what the heck. If I can accept an intersex Richard, I guess I can accept him getting pregnant…but what the...? Hermaphrodites are almost always sterile, and even if this time he (or she?) is fertile, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking, “WTF? Do you mean that all this time, Richard hadn’t noticed that he missed his period?”
Suddenly, we have Bucky wanting to set up house with Richard and prevent Richard from leaving. But Richard isn’t willing to give up the throne he has always sought. Will Richard give up the throne to be with his other half? Will Catesby find Richard before more damage is done? And what about Tyrell, the mystery assassin?
Perhaps this time, we are given a more outlandish story than we’re used to, but in the context of the whole picture, it all works in its own weird and eccentric way.