Requiem of the Rose King (2022)
[薔薇王の葬列]
Director: Kentaro Suzuki
Studio: JC Staff
Starring: Mitsuki Saiga, Hikaru Midorikawa, Sayaka Ohara
Episodes: 24
Synopsis:
Amid the bloody War of the Roses, Richard, the son of the Duke of York, spurned as the offspring of demons, aspires for the crown.
Impressions:
A shoujo manga take on Shakespeare's Henry VI and Richard III? Color me intrigued. This is a considerably loose adaptation of an already loose adaptation of historical events, but there was enough here to keep me interested and it prompted an exploration of both the Shakespeare plays that inspired this and the real history behind it. In fact, I was amused to read the speculation of commenters with less curiosity saying such things as "I hope X doesn't die" and me simply thinking, "He's got until next April." There are still a few surprises as there are deviations from both historical and Shakespearean accounts. The biggest difference is that rather than simply having scoliosis, the Richard III of this story is a hermaphrodite, torn between his male and female natures while his psyche bears the marks of his father's love and his mother's hate. While Richard does a number of morally dubious things in his quest for the crown, he's portrayed more as a tragic hero rather than the out-and-out villain painted by the Bard (but of course the author of the original manga wasn't trying to suck up to the Tudors as Shakespeare was). The two constants of this story is the incessant backstabbery (true to history) and the fact that pretty much everyone is gay for Richard (probably not so true to history). Richard's assorted loves only pile on the tragedy and it makes for a fascinating character study of someone desperate for love whose ambitions ensure that he'll never have a single healthy relationship. Except best boy Bill Catesby, that is. The character dynamics are the main thing that kept me going, as the production values were often horrendous. Many times the show would devolve into slideshow mode and the art to blank silhouettes. You can argue that it's a stylistic choice, but it feels too cheap to call it a purely artistic move. Said production issues will likely be enough to drive off the casual viewer. Unless you're really hooked by the characters and/or you enjoy comparing and contrasting with the source material, you'll probably want to pass on this. While I don't regret seeing it, I have to acknowledge the niche appeal of a somewhat cheaply made medieval soap opera and say take it or leave it.
Rating:
50/50