Requiem of the Rose King (Japanese name: Barao No Sorotsu ) is a manga series written by and illustrated by Aya Kanno himself. It is a 15 volume manga series based on Shakespeare’s historical plays Henry VI, part 3, and Richard III. This manga series is more like a spinoff of Shakespeare’s plays following the story of both the historical character Richard III and Henry VI. The manga-inspired 3 drama CDs and an anime adaptation of this manga are set to premiere on October 21, 2021, directed by Kentaro Suzuki and written by Hiroki Uchida and Studio J.C.Staff.
The story of this series is actually a spinoff based on Shakespeare’s two historic characters Richard III and henry vi, during the medieval period in English history, more specifically during the tumultuous ‘War of Roses’ (1455-1485)’ time period. This story shows the fight for the power for the throne between two houses Richard III from the House of York and Henry VI from the House of Lancaster.
Both the houses fighting against each other in old fashion ways, claiming their perspective kings to be the rightful heir of the throne. The story is not only filled with politics and historical matter but also enticed with dark romantic settings.
Characters of Requiem of the Rose King
Many characters get introduced as the series goes on but to avoid spoilers, I will include just the two protagonist characters.
- Richard, one of the protagonist characters from House of York, is a cold and distant character despised by his mother but loved by his father, Duke of the York. His undeniable passion and desire for the throne can be seen. But he is carrying a burdensome secret within himself that can snatch away all his desires, dreams.
- Next up, we have our second protagonist character, Henry from House of Lancaster, a kind and extremely holy person who believes in religion.
Some of the other characters are:
House of York :
- Richard (Richard’s Father),
- Edward (Richard’s Eldest Brother),
- George (Richard’s Older Brother),
- Cecily (Richard’s Mother),
- Catesby (Richard’s Servant),
- Warwick (The Kings-Maker),
- Anne (Eldest Daughter of Warwick).
House of Lancaster:
- Edward (Henry’s Son),
- Margaret (Henry’s Wife).
Requiem of the Rose King is a historical romantic fiction manga. Many people think this is a bl / yaoi genre manga, although there is sexual tension between the two leading male protagonists Richard and Henry. Despite it, there is no further confirmation in the manga that Richard and Henry are cannon. But I love the fact that this manga is breaking and going beyond all the gender issues. Apart from that, the historical and political element in this manga is not perfectly accurate. Still, it hasn’t strayed too far away that it’s almost as if rewriting history all over again.
Alongside the history, there is also romance and desire among the characters. On one side, we see the unstable relationship between Henry and Margaret. On the other side, we see Richard and Cecily’s relationship wasn’t unstable, but it showed that it might break at one point than just the next moment they might show affection for each other.
So, it’s safe to say, Requiem of the Rose King is a dark romance historical fiction genre manga that is definitely covering a lot of genres at the same time. So, if you are a historical fiction lover or just dark romantic fiction or both, then Requiem of the Rose King is for you!
What To Know About Requiem of the Rose King?
- Requiem of the Rose King, written and illustrated by Aya Kano which has been serialized in Akita Shoten’s shojo(girl’s)manga magazine, Monthly Princess, since its first release on 4th October 2013.
- Inspired by the manga 3 drama CDs were produced. The first CD was based on volumes one and two of manga, the second CD based on volumes three and four, while the third CD was based on volumes five and six. All three drama CDs starred Mitsuki Saiga as Richard III and Daisuke Namikawa as Henry VI.
- Recently On 16 September 2020, Akita Shoten announced via their official YouTube channel that Requiem of the Rose King would be adapted into an anime television series which will be directed by Kentaro Suzuki and written by Hiroki Uchida and Studio, J.C.Staff.
I am very excited to see how this historical, dark romantic genre manga turns out anime!
Read Requiem of the Rose King Fall Anime Announcement
