is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series written and illustrated by

Aya Kanno is a Japanese manga artist. After working as an assistant to Masashi Asaki of ''Psychometrer Eiji'' fame, she debuted as a professional manga artist in ''Hana to Yume'' in 2001 with her fantasy-action series '' Soul Rescue''. She has since publ ...

. Loosely based on the

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

plays ''

Henry VI, Part 3 ''Henry VI, Part 3'' (often written as ''3 Henry VI'') is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas '' 1 Henry VI'' deals with the loss of Eng ...

'' and ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

'', the series follows an

intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bina ...

version of

during the tumultuous

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

(1455–1487) period in English history. The manga was serialized in

Akita Shoten is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Teio Akita on 10 August 1948. As of 2020, the company's president is Shigeru Higuchi. Magazines Male-oriented manga magazines ''Shōnen'' magazines * – Bimo ...

's '' Monthly Princess'' magazine from October 2013 to January 2022, with its chapters collected into 16 bound volumes as of December 2021. It is licensed in English by

Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...

. It has inspired three

drama CDs Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...

, two spin-off manga series, an original novel, a stage play, and an

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series adaptation by

J.C.Staff , is a Japanese animation studio founded in January 1986 by Tomoyuki Miyata, who previously worked at Tatsunoko Production. The studio's first release was ''Yōtōden'' in 1987. They have produced several well-known anime series, such as '' Food ...

, which aired from January to June 2022.

Plot

As the

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. On 1 ...

is torn between the

House of York The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, ...

and the

House of Lancaster The House of Lancaster was a cadet branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. The first house was created when King Henry III of England created the Earldom of Lancasterfrom which the house was namedfor his second son Edmund Crouchback in 126 ...

—each claiming their leader to be the rightful king—young

, the

son of the Duke of York, is fighting a battle within himself. Despised by his mother, adored by his father, and alienated from most others, Richard grapples with frightful spirits haunting him, unsteady and unintentional alliances with his enemies, and his own passion for a throne.

Characters

;

: :Third son of Richard Duke of York, younger brother of Edward IV and George, and eventually the third and final Yorkist king of England. Richard is raging a battle inside. He feels alienated because he is

. ; Henry VI : :Head of the Lancaster family and King of England. ; Queen Margaret : :Wife of Henry VI and Queen of England. ; Prince Edward of Lancaster : :Son of Henry VI and Margaret and Prince of Wales. ; Catesby : :Richard III's servant. ;

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

: :Known as the "

Kingmaker A kingmaker is a person or group that has great influence on a royal or political succession, without themselves being a viable candidate. Kingmakers may use political, monetary, religious and military means to influence the succession. Origina ...

", a powerful supporter of first the York family and then the Lancaster family. ;

Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Planta ...

: :First leader of the York family, husband of Cecily, father of Edward IV, George, Duke of Clarence, and Richard III. ; Cecily Neville, Duchess of York : :Wife of Richard Plantagenet, mother of Edward IV, George, Duke of Clarence, and Richard III. Despises her son Richard as a monster for being intersex. ; Edward IV of York : :Oldest son of Richard Duke of York, older brother of Richard and George, second leader of the York family, and first Yorkist king of England. ; George, Duke of Clarence : :Second son of Richard Duke of York, younger brother of Edward IV and older brother of Richard. ;

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

: :A French warrior woman who fought for her people in the Hundred Year's War. Believed by the English to be a witch. Appears in visions to Richard III to torment him. ;

Anne Neville Anne Neville (11 June 1456 – 16 March 1485) was Queen of England as the wife of King Richard III. She was the younger of the two daughters and co-heiresses of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (the "Kingmaker"). Before her marriage to Ric ...

: :Youngest daughter of Warwick. Married first to Prince Edward of Lancaster and then to Richard III. ; Isabelle Neville : :Oldest daughter of Warwick. Wife of George and Duchess of Clarence. ; Queen Elizabeth : :Wife of Edward IV and later Queen of England. Secretly seeks revenge on Edward for the death of her first husband Sir John Grey. ;

Edward V Edward V (2 November 1470 – mid-1483)R. F. Walker, "Princes in the Tower", in S. H. Steinberg et al, ''A New Dictionary of British History'', St. Martin's Press, New York, 1963, p. 286. was ''de jure'' King of England and Lord of Ireland fro ...

:Oldest son of Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth and briefly the second Yorkist king of England. ; Richard, Duke of York :Second son of Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth. ; Beth :Daughter of Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth. ;

Richard Grey Sir Richard Grey (1457 – 25 June 1483) was an English knight and the half-brother of King Edward V of England. Early life Richard Grey was the younger son of Sir John Grey of Groby and Elizabeth Woodville. Richard was a 3-year-old child whe ...

:Son of Queen of Elizabeth and Sir John Grey. Half-brother to Edward V, Richard, Duke of York and Beth. ;

Earl Rivers Earl Rivers was an English title, which has been created three times in the Peerage of England. It was held in succession by the families of Woodville (or Wydeville), Darcy and Savage. History The first creation was made for Richard Woodville, 1s ...

: :Brother of Queen Elizabeth. ;

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of Central Milton Keynes, sou ...

: :Ally to Richard III. ;

Jane Shore Elizabeth "Jane" Shore (née Lambert) (c. 1445 – c. 1527) was one of the many mistresses of King Edward IV of England. She became the best-known to history through being later accused of conspiracy by the future King Richard III, and compelle ...

: :

Witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

and mistress to first Edward IV and then Lord Hastings. ;

Lord Hastings Baron Hastings is a title that has been created three times. The first creation was in the Peerage of England in 1290, and is extant. The second creation was in the Peerage of England in 1299, and became extinct on the death of the first holder in ...

:Ally first to Richard III and then to the Woodville family. ; James Tyrell : :The murderer of the Princes in the Tower. ; Albany :Brother of King James III of Scotland and would-be king of Scotland. Ally to Richard III. ; Thomas Stanley :Earl of Derby and ally of Queen Elizabeth. ;

Margaret Pole Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury (14 August 1473 – 27 May 1541), also called Margaret Pole, as a result of her marriage to Sir Richard Pole, was the only surviving daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, a brother ...

:Daughter of George, Duke of Clarence and Isabelle Neville. ; Edward Plantagenet :Son of George, Duke of Clarence and Isabelle Neville. ;

Edward of Middleham Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales ( or 1476 9 April 1484), was the son and heir apparent of King Richard III of England by his wife Anne Neville. He was Richard's only legitimate child and died aged ten. Birth and titles Edward was born at ...

:Alleged son of Richard III and Anne Neville. ;

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

: :Nephew of Henry VI and stepson of Thomas Stanley. Richard III's final rival for control of the throne of England.

Media

Manga

''Requiem of the Rose King'' was written and illustrated by

. It was serialized in

's (girls') manga magazine '' Monthly Princess'', starting in the magazine's November 2013 issue on 4 October 2013. On 4 June 2021, Kanno announced that she had completed the storyboard for the final ''Requiem of the Rose King'' chapter. On 6 October 2021, ''Monthly Princess'' revealed that the series would end in four chapters. ''Requiem of the Rose King'' concluded in the magazine's February 2022 issue on 6 January 2022. Akita Shoten collects the series' individual chapters into (bound volumes) published under their Princess Comics imprint; the 17th and final volume will be released in Japan on 16 June 2022. Internationally, the series is licensed for an English-language release in North America by

under the company's

Shojo Beat ''Shojo Beat'' is a manga magazine formerly published in North America by Viz Media. Launched in June 2005 as a sister magazine for '' Shonen Jump'', it featured serialized chapters from six manga series, as well as articles on Japanese cult ...

imprint. It is also licensed in French by Éditions Ki-oon, in German by Carlsen Comics, in Polish by

Waneko Waneko is a Polish language, Polish manga publisher, located in Warsaw, Poland. The founders of Waneko are Aleksandra Watanuki, Martyna Taniguchi and Kenichiro Watanuki. Titles published Manga *''Message to Adolf, Adolf ni Tsugu'' *''Ao no Exorci ...

, in Spanish by Ediciones Tomodomo, in Italian by Edizioni Star Comics, and in Chinese by

Tong Li Publishing Tongli Publishing Co. ( Chinese: 東立出版社, Hanyu Pinyin: ''Dōng Lì Chūbǎnshè''), most known as Tong Li Comics, is a publishing company which distributes a variety of domestic and imported comics in Taiwan. History Tong Li was founde ...

Volume list

Spin-offs

=''King of Idol''

= A spin-off manga series, ''King of Idol:'' , began serialization in the February 2021 issue of ''Monthly Princess'' on 6 January 2021. The series is written and illustrated by . It portrays the ''Requiem of the Rose King'' characters as high school students training to become " idols" or entertainers.

=''Bara-Ō no Sōretsu: Gaiden''

= A second spin-off manga series, , began serialization in the April 2022 issue of ''Monthly Princess'' on 4 March 2022. The series is written and illustrated by Kanno, and its chapters will be collected into two volumes. The series focuses on events not covered in the main series, including stories about the characters' everyday lives and Queen Margaret's past.

Drama CDs

''Requiem of the Rose King'' has inspired three

produced by Akita Shoten in Japan. The first, based on volume three of the manga, was bundled with the February 2016 issue of ''Monthly Princess'', released on 6 January 2016. The second, based on volumes four and five of the manga, was included with a limited edition of volume seven, released on 16 January 2017. The third, based on volumes five and six of the manga, was bundled with the March 2017 issue of ''Monthly Princess'', released on 6 February 2017. All three drama CDs starred

Mitsuki Saiga is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Ken Production. Her major roles include Tsukasa in ''.hack'', Maria Ross in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'', Rossiu Adai in ''Gurren Lagann'', MakubeX in ''GetBackers'', Wolfram von Bielefeld in ...

as Richard III and

Daisuke Namikawa is a Japanese actor and singer associated with Stay Luck. He began acting as a child and is sometimes mistaken with Daisuke Hirakawa, as their names only differ by one character when written in kanji. Despite his wide range of roles, he usual ...

as Henry VI.

Anime

On 16 September 2020, Akita Shoten announced via their

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel that ''Requiem of the Rose King'' would be adapted into an

television series. The series is animated by

and directed by Kentarō Suzuki, with Hiroki Uchida writing and supervising the scripts, Tsutomu Hashizume designing the characters, and

Kow Otani is a Japanese composer. He is best known for creating the soundtracks for the Heisei ''Gamera'' trilogy, '' Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'', ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', and ''Shadow of the Colossus''. Biogra ...

composing the musical score. The series was originally scheduled to premiere in October 2021, but was delayed due to production issues. It aired from 9 January to 26 June 2022, on

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV, branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon TV, TV Asahi, NH ...

and other channels in Japan. The series aired for two consecutive ''cours'', for a half-year continuous run. The first opening theme is "" (, "I'm Obsessed with Roses") performed by

Makoto Furukawa is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and singer previously affiliated with Space Craft Entertainment. He became a freelancer in September 2018. He joined the record label, Toy's Factory, in December 2018. He made his solo singer de ...

, while the first ending theme is "" (, "Nightmare") performed by Zaq. The second opening theme is "" (, "Rose Briar Rondo") performed by Makoto Furukawa, while the second ending theme is "" () performed by Nowlu.

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

licensed the series as part of their Winter 2022

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...

lineup in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Australia, and New Zealand.

Medialink Medialink Group Limited is a content distributor and licensor based in Kowloon, Hong Kong specializing in the distribution of Japanese anime and brand licensing. Its offices are located at Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Registered from Hong Kong ...

licensed the series in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania minus Australia and New Zealand.

Episode list

Stage play

stage play A play is a work of drama, usually consisting mostly of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and intended for theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Reading (process), reading. The writer of a play is called a playwright. Pla ...

adaptation of the manga is scheduled to run at the

Nippon Seinenkan The is a hotel and convention complex in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The main hall can accommodate 1,360 guests. Performances Musical artists who have performed at the Nippon Seinenkan include Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, on July 1, 2012. Others inclu ...

hall in Tokyo from June 10 to June 19, 2022. The play will be directed by Fumiya Matsuzaki, with its script written by ''Requiem of the Rose King'' anime screenplay writer Hiroki Uchida. It will star both a female actor, Yumi Wakatsuki, and a male actor, Sayato Arima, as the intersex Richard III. Additional cast members include Takuma Wada as Henry VI; Yūki Kimisawa as Edward IV of York; Gaku Takamoto as George, Duke of Clarence; Shō Katō as Catesby; Yūsuke Seto as Warwick; Ryōta Hirono as Prince Edward of Lancaster; Sena as Anne Neville; Sayaka Fujioka as Cecily Neville, Duchess of York; Ryōko Tanaka as Queen Margaret; and Masashi Taniguchi as Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York.

Other media

A bonus manga chapter, , was published in the July 2015 issue of ''Monthly Princess'' on 5 June 2015. The chapter depicts Kanno's trip to England with her editor for the reburial of King Richard III in March of that year. An

art book Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects. Overview Artists' books have employed a ...

, , was published by Akita Shoten on 15 June 2018. A spin-off novel, , was published by Akita Shoten on 15 December 2021. The novel was written by Yō Makusu, with

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...

by Kanno. A fanbook was published by Akita Shoten on 16 March 2022, collecting character information, tribute illustrations, and manga previously omitted from the bound volume release of the main series.

Reception

In the 2015 edition of

Takarajimasha is a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is known for publishing subculture-oriented fashion magazines aimed at teens, fashion magazines in general, as well as guide books. History The company was founded on September 22, ...

's guidebook, ''Requiem of the Rose King'' tied with '' Tanaka-kun is Always Listless'' for number 17 on the list of the top 20 manga for female readers. Japanese actor

Kenji Urai is a Japanese actor and singer. Career Urai debuted as an actor in 2000 in Kamen Rider Kuuga television series. In 2001 he played Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon Musicals and started his career in theatre. In 2004 he portrayed Rudolf ...

, who portrayed Henry VI in a production of the Shakespearean play at the

New National Theatre Tokyo The is Japan's first and foremost national centre for the performing arts, including opera, ballet, contemporary dance and drama. It is located in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. Since 1997 more than 650 productions were staged. There are about 300 pe ...

, stated that he is a "big fan" of the manga. Moto Hagio, a pioneering manga artist, praised ''Requiem of the Rose King''s depiction of "a whole new Richard III", calling it "more interesting than Shakespeare!" Hagio was quoted on the (wrap-around paper advertisement) attached to the third volume of ''Requiem of the Rose King'', pictured in the article. She stated: Translation: "Wow! A whole new Richard III! More interesting than Shakespeare!"

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{J.C.Staff 2022 anime television series debuts Akita Shoten manga Androgyny in fiction Anime series based on manga Aya Kanno Comics based on works by William Shakespeare Comics set in the 15th century Dark fantasy anime and manga Drama anime and manga Funimation Historical anime and manga Intersex in fiction J.C.Staff Japanese LGBT-related animated television series LGBT in anime and manga LGBT-related adaptations of works by William Shakespeare Medialink Romance anime and manga Shōjo manga Transgender in anime and manga Viz Media manga Works based on Richard III (play)