I got this softcover from the Used Book Superstore in Burlington MA, for another release copy. It's based (however loosely) on Shakespeare's plays Henry VI and Richard III. (The series is by the author of Otomen.)

The story opens with a mention of Joan of Arc, who turns out to be a significant character here even though she died a full generation before Richard III was born. But then, this story draws on a number of sources, not all of them historical, and takes some interesting turns along the way. Among them: a young Richard befriends a mysterious, strangely-melancholy man in a meadow, where both of them have managed to evade their minders - and it turns out that the man is Henry VI, who will eventually be supplanted by Richard's brother Edward.

Richard himself is described here in the worst of the Shakespearian-villain terms, born malformed (according to the ghost of Joan, hermaphroditic, neither boy nor girl) and even cursed - but his father loves him, and his loyal servant Catesby seems devoted to him.

There's a subplot illustrating why Richard chose the white boar as his symbol, and we get glimpses of characters who'll play larger roles later on, including Richard's brother George and his cousin (and future wife) Anne Neville. And here his own mother is cast as one of his greatest foes, loathing and fearing him as a curse against her husband - but even if that were true, her efforts to keep him away from Richard of York don't save him.

The historical tale of the Wars of the Roses is quite full of tragedy itself; this manga seems determined to add more layers of angst, which don't seem necessary - but I admit it's beautifully drawn and quite compelling...

[There's a TV Tropes page on the series with some interesting tidbits. There's an anime adaptation that looks promising. And for a more direct manga adaptation of Shakespeare's play, check out Manga Shakespeare: Richard III.]

I left this book in the Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in MA here.]

Released for:

** 2024 May Royalty challenge **

** 2024 April Showers/May Flowers challenge **

** 2024 Never Judge a Book By Its Cover challenge. **