Baraou no SouretsuRequiem of the Rose King Edit What would you like to edit? SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links   5j3rl

this won't be the most coherent review but i absolutely adore baraou no souretsu! i read the whole thing so far in about four sittings because i was so intrigued.

Richard is a tragic and cool character and observing how each character treats him is very interesting. his internal struggles are unlike any characters i've ever seen before. we get to see the evolution of how he feels about his body, and about gender itself, like how it determines so much of your life, especially in the 1400s or whatever.

it isn't a spoiler to say it is a tragic story so far, but i can't ... help but want him to have a happy ending or as happy as it can get being in a royal family during turbulent times.

personally, i wasn't confused on the family tree or the names/heritage of other characters. i thought the pacing was good, and the art was beautiful. the story has a way of pulling you in and making you feel completely present while reading it, which i really liked. also love the queerness!! i want to buy all the books so bad but my wallet </3

best shoujo i've ever read lol, i'd love to read more stories like this. and i hope manga and anime continue to include intersex characters, they deserve to be seen.

Firstly - I don't understand why so many of these reviews are calling Richard a trans man. It is made VERY clear from the beginning that Richard is (visibly) intersex at birth, there are many references to Richard being born with/having "both sexes" throughout the series, on occasion the confused "what are you?" reaction to seeing his body, and even references by Richard himself regarding having ambiguous organs. Richards father decides to raise him as a man, and he identifies as such for the entire series. Richard is not a girl, or a trans man, he is just a(n intersex) man.

I found the story ... to be quite interesting from a psychological standpoint - it covers a lot of different perspectives and characters, so I quite liked seeing all of the different reactions and character developments throughout. I'm not particularly into history so can't comment on how accurate the story is, but overall thought it was worth reading, particularly if you're interested in a lot of war and power struggles.

I initially only really read this manga specifically because it had an intersex character - as someone with a likely similar intersex variation to Richard I wanted to read it out of curiosity more than anything (which is partially why it's a little frustrating seeing everyone else erase his intersex identity) but I would probably suggest that this isn't suitable for other intersex people who are sensitive about the topic - Richard is not exactly treated kindly because of it so it may be a trigger for some people.

For a story written about a cripple, I found it insulting as a cripple myself.

I was rather excited for this series and found myself rather disappointed. I think if this wasn't based off real events and people I wouldn't have found much issue. But Knowing the historical figure, Richard, who is the protagonist in this story. I can't help but say I'm disappointed and honestly offended that they changed his disability. Richard the 3rd Duke of York was known for being a cripple and having a curved spine. Something we would now call scoliosis. This is why I was excited, as someone who grew up ... a cripple and with this same painful condition, I was hoping to see representation and possibly exploration into what body dysmorphia is like. Instead they remove Richard's crippled spine and instead imply that he is a trans man. (Which yes, trans men can also use some representation) but seeing the nature of this manga; it's obvious they chose to make Richard's gender a question because androgyny is more appealing in shoujo than seeing someone with a crippled back.

But then why continue to refer to the character as a cripple? I think erasing his actual condition is only more insulting and honestly triggered my own dysmorphia.

That being said trans dysphoria is also an important and very valid topic that I do think should be explored more. But in these circumstances it felt inappropriate to rewrite Richard the 3rd's medical condition, solely so that the reader would find him more attractive.