Winter 2022 First Impressions – Requiem of the Rose King

Streaming: Funimation

Episodes: 24

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: The “War of the Roses,” so named because of the family crests of those involved, consumed the houses of Lancaster and York as they both sought the highest seat in England. Young Richard admires his father above all others, and longs for nothing more than for him to ascend the throne. When the battle ends in an unsatisfying truce, Richard begs his father to return to battle and win a decisive victory and become king. As the fighting draws on and things begin to look dire, Richard begins to believe the rumors of his own demonic nature and whether his “honeyed words” may have sentenced his father to death.

After escaping his cell, Richard encounters a mysterious man in the woods; a beautiful, melancholy person who claims to be a shepherd named Henry. Though Richard is nearly enraptured, he realizes that it’s not a friendship that will satisfy him, but a victory for his father. Soon afterward the tides turn and the Yorks achieve victory, putting this Henry, in reality the now-deposed King Henry, at the mercy of Richard’s wrath.

Impressions: I think that most students who pass through the US school system receive some exposure to the works of Shakespeare. While as an adult with some interest in the development of the English language I can see why learning these plays is important on some level, when I think back to when I read King Lear and Romeo and Juliet, I feel like that element was never really stressed and I can’t say I retained much from the experience. What I do enjoy, however, are adaptations that take these stories, most of which are actually pretty entertaining once you understand the plot, and repurpose them in a modern way that’s a bit easier to grasp without additional knowledge about early modern English.

In my classes we never really touched on Shakespeare’s histories, so I don’t really know much about Richard the III or the real-life figure on whom the play was based. Nor can I really say whether this adaptation does a service to the source material (being based on a manga, based on the play gives it a couple degrees of separation anyway). But I can safely say that I really enjoyed this episode, and I imagine other folks into gothic style stories might get a kick out of it as well, Shakespeare expert or not.

A few years ago an anime adaptation of the game Angels of Death was released. It was… strange. I wouldn’t necessarily call the series “good” in the traditional sense, but it was weird and I really enjoyed it. The reason I bring this up is because this series shares a director with that previous production, and I can definitely sense a certain similarity between the two – of working with limited resources to tell a strange, stylized story that feels more interesting upon reflection than it might at first glance.

This episode reveals a production that’s loose on historical accuracy and light on actual animation, but which seems to be able to do a lot with a little to convey the characters’ emotions. Richard’s self-loathing, Henry’s sensitivity (and perhaps lack of ambition suitable to be a ruler under the circumstances) and the dark, supernatural presences that seem to haunt them beneath the canopy of the woods, are all obvious in spite of some clunky character animation. The soundtrack pulls a lot of weight as well.

This premiere is definitely weird, but it’s my kind of weird – imperfect, sometimes problematic, haunting, occasionally melodramatic… it’s a lot of things to take in. But it’s certainly one of the more unique things this season and I absolutely appreciate that.

Pros: This episode does a lot to build up atmosphere. The soundtrack is gorgeous and haunting, helping to add an element of fantasy to the melancholy story. There are also a lot of unusual visual techniques – the use of silhouettes and colors to help define the feelings of a scene.

For what it’s worth, this series also gives us an intersex protagonist. I have the feeling that this may make for some messy viewing, but at least on the surface this is an interesting way to establish the uniqueness of the protagonist and his feelings of being an outsider within his own family.

Cons: On the other hand, Richard’s secondary sex characteristics are used as a way to threaten him with exposure just in this episode, and I suspect it’s not a matter that will just eventually fade into the background. Bodies that differ from the norm often seem to be coopted in this way, not used simply as a way to describe a character, but as a way to put them in some kind of danger.

As I’ve also alluded to, the visuals in this episode are lacking when it comes to actually animating anything. There are a lot of still frames, and even in those, large-scale battles are depicted using CG models that are poorly-rendered.

Content Warnings: Violence, including large-scale battles. Threats of violence. Emotional abuse from a parent. Threats to “out” an intersex character.

Would I Watch More? – This series is definitely in my wheelhouse, warts and all. I’m looking forward to the experience.