Requiem of the Rose King

Alternate Titles

薔薇王の葬列
Bara-O no Souretsu

Synopsis

Set in medieval England, two houses are at war with each other: the House of York, the White Rose, and the House of Lancaster, the Red Rose, with each vying for the throne. Young Prince Richard III is a member of the House of York who has a secret - he was born intersex. Despised by his mother and labeled a “demon,” he is alienated and leads a lonely life. However, he still wishes to become the next king of England, but first he must win the battle against himself...

Background

Requiem of the Rose King is a manga series written and illustrated by Aya Kanno that is loosely based on the plays Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III by William Shakespeare. It has been serialized in Akita Shoten’s shojo manga magazine Monthly Princess since October 2013, and as of December 2021, 16 collected tankobon volumes have been published under the Princess Comics imprint. The series is licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media under their Shojo Beat imprint. A spin-off series written by Kineko Abekawa titled King of Idol: Bara-O no Gakuen has been serialized in Monthly Princess since January 2021 and is currently ongoing.

A TV anime adaptation was announced in September 2020 on Akita Shoten’s official YouTube channel. It is being animated by J.C.Staff (A Certain Magical Index, Combatants Will Be Dispatched!, Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma) and features Kentaro Suzuki (Angels of Death, Kud Wafter, MARGINAL #4 the Animation) as director, with Hiroki Uchida (A Certain Scientific Railgun T, Date A Live III, The Strongest Sage With the Weakest Crest) handling series composition and scripts, Chikara Hashizume (Flying Witch, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Prison School) handling character designs, and Kou Otani (Digimon Ghost Game, Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing) composing the music. The anime’s opening theme song is “Ware, Bara ni Insu” by Makoto Furukawa, and the ending theme song is “Akumu” by ZAQ. The anime was originally planned for broadcast in fall 2021 but was postponed and will now premiere in Japan on Jan. 9, 2022 on Tokyo MX and other channels. It will air for two consecutive cours (seasons).

Characters

Richard (Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga)
The third son of the House of York. Due to being raised by his mother Cecily like he was a "demon," he has a closed heart, and he often sees visions of the French witch Joan of Arc that appear before him. He adores his father, Richard, Duke of York, and hopes more than anyone that his father will take the throne. During a battle with the Lancasters, he meets a mysterious young shepherd boy who gives him peace of mind he’s never felt before. He keeps the fact that he is a hermaphrodite a secret, and even his brothers don't know about it.

Henry (Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa)
A mysterious young man whom Richard meets in the forest after being captured by the Lancasters. He calls himself a shepherd.

Richard, Duke of York (Voiced by: Sho Hayami)
The father of three sons, he is gentle and dignified. For his son Richard, who is named after him, he is a “light that shines in the darkness.” He decides to fight together with the Earl of Warwick to reclaim the throne that was usurped by the Lancasters.

Edward (Voiced by: Kousuke Toriumi)
The eldest son of the House of York. He attracts people with his cheerful and positive personality and his outstanding good looks, and is a bit of a womanizer. During the battle with the Lancaster family, he awakens to the awareness of being the eldest son of the York family and deepens his bond with the Earl of Warwick.

George, Duke of Clarence (Voiced by: Yasuaki Takumi)
The second son of the House of York. He has an honest personality and is kind to Richard, though he isn’t very thoughtful. He meets an unexpected fate in the midst of political strife.

Earl of Warwick (Voiced by: Satoshi Mikami)
An advisor to Richard, Duke of York. He is deeply involved in the battle between the York and Lancaster houses as the “kingmaker” and is working hard to make his eldest son Edward the king. He has two daughters, Anne and Isabelle.

William Catesby (Voiced by: Satoshi Hino)
A caretaker who has served Richard since he was born. He works behind the scenes to protect Richard and is one of the few people who knows his secret.

Queen Margaret (Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara)
The wife of King Henry VI and mother of Prince Edward of Westminster. Though she doesn’t like to fight, she looks down on her husband as a spineless good-for-nothing not fit to be king, and she takes charge in commanding the fight against the House of York.

Edward of Westminster (Voiced by: Kouhei Amasaki)
Son of King Henry VI. Unlike his introverted father, he is egotistical but has a personality people can’t hate. He meets Richard in a different way than Henry and becomes attracted to him, which drastically changes his fate.

Lady Anne Neville (Voiced by: Sayumi Suzushiro)
The eldest daughter of the Earl of Warwick. She has a quiet disposition but is as good a hunter and horse rider as any man. She meets Richard at a young age and develops a faint fondness for him, but her feelings are tossed aside by an irresistible fate.

Lady Isabelle Neville (Voiced by: Ayumi Mano)
The second daughter of the Earl of Warwick. She is the opposite of her quiet sister and has an assertive personality. Her father’s changing circumstances have a great impact on her life.

Elizabeth (Voiced by: Shizuka Ito)
A woman who is favored by Edward. She falls in love with him when she directly appeals to him for the return of her late husband’s land. However, her true intention is to destroy the House of York as revenge for her late husband.

Cecily Neville (Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa)
The wife of Richard, Duke of York and the mother of his three sons. She calls the youngest son, Richard, a “demon” and detests him as a misfortune. Her words and actions gnaw at Richard’s heart.

Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham (Voiced by: Riho Sugiyama)
He meets Richard at a party and becomes interested in him. He is skilled at reading political situations and thinks it would be fun to be Richard’s kingmaker.

Joan of Arc (Voiced by: Aoi Yuki)
A French witch condemned and burned at the stake for wearing men’s clothing. She is said to live deep in the forest and often appears to Richard as a ghost, bewitching him with words that seem to penetrate the innermost depths of his heart.

Music

Opening Theme Song: “Ware, Bara ni Insu” by Makoto Furukawa
Ending Theme Song: “Akumu” by ZAQ

• Anime Site (Japanese)
• Twitter (Japanese)

• Original Creator: Aya Kanno
• Original Concept: William Shakespeare (Henry VIII, Richard III)
• Director: Kentaro Suzuki
• Series Composition/Script: Hiroki Uchida
• Character Design: Chikara Hashizume
• Art Director: Kentaro Izumi
• Color Design: Mayumi Tanahashi
• Director of Photography: Akihiro Takahashi
• Sound Director: Yoshikazu Iwanami
• Music: Kou Otani
• Music Production: Lantis
• Animation Production: J.C.Staff