Requiem of the Rose King is an upcoming historical dark fantasy anime series adapted from a manga of the same name created by Aya Kanno.
The upcoming anime tells the story of Shakespeare’s Richard III, but from a completely different perspective. Many artists shy away from topics that concern sexual differences, but Aya Kanno embraces the topic and makes Richard a queer character.
Shakespeare had defined Richard III as “deformed”, but Kanno recognizes his character as an intersex person. She also focuses on how he might feel from his constant treatment as a different individual.
The bold move from Aya Kanno to bring in a queer character is something rare in the manga/anime world. The uniqueness of the character and the inspiration from Shakespeare’s work is going to be one of a kind. So, when is ‘Requiem of the Rose King’ coming?
1. Release Date
The production studio of ‘Requiem of the Rose King’ announced that the series is scheduled to release in January 2022.
No specific date has been disclosed as of yet.
I. Reason For The Premier Push Back
On July 2, 2021, the Requiem of the Rose King Production Committee announced that the Requiem of the Rose King, which was scheduled for broadcast in Fall 2021, has now been pushed back to January 2022.
Apology and Notice
We have posted a notice on the official website of the change in the broadcast time of the TV anime “Requiem of the Rose King”.
We have decided to change the broadcasting time from autumn 2021 to January 2022.
We sincerely apologize to everyone who has been looking forward to it.
English Translation, Twitter Translate
The committee stated it was due to production reasons that they had to change its broadcast schedule.
The staff sincerely apologized for the inconvenience and concern to all the fans who are looking forward to it. All staff members are doing their best to produce the anime, so they would appreciate our understanding.
2. Key Visual
The key visual looks gorgeous and perfectly highlights the art style of Aya Kanno.
We see the main character, Richard, with his heterochromatic eyes and a well-poised face. The purple rose in his hand gives a contrasting color to his pale skin.
3. Trailer
There is no official trailer for Requiem of the Rose King as of yet. To compromise with it, let’s take a look at the announcement promotional video.
The announcement video gives us a glimpse of the mesmerizing stills from the original manga showing the characters in various scenes throughout the story.
It also shows us some of the manga’s main characters such as Richard Plantagenet, King Henry IV, Edward of Lancaster, Anne Neville, William Catesby, and Henry Stafford, The Duke of Buckingham.
4. Plot/Storyline
The story revolves around the Duke of York’s child and protagonist Richard Plantagenet III. The plot is set during the bloody “Wars of the Roses” where every noble is competing to become the next King of England. The Duke of York is one of the nobles aspiring for the throne.
Just as the Duke is about to succeed in becoming the next crowned King of England, the opportunity slips through his fingers. Enraged by what happened to his father, Richard sets out to get revenge.
During Richard III’s journey of vengeance, he faces many obstacles as a member of the House of York and must prepare himself to fight against The House of Lancaster for the throne of England.
5. Main Characters In Requiem Of The Rose King
I. Richard III
Richard III is the third son of York, who is labeled as a “demon” and despised by his mother. Richard is intersex and describes himself as a male. He is relatively quiet and inexpressive while around others. Due to his intersexuality, Richard is constantly confused about who he is.
II. Henry VI
Henry VI is the head of the House of Lancaster. A devout Christian, who hates war and killing. He yearns to be a shepherd, and meets Richard III in the forest, and they are drawn to each other without knowing each other’s true identity. He is married to Margaret.
III. Edward of Lancaster
Edward is the son of Henry VI and Margaret. Edward gets interested in Richard III, wondering why he is called a demon. He rips Richard’s clothes and sees his feminine side, making him think Richard is a girl.
IV. Anne Neville
Anne Neville is the daughter of the Earl of Warwick. Married first to Prince Edward of Lancaster and then to Richard III. Anne meets Richard III, while she is facing a small albino boar alone in the forest.
VI. William Catesby
William Catesby is Richard III’s caretaker since his birth. He is a loyal servant who always looks out for Richard and is one of the few that knows his secret.
VII. Duke of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham is an ally to Richard III. Buckingham is quite ambitious and has expressed his desire to make Richard III a king.
6. Staff
| Position | Staff | Other Works |
| Director | Kentaro Suzuki | Black Butler |
| Series Composition | Hiroki Uchida | Date A Live III |
| Character Design | Tsutomu Hashizume | Key animation(Darling in Franxx) |
| Studio | J.C.Staff | Bakuman |
7. Conclusion
The delay with the ‘Requiem of the Rose King’ release may be a setback but knowing how popular the franchise is, I’m sure the series will hit the charts once it is out.
Moto Hagio, a pioneering shōjo manga artist, praised Requiem of the Rose King’s depiction of “a whole new Richard III”, calling it “more interesting than Shakespeare”, so I’m looking forward to seeing what the anime holds.
Will Richard III find inner peace? Will Richard III take the throne at the end?
8. About Requiem Of The Rose King
Requiem of the Rose King is a dark fantasy manga adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard III. It is created by Aya Kanno and licensed by Viz Media. It debuted in October 2013 in the Monthly Princess magazine.
Richard is the third son of the House of York, and he believes himself to be cursed and damned since birth. His longings will determine his fate. What will the War of Roses bring for him?
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