Many years have passed since girls or guys too I dont judge dreamed of being as pretty gracious and feminine as SnowWhite or wanted to live Sleeping Beautys timeless romance. Sure those beauty standards are not completely forgotten but our old role models have mostly gone out of fashion. For example remember Prince Charming? Nowadays nobody would ever be satisfied with only one so lets make that five. The slender figure and pearlwhite skin stay but we should add some eye heterochromia to increase the unique factor. Now speaking of important things making the floor spotless or cooking delicious meals hardly count as life goals. Take I dont know becoming the king of Late Medieval England instead. Isnt that much more exciting? As for personal qualities every respectable girl must master killing at least a little together with lying scheming and dark magic. Now if you think youd much rather enjoy timeless classics such as The Little Mermaid I completely understand and I recommend Taschens clothbound edition of Hans Christian Andersens fairytaleshttps://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/children/all/06788/facts.thefairytalesofhanschristianandersen.htm. But if you want to read about a beautiful badass massacring their enemies and ascending to the throne of England I present to you... 350https://i.ur.com/MMzHiyL.jpg spoilerfree review text low spoiler images Created by Aya Kanno famous for her unconventional shoujo does Otomenhttps://anilist.co/manga/30878/ ring any bell? Baraou no Souretsu takes you to Medieval England during the Wars of the Roses. The narration follows Richard the third son of the House of York as he fights for the throne. I can already hear a confused murmur in the background so I will address this now. Yes the protagonist is Richard and although he was born intersexhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex he identifies as a guy. And yes he has five love interests and four of those are guys. I know youll ask me: Wasnt this supposed to be a shoujo romance? Yes It was suppos But isnt this just another yaoi? No Its not 300https://i.ur.com/5cYaZJd.jpg Its not like you think 350https://i.ur.com/wS8rlEg.jpg this is not a yaoi 350https://i.ur.com/teJMgAn.jpg Yaoi hand test: passed Okay I give up. I acknowledge it: this gives off massive yaoi energy. Despite Baraou greatly deviating from most BL if you dont like this genre I would be cautious with this manga. The romance is not its main focus but it is one of its selling points. However if you like romance shoujo and BL and if you have long awaited for a strong cool and enterprising main character I heartily recommend Baraou. It would be nice to have an actual strong girl for once but Richard is not a bad substitute. Speaking of the LGBT+ theme the matter is addressed coherently with the series historical background. You will not find modern discussions about gender but Richards struggle with his own body feels real and well portrayed. 600https://i.ur.com/xIYBwim.jpg Richard is an excellent protagonist. It is obvious he was created to be the character the girl readers this manga demographic target identify with: he possesses an uncommon mostly feminine beauty that lethally attracts others. But hes much more than that. Hes his lifelong adoration for his father his loathing for his body his desperate desire to fit in while knowing he never will his nightmare of being abandoned by his mother his unavoidable curse his strive to obtain something in life something that he doesnt dare calling love. And then hes also rage lust violence desperation loneliness. Richard is the edgy motherfucker 2010s emo wanted to be with less cringiness and more wickedness. 600https://i.ur.com/6mdKS0D.jpg I did indeed write wickedness because Richard is a villain. Hes that kind of villain whose motives you can fully understand. You empathise with him and start wishing for blood just like he does while he drags you to the depths of Hell. Fiction often makes you feel like a hero but every once in a while it can be cool feeling like a charismatic villain. Other characters are equally satisfying although their characterisation is influenced by their screen time with characters appearing often having a more defined personality. The female characters do not suffer as they usually do in actual BL. In Baraou theres a vast diverse cast of female characters: young old evil good with different personalities and different roles. Despite the era the manga is set in most of them influence the story as active agents. Now without further ado 100https://i.ur.com/958PX9n.jpg its time for you to meet todays eligible bachelors You didnt forget this is a harem right? 270https://i.ur.com/EuS2tiW.png Thanks for the bishies amen As you can see Aya Kanno is skilled at drawing characters. The manga art is average when it comes to backgrounds but most manga panels depict characters anyway so rejoice Its a feast for the eyes. Who will you choose? The pious and childish king Henry? His ambitious tsundere son Edward? Richards childhood friend lifelong servant? The only girl strong but lovable Anne shown below? Or the young Lord Buckingham as evil as Richard himself? Fear not whoever your favourite is they will probably all die after suffering terribly This is the kind of manga Baraou is. 600https://i.ur.com/4ypiLOp.jpg To make your grieving worse you follow these characters for several years of their life watching them grow hurt and change with lifes hardships. The manga starts when Richard is but a child and the last volume as of now the 14th portrays him as an adult. This is something manga let alone contemporary shoujo seldom does but its fitting for a tale of kings and kingdoms. It helps conveying the feeling of a great story. 400https://i.ur.com/xGTYxP5.jpg Ill have one Medieval Meal thanks Speaking of which should you look forward to Baraous story? Probably not if you expect some faithful portrayal of Shakespearian plays by which the manga is loosely inspired or if you like historical accuracy but I would doubt your sanity at this point when the main character is basically dressed in SM wear and Ive already made clear this is a harem. If youre looking for tragedy forbidden loves a compelling narrative Machiavellian scheming and romanticised battles though Baraou will not let you down. If youre hungry for a long series with BL themes that is different from most yaoi or if youd like a shoujo where the protagonist is not a perfect girl again Baraou will not let you down. And if youre desperately trying to avoid writing your master thesis sorry I think I went off on a tangent there. 350https://i.ur.com/m6SkGQN.jpg Me my bf and his cat going to get bubble tea when the quarantine is over Baraou has some great merits which Ive tried to highlight above but it is not a masterpiece: the harem theme makes it look like a selfinsert fantasy some narrative choices are a bit dumb the environment is neglected to focus only on characters and their relationships the historical part is weak But it still is pretty fucking great in its genre: a historical romance drama. The author knew from the start what she was going to portray and what she was not. She knew what her strong points were and bet on those creating a unique series that you wont forget any time soon. The King is dead long live the King Special extra Baraou Drinking Game 250https://i.ur.com/WJo1jKg.jpg only for otaku of legal age Take a sip when: Richard goes my light or father Henry loses his shit Someone says or thinks demon A tit is shown Buckingham does the sexy face you know which Drink one shot when: Richard wants the crown The night crow cried out Richards cloak dramatically floats in the wind