Many years have passed since girls (or guys too, I don’t judge) dreamed of being as pretty, gracious and feminine as Snow-White or wanted to live Sleeping Beauty’s 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 let’s make that five. The slender figure and pearl-white 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 don’t know, becoming the king of Late Medieval England instead. Isn’t 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 you’d much rather enjoy timeless classics such as The Little Mermaid, I completely understand, and I recommend Taschen’s clothbound edition of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales. But if you want to read about a beautiful badass massacring their enemies and ascending to the throne of England, I present to you...

↓ spoiler-free review text, low spoiler images ↓

Created by Aya Kanno, famous for her unconventional shoujo (does Otomen 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 intersex, he identifies as a guy. And yes, he has five love interests and four of those are guys. I know you’ll ask me: “Wasn’t this supposed to be a shoujo romance?” Yes… It was suppos- “But isn’t this just another yaoi?” No… It’s not…

It’s not like you think-

this is not a yaoi-

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 don’t 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 Richard’s struggle with his own body feels real and well portrayed. 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 he’s much more than that. He’s his life-long 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 doesn’t dare calling love. And then he’s also rage, lust, violence, desperation, loneliness. Richard is the edgy motherfucker 2010s emo wanted to be, with less cringiness and more wickedness. I did indeed write “wickedness” – because Richard is a villain. He’s 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 there’s 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…

…it’s time for you to meet today’s eligible bachelors!
(You didn’t forget this is a harem, right?)

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! It’s a feast for the eyes.

Who will you choose? The pious and childish king Henry? His ambitious, tsundere son Edward? Richard’s ~~childhood friend~~ life-long 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.

To make your grieving worse you follow these characters for several years of their life, watching them grow, ~~hurt~~ and change with life’s 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 it’s fitting for a tale of kings and kingdoms. It helps conveying the feeling of a great story.

I’ll have one Medieval Meal thanks

Speaking of which, should you look forward to Baraou’s 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 S&M wear and I’ve already made clear this is a harem. If you’re looking for tragedy, forbidden loves, a compelling narrative, Machiavellian scheming and romanticised battles, though, Baraou will not let you down. If you’re hungry for a long series with BL themes that is different from most yaoi, or if you’d like a shoujo where the protagonist is not a “perfect girl”, again, Baraou will not let you down. And if you’re desperately trying to avoid writing your master thesis- sorry, I think I went off on a tangent there.

Me, my bf and his cat going to get bubble tea when the quarantine is over

Baraou has some great merits, which I’ve tried to highlight above, but it is not a masterpiece: the harem theme makes it look like a self-insert 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 won’t forget any time soon.The King is dead, long live the King!

---

Special extra! Baraou Drinking Game! 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
• Richard’s cloak dramatically floats in the wind