Rose of the Rhine

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Customer Reviews:

A sweet romance between the king and his advisor. Appealing characters. [Posted on 2007-12-14]
I enjoy this romance between King Dietrich and his faithful advisor, Hildebrand, in the Middle Ages. These 2 characters are appealing and their deep love for each other is well expressed.
The plot is entertaining as they slay dragon and giant, rescue a sweet maiden, defend their honor and answer duels but the sequence of events is a trifle confusing due to the flashbacks. A fact I can overlook as their love story takes precedence. And I like the three sidekicks, with their interpersing amusing remarks.
Minami Megumu's artwork of the medieval age is lovely. After "Pleasure Dome", I am surprised with the lack of hard core sex in this one but the charming characters and sweet romance more than make up for it.

There is a short story on the Yakuza, where one homeless young man is taken in by the Yakuza boss' son. They live together as brothers but love soon blossoms. I like this one too but it would have been more effective if it is longer.

A blend of history and Yaoi [Posted on 2008-01-24]
I have to say, I took a class in college just to get enough credits, and it was a Medieval studies class with an emphasis in German history. I've read "The Songs of the Nibelungs" as a result, and I never thought I'd find anything that that knowledge would serve me in, let alone see a manga that is intertwined with it. Rose of the Rhine is a blend of that and another poem "Sagas of Dietrich", and of course, Yaoi. While it's not nearly as hardcore as the author's previous work that I've read, it was striking to see the actual use of the old works intertwined with manga. I enjoyed. The characters were entertaining and drawn well, although it didn't follow the original stories of the works it draws from (that I know if, I didn't read "Sagas of Dietrich"), it took a new spin that made me very pleased I bought it.

Funny! [Posted on 2008-05-30]
I didn't buy this for a while because I thought it was another one of the author's very hardcore depressing titles. Boy was I mistaken. It was a sweet romance, as others have said, with little sex. But it was also incredibly funny.

I know that humor is in the eye of the beholder, so this may not appeal to everyone in that way. The humor struck me as very Western though as opposed to Japanese which can go right over my head. The dialogue contributed a lot, written in a modern tone that made it very accessible. It was like the comedic parts of the movie A Knight's Tale. And it felt a bit Pythonish in places too, with the dialogue even borrowing a line from the Holy Grail. It's not that manic, but it does borrow their quirkiness that just makes you laugh at the odd things they include.

There aren't enough yaoi comedies in English. I'm glad Kitty brought this one over for us.

Pleasant But Not the Upper Tier [Posted on 2008-11-10]
Basically a set of three stories within one "stand alone" yaoi manga volume which deals with the relationship between King Dietrich of Bern and his meister, Lord Hildebrand. Despite the frequent misunderstandings between them, eventually, Hildebrand's loyal adulation is rewarded when King Dietrich reveals his love. For someone looking for a "light" yaoi manga, this would be a nice choice. Only lightly is German medieval history intertwined with the story, aka frame work of, yet no real depth. The final story is a modern one.

I confess I found the switches between drawing styles annoying. You will have classic artwork on one page of beautiful detailing only to change to a "comic" look to express chagrin, for example. I think these changes take away from the main work, and were too frequent. I've seen this used to advantage before, but it must be minimal or it's overwhelming (read The Crimson Spell, an excellent example of classic with a splatter of comic images). Also I found the constant misunderstandings distracting after a while, with King Dietrich "under developed" in the emotional department.

"It's OK" totally expresses how I feel about this manga. It was on my wish list a long time, and finally I bought it, but I won't be keeping it. It was pleasant enough, and better than a lot of yaoi manga I've read, but it was too choppy and confusing, although the cover art is exquisite.

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