I can’t recall another adaptation with a bigger gap in aggregator scores between the manga and anime than Baraou no Souretsu. I haven’t read the manga, but I sort of get it. The background faces are whiteboards, the “action” scenes are a series of still shots. Given that 17 volumes are being adapted into 24 episodes it’s surely pretty rushed, too. Shoujo adaptations often get the shaft budget-wise, so it’s hardly surprising. But the level of disapproval seems to run even deeper than all that can explain.
As I said, I get it. Even so I kind of like this show, for whatever reason. As wacky as it is, it does cover a very interesting period in history, with a fascinating man at its center. And let’s be honest – that meeting between Richard and Edward Lancaster on the battlefield was pure camp at its best. I mean, where else are you going to see that? Richard gets surprised by a lover’s identity yet again, and then as their swords clash Edward throws him down on the ground to kiss him. If you sold it as parody, no producer would think it believable enough to be funny.
I really love this whole triangle – Edward and Anne both love Richard, who loves Edward’s father (and maybe Anne, a little). Edward and Anne maybe love each other a little now, too. What the heck was I watching when Anne (posing as Edward, LOL) winds up disarming Richard and protecting Edward on the battlefield? That was gold. Things are going to end badly for Edward of course – the manga can take all the liberties it likes, but certain tentpole events are what they are.
I did rather feel for Edward in the end. As depicted here he’s not a bad kid, just not the sharpest knife in the drawer and rather lacking in judgment. For all Margaret’s protestations – and I have no doubt she genuinely wanted to trade her life for his – there’s no question she used Edward as a tool to try and re-gain power. There’s no indication historically that she ever tried to keep him off the battlefield at Tewkesbury (much less entreated Anne to do so), but that was more likely due to overconfidence than lack of concern for his life.
Now the Red Rose seems well and truly crushed, even if Edward York stops Richard from ending Margaret. There’s the matter of Anne, of course – what are her feelings towards Richard at this point? It’s not as though Richard was the one who killed Edward (Lancaster). In practical terms that was George (though that’s not how history records it) – Richard merely committed an act of mercy. But of course this is not the story of King Edward, as we all know – and the second cour will have ample opportunity to riff on the theme of how the history we know came to pass.
Collectr
March 22, 2022 at 8:35 amAnother episode of the psycho-dramedy, “Everyone Loves Richard.” There is a grain (no more) of fact in all the goings on. Richard, 18 at Tewkesbury, was a seasoned battle commander and selected by Edward (York) to lead the Yorkist vanguard; George was kept on a tight leash. Edward (Lancaster), 17 at Tewkesbury, had little or no combat experience and contributed little to the battle; Margaret delegated real command to more experienced nobles. George’s forces captured and executed Edward (Lancaster). The rest? Well… Richard continues to demonstrate that he has a lousy eye for family physiognomy, failing to recognize Edward as he failed to recognize Henry.
I’m finding Buckingham the most enigmatic character on the board right now. He says Richard is “in hell,” tormented for loving the Lancastrian king, whom Richard (incorrectly) blames for his father’s death. Yet Buckingham still believes Richard is the best suited of the brothers to be king.
As to the aggregator scores – this is supposed to be animation. In some scenes, the only things that move are the (undoubtedly CGI) banners. It might as well be a drama CD. In fact, playing the audio track behind illustrations from the manga might work better. The voice acting is good, and the “moving” pictures are almost superfluous.
Guardian Enzo
March 22, 2022 at 8:50 amAs far as the “recognizing physiognomy” thing goes, in Richard’s defense it was widely believed at the time that Henry was not Edward’s father. He was mentally ill, Margaret never loved him (that part of the series is accurate to what we believe to be true), and there were numerous candidates she was known to have been intimate with. It’s never been proved and we’ll never know.
Yeah, I get the whole animation thing. It sucks, it’s a shame. Maybe it really does come down to that and nothing more, though if a story is interesting I can’t totally dismiss a series over that. It’s also a shame that JC Staff, one of the old lions, has been reduced to a barrel-scraping bottom feeder with terrible production values whose only means to get work is to be the low bidder. They were never among the elite studios for visuals, but they were at least consistently decent. And occasionally (Ano Natsu comes to mind) quite excellent.
Collectr
March 22, 2022 at 10:13 pmI’m enjoying the show too, ’cause the underlying (historical) story is so interesting. However, I understand why anime fans, expecting at least animation, reject it. Heck, the red-shirts don’t even get faces.