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First Impressions: “Kiss of the Rose Princess” by Aya Shouoto

Kiss of the Rose Princess, translated from Barajou no Kiss, by Aya Shouoto ran in Asuka magazine from 2008-2012. It has been licensed by Viz media’s Shojo Beat imprint and we have gotten volume 1 as of November 2014.


2page_spread_vol1

Rose Knights (L to R): Kaede, Seiran, Mitsuki, and Tenjo.



Synopsis from Publisher: Anise Yamamoto has been told that if she ever removes the rose choker given to her by her father, a terrible punishment will befall her. Unfortunately she loses that choker when a bat-like being named Ninufa falls from the sky and hits her. Ninufa gives Anise four cards representing four knights whom she can summon with a kiss. But now that she has these gorgeous men at her beck and call, what exactly is her quest?!




Impressions: Okay, I just signed on for the next eight volumes of this series because it’s just that good. First off, it’s a reverse harem full of yummy guys. But they’re not only eye candy – they’ve got some personality to them as well. Red Knight Kaede is the childhood friend/boy-next-door athlete, Black Knight Mitsuki is the dark and antisocial supernatural character, White Knight Tenjo is the popular guy all the girls want with a funny masochistic side, and Blue Knight Seiran is the small, frail beautiful as a girl character who just wants to please. Watching our rose princess, Anise, interact with the different knights was highly entertaining, as she has a different response with each boy. I’m looking forward to seeing what purpose these guys will end up serving as the story continues. There’s also an air of mystery that I found enjoyable in KORP. Not knowing the significance of the rose choker or the consequence of losing it keeps readers guessing what will happen when Anise’s father returns in the next volume.




Then there’s the art. Oh golly, the art! Really, trying to pick a panel to scan was impossible! I finally settled on a spread. The drawings are fabulous and the colored pieces in this series are visually stunning. **Thank you Shojo Beat for the color inserts!!!** The paneling and toning are great and there are a lot of action sequences. I love how Shouoto keeps the rose theme going throughout the panels in subtle ways. It unifies all the art in the story. Can’t wait for the next installment!

Heart of Manga Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Don’t miss this series, guys! Seriously, I now know why shoujo fans have been begging for this series for the last five years. I’ll be getting my hands on all the Aya Shouoto I can from now on!

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5 Comments

  • Yes, those colored pages are gorgeous!! First one reminded me of Pandora Hearts lol. I liked how they made fun of the evil bad guy trope and though the plot didn’t go anywhere, I highly enjoyed this. And yes the art is gorgeous! I ordered 2 from rightstuf and just actually got volume 2 before it was released!!! I actually like our heroine too, and I wasn’t expecting Kenjo to be masochistic. That was gold.

    Did you notice how on volume 1 Kaede is with Anise on the front cover and on the back he isn’t there? Volume 2 she is with Kenjo but he isn’t on the back. I like how they did that. Who is your favorite Rose Knight so far?

    • I got my vol. 2 early as well. It was exciting. I hadn’t noticed the arrangement of the knights on the covers, so thanks for pointing that out! 🙂 I like Kaede the most right now, but that can always change as more volumes go by. You should check out He’s My Only Vampire. I read the first volume of that series and REALLY liked it as well. I’m waiting for vol. 2 to write up my review for that series.

      • Aww, you’re welcome:D Haha, yes me too! Tenjo has officially become my least favorite character after what I saw of him in vol 2. I hope we get each volume early! And yes! I actually ordered it:) I can’t wait for your review on the series so far.

        • Tenjo? How about Haruto as least favorite character? or Anise’s dad? Tenjo is just annoying and I disagree with his opinion of Seiran and Mutsuki. I still like the moments between Anise and Kaede and Anise and Mutsuki the best. I am waiting for volume 2 to be released to write up my review of He’s My Only Vampire because I read ahead and there is some great material I want to include for my review.

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