Kiss of the Rose Princess: Volume 2

Manga
Kiss of the Rose Princess: Volume 2
By Leroy Douresseaux
January 24, 2015 - 07:41

Viz Media
Writer(s): Aya Shouoto, Tetsuichiro Miyaki
Penciller(s): Aya Shouoto
Letterer(s): Inori Fukuda Trant
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7367-0
$9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK, 188pp, B&W, paperback
Rating: T (Teen)

Kiss of the Rose Princess Volume 2 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

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Rated “T” for “Teen”

Anise Yamamoto is not supposed to remove the rose choker from her neck or she will suffer a terrible punishment. At least, that is what her father told her, and she takes his dire warning quite seriously. Then, a strange creature falls from the sky and hits Anise, causing her to lose the choker. Instead of being punished, she gains four cards representing four Rose Knights: Kaide Higa, Mitsuru Tenjo, Mitsuki Kurama, and Seiran Asagi, each of whom she can summon by kissing a card.

Kiss of the Rose Princess, Vol. 2 (Chapters 6 to 10) opens with the arrival of a new student at Shobi Academy. His name is Haruto Kisugi, and he already knows Anise from another school. He is also hiding a shocking secret.

Also, it's St. Chocolata Day, and on this day, boys have to give chocolates to the girls. The Rose Knights want to give chocolate to Anise, but their choices on how to do it are weird. Also, the seal of the Demon Lord is breaking, and Anise learns that she really knows very little or even nothing about being the Rose Princess.

THE LOWDOWN: Initially, the Kiss of the Rose Princess manga seems like a typical shojo manga about a magical girl (or as VIZ Media describes Anise, a “mystical girl”). I see Anise as a plucky heroine, a funny girl who was the star of a comic fantasy romance.

Now that I have read Kiss of the Rose Princess Volume 2, I see a little more. This volume almost transforms the series into something new. Series creator Aya Shouoto reveals so many secrets and lies that by the end of Vol. 2, a reader might think that Kiss of the Rose Princess will become a battle manga. Yes, it's still funny. Yes, teasing romance, young love, and shojo longing for love are plentiful. I was right, however; it was worth coming back to this manga to get some answers. Kiss of the Rose Princess has a mystical girl worth watching.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE: Fans of magical/mystical girls will want to try the “Shojo Beat” title, Kiss of the Rose Princess.

Rating: A-/10