Cantarella

Giving this series a perfect 10/10 for everything - story, art, character development, and enjoyment.

It's a narrative brimming with angst, forbidden relationships, and unrequited love. Each character seems destined to endure emotional suffering throughout their lives. The protagonist, Cesare, bears the heaviest burden of all.

Story: The plot is intricately woven with historical facts (though I can't specify the exact percentage) combined with a heavy dose of supernatural elements, much like the Hakuouki anime series. It gave me a vague yet fascinating insight into the struggles between France and Italy, which was intriguing since I haven't read much about their history. The Hetalia series has certainly skewed my perception! Alexander VI's rise to the papacy, the internal strife and grudges among cardinals, Cesare's scheming to prevent the French from capturing Naples, and his efforts to unite Italy under the pope's rule are all vividly depicted. My only complaint is the rushed ending. After volume 10, I expected more scenes showcasing Cesare's prowess on the battlefield, but that didn't happen.

Art: The artwork is simply stunning! Cesare and Chiaro are incredibly handsome. The expressions of all characters are meticulously drawn to convey their intentions. The era's buildings are beautifully detailed in most illustrations, and the battle scenes are aptly portrayed.

Characters: This is undoubtedly the strongest aspect of the series. Most characters possess distinct and strong personalities. It was often horrifying to see how twisted, selfish, and greedy each person was and the lengths they went to achieve their goals. However, none of them enjoyed their victories due to their impure intentions and methods. I felt particularly bad for the women in the story, who were used merely as political tools. Cesare, despite his angelic face, is the darkest character of all. His cursed circumstances doom him to be hated by his family. He is trapped in a complex forbidden emotional situation involving his sister and later his best friend. The one person whose heart he seeks doesn't reciprocate his feelings. Lucrezia is manipulated into politically motivated marriages. She harbors feelings for her brother, which she tries to conceal but probably never fully succeeds. Her affair with Chiaro brings her happiness, albeit briefly. Cesare's father does everything to gain power, but when he becomes Pope, he ends up being a mere puppet of Cesare. Similar misfortunes befall all other characters, driven primarily by their unsatisfied emotions towards the tragic finale.

Enjoyment and Overall: The story is profoundly tragic and dark, heavily political, and well-paced except for the abrupt ending. The character development is excellently executed. If you enjoy reading tragedies, this story is a must-read.

This is an exquisite fantasy manga with a historical backdrop. The artwork is stunning, featuring subtle hints of shounen-ai and a touch of incest - all elements are masterfully balanced.

So far, it's my favorite shoujo manga!

Renaissance Italy, beautiful boys, intrigue, evil, murderous plots, flawless art...sound appealing? You might want to check out Cantarella.

The artwork alone is truly reason enough to buy the entire series. I confess to being a Yuu Higuri art fanatic and this series had me swooning. Higuri did her research and the clothes, scenery, and background art are as authentic as you could ever hope to expect from a manga. (As far as I can tell, having not lived in Renaissance Italy, or modern Italy for that matter.) The clothes are never-ending, the gowns, the puffy-sleeved shirts, the jewelry, the elaborate hairstyles, capes, and shoes! Always changing, always beautiful. The artwork, mirroring the setting it depicts, is pure opulence. Concerning character design, well, this is a shoujo title, so expect plenty of beautiful men and big-eyed women. Still, I never had a problem confusing characters with one another. Either the facial features or hair of each character is distinct enough to keep them all looking just like themselves.

As well as being beautiful eye candy, the art is there to tell a story and tell a story it does, brilliantly so. The panels flow smoothly, the characters are suitably expressive, and the pacing is perfect. Higuri has it all down to an art.

Now, to get down to business.

Cantarella is a fantasy very loosely based on Cesare Borgia, Duke of Valentinois, a Spanish-Italian condottiero, lord, politician, and cardinal. Thank you, Wikipedia. Rather in the style of Higuri's Ludwig II, she borrows freely from history but puts plenty of her own twist on the tale, so don't plan on referencing this for an upcoming history exam.

The three main characters are simply perfect for the story and all its twists. Cesare, our hero, or anti-hero, is sacrificed by his father for the papal crown as a baby. Basically, his soul is sold. Nice dad. So we get to watch the sweet, innocent boy at the start of our tale grow into a twisted, evil being slowly losing hold of humanity. And Higuri sure takes her time; it's a slow process that is so delicious to watch unfold. His sister, Lucrezia, has quite the brother complex and adores her brother...more than she should. Chiaro, who has sworn to kill Cesare should the demons ever take over him completely (but will he be able to?), is Cesare's friend and very possibly much more than that to Cesare.

Being quite the yaoi fangirl, I was slightly disappointed to find that there really is no actual boy x boy love; it's definitely touched upon and there is a kiss (sort of), but it's mostly left up to the imagination.

For some reason, Higuri's weak point is, as always, the female characters. All of her girls are mostly one-sided creatures, revolving completely and entirely around their love interests, whoever they may be. It's interesting to watch Lucrezia being tossed about here and there as nothing more than a political pawn, but it's hard to feel that much sympathy for her since there isn't much to her. Cesare's...um...love buddy? is the same; her character revolves simply around her obsession with Cesare.

And yet Higuri IS capable of deep and complex characters; Chiaro, Cesare, Juan, and more. If they're male, you can be sure that they are multi-faceted, interesting, and very human. If they're female...they'll be swooning over some guy.

The story is long and epic, going through all the stages of Cesare's rise to power and his subsequent fall into madness, his friendship with Chiaro and his power struggles with his father, the loves and lives and betrayals of those surrounding him and the effect that all of this has on the rest of the world.

Cantarella is a solidly good work, featuring great storytelling, brilliant, brilliant art, and a cast of colorful and intriguing characters that are sure to catch your interest. Whether you're a long-term fan of Higuri or a newcomer to her work, I'm sure you'll find something in it for you. Highly recommended.