Ludwig II 1 (v. 1) [Paperback]

You Higuri (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2009

It is the mid-19th century, and a remarkably beautiful 18-year-old has been crowned King Ludwig II of Bavaria. In the midst of a confrontation with Prussia and Austria, Ludwig II retreats from reality into an exquisite world colored by the music of Wagner!

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Digital Manga (June 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569700532
• ISBN-13: 978-1569700532
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,255,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical storyline, July 28, 2009

By 

robbie (MD) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ludwig II 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

First I would like to take my imaginary hat off to June/DMP for bringing this. For those familiar with most of what has been offered by June this manga is a different experience. This manga is different than your usual school love or "I was straight but since this guy likes me I must be gay" story lines. This is also one hefty tome at nearly 280 pages for the story and some 15 for the postscript, you do get a value for your money.

I was bordering between liking it and thinking so-so in that I know the "history" and that knowledge kept on coming to mind while I was reading it. I will say the art is nice and the manga does keep your attention. There are women in this manga whom do have good roles, only one can be thought of as a slight "villain" in this (she has her reasons). The graphic scenes are mostly not explicit, not even any shadowy part. There are non-con scenes.

The manga ends on a somewhat of a cliffhanger, not so much, but if you don't like to wait to know what happens there is a volume 2 supposed to be out in September 2009.

Spoiler if you don't know the history...

I would caution that this is somewhat of a hard to describe manga since the history surrounding the King, Ludwig, makes it more of a tragedy than a love story. There are confusing parts because of his "madness" and you'll find it hard to think that he actually can really love anybody but himself.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended, especially to fans of shoujo and boy's love manga, November 17, 2009

By 

GraphicNovelReporter.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Ludwig II 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

Ludwig II is remembered by history as the "Mad King" of late 19th-century Bavaria. Arrogant Old World aristocrat, lavish spender, and indulgent patron of the famed composer Wagner, he whiled away his days lost in luxurious dreams of his own creation while the rest of Europe descended into political conflict. Or did he? Perhaps in reality Ludwig was as shrewd as he was sensitive. He was also intensely secretive, after all. The only ones who would know for certain were the two people he most loved and trusted: his cousin Elizabeth, the Empress of Austria, and handsome, pure-hearted manservant Hornig--who has known the fiery passion of Ludwig's flesh as well as his heart.

Veteran manga creator You Higuri is both prolific and popular on both sides of the Pacific. Unlike some artists, who are known primarily by one masterpiece, Higuri is a "name" in the manga publishing world first and foremost, with no one title, whether the boy's love manga Gakuen Heaven or the dark fantasy romance of devil and maiden Seimaden, as especially standout. Her tales as often as not run in the direction of the torrid and the baroque, and she has cultivated an interest in European--especially Germanic--history and culture. Ludwig II, originally published in Japan in the 1990s and reprinted in 2007, is a near-perfect marriage of Higuri's particular tastes and her talents and without question are among the most unabashedly fun to read of any of her works published in English thus far.

The first oversized, 300-page volume is quite the historical melodrama, covering a heady amount of territory at a surprisingly rapid narrative pace, but it is less about the turmoil of history per se than about the larger-than-life, tumultuous personalities inhabiting it. This is fortunate because, for many readers, the history will be decidedly obscure. But as is the case with many manga aimed at a female audience, Ludwig II oozes excesses of feeling and decadent homoeroticism. Hornig is not, needless to say, Ludwig's first male lover, and much of the story focuses upon the king's intense horizontal conquests with other men and his much more complicated--but platonic--relationships with women. While his betrothal to Sophie ends badly, only her elder sister Elizabeth is truly close enough to him to understand him. Or so she claims in the impressionistic, poetic introduction.

As always, You Higuri's artwork is exquisite--her best asset even in works that are as strong overall as Ludwig II. The bold lines, asymmetrical layouts, and European subject matter may resemble an updated Riyoko Ikeda's Rose of Versailles to widely read audiences. Furthermore, this manga has been researched, and it shows in the artist's painstaking detail of costumes, props, and settings. She might not always be dead-on accurate--sometimes she takes deliberate license with the facts, as acknowledged in the extensive afterward--but it's more than enough to fall under the enchantment of Bavaria's spell. Recommended, especially to fans of shoujo and boy's love manga.

-- Casey Brienza