The classic fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm have been transferred and adapted into different stories, the most notable being the Disney versions of the fairy tales . The truth is that the Grimm brothers’ stories are not as beautiful as they are presented in Disney and have always been a little darker. Both in films and in other adaptations it has been possible to represent these children’s stories as the Grimms came to tell them, being in reality oral tradition stories told to children so that they would behave well. And it is said that some, like Cinderella , which does not belong to the Grimms but to Charles Perrault , along with the story of “ Bluebeard ,” may be based on real events. There are too many speculations about the origin of these stories, and everyone takes the version they like best. We are talking about Ludwig Kakumei.
Anime has not been left behind in adapting the stories of the Brothers Grimms and other classic tales, and in this case we will talk about a manga with dark, dramatic touches and at the same time that parodies classic tales with absurd situations. Ludwig Kakumei is a dark, dramatic and humorous gothic style manga written and produced by the renowned mangaka Kaori Yuki, well known for also writing the Angel Sanctuary manga . Most of the author’s mangas have that same gothic and dark touch , which has made her recognized as a mangaka who touches on love themes in a more dramatic and even adult way, touching on themes that are not so easily accepted by society because of their contents.
In this case Kaori Yuki recreates with extensive research her own version of classic stories, specifically including the stories of: Snow White, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, The Princess and the Frog, Rapunzel, Bluebeard , The Swan Princess, among other classic stories. The main protagonist of the story is Prince Ludwig, who together with his assistant Willhem, travels different kingdoms looking for his ideal wife, playing the role of Prince Charming in a certain way but breaking with stereotypes because he has very egocentric, eccentric and even perverted because he has no shame in touching women as he pleases, having a certain preference for women with large breasts.
His assistant Willhem must try to protect him from himself while they travel through the different kingdoms to meet all types of princesses, encountering stories that are not at all as beautiful as they are portrayed in the stories. They must also deal with Little Red Riding Hood , a hired assassin who is after the prince’s head, with Dorotea , a supposed witch who is the representation of the bad witch in the stories, being in reality a perverted scammer who will follow them everywhere. In the midst of all this they will also have to deal with a conspiracy that aims to take over Prince Ludwig’s kingdom.
The manga consists of 16 chapters compiled in 4 volumes and was published from 1999 to 2006 in the magazine Hana to Yome , the story classified as shoujo. Some time later Kaori Yuki released a spin-off based on the story of the Little Mermaid , with a single chapter. , and later a Legend of Kaguya Hime special , where Ludwig and Willhem end up in ancient Japan, and learn the story of the moon princess.
The stories of each princess are faithfully based on the real story with some humorous touches at times, but also crude, since not all princesses are as sweet and delicate as they are painted and that can be seen from the beginning with the first chapter that corresponds to Snow White, which I will not talk about in detail to invite you to discover it yourselves. In most cases, Prince Ludwig has to continue traveling through other kingdoms to find his desired wife, since the other options for different reasons do not end up being adequate, despite this the story will undoubtedly be connected in each chapter although They seem to be isolated stories.
If you like classic stories and want to read a more adult version that is different from the Disney one, I completely recommend this manga, because in addition to how crude some stories can be, it also has elements that parody their absurdity, and without This is certainly a small total criticism of classic fairy tales. At the same time, Kaori Yuki’s art is one of the best and if you have read works by this author before you may find some similarities in character designs.
Watch Ludwig Kakumei on Kisscartoon
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