Crest of the Royal Family (王家の紋章, Ōke no Monshō) is a shōjo manga by Chieko Hosokawa. It has run in the monthly magazine Princess since 1976. In 1991, it received the 36th Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo.[1] As of 2015, the collected volumes had sold 40 million copies in Japan, making it the fourth best-selling shōjo manga ever.[2] With 68 volumes (as of January 2023), it is one of the longest-running manga series of all time. The manga has been adapted into 2 anime drama CD's released in 1990 by Pony Canyon (reprinted in 2004) and an anime OVA produced by Toei Animation.[3] It was adapted into a stage musical in 2016.[4][5]
Crest of the Royal Family | |
王家の紋章 (Ōke no Monshō) | |
---|---|
Genre | Historical fantasy |
Manga | |
Written by | Chieko Hosokawa |
Published by | Akita Shoten |
Magazine | Princess |
Demographic | Shōjo |
Original run | 1976 – present |
Volumes | 69 |
The main character, Carol, is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed American teenager from a wealthy family who has an interest in Egyptology and is studying in Cairo. When her mentor discovers the tomb of a young pharaoh, a curse is put on the excavation team and Carol. The curse sends her back in time to ancient Egypt, where she becomes embroiled in the affairs of Egypt and other ancient countries such as Assyria and Babylonia. Carol meets Memphis, a handsome young pharaoh whose tomb she excavated in modern times. Despite his headstrong, at first violent nature, they fall deeply in love. This angers Memphis's half-sister, the Priestess Isis, who has longed to marry him. Carol, due to her exotic looks and curious ability to tell the future, becomes a major player in ancient history.