English Dub Review: Requiem of the Rose King “I Am the Shadow, the Darkness Behind the Light”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
The Duke of York’s death is a blow both to Richard and the Yorkist cause, but an unforeseen setback gives the Earl of Warwick and Edward time to rally their forces. How will Richard face the coming battle and a world without the duke?

Our Take:
Well, things swiftly took a turn for the worse, and we’re only in the third episode. Man, this show doesn’t hold back on its grim nature. As seen in the previous episode, Richard managed to reunite with his father, the Duke of York. Unfortunately, the reunion was bittersweet. By that, I mean horrifically tragic as Richard found only his decapitated head.
The episode sees the war’s conclusion with Edward being chosen as York’s newest king. However, when the war ended with York being the victor, more problems arose for Richard and England’s new ruler. There’s not much to say about this episode, except that it’s another sad and dramatic chapter that benefitted from its style and Shakespearean tone.
The only interesting part of its third episode was Richard himself. It continues to showcase Richard’s internal struggle with his sexuality, mainly from his recent encounter with Joan of Arc. But, more importantly, it represents his grief towards his father’s demise by killing every Lancaster knight in search of blood. That sequence alone is another suitable example of the show’s balance between poetic dialogue and artistic presentation.
The episode also sees Edward falling in love with a widower named Elizabeth, who approached him during a party. Earl of Warwick is already planning on an arrangement between Edward and Elizabeth. However, what the king didn’t realize is that Elizabeth is secretly plotting revenge against Edward for her husband’s death.
Overall, “I Am the Shadow, the Darkness Behind the Light” is a compelling showcase of the war’s aftermath. While a couple of sequences didn’t take full advantage of its emotional change of pace, it’s still another decent episode that sees a war still raging on outside the battlefield. With both Margaret and Elizabeth plotting to overthrow York, the new king of England would have to watch his back during the next couple of episodes.