Illegitimate Knight x Commoner-Turned-Noble
About:
Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series BARBARITIES. While the manga may vary slightly from all other forms of media, it may have similar story elements and could be considered spoilers.
Content Warning: There may be references to violence, mentions of cheating (not between the main couple), slut-shaming, attempted theft, sexual assault, mentions of embezzlement, experience gap, drugging, imprisonment, implied rape, religion, death, blood, murder, obsession, extremism, classism, mentions of STDs, incest (not between the main couple), mentions of war, excessive drinking, mentions of arson, religious persecution, child abandonment, adoption, overwork, gossiping, ageism, politics, sexism, slavery, power imbalance, chronic illness, blackmail, human trafficking, child abuse, body commentary, vandalism, death threats, sex work, prejudice, arranged marriage (not between the main couple), child labor, epidemic, corruption, kidnapping, gun violence, confinement, corporal punishment, torture, and mentions of attempted suicide, as they appear in the manga.
Synopsis:
Adam Canning has been brought in from a neighboring country to serve as a bodyguard for the illustrious Lord Montague. Adam is a playboy who likes to spend more time in bed with his various lovers than he does doing his job. He doesn’t intend to change his ways, especially when he happens to run into Lord Montague’s nephew at a party. But unlike everyone else Adam tries to woo, the nephew, Joel Littler, is wholly uninterested. This does nothing to dissuade Adam, and, if anything, it only spurs him on.
Joel is not at this party to party. He is trying to find evidence of corruption, embezzlement, and the like, which makes sense given his uncle’s oversight of the law and justice in the country. Adam usually wouldn’t care to help, but he sees this as a perfect way to get closer to Joel and jumps at the opportunity. It’s over the course of their time working together that Adam soon learns that Joel Littler is actually Joel Montague. Due to a multitude of death threats and a dark past, Joel is compelled to take on two identities: the old, white-haired Lord Montague and the young nephew Joel Littler.
Again, Adam is usually not prone to working, and if he does, it’s not very hard. But Joel has piqued his interest. Perhaps the lord is worth the effort.
Review:
I actually think the art on the cover does not do this series justice. I’ve read another Tsuta Suzuki work in the past, which was much more inconsistent and sketchy, and I was anticipating the same. Oh, I couldn’t have been more wrong. This art is stunning. It’s some of the cleanest, most detailed, and most consistent art I’ve seen in a while, and it has brought me so much joy. Plus, one of my chief complaints from their older work was the poor character designs, and that is definitely not an issue here. On the contrary, our bottoms, Joel and Luis, might be some of my favorite designs of all time. We have facial hair, no facial hair, short hair, long hair, curly hair, straight hair, glasses, etc. There is so much to love, and I honestly think this is worth reading for the arty style alone.
The story, though, is very much focused on the court intrigue. If you’re hoping the focus is all on the relationship between Joel and Adam, you will be sorely disappointed. This is very much a slow burn on their front, not officially getting together or even having sexy time until the end of the last volume. I personally didn’t mind that, as I think the court intrigue is very interesting, and it would make very little sense for these two to focus on their relationship amid corruption, death threats, and coups. But with that said, I imagine many people who love BL wanting to hop right in and get into the smut and romance immediately, so be warned, that’s not how this story goes.
However, while Joel and Adam’s intimacy is lacking for the majority of the series, we actually have a second couple between the heir to a rival country, Luis, and his servant Gil. These two are very sexual, and though they don’t have the most explicit scenes out there, it is some of the hottest. Unfortunately, their relationship is pretty superficial, which isn’t all that surprising when this four-volume series is chock-full of so much political content, slow-burning romance, and the like. There is hardly any time to delve into them, so the information we do get is cursory. I would adore for these two to get their own spin-off, as I think their chemistry is actually stronger than what is between Joel and Adam. I also think Gil’s story is probably stronger and more intriguing than what we get in this series, but here we are.
As much as I enjoy the overall story, the character designs, and their relationships, I have to admit that Adam is not the most likable character. He never comes off as genuine to me, which is partly due to his playful, playboy persona. I totally understood Joel’s unwillingness to get close to Adam, partly due to his past, of course, but also because Adam is an untrustworthy character. He’s a walking red flag, for sure, though he does steadily grow out of his fuckboy ways. As many of my frequent readers know, I love a red flag as much as the next person, but there is something about Adam that makes him more unattractive to me than most others. I was swooned by him when he sacrificed himself for Joel, but there’s something about his personality that just doesn’t sit well with me.
Results:
I feel like I was pretty harsh on this series, but I actually really loved it. While I didn’t care for Adam as a character, I adored Joel and Luis. The court intrigue, fraught with intense religious tension and war threats, was thrilling and helped grow the relationship between our main characters without overshadowing the plot itself. It’s not perfect by any means, but it comes pretty close. Add on some of the most perfect art I’ve seen in a series, and you’ve got a strong BL title. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in more story-driven BL.
Have you read BARBARITIES? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!