Cesare: Hakai no Souzousha

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Cesare is a great example of the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" I have come across in manga. The word "underrated" is thrown around so often that it loses its meaning at times, but various aspects considered, I can definitely say that Cesare is a truly underrated manga. Hidden behind that seemingly bland cover page is one of the most detailed artworks in manga I've ever seen that brings 15th century Italy to life. But it's not just good artwork without any substance either, as it conveys a highly intricate storyline.

This manga is well researched and quasi-fictional in nature which tells a ... story about the struggle for power among various houses and factions of Italy in the 15th century with the struggle for popedom being the ultimate one. The story primarily takes place in the city of Pisa, with Milan, Florence and Rome being secondary focuses. This manga is heavy on dialogue as is expected from a storyline so complex. It takes it's time to give a thorough understanding of the political situation of Italy during the early chapters, so one doesn't have to be well versed in history to be able to enjoy the manga. But on the other hand, if one isn't fond of history, then completing this manga will prove to be a task. There are historical references dotting the entire manga and multiple chapters solely dedicated to explaining history. Action is not the primary focus of the manga and it's almost completely void of it, with the exception of a brief arc which focuses on the military aspects.

The two main characters of the story are Cesare de Borgia, a Spaniard from the aristocratic family of Borgia, and Angelo de Canossa, a plebian. The bright-minded students from across Europe get enrolled in the La Sapienza University of Pisa, which is where the focus of the story lies early on. Angelo's character in a way represents the readers themselves, as he's naive and ignorant of worldly affairs in the beginning, as are most of the readers, and through him, we get to know more about the political situation of Italy during the time. In addition to these two and the supporting characters, we also get to see a lot of historical figures of the Italian Renaissance. 

The artwork is absolutely beautiful. The characters have a slight shoujo-ish look to them and look really good. The detailing of the background as well as the Italian architecture is absolutely magnificent right from the beginning of the manga. 

However, there are a few gripes I have with the manga. First of all, certain parts of the manga felt really slow paced even for a historical manga fan like me, so I can see some fans not being able to be comfortable with it. Secondly, the representation of the French in the manga, as these stupid warmongers, is kind of one-sided. So if you're a French, it's most likely that you're not gonna enjoy it very much. Thirdly, although the ending was a good stopping point and really well executed, we know from history about how dramatic the situation in Italy became after the events in the manga, so I really wish the manga had continued the storyline.

TLDR; Cesare is a really good read for historical manga fans out there who want to see a purely political side of the power struggle during the Renaissance period rather than the usual military one.

A refreshing change of pace for a historical manga, where instead of battles the focus is on this beautiful mix of the philosophy, political intrigue, and the history itself.

We first follow the naive Angelo as our eyes, an innocent yet sometimes bold young man who is rather out of touch with pretty much everything going on in his world. Pretty standard as far as a main character goes really. Easier to self-insert and allows the manga to give some information about the world to the readers while still being a proper character in his own right.

From there, we are introduced to the political ... world of Italy alongside with the school's prodigy and our true main character, the young Cesare Borgia, the later famous figure from the Renaissance era infamous for being Machiavelli's model for an ideal ruler. This is where the manga really starts picking up, and we see with more in depth and active involvement with the world as a whole.

I haven't really mention the university, haven't I? Because man, they're just so great. It's such a nice place to introduce the story, especially for someone like me who have no idea who Cesare Borgia even is or what's going on in Italy back then. The teachers can tell story and ask deep important question, while the students who have different nationalities and values can "exchange ideas" (though I guess bickering would be more accurate, even if it's more comprehensible) and make the school setting into this mini-political world for us to dip our feet into to prepare us for the real one.

If there's anything I want to critique, I guess sometimes I feel like Cesare is too... OP, I guess? As in, there's not really a moment where he's wrong or anything like that? But that's not really a big deal, and it does seem something big will be happening soon in the future.

Well, enough about the story and let's talk about the art.

It's just phenomenal.

It feels... "quiet", if that even makes any sense for you.

The character's faces are not very dynamic, but they made up in it in other ways that I can't really explain very well other than quiet.

Instead of One Piece's jawdrops and My Hero Academia's intense lines, Cesare's artstyle has this dream-like state which reminds me of an artwork involving a pure white sand beach-like land under a pure black starless night sky. It's odd and barely say anything, and yet its whisper pulls you in nonetheless.

The clothing and architectures are also top notch. I can't say for sure about its historical accuracy and all that stuffs, but I can definitely say that they look great and manage to immerse me even more than I already did.

Overall, I have almost nothing but good things to say about the art and the story as a whole, and I hope they can keep up this quality of art and story or maybe even improve it in the future.