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1[[quoteright:319:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maiden_rose.png]]
2
3''Maiden Rose'' is a [[YaoiGenre Boy's Love]] manga by Fusanosuke Inariya, which began serialization in 2005 and is still ongoing. It received a two-episode {{OVA}} adaptation in 2009.
4
5Set in a world embroiled in a complex war (ca. 1930), Taki Reizen, the heir to an aristocratic family especially favoured by the Emperor, leads his countrymen against the encroaching threat from both their enemies and their volatile allies. However, his position as savior to his people and his authority in the military are now being undermined, primarily by his acceptance of a knight from an enemy country, Klaus von Wolfstadt, who is something of a loose cannon. [[YaoiGenre He is also Taki's lover.]]
6
7Despite the story being about a relationship between two men, it is notable for the sheer scope of the political and military backdrop that spur on much of the {{p|ornWithPlot}}lot, and the series' author Inariya Fusanosuke has embedded such rich imagery and symbolism into the mythos it truly stands out in its genre. At its most basic, ''Maiden Rose'' poignantly examines the pressures of duty and social expectation as they clash with the complexities of human desire and emotion.
8
9Not to be confused with ''Manga/RozenMaiden''.
10
11----
12!!''Maiden Rose'' provides examples of:
13
14* AcePilot: Both Klaus and his mother are {{Ace Pilot}}s.
15* AnimalMotifs:
16** Klaus is often compared to a mad dog or a wolf.
17** Berkut means [[MeaningfulName golden eagle, a species used to hunt wolves]].
18** Taki is likened to either a bird or (in a {{flashback}}) an alley cat by Klaus.
19** The [[BonusMaterial omake]] takes this ''[[AnimalStereotypes even further]]''.
20* AnachronicOrder: The manga shows the main characters' childhood (mostly Klaus'), their time in the MilitaryAcademy, and the present day; the storyline jumps back and forth quite a lot.
21* ArmchairMilitary: There in every administration that we see. In Volume 2 the brass from Taki's country are particularly obstructive and serve as a contrast to the type of frontline leader Taki is.
22* ArtShift: It's easy to see that the manga and the [[BonusMaterial omake]] are drawn by the same mangaka, but the style ''is'' different.
23* BackToBackBadasses: During a surprise nighttime training exercise, Taki and Klaus end up being the only students still not defeated. The moment they decide to take on all the attackers together they pull out their knives and stand back-to-back, laying the foundation for their future BattleCouple status.
24* BadassLongcoat: The army greatcoats all qualify, but Taki's is the best example.
25* BattleCouple: The Commander and his Knight, naturally.
26* BerserkButton: Do not hurt and mock Klaus if you don't want Taki's [[ImpaledPalm sword through your hand]].
27* BerserkerTears: Taki when he attacks Klaus [[CurbStompBattle singlehandedly beat up]] following harassment from students at military academy.
28* BigEntrance: Hasebe is about to kill Klaus when suddenly his sword is shattered. Following this is a two-page spread of an ill Taki standing in the doorway, sporting a DeathGlare, katana drawn, wearing a BadassLongcoat as a CoatCape blowing in the DramaticWind against a stream of white light, with some flower petals floating around for good measure. The shocked looks from the others are pretty well warranted at that point.
29* BlackAndGrayMorality: The protagonists are the heroes by virtue of being the protagonists and ultimately sympathetic in spite of their glaring flaws, but their enemies lack the sympathetic point-of-view and seem heartless by comparison.
30* BlueBlood: Taki, Klaus, Theodora and Katsuragi to start with.
31* BodyguardCrush: Klaus' relationship with Taki can be seen as this. Klaus often bows down to Taki and has expressed his desire to protect and defend the country with him.
32* BottledHeroicResolve: Klaus, when he goes on the raid. Less effective than expected, probably because that wasn't the first time he used drugs.
33* BroomstickQuarterstaff: A bunch of Luckenwalde students shows up armed with brooms and buckets to haze Taki on his first day. By the time we see any action, it's Taki holding the broom and [[CurbStompBattle mopping the floor with his attackers]].
34* ButIWouldReallyEnjoyIt: Taki really shouldn't want Klaus (or [[CantHaveSexEver anyone]], actually). But he does and Klaus wants him too, and that makes things quite difficult.
35* CastFullOfPrettyBoys: {{Justified|Trope}} because of the military setting. There are female characters: Duchess Theodora, Claudia, Taki's and Klaus' mothers in {{flashback}}s, the nameless nurses, etc., but the cast is predominantly male.
36* CaughtInTheRain: The first time Klaus and Taki made love.
37* TheChampion: Klaus to Taki.
38* ChekhovsGun: The book Taki once wrote "[[GratuitousGerman danke schön]]" into. It seemed to be only a reminder of the days when the relationship between Klaus and Taki was happier. [[spoiler: It actually saved Klaus' life when Berkut shot him and the book subdued the force of the bullets.]]
39* ChildSoldiers: The children of the military officers, but they don't really fight.
40* CliffHanger: Thankfully not always. But ending a chapter with the promise of a duel between Taki and Klaus, and then [[{{Flashback}} going back]] to the days in the MilitaryAcademy counts as one.
41* CoatCape: Most memorably when Taki stops Chamberlain Hasebe from killing Klaus, as DramaticWind was in full effect.
42* CoitusUninterruptus: Klaus has a conversation with a boy who's outside the door while raping Taki.
43* [[CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough Colonel Smooth and Captain Rough]]: Taki is self-possessed, formal, and kind, whereas Klaus is brazen, frank, and none too polite.
44* ConflictingLoyalty: Klaus has to give up his country, his family, and all his privileges to be Taki's knight. Taki wishes to be the [[UniversallyBelovedLeader beloved]] and respected {{leader}} of his division and he also wants Klaus.
45* CountingBullets: Klaus manages to call Berkut's bluff because he knows he's used all his bullets. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for Klaus, Berkut has a second gun.]]
46* CueTheSun: Although things are about to go from bad to worse, volume 2 manages to end on a somewhat hopeful note with a scene of the young cadets walking towards the wreckage as the sky lightens.
47* CultureClash: There are some not-so-irrelevant things in Taki's country that Klaus doesn't know about. Taki also got into trouble in the MilitaryAcademy because he didn't know the customs there.
48* CulturedWarrior: Several members of the cast, given how many of them are also {{Blue Blood}}ed. Katsuragi is the one who really flaunts it but he's also more of a DeskJockey these days than a fighter.
49* CurbStompBattle: Taki almost killed Berkut after he mocked Klaus' defeat. His beating up all of his would-be hazers with their own cleaning supplies is an even more extreme (if less serious) example.
50* CutlassBetweenTheTeeth: Klaus does this with his knife during the nighttime training exercise, presumably to free up his hands for something else.
51* DeathByTransceiver: Subverted. By the time Klaus and Yamamoto get ahold of the Murakumo crew, Yamamoto is panicking and yelling about how the captain is hurt until suddenly there are several gunshots and Yamamoto's screams. After a prolonged static-y silence Taki (on the receiving side) begins to freak out himself before Klaus comes on the line and says everything's under control and they're heading their way.
52* DeathGlare: Taki has made a specialty of it.
53* DividedWeFall: Eurote and some aristocrats from Taki's country are so determined to get rid of Taki because he's second-in-line to the throne that their in-fighting becomes a great asset to the Western Alliance who they are currently at war.
54* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Klaus kissing Taki's sword. [[VisualInnuendo 'Nuff said.]]
55* {{Doujinshi}}: Inariya has made several, some purely for comedy or {{fanservice}} (the Hallowe'en specials) and some quasi-{{canon}} ones about events that couldn't fit in the storyline (''In Their Room at Luckenwalde'' series)
56* DramaticWind: So the [[BadassLongcoat badass longcoats]] can look even more badass.
57* EnemyCivilWar: Inverted. The Western Alliance happily finds themselves getting a breather while Eurote and certain elements from Taki's country focus on eliminating Taki, the one commanding the front against the Western Alliance. They note how monumentally stupid and fortunate this is for them, and launch a full strike.
58* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Klaus and Taki spent a fair chunk of the Luckenwalde doujinshis at a bar in the town, but the owner is never referred to as anything but "barkeep".
59* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Taki's home is a Japan-like country and Klaus came from a land that resembles Germany. Eurote resembles pre-revolution Russia.
60* FemmeFatale: Duchess Theodora is darkly beautiful, ruthless and has a [[PrettyInMink pretty coat]].
61* {{Flashback}}: The days in the MilitaryAcademy, Klaus' and Taki's childhood, when Klaus and Taki first met, etc.
62* FlowerMotifs: The relationship of Taki and Klaus is full of flower motifs, including wisteria, cherry blossoms, and roses.
63* ForbiddenZone: [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace No Man's land.]]
64* ForgottenFirstMeeting: Klaus and Taki meet briefly in the middle of a forest by chance when they are young and make something of a {{Promise}}. Years later, they meet again and Klaus recalls but continually dismisses the memory, until their RelationshipUpgrade, when he realizes from Taki's scent that it ''was'' him.
65* FunctionalAddict: Klaus exhibits the {{Deconstructed|Trope}} form of this trope. He is implied to have been addicted to morphine in the past, so once he is injured and needs it to help enhance his performance it's not very effective and he has to increase dosages. As one would expect, he doesn't stop using it after that and it's still up in the air whether he'll be able to curb the addiction again or not.
66* GenreMashup: BoysLove + DuringTheWar + LoveHurts + {{Adventure|Series}}/{{Action|Series}}
67* GiantPoofySleeves: Claudia's clothes but not too over the top.
68* GoodEyesEvilEyes: {{Averted|Trope}}. With his [[OneHeadTaller tiny body]] and [[{{Bishonen}} pretty face]] Taki does look like a typical {{uke}}, but he has just as narrow eyes as Klaus. Not in the [[BonusMaterial omake]], though, where his eyes are [[{{Moe}} ridiculously]] big.
69* GratuitousGerman: Klaus is a typical German name and "von Wolfstadt" means "of the town/city of wolves". The name of the MilitaryAcademy is Luckenwalde Armor School ("wald" meaning "forest") and the textbooks are written in German. In one instance Taki actually writes "Danke schön"[[note]]"Thank you"[[/note]] in Klaus' book.
70* GreaterNeedThanMine: [[spoiler: Azusa did this after he and Klaus were found at the riverbank. Probably because Klaus' wound was more serious (there is a difference between being shot in the leg and the chest), Klaus' rank is higher, he didn't abandon Azusa on the train and Azusa thinks his duty as a soldier is more important than his life anyway.]]
71* GunsAkimbo: Klaus uses both of his guns at times.
72* TheHandler: Klaus has one in Taki's country. When he tells Klaus he's getting out soon and Klaus should too before he dies there, Klaus mocks him for getting too attached to him.
73* HellYesMoment: Klaus has one of these during the night exercise at Luckenwalde. Early on Taki is knocked unconscious and Klaus carries him away from the combat, his trauma from losing his former comrades surfacing as he just waits for Taki to wake up. When Taki finally comes to he acts cold and aloof as usual and they go over how bad their situation is, made worse when they hear the barking of dogs. Then Taki stands up, pulls out his knife, and the following conversation ensues:
74-->'''Taki:''' "Klaus von Wolfstadt, I ask you to join me."
75-->'''Klaus:''' "There we go."
76* HighOnCatnip: This gag appears in one of the bonus comics, where a chemical weapon attack against the [[LittleBitBeastly cat side]] is actually bombing them with catnip, to great effect.
77* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Cadet Yamamoto adores Klaus-sama and wants to be like him when he grows up, and he told Klaus outside his doorstep that he will be stronger and more useful on the battlefield like Klaus and Taki, while inside the building ''Klaus was brutally raping Taki''.
78* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy, Tiny Guy]]
79* IdealizedSex: Simply put, there's ''way'' too much semen in many of the sex scenes for one person (usually Taki) to produce. And it's ''painfully'' averted at one point, when Klaus is ''way'' too rough and Taki actually requires a doctor.
80* IKissYourHand
81* ImpaledPalm: Be careful about [[HatesBeingTouched touching]] Taki, Berkut found out the hard way.
82* ImprovisedWeapon: When his classmates come armed with {{Broomstick Quarterstaff}}s to haze him, Taki promptly improvises with their improvised weapons, using the broom as a sword and tripping people over the buckets, other supplies, and their own comrades.
83* IntertwinedFingers
84* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Citing the fact that as Klaus' disavowal of his citizenship means he can't be tried for war crimes, Hasebe [[ATasteOfTheLash canes]] Klaus brutally before deciding to just kill him when he won't talk. [[BigDamnHeroes Taki stops him]].
85* JigsawPuzzlePlot
86* KatanasAreJustBetter: Taki's sword is probably a katana. It does certainly look like one... well, [[EveryJapaneseSwordIsAKatana what else could it be]]? It's a ''[[AbsurdlySharpBlade really]]'' CoolSword and he can use it quite [[MasterSwordsman skillfully]].
87* KissOfLife: [[spoiler: Taki brought Klaus back to life this way after he was found unconscious and not breathing.]]
88* LadyAndKnight: Maiden Rose and Knight.
89* LapPillow: Klaus fell asleep on Taki's lap after being 'interrogated'.
90* LensFlareCensor: Sometimes used during the sex scenes. Occasionally BarbieDollAnatomy is also present, except for one example, there isn't any censoring in the 'sex on the train' chapter.
91* LoveHurts: This is a manga about a very troubled relationship.
92* MagicalRealism: There is a definite spiritual element going on that is not fully explained but is acknowledged in-story as drawing all the characters together.
93* MeaningfulName: Taki's three subordinates are named after components of Shinto rituals, alluding to his status as a savior and their positions as his protectors. "Azusa" is written with the same character as "azusa-yumi", the traditional Japanese bow which protects the inner chamber of Ise Shrine (the most important Shinto shrine). "Moriya" is taken from "Mamori-ya", Shinto arrow talisman used for spiritual protection. "Date" is written with the characters of "exorcist shield". This is also ThemeNaming.
94* MexicanStandoff: Klaus and Berkut have a brief moment when Berkut's sword is at Klaus' neck while Klaus' gun is pointed at Berkut's head. Unfortunately for Klaus Berkut notices immediately that the gun is jammed, but luckily Azusa starts firing from behind before Berkut can do anything about it.
95* MilitaryAcademy: Luckenwalde, where Taki went to study and met Klaus for the second time.
96* MilitaryMaverick: Both Klaus and Taki at times. And it gets them in trouble.
97* MrFanservice: Klaus' design eschews the {{Bishonen}} aesthetic for this.
98* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Klaus, after he realized he went a little too far with Taki.
99* NastyParty: Princess Theodora's introduction has her eating a nice dinner with her cabinet ministers on their private train. Or rather, she's eating, and they're lying dead on the table after ingesting a little too much poison.
100* NeverBringAKnifeToAGunfight: Averted in a couple instances, particularly in Taki's CurbStompBattle with Berkut.
101* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: Azusa wanted Klaus to leave him because of his injured leg, but Klaus refused to forsake him.
102--> 'No way. I won't give those guys a single one of you. Not this land. It's people. You. You're all my master's pride. We're going back. Taki's waiting.'
103* [[ObliviousYoungerSibling Oblivious Sister]]: Claudia does know that Klaus 'wants Taki so much that he'll throw away everything', she seems to understand this and wishes the best for her brother, but she probably isn't aware of how exactly Klaus' and Taki's relationship works.
104* OfficialCouple: Klaus and Taki
105* [[BonusMaterial Omake]]: Uses the RuleOfFunny with Taki as a {{Moe}} {{cat|Girl}}, Klaus as a wolf, a {{Tank|Goodness}}-cum-tentacles and BlackComedyRape.
106* OneHeadTaller: Taki is tiny even for his country and Klaus is huge even for his. This is the unsurprising result.
107* {{OVA}}: [=PrimeTime=] made a two episode [=OVA=] based on the first volume.
108* PocketProtector: The [[MementoMacguffin textbook Taki wrote in]] [[spoiler: slows down the bullets that Klaus takes in Volume 2, causing the wounds to be non-fatal]].
109* PreAsskickingOneLiner: Given how much ass-kicking there is in the manga these show up fairly often. One of the more memorable ones is after Berkut recovers from the train being derailed by two antitank missiles and comments that Taki must be insane to have done that. Cue Taki standing on top of the wreckage with his katana replying, "and yet, I still haven't managed to finish you off, have I?"
110* QueerFlowers:
111** Taki and Klaus are a gay couple and their relationship is full of flower symbolism. One of which is the rose.
112** The symbol of Taki's division is a three-leaf rose. Taki is also the current shinka, or "flower of the Emporer," and is therefore the titular "maiden rose" represented in his family crest and his military division. Moreover, Taki is mysteriously followed by the scent of flowers.
113** Klaus's family has traditionally gardened roses for generations, and the men of his family feel a calling for a "flower," without which they are incomplete. However, none of the men have found this "flower" due to [[ShroudedInMyth a broken promise.]] Klaus outright states that he has given up everything in pursuit of Taki specifically because Taki ''is'' the "flower" of his family myth.
114* RedOniBlueOni: Klaus and Taki.
115* ReliablyUnreliableGuns: Justified when Klaus' gun happens to jam in the middle of a MexicanStandoff (which is just bad timing) and when he gets out of that he can't fix it anyway because his one arm is badly wounded and the [[BottledHeroicResolve morphine]] has finally worn off. [[AvertedTrope The problem is then promptly solved by his teammate fixing it for him.]]
116* RightThroughHisPants: Klaus never takes off his pants.
117* RoyallyScrewedUp: There are ''nine'' prominent families that are connected to the Emperor. The results are not pretty.
118* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Taki puts his life on the line on the battlefield.
119* {{Sarashi}}: Klaus, after he is wounded.
120* SayItWithHearts: Enrico does this a lot when he's in charm mode.
121* ScarsAreForever: Berkut's scar. {{Averted|Trope}} with Klaus, who often has bandages on his face and torso, but his scars are temporary.
122* SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains: There isn't any significant difference in how the male characters dress, but this trope is used with the two more important women. Claudia's clothes aren't revealing, she doesn't wear make-up and she is kind, understanding, one of the ''very'' few genuinely pure characters. Duchess Theodora has [[{{Stripperiffic}} skimpy clothes]], [[HighHeelPower high heels]], she uses lipstick, and she is a cruel and dangerous antagonist.
123* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Taki and Klaus, [[OppositesAttract once again]].
124* ShadowArchetype: Katsuragi seems to shape up to be this for Taki. Like Taki, he is of royalty and used to have a "knight" (who is implied to be very close to him). Unlike Taki, he has an ItAmusedMe attitude about the war and more tellingly, Second Lieutenant Surugi calls him the traitor that caused the tragedy in No Man's Land.
125* ShirtlessScene: Klaus likes to wander around wearing only bandages on his torso.
126* ShowerOfLove: Well, Klaus and Taki did have sex (at least half of it) in the shower, but that sure wasn't an example of good sex.
127* ShroudedInMyth: As mythical as the relationship between Taki and Klaus can seem at times, things get even vaguer when you start working outward from them (ie. Taki's mother, Klaus' ancestors, the wolfman and the founders of Reizen). It also occurs within the story to Klaus in examples like the nature of the Reizen sacred ground, which is incredibly important to Taki and his countrymen and yet no one can adequately explain to Klaus.
128* SmokingIsCool: Klaus
129* SnoopingLittleKid: While everyone is in a fluster about the train about to invade the territory, cadet Yamamoto notices a suspicious guy and convinces his friends to follow him. They discover the man is a spy passing information to Eurote, and the boys' efforts end up revealing that there are in fact a ''lot'' of spies in their ranks adding to the chaos.
130%%* SpitTrailKiss
131* StraightGay: Both Klaus and Taki, though Klaus is interested in women too.
132* StuffBlowingUp: Like passengers trains hit with anti-tank missiles.
133%%* SwordPlant: Taki
134* TankGoodness: The Murokumo and the Onokami. Especially the Onokami, being a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elefant Ferdinand]]
135* TarotMotifs: Appear in the ''Wheel Of Fortune'' doujinshis, naturally.
136* ATasteOfTheLash: Hasebe canes[[note]]or whips, in the OVA[[/note]] Klaus while he is tied to a chair during interrogation for treason.
137* ThemeNaming: All the regiments on Taki's side are named after flowers. Appropriately, Taki's Rose Commander.
138* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Why you don't force your way into Taki's land. He uses a Ferdinand, a tank used to ''destroy other tanks'', for firing on the train of Duchess Theodora. Berkut even commented on how insane it was.
139* ToAbsentFriends: In "Wheel of Fortune" Taki and Klaus go out into town to "mourn like soldiers" after the death of four of their comrades, although the focus is concentrated on Taki's reaction to the deaths rather than the fallen themselves.
140* TrainStationGoodbye: Averted against all expectations by taking out the 'goodbye' bit, and essentially starting the story.
141* TraintopBattle: After jumping on top of the train Azusa asks why they are going in through the last car and fighting their way to the engine room rather than running across the top straight there. Klaus {{lampshades}} the impracticality of this tactic as their footsteps would give away their location and they'd just be target practice.
142* TranquilFury. '''Taki''', as Berkut found out the hard way.
143* UnequalPairing: Taki is the master, and Klaus is his knight.
144* UniversallyBelovedLeader: [[AllLovingHero Taki truly cares about his soldiers]] and they love and respect him, the {{child|Soldiers}}ren look up to him and want to be like him, etc.
145* UnresolvedSexualTension: For an OfficialCouple who have already gotten together, Taki and Klaus have loads of this, especially after Klaus swears to never touch him again, thinking that's what Taki wants. It leads to things like 40-panel-long hugs.
146* UnwittingPawn: By launching an offensive against a train invading his country without orders Taki ends up playing right into Theodora's hands, and is placed under house arrest.
147* UptownGirl: Gender-inverted and zigzagged. Taki is second-in-line to the throne in his own country. When Taki and Klaus first meet Klaus is of the nobility. Eventually, Klaus' family loses that status because the monarchy is dissolved when the country falls to the Western Alliance, placing him as a wealthy middle class. Later, when Klaus becomes Taki's knight, he has to renounce his country, his name and his status and becomes the lowest of the low in Taki's country. Their romance has been developing through all of this, but really comes into force after Klaus has lost his upper-class status.
148* WalkieTalkieStatic: Represented visually in the DeathByTransceiver incident.
149* WhatBeautifulEyes: Klaus has said before that Taki has "such beautiful eyes". Taki thinks the same about Klaus' gold eyes.
150* [[WouldntHitAGirl Wouldn't Hit A Woman]]: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted.]] At first, Taki commented on how chivalrous Berkut was because he asked his associate to take care of Duchess Theodora while he fights with Taki, but then Taki attacked her without any qualms and probably would have killed her if he was not stopped by his own soldiers.

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