Cantarella Vol 1-2
Cantarella is a fictional account of the life of Cesare Borgia, the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI. Among other things. If you're remotely familiar with the Borgias, then you will understand what I mean when I said I went in with two assumptions:
Assumption #1: Everyone is in love with their sibling.
Assumption #2: Everyone is omnisexual.
My actual knowledge of Cesare's life, at least the parts covered in these two volumes, is rather general, and lines up with the events here so far: Illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI(before he was pope.) He has several siblings, chief among them are Juan, with whom he has a rivalry, and Lucrezia, who he is very close to(the manga gives Cesare a different mother from Juan and Lucrezia, but raised by their mother...I don't know if that part is history.) In his youth, he's sent away to Spain but returns when his father becomes pope and is made a cardinal, and his sister is married off to an older(and, in the manga, skeevy) man. In addition, his closest and constant compaion in an assassin named Don Michelotto(real name Chiaro in the manga), who is always at his side.
And then we get to the non-historical part about how his father sold Cesare's soul to Satan so dad could become pope, and how dad killed real mom. Though really, those could be historical, too.
I admit, I had to spend a fair chunk of the first volume and some of the second going "demon crystal wings and arm loss mean love." While I immediately liked Chiaro, who, despite having essentially been born an assassin, is rather sweet and dorky and, dare I say, "pure," Cesare...well...until he grew up, Cesare was basically a misunderstood woobie kid with abandonment and anger issues and a sister complex. Grown up Cesare, though, is much more interesting. Which is rather concerning, as grown up Cesare is a machiavellian alpha bastard who seems to have no problems using Chiaro and Lucrezia, the only people he cares about. Lucrezia...well, I like her, but she's a bit too much of the "sweet and pure angel" for me to think a lot of her now, though that's probably the sort of heroine the book needs. Still, I'm ok with her. It says something, though, when your hero is a man of the cloth and is a ruthless, manipulative S.O.B., and his sidekick is an assassin who, despite his profession, appears to be amazingly pure and sweet.
Also, maybe I'm misreading it, but is the canon romance actually Chiaro/Lucrezia? He seems obviously smitten with her, and the whole thing with him always being masked when she sees him with Cesare, but he keeps (in romantic hero fashion) rescueing her without the mask and sneaks her flowers. I admit, I didn't pick this up expecting any romance, canon or otherwise, but had assumed that if there was one, it'd be Cesare/Chiaro. Actually, I assumed that if there was anything, it'd be Lucrezia/Cesare/Chiaro as an omnisexual incestuous OT3. Instead, it seems to be going in an almost straightforward Chiaro/Lucrezia direction. Of course, it's early days.
OH! andthere's also this cardinal or sorcerer(or both) who's interested in Cesare(not THAT way...I don't think...maybe...) who turns into a moth with a human head. And Cesare also has an evil aura around him. At first it's a "no one but me can see it." But now I think only Lucrezia can't see it or something. Probably because everyone else is evil, corrupt, or a killer. Really, though, I think it's an excuse for people to express awe and fear and wonder at Cesare's presence. Rather like how Cesare says he wants Chiaro to wear the mask in Rome because people may recognize him as an assassin, but I suspect it's just so Chiaro and Lucrezia can do the "in love with gallant rescuer who I don't realize is also my brother's friend" thing or something. Cesare also apparently has poisonous blood, and smelling it can put a person under his control, and maybe make them fall in love with him.
No, I did not make the mothman or the poison/enslavong blood up. This is manga. I don't have to make those things up.
Anyway, a rocky start, but so far I think I like it. If nothing else, I like Chiaro.