The following contains spoilers for Requiem of the Rose King, Episode 1, “Wars of the Roses,” now streaming on Funimation.
In the first episode of Requiem of the Rose King, the arresting artwork immediately catches the eye. It looks like the characters were painted in watercolor and oil. The moody background of the dark and stormy night as well as the the design of the characters, especially the protagonist Richard, evoke a superbly gothic feeling. Fans of Black Butler's aesthetic will definitely be interested in this anime.
Most importantly, the gothic atmosphere serves as an important fantastical background for Richard's story. The first episode used its exceptional color scheme to symbolize his internal turmoil as he struggles with being intersex. Although the pacing of the episode is rather choppy and can be disorienting to follow, given how little time the audience has to get settled with each character, Richard's inner conflict is depicted in a painfully stilling and real way.
"Demon child." That was what Richard's mother called him. That was the name the monsters in his nightmares adorned him with. That was the identity Richard had unconsciously started accepting as his own, resulting in his self-hatred. When Richard's mother led him into a forest, the colors were soft and muted, looking deceptively inviting despite his mother warning him that there were witches around. The magically dangerous forest setting is common in fairytales and cues the audience that conflict will soon come. Sure enough, as soon as his mother released his hand, the forest transformed into one haunted with monsters. Richard then became one of them too.
His despair was shown as darkness crept upon his face, drowning him. This feeling of suffocation was further symbolized with the use of shackles and thorns that wrapped around Richard, consuming him until only one eye could be seen; until he truly did look like a monster. It's not only because of his heterochromia iridum that he's demonized, it's also because he's intersex. He has a body with both male and female biological traits, marking him as "cursed" in his mother's eyes.
Although Richard identifies as a man, there are instances where other people have gendered him as a woman, explicitly and implicitly. His mother, who detests him, accused him of "beguiling [his father] with [his] honeyed words," as if he were an evil mistress or siren -- typically portrayed as a beautiful, feminine sea creature that lures sailors to their doom. In the actual scene, Richard had only leaned close to his father's ear and whispered words convincing him to fight for the crown.
The artistic direction in the first episode also contributes to portraying Richard's confusion and fear. The general vibe of Requiem of the Rose King is dark and somber. The only times that it has any other colors are when Richard's nightmares come into play. The color scheme turned psychedelic as he was confronted with a demonized version of Joan of Arc. Historically, Joan of Arc was a hero and a saint and was famously known for dressing up as a man. She taunted him that she was him. The mirror, symbolizing Richard's sense of self and gender identity, shattered when Joan of Arc told him that he was neither a man nor a woman.
Joan of Arc's torment didn't end there. The next time she appeared was when Richard met Henry for the first time. Henry's introduction looked like it came straight out of a Disney movie as a princess met her prince and rode into the classic romantic trope of love at first sight. The moonlight shined only on Henry as he sat on a rock in the middle of the forest, while Richard remained in the dark. Henry's empathy for Richard swayed his heart, but the moment was interrupted by Joan of Arc as she told him that nobody will ever love him.
Joan of Arc represents Richard's self-hatred, which stems from how he's been alienated and bullied for being intersex -- for being himself. Richard has long since lived in the darkness because he believes that 'monsters' don't deserve to live in the light. His mindset and antagonists are reflective of the real-world struggles that many in the LGBTQ+ community are forced to face when misunderstood and ostracized by their communities. Though there are moments in the anime's debut episode where Richard seems close to challenging his self-depreciation, the question remains: Will Richard be able to love and accept himself in Requiem of the Rose King?
