I really wanted to like this manga, it's got all the ingrediants to really hit that sweet spot. A gorey, gender-bending horror set in Rococo France? Sign me tf up. Unfortunately, it just doesn't live up to its potential. And there's really only one reason for that, it's simply too short a series for the amount of plot Kumiko Suekane wanted to include. It starts strong, Marie Antoinette and her brother Albert have set off for Versailles when their carriage is attacked by a horde of the undead. Marie perishes and Albert takes her place. Was the horde responsible or did Albert play a greaterpart in his sister's demise? I have to admit, I was hooked. I wanted to see how this would play out. How would Albert cope with his new role? What would happen when his secret's been discovered?

Turns out, not a lot. Albert's ruse is discovered pretty early on and there's no repurcussions. Like, at all. Everyone who finds out gets on board pretty damn quickly. To say it was anticlimactic is an understatement.

Another issue is the sheer number of characters vying for the role of MC. It wasn't so bad at first, but as the series progressed it became more and more bloated and unfocused. This wasn't helped by the introduction of about six new characters mid way through the story. This was a baffling choice only 10 so chapters before the manga finished. As such, none of their back stories were fleshed out. What was the deal with Cagliostro? What was his link to the mort-vivant? Why was he all stitched up? We never find out. And if that's annoying to you, try multiplying that issue by five.

Five volumes simply was not enough to tackle this many characters. We have:
. Albert
. Bastien
. Gerard
. Long haired blonde soldier
. King Louis
. Madame du Barry and her cronies
. Charlotte Samson
. The priest
. Robespierre
. Emile
. Napoleon
. Asterio
. Madame Polignac

And seven of them appear midway through! This might not seem like a lot for 5 volumes, but it really feels like it, especially with the insanely convoluted plot that decides to make an 11th hour appearance. It's such a simple premise to start with but by the end of the series it's so off the rails you'll be wondering if there were any rails to begin with. There's demons and angels swapping bodies left, right and centre, the creation of golems, people exploding into gems, saints getting resurrected and turning into weird worm things. All elements I wouldn't have minded if they had been handled better. But there was minimal build up to the main conflict of the series, which just felt out of nowhere. Nothing is explained, or shown. Which in such a visual medium is a huge shame. It's a horror manga that doesn't show the most potentially horrifying scenes? Such a wasted opportunity.
And don't even get me started on the ending! It had me pulling my hair out it was so confusing and open-ended. I never mind an ambiguous ending, but it has to make sense within the context of the story. And this just... didn't.

All in all, it's a solid premise that's hamstrung by the fact the manga is only 5 volumes long. Realistically, a story this complex with so many side characters needed to be at *least* 10 volumes long. Not the length of a simplistic, read-it-in-a-day romance manga. (which fyi, i love!)

The only reason I rated it five out of ten is because the art's cool and the story had so much promise.