Holiday Review #17: ROYAL TAILOR: CLOTHIER TO THE CROWN

Of course there were plenty of lady-led fantasy titles, and this is one of the rare ones that didn't involve reincarnation or villainesses or anything like that.

ROYAL TAILOR: CLOTHIER TO THE CROWN (Royal Tailor: Okyu no Saihoshi), by Nakasane Nowaki.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Long in the past, humanity reigned supreme over the various other supernatural creatures of the world.  There was a great war and humanity lost, and those that survived are pariahs in this world.  Hana is one of those humans, a young woman who learned how to make clothes during her time in an orphanage.  She's been hired by a prestigious tailor shop to help their clients to obtain the outfits that best compliment them, be they elven nobility, lioness princesses, or undead bridegrooms.

STORY:

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Royal Tailor is that it's not a light novel adaptation.  It's an alternate world, to be sure, but there are no Truck-kuns, no reincarnations, no villainesses, and no demon kings.  Truth be told, this story might have been a little more interesting if it had if simply because it would have forced Hana to be a bigger and more distinct presence in her own story.

Quite frankly, Hana is a bit of a drip.  The only things she has going for her are her sewing skills and her insipid niceness.  You think Nowaki could get more substance out of the fact that she is a human in a world where humans are an oppressed minority, but it almost always plays out the same way:

1. Some supernatural being makes a big stink over a lowly human being in their presence

2. Hana's boss or one of her prestigious clients stands up for her publicly

3. The aforementioned being is automatically reformed and never says anything remotely prejudiced against her again

Hana's overwhelming kindness would have more impact if she ever had to face any sort of substantial or lingering prejudice, or if she felt pressure to overachieve to compensate for being human.  Then it would be an active choice on her part and it would feel more remarkable.  As it stands, it feels like everyone is falling over themselves simply because she smiles a lot and says "please" and "thank you."

You also don't get any real sense of her talent as a seamstress.  We are told of her talent and we see the end results of her work, but most of the actual hard work happens off-screen.  This feels like a real missed opportunity to blend real-world sewing techniques with more fantastical elements.  This would serve as a showcase for her ingenuity and allow for input and cooperation between her and her coworkers.  Instead most of her time is spent serving as therapist to her client, listening to their troubles and altering their dresses and suits to meet their needs.

There is one thing about fashion that Hana (and the manga) understands well.  Early on she expresses sympathy for a client because "who she is on the inside doesn't match the world around her" and notes how many people feel that way.  If nothing else, this manga understands that fashion works just as much as a vehicle for self-expression as it does for function.  It can be an outlet through wish one asserts their identity and boost their esteem and Hana is very successful at tailoring her pieces to her client's needs.  I just wish it didn't all feel so effortless, as 

ART:

If nothing else, I have to praise Nowaki for digging deep for supernatural creatures to spotlight.  Sure there are the usual elves and fairies, but there are also lamia, dryads, and wolpentingers.  Do you even know off-hand what that is?  I sure didn't (it's basically a Bavarian jackalope).  I wish there was a little more variety in body shapes and types, but it's more effort than your usual fantasy manga makes.

Sadly that's where my praise must end because this manga is hopelessly cluttered.  With all the elaborate character designs, outfits, and backgrounds on display, every panel is busy as can be.  To make things worse, there's very little shading or texture so there's no sense of depth or mood.  It makes the whole volume look very flat.

RATING:

Royal Tailor has some understanding of what makes fashion special, but its refusal to give its heroine any real challenge (or personality) or show off her skills cuts off whatever potential it might have ever had.

This manga is published by Seven Seas.  This series is ongoing in Japan with 4 volumes available.  2 volumes have been released and are currently in print.

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