Publisher Summary
While the beautiful princess Arwin selflessly delves into the dungeon searching for a way to save her kingdom, Matthew aimlessly wastes his days (and her money) on brothels and booze. Causing trouble wherever he goes on the rough streets of the Dungeon City, Matthew is scorned by everyone—except for Arwin. When it comes to her, Matthew’s loyalty may run far deeper than his deplorable reputation lets on. Could his attitude be nothing more than a facade to hide the true lengths he would go to for the princess…?
Creators: Toru Shirogane (Original Story), Keyyang (Mangaka), Saki Mashima (Character Design)
Translator: Stephen Paul
Letterer: Ivo Marques
I purchased volume 1 of The Kept Man of the Princess Knight personally with my own funds.
Background
The manga adaptation of The Kept Man of the Princess Knight is currently serialized in Kadokawa's online manga platform Comic Walker.
Yen Press, already having the light novel, licensed the manga adaptation in 2023, a year after the manga's original serialization in Japan.
Review
Arwin, the princess a destroyed kingdom, dives into a dungeon in search of a crystal able to grant any wish. Day after day, she and her escort dives with the hope of one day wishing for the restoration of her kingdom. Her kept man Matthew, a former adventurer doesn't join her on her expeditions but...visits brothels instead.
You read that right. Instead of diving in search of the crystal, he dives into prostitutes, using the money Arwin lends him to survive until she gets back.
The story was not what I expected, mainly with Matt. He is a scummy guy that comes off as a burden and a liability to the Princess Knight Arwin. Spending the allowance from Arwin on prostitutes and alcohol, he comes off as a moocher only wanting to satisfy his carnal desires while avoiding going into the dungeon. However, there is more to him than meets the eye, which is why Arwin keeps him around and tolerates his proclivities.
An interesting observation was how as the volume goes on, the less number of sex scenes the story contains. It seemed like the story opens with that to catch your attention and then slowly removes it as you continue reading the volume. While things still happen, it's now implied rather than explicitly shown a la chapter 1.
The story also begins to take on a classic detective/PI feel. You have Matt as the flawed detective who will do whatever it takes to solve a case with Arwin being someone for Matt to bounce ideas off of. The story already established the players for this type of story, with Dez as one of Matt's connections to the activity in the adventurer's guild, and Vanessa as the appraiser who can help Matt with potential clues. I actually liked this tone for the story. Hopefully volume 2 continues with that with the story being a case of the week format.
I actually like the pacing. The story doesn't info dump everything at the beginning but slowly reveals plot points such as the backstory of Matt and some of the other characters such as Dez.
If I have any complaint, it's probably Matt's facial design. At some points, it seems like his face is too close together. It's a minor complaint that doesn't impact the story.
Final Thoughts
If you want a detective like story with a flawed character, you will enjoy this series. While I like what I got in this volume, I'm curious if they will keep this detective-like style for the subsequent volumes.
Verdict: Buy It on Sale
The Kept Man of the Princess Knight volume 1 from Yen Press is now available at all retailers
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