Noble blood is an accident of fortune; noble actions characterize the great.

The story centers on Chevalier Charles-Henri Sanson de Longval, the eldest brother in the Sanson family of executioners and his sister Marie-Joseph Sanson, who lives a carefree life in Versailles. Most of Charles-Henri's professional activities take place in the 18th-century France, so poor Sanson had the misfortune of experiencing extremely ‘fun’ times and, of course, the events that will lead to the French Revolution and the French Revolution itself. The revolution that will cause him numerous conflicts, both in the family, moral and personal conflicts that will make him change his world view: from the rebellious and idealistic to the convinced executor of the will of the King and the people and more.

Marie, however, has always loved the idea of being an executioner and she has always had a great command of human anatomy. In other words, she is the antithesis of her brother; her character development comes from honing anger and self-preservation. Another thing I would love to point your attention to is the fact that the author uses a lot of symbolism. Take for example the easiest example, Marie’s hair. Aside from a huge number of literary devices, used in Innocent Rouge, I want to stress the fact that the world that is depicted in Innocent Rouge is extremely dark and gloomy, with a breathtaking historical narrative that is full of grotesque and satirical allegories.

Last but not least is the art, which a very important detail for such a manga. Art wise, I must say that it looks very mature and realistic as if I am looking at the photos of the real people. Finally, the most important thing in Innocent Rouge is how the mangaka depicts emotions of the people; this is just something you need to see.

All in all, it is an open secret that Japanese mangaka often fail to depict Europeans: most of the time it looks just ridiculous. Indeed, this manga is not historically correct. Yet, this will be the last thing that you will think about, when reading this manga. Sakamoto Shinichi-san, you are a genius. I have not seen yet a manga even somewhat similar to "Innocent" and the sequel "Innocent Rouge." I tried to rush this manga simply because of the fact that it is just so good that you simply cannot stop reading this masterpiece. However, this is a huge mistake that I highly advice you to never repeat. Both Innocent and Innocent Rouge are supposed to be read little by little, so you manage to notice all the important details about it. In the end, it is for you to decide how to read your manga. However, there is one decision you must make and it is to read Innocent and Innocent Rouge. I am not going to say you might like it, there is no might, you will love it!

Hopefully, one day Sakamoto Shinichi-san will please the fans with the anime adaptation!!