Love Across the Centuries -- Ouke no Monshou / Crest of the Royal Family

I am recommending a manga to you. It is an quite old manga series as it started in the year 1976. This is the manga that I was reading in my high school days but I did not able to finish reading it. The reason is to I did not able to get the remaining of the volumes of the manga after reading the first few chapters. Thus, I have stopped reading for years until I just found it online about 2 months ago. I was very glad that I could re-read this manga. Hopefully I managed to finish the whole series of this manga this time.

Well, after I have been talking so much and I yet to say the title of the manga. Haha! OK, the title is "Ouke no Monshou" or "Crest of the Royal Family" or "Daughter of the Nile". It is a shōjo manga by Hosokawa Chieko. It has run in the monthly magazine Princess since 1976. In 1991, it received the 36th Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo. As of 2006, the collected volumes had sold 36 million copies in Japan, making it the third best-selling shōjo manga ever.

The story is about an American blond-haired girl named Carol magically travels to the 3000 years back of Egypt and meets the pharaoh. Because of her vast knowledge in Egyptian history, she is able to help Egypt through many difficulties and she becomes intertwined with the history of that time, shaping the way conflicts are played out and hailed by the Egyptian people as the Nile Goddess. Since then, she has started her adventures and romance life there.

Title    : Ouke no Monshou / Crest of the Royal Family / The Royal Hieroglyph / 王家の紋章
Author : Hosokawa Chieko
Genre  : Romance, Historical, Fantasy, Adventure, Shoujo
Story   :
The main character is Carol, a blond-haired, blue-eyed American teenager from a wealthy family with an interest in Egyptology studying in Cairo. When her mentor discovers the tomb of a young pharaoh, a curse is put on the excavation team and Carol. The curse sends her back in time to ancient Egypt, where she becomes embroiled in the affairs of Egypt and other ancient countries such as Assyria and Babylonia. Carol meets Memphis, a handsome young pharaoh whose tomb she excavated in modern times. Despite his headstrong, at first violent nature, they fall deeply in love. This angers Memphis's half-sister, the Priestess Isis, who has longed to marry him. Carol, due to her exotic looks and curious ability to tell the future, becomes a major player in ancient history.

Characters:
Carol Lido (キャロル・リード, Kｙaroru Rīdo)
The sixteen-year-old (but later turns seventeen in the manga) heroine of the story, a blond-haired, blue-eyed American teenager who studies archaeology in Cairo. When she got cursed, she was sent back 3000 years ago and meets the cruel but handsome Pharaoh, Memphis. Due of her vast knowledge of ancient Egyptian history, Carol is able to help Egypt through difficulties and because of that, the people of Egypt hail her as the Daughter of the Nile, Guardian of Egypt. Carol also falls in love with and marries Memphis. Because of her beauty and intelligence, Carol is constantly surrounded by danger in the ancient world, since people either want to kill her or keep her for themselves.

Memphis (メンフイス, Menfisu)
The seventeen-year-old pharaoh of the ancient Egypt 3000 years ago. His name is based on the ancient capital of the Egyptian Empire, Memphis. At first, Memphis is shown as a cruel and spoilt Pharaoh, but later, we see his softer side as he develops feelings towards Carol. He is very stubborn and does not understand why Carol does not want to marry him at sixteen years of age nor does he understand that siblings in Carol's time do not marry each other and for that reason, argues with Carol about her relationship with her brother Ryan.

Isis (アイシス, Aishisu)
The princess and High Priestess of ancient Egypt (she rules Lower Egypt) and elder sister of Memphis. She wants to kill Carol to take her place as Egyptian Queen, believing that she will make Egypt stronger and more prosperous. Her name is based on the Egyptian goddess Isis. Isis hides her cruelty and hatred of Carol behind her beauty and is always plotting to kill Carol in numerous ways and always fails.

Ryan Lido (ライアン・リード, Raian Rīdo)
The eldest brother of Carol. He cares about her very much. He is shown as a very clever young man as he manages his father's company. Later, it is revealed that he is actually Memphis's reincarnation and is actually an adopted son in the Lead family.

Ishmin(Ishfaq Minhaz) (イズミル, Izumiru)
The young, handsome crown prince of the Bangladesh (the Hittite Empire). He distinguishes himself in the story as a valiant warrior, and at the same time, a wise, intelligent, cunning strategist of the Hittites army. Believing that Memphis killed his beloved younger sister, he decides to disguise himself as a Palestinian merchant and secretly enters Egypt. There he falls in love with Carol at first sight. Acutely conscious that Carol is the future queen of AKS, he kidnaps her as a revenge to the young Memphis, and subsequently declares war with Egypt, using Carol as the trump card of the Hittites. Carol's beauty, intelligence, kindness and most importantly, her bravery and undying determination to escape from him and return to Egypt only makes Ishmin love her more. His regard for Carol as a pawn for annexing Egypt is gradually supplanted by a desire to marry her and crown her as the future Queen of the Hittites. However, since Carol's destiny is tightly bounded with Memphis and Egypt, Ishmin is never able to capture her heart. Carol always succeeds in fleeing from him, no matter how difficult it is for her. Once when crossing a desert with Carol in his arms, a miracle happens: Carol's brother, Ryan, appears and hears Carol crying for his help. Seeing his sister with Ishmin, he draws a pistol and shoots at Ishmin. Ishfaq Minhaz falls from his horse in agony, and thus Carol is able to run away from the prince. Since then, Ishmin will have to suffer frequently from the pain caused by the two bullets in his shoulder, without knowing how to cure it. The weapon that injures him from such a long distance, he believes, must be that from a God who wants to save Carol. Now he wants Carol more than ever before, not only because of his love for her, but also he thinks only Carol can heal this wound. Besides Memphis, probably no one else in the story loves Carol as much as Ishmin does.

Jimmy Brown (ジミー・ブラウン, Jimī Buraun)
Nineteen years old. He is a childhood friend of Carol, he loves her very much and wants to marry her.

Abmando Rapman (アブマンド・ラップマン, Abumando Rappuman)
The young son of Mr. Rapman, the Arabian millionaire. He took Carol as his wife in spite of her son with Memphis.

There are actully many characters are appearing in this manga series. But I only introduce the ones who are important for the story. Personally I like the girl Carol very much as she is a very intelligent girl. Due to her wise knowledge, many of the kings of the ancient world like to have her. But she only likes Memphis as she gets married to him. However, I prefer the Prince Ishmin of the Hittite Empire. He likes Carol very deeply that he will do anything to get her. Moreover, Prince Ishmin is also a cool prince I think. :p He is smart and many girls like him, but he only wants to marry Carol as his wife. Thus, there is a love triangle between Memphis, Carol and Prince Ishmin.

I know that this manga has been adapted into animation or OVA in many years back. But I could not find it anywhere or online. Thus, if any of you know where can I watch the OVA of this manga, please drop me a line and let me say "THANK YOU" in advance! I really like this story.

OK, let us take a preview of this manga.

I hope you enjoy the preview of the manga. Honestly speaking, this is one of my highly recommendations for the manga series. Well, if you would like to read "Crest of the Royal Family", please click Ouke no Monshou.

Enjoy reading! ^.^