Princess Knight (Good Friend)
Good Friend
January 1963
As The Spirit of the Wild Rose (1962) – a serial that had been running in Good Friend since May of that year – came to an close in December 1962, Osamu Tezuka decided the time was right for Princess Knight to receive a remake.
Although the original series, Princess Knight [Shojo Club] (1953-56) had been well received, and the sequel, The Twin Knights (1958-59) had earlier had a successful run in Good Friend as well, Tezuka felt the need for a complete do-over. Although he would often revise (sometimes quite heavily) his earlier manga serializations when it came time for them to be published in book form, this was the first time he kept the basic storyline intact and just made it… better.
And so, the completely re-drawn and re-written version of Princess Knight was serialized in Good Friend began with the January 1963 issue and continued on for the next 46 consecutive months. In all the series produced 27 chapters before it came to a close with the October 1966 issue.
Publication Information and Chapter Summaries
001
Once Upon a Time (むかしむかし)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1963/01
Because of a mischievous angel named Tink, princess Sapphire is born with a boy and a girl’s heart. As a punishment, Tink is sent to earth to watch over Sapphire and retrieve her boy heart. The palaces announces the birth of a prince.
- Sapphire
- Tink
- Duralumin
- Nylon
- Doctor as “Doctor”
- Mokusan as “man announcing the birth”
002
Flowers and Parades (花と閲兵式)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1963/01, 1963/02
Sapphire having to split her days between a prince and a princess just wants to be a normal girl, Duke Duralumin is after the throne for his son Plastic. He sends Sir Nylon to spy on Sapphire, to find evidence that he’s a woman.
- Sapphire
- Tink
- Doctor
- Duralumin
- Nylon
003
The Carnival (謝肉祭)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1963/02
There’s a carnival in town and Sapphire wants to attend it as a girl, she wears a dress and a wig so no one would recognize her. She dances with prince Franz Charming from Goldland, and they both fall in love. Meanwhile, Duke Duralumin and Sir Nylon are plotting to have Sapphire killed in a fencing tournament.
- Sapphire
- Tink
- Franz
- Duralumin
- Nylon
- Doctor
004
The Tournament (競技大会)
Good Friendc(なかよし)
1963/02, 1963/03
Sapphire is forced to duel with Franz. Duke Duralumin’s poisoned sword misses Sapphire but instead kills her father, Franz is accused of the murder.
- Sapphire
- Tink
- Franz
- Duralumin
- Nylon
- Doctor
005
Prisoner Prince (牢獄の王子)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1963/03, 1963/04
Sapphire is to be crowned king but before that she frees Franz from his prison, dressed as the Flaxen Haired Maiden whom he danced with. Duralumin and Nylon decide to use a blabber drug on the Dowager Queen (Sapphire’s mother) during the coronation, so that the truth about Sapphire being a woman is revealed.
- Sapphire
- Tink
- Franz
- Duralumin
- Nylon
- Doctor
006
Coronation (即位式)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1963/04, 1963/05
Duralumin and Nylon’s plot succeed, and the queen confesses that Sapphire is in fact a woman. Both the Queen and Sapphire are sent to Coffin Tower as prisoners.
- Sapphire
- Tink
- Duralumin
- Nylon
- Doctor
- Rommel
007
Sapphire in Coffin Tower (棺桶塔のサファイア)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1963/05, 1963/06
In the tower Sapphire and her mother are forced to work, Nylon sends the warden a letter to kill them both. The warden realizes what a grave mistake it will be to kill such kind people, he changes his mind. Nylon captures Tink and is about to shoot him with an arrow.
- Sapphire
- Tink
- Nylon
- Rommel
008
Phantom Knight’s Debut (リボンの騎士登場)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1963/06, 1963/07
A knight named Phantom saves Tink in the last minute, it turns out he’s Sapphire in disguise. Tink wants to taker Sapphire boy’s heart, but she runs away from him. She continues helping the poor and the weak as the Phantom Knight.
- Sapphire
- Tink
- Nylon
009
The Idiot King’s Bride (ばか王のいいなずけ)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1963/07
King Plastic is seeking a royal girl friend. Sapphire dresses as the Flaxen Haired Maiden and is chosen to be Plastic’s girl friend, she decides to steal Plastic’s crown but is caught by the palace guards.
- Sapphire
- Tink
- Nylon
- Duralumin
- Franz
010
Devil’s Whisper (悪魔のささやき)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1963/08
While in jail Madam Hell appears to Sapphire, She’s after Sapphire’s heart, face and personality to give them to her daughter. Tink stops Madam Hell and stays with Sapphire to help her.
- Sapphire
- Tink
- Madame Hell
011
Two by the Quarry (石切り場のふたり)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1963/08, 1963/09, 1963/10
Sapphire and Tink are sent to work in the quarry, Franz is wandering there and he sees them. They try to run away from the guards but Franz is injured, Sapphire nurses him dressed as the Flaxen Haired Maiden and then Madam Hell kidnaps her.
-
- Sapphire
- Tink
- Nylon
- Madame Hell
- Franz
- Mokusan as servant
012
The Witch’s Lair (魔女の館)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1963/10, 1963/11
In the witch’s lair Sapphire meets her daughter, Hecate. Hecate feels sorry for Sapphire and decides to help her, she turns her into a swan so she can escape. Madam Hell finds out Sapphire ran away and she’s furious, she’s determined to get her back and throws a spell.
- Sapphire
- Hecate
- Madame Hell
- Franz
- Mokusan as servant??
013
Grieving Swan (なげきの白鳥)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1963/11, 1963/12, 1964/01
In swan form, Sapphire ends up in Prince Franz castle. Madam Hell disguises herself as Countess Devil and dresses Hecate as the Flaxen Haired Maiden, both introduce themselves to Franz and his uncle Duke Chanell. Tink appears and ruin their plot, he restores Sapphire to her human form and they escape.
- Sapphire
- Tink
- Madame Hell
- Hecate
- Franz
- Mokusan as servant??
- Duke Red? as “guy catching swan”?
014
Two Hearts (ふたつの心)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1964/01, 1964/02, 1964/03
In the woods Tink and Sapphire encounter Nylon, but they manage to throw him off their tracks. The Queen, Sapphire’s mother is transformed to Sea Snake Isle.
- Coming Soon!
015
Stone Queen (石になった王妃)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1964/04, 1964/05
Sapphire tries to save her mother, but Madam Hell turns the Queen into stone. Captain Blood saves Sapphire from the sea, and although she pretends to be a boy he discovers she’s really a woman. Blood plan on luring Duralumin to his ship.
- Coming Soon!
016
Captain Blood, Pirate (海賊ブラッド船長)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1964/05, 1964/06, 1964/07
Nylon comes instead of Duralumin and he tries to take over the pirates ship but is captured instead. They try saving Sapphire’s mother but couldn’t, they decide to capture Duralumin on his hunting trip in the woods.
- Coming Soon!
017
A Happening in the Hawthorne Forest (さんざしの森のできごと)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1964/08, 1964/09, 1964/10
Duralumin, Plastic and Franz are hunting in the forest, Sapphire and Blood try capturing Duralumin. The end up facing Franz, who discovers that Sapphire and the Flaxen Haired Maiden are the same person. Amidst all the chaos Madam hell appears and steals Sapphire’s girl heart for her daughter Hecate.
- Coming Soon!
018
The Kitten and the Angel (子ネコと天使)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1964/11, 1964/12, 1965/01, 1965/02
Hecate pretends to swallow the girl heart, just for her mother’s sake. Meanwhile, Sapphire goes to the castle to demand the throne now that she’s a prince. Hecate takes the girl heart back to Sapphire, Tink helps her swallow it and takes her boy heart. Plastic decides he’ll change the law so that Sapphire can rule as a woman.
- Coming Soon!
019
Madame Hell’s Demands (ヘル夫人の要求)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1965/02, 1965/03, 1965/04
Madam Hell demands from Franz that he marries her daughter, or she’ll kill Sapphire. He is forced to accept.
- Coming Soon!
020
Warring Women (女の戦い)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1965/05, 1965/06, 1965/07, 1965/08, 1965/09
Because of his engagement to a demon girl, Franz’s uncle banishes him from the palace. Franz finds out that Blood is his brother, and his true name is Heinrich. Sapphire is being protected by the palace’s ladies from Duralumin and his men, a battle between the men and the women starts as Franz comes to say his farewell to Sapphire. Madam Hell and King Satan take over Goldland by turning everyone into stone.
- Shunsaku Ban
021
Two Slumbers (ふたつの眠り)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1965/07, 1965/09, 1965/10, 1965/11
Just as King Plastic is about to give the throne back to Sapphire, Nylon shoots them both with his arrows. Blood travels to Black Pearl Island to get the cure, Madam Hell seizes her opportunity and steals Sapphire’s heart.
- Satan
022
The Devil’s Wedding (悪魔の結婚式)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1965/05, 1965/06, 1965/12, 1966/01
Franz and Hecate run away from their wedding ceremony with Sapphire’s heart, Madam Hell tries to stop them. Franz kills Madam Hell, Hecate dies with her since she’s born from her magic. Everyone who was turned to stone by her magic comes back to normal, including Sapphire’s mother who rushes to the palace.
- Coming Soon!
023
The Queen of Black Pearl Island (黒真珠島の女王)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1966/01, 1966/02, 1966/03
Blood reaches Black Pearl Island and find the cure, the island’s queen Parpa wants to stop him and keep him for herself. While blood is running away the queen shoots him with a poisoned arrow, he manages to deliver the cure and die. The cure can’t save Sapphire and they use it on Plastic, only the Flower of Life in the garden of Venus can save her.
- Mokusan
024
The Garden of Venus (ビーナスの花園)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1966/03, 1966/04
Eros, Venus’s messenger takes Franz to her garden to fetch the flower. Venus likes Franz and wants him for herself. She helps Franz save Sapphire’s life but she wipes her memory, Sapphire is desperate and Venus tricks her to travel north.
- Coming Soon!
025
The Mad Marquis Oolong (おかしなウーロン侯)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1966/04, 1966/05, 1966/06, 1966/07
On her travel Sapphire encounters a girl who invites her to stay with her and her mother. They mistake Sapphire for a knight, and suggest she participate in The Annual Martial Arts Tournament. Somehow during the tournament, Venus manages using Nylon to throw Sapphire in jail.
- Osamu Tezuka
026
Friebe, Swordswoman (女剣士フリーベ)
Good Friend (なかよし)
1966/07, 1966/08, 1966/09
Marquis Oolong the ruler of the northern lands frees Sapphire from her prison. Friebe the swordswoman help Sapphire disguise herself and run away, and she asks Sapphire to marry her thinking she’s a knight. During the wedding ceremony Sapphire confesses she’s a woman, Oolong and Friebe help Sapphire go back to her land.
- Duke Red
