Crest of the Royal Family

Crest of the Royal Family
Cover of Crest of the Royal Family volume 1 as published by Akita Shoten
王家の紋章 (Ōke no Monshō)
Genre	historical fantasy
Manga
Written by	Chieko Hosokawa
Published by	Akita Shoten
Demographic	Shōjo
Magazine	Princess
Original run	1976 – present
Volumes	62

Crest of the Royal Family (王家の紋章, Ōke no Monshō^?), is a shōjo manga by Chieko Hosokawa. 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 manga has been adapted into 2 drama CD's released in 1990 by Pony Canyon (reprinted in 2004) and an anime OVA produced by Toei Animation.

The main character is Carol, a blonde-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.