To further the Please Like Maleagant agenda, I’ve prepared a list of works that Maleagant appears in. I’ve also arranged them in a rough order based on a very objective formula that basically combines how much I like this depiction of Maleagant with how much he’s present in the work and with how much I otherwise liked the work in general. The list is currently incomplete, and will continue to be updated as I work through things where he is present, but I feel I’ve covered enough of his major appearances to release it to the world. Recommendations for Maleagants are always welcome.
This list only covers works where he at least rises to the level of minor character. Things where he is mentioned in a single line or exclusively in past tense, shows up for a single panel, etc, are excluded. Also, I’ve just stuck to the Maleagant spelling for everything, but most of these works use other variations.
Lancelot, or the Knight of the Cart
The original and the best. You can’t start this list off any other way. The public domain Comfort translation is perfectly acceptable, but the Raffel translation is simply the best and really brings out Maleagant’s cuteness. Deceptively simple at first, but there’s a compelling, sympathetic undercurrent that makes him truly shine. What a wonderful villain. What could one even write for a mini review of this? If you haven’t read it, read it already!
The Vulgate Cycle/Lancelot-Grail
I was really tempted to start the list off with this because the little extra things this adds about Maleagant make him even better, but the whole thing is really, really long, and so somewhat less worth reading for Maleagant specifically. If you’ve already read the Knight of the Cart I wouldn’t say this is essential reading, as his presence in the Vulgate is mostly a 1:1 retelling of KotC, but this is really peak Maleagant. Him seething over the affection between Lancelot and Galehaut…
La Légende du Roi Arthur / Takarazuka Revue
My very favourite contemporary Maleagant. This is an adaptation of a French musical of the same name, but Zuka makes some changes that makes me like this one more – I love Morgan and Maleagant’s dynamic in this one in particular, and they ended up my unexpected ship of the night when I watched this. They’re a bit more evil-for-evil’s-sake anime villains in this – Morgan is substantially more sympathetic in the French version – but they’re both really fun and engaging. I love Maleagant’s corruption and downfall. If you only go for one contemporary Maleagant, make it this one.
La Légende du Roi Arthur / Dove Attia
The French musical that Zuka adapted above. Maleagant’s JRPG-ass fit in this sends me, but he also kind of has the best costuming in the show. He has like a harem of pet boys that he’s just casually doing petplay with the entire time? Tries a bit too hard to make him kind of a sexy bad boy for my tastes, but a great Maleagant overall and a decent watch. I recommend Zuka Maleagant over this one due to my own biases, but you can’t go wrong with this one either. You can tell the writer wants to soak him in milk like I do.
Lancelot / Takarazuka Revue
This musical is really fun and the plot is absolutely unhinged, but Maleagant only has a minor 10-minute role in it, so it’s difficult to recommend on Maleagant grounds. You should absolutely watch it in general though, just not for him. His design is unusually cute and little in this… it’s charming.
The Post-Vulgate
This is the only Maleagant outside of a KotC structure I’ve encountered that really feels like Maleagant, rather than in name only! He’s so cute! This is, like, a “redeemed” Maleagant, or a Maleagant who has been a knight of the round from the start instead of a foreign prince*… I love it so much. One should also note that his coat of arms in this is a red band on a white background – a design substantially associated with Lancelot! Which could mean nothing. This is only as low as it is because he only appears so briefly, so it’s not exactly worth reading just for him!
(Also, Lacy’s team speculates in their notes that this is not the Maleagant, but in some groupchat red-string-pinboarding far too long to elucidate here, we have concluded that it is him, and so I include him on this list. And assert that it is, in fact, Maleagant.)
*I know he’s a knight of the round in the Morte but given his mentions are extremely brief I’m electing to ignore it, since it does nothing with the concept and the vast majority of his “screen”time is KotC again.
Le Morte d’Arthur / Thomas Malory
It’s kind of funny to put the Morte this low, but I’m evaluating based on Maleagant content, remember? He gets very little right towards the end, and the Knight of the Cart chapter is pretty rushed, even if Maleagant is cute in it. Not really worth engaging with for Maleagant specifically. But also, it’s the Morte. If you’re interested in Arthuriana you already read it anyway.
Lancelot / Giles Kristian
Maleagant in name only. Lancelot in name only, even! Pulls just enough from Arthurian texts that you can’t just out of hand dismiss it as generic fantasy that happens to be using the same names, even though that’s basically what it is. This Maleagant would be acceptable if a little shallow if Lancelot was an actual character at all, but he isn’t. Broadly exhausting and trite. I don’t recommend this in general.
The Dragon Weeps Before Daybreak / Granblue Fantasy
Maleagant in name only. Granblue plays extremely fast and loose with its adaptations, so I wouldn’t call the Dragon Knights series an Arthurian retelling at all. This is also quite infamously one of the worst events in the game, with an extremely clumsily handled storyline about racism. Maleagant is passable as a character, but he’s not my Maleagant. Combined with the otherwise terrible writing, this is an absolute pass.
First Knight
Don’t. Bad script, bad cinematography, entire cast phoning it in.
