Forum - View topicBasara, the overlooked epic
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Raven Shinobi
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Basara was a name that I didn't come across that often since I got into manga and only was convinced to give it a try through word of mouth. At first look, Basara seemed like the series that I would stay away from -the protagonist is the protagonist simply because of a prophecy that stated that she was the "chosen one", a girl assuming a boy's identity which was a plot twist that I was by that point tired of after reading Ouran and dropping Hana-Kimi, but I none the less kept reading since the one who recommended it to me had similar tastes to mine and couldn't stop raving about how "epic" the series was and you know, by the time I reached volume 2 I couldn't have agreed more.
There were more than few plot twists that caught me off guard and the situations and battles are creative and epic, I mean vol. 22, wow, that was the best plot twist that I came across in a while and then spoiler[Shuri's arm being severed with blood oozing from it left me completely stunned for a moment and then immediately reaching for the next book to see what happens next  ]
The characters are amazingly developed and they are the opposite of the cliché, what I like about them is that their intentions and where their loyalty lies are shrouded in mystery that will keep you guessing until the end of the main story in vol. 25 and there were a few things that were kept to the reader's imagination with a few clues given to solve the puzzle regarding their origin, like the case with spoiler[Ageha and Asagi.] Shuri also ended up being my current favorite male character from a manga -the stages of his growth are just quite amazing, spoiler[from being a ruthless leader, to a bald monk –this is the point that he won me over and indicated Tamura's boldness early on in skinning the head of the series' leading bishounen that ended up in creating an excellent scenario, and then having his throne usurped to him being a slave then a revolutionist then a king that ended with his own hands the monarchy and centuries of tyranny and oppression. ] Sarasa was also quite different compared to the stereotypes from most of the other shoujo works out there and the situations that she was placed in were quite realistic spoiler[and watching her emotional turmoil regarding her feelings for Shuri that she ended up discovering in an amazingly structured scene that he was none other than the one responsible for killing her brother and father was simply heart wrenching.] Like any other work of fiction, the series has some flaws, especially in concealing the real identity of the two main characters from each other that were at times a bit contrived to keep the secrecy and the art wasn't all that pretty at the begining, though it quite improves as the series progresses, but the characters, the detailed setting and the political intrigue made up for that. So here I am, making this thread to discuss the series with other fans and hopefully spreading the love, it's totally beyond me why a series with such level of excellence and intrigue hasn't gained the popularity that it truly deserves. Can't wait for the final volume in May to read about spoiler[the life of Sarasa and Shuri after the revolution.] |
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Celes
 Posts: 223 Location: Madison, WI |
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You know, I've been wanting to start a new series and I've been on the fence about this one, but your post has really piqued my interest...What do you think about the art style, and the writing? I didn't read a lot of your post because of the spoilers but if you feel like sharing more about the series I would love to hear more than just reading the blurb about it on amazon!
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Raven Shinobi
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At the begining, the art is of the same quality as any 80-early 90s manga, but it quite improves and becomes prettier and more polished with each volume, by volume 7, it's hard to believe from looking at the art that this is the work of the same artist who drew the first volume.
I'm quite picky when it comes to the writing and there were many a series that I dropped because the plot was trite or didn't make sense to me, but I'm glad to say that the writing in Basara is quite mature and the characters are very well developed, there's no black or white in this story -each character has his or her agenda and reasons why they are doing what they do and you can't help but empathize with some of the villains by the end of the main story. One of the elements that defines this series is the political intrigue and there is a healthy dose of political scenarios that range from everything you can imagine about a corrupt government, I suggest that you at least read the first two volumes to decide whether to invest in this series or not, as far as I know, vol 2 and 20 are currently out of stock at amazon, but I managed to find them at the anime corner store. |
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Boomerang Flash
 Posts: 1021 |
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I ignored this series for quite a while after my friend had recommended it to me, multiple times. I think this was because of the way she summarized it: A boy, Tatara, is prophesied to save the world (really, only a post-apocalyptic Japan) from its evil dictator. spoiler[However, Tatara is killed. Therefore, his twin sister, Sarasa, has to pose as Tatara in order to lead the rebellion to overthrown the emperor.] These--both the frivolous wording and the premise--sounded like a setup for a comedy series, where Sarasa has to contend with many close calls of discovery while trying to hold together a band of ragtag rebels.
Well, it's definitely not how the series was once I had started to read it. Actually, when I finally found a copy of volume 1 in Borders, I was tempted to put it back down almost immediately after I started. The reason was the artwork--the characters' heads looked obviously like deformed rectangles, and there was something about the facial features. The artwork indeed did get better, and it reminded me a lot of Boys Over Flowers in the earlier volumes. The artwork in Basara, but it seemed rougher--not really surprising, since a lot of it is set in the desert. I was drawn in by the storyline for... quite a while, but I didn't like it from the early 20s, when spoiler[the White King, as well as the master assassin under it, started to show its presence.] Much of the dialog seemed too grandiose, though that shouldn't be too surprising, since spoiler[the resistance movement did get larger.] |
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Not a Jellyfish
 Posts: 539 Location: Boston, MA |
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I read the first 2 volumes and was rather unimpressed with it. It was a while ago, so I can't really remember why, but I think it was mostly the length of the series. I'm not fond of long series and it seemed from the get go that the series was unnecessarily long for the content of the story. I didn't mind the artwork, but I think I felt that the main character was rather stereotypical and could really use a bit more personality. I felt the same about the main male. I don't remember it sitting right with me, though.
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Celes
Posts: 223 Location: Madison, WI |
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I've decided to give it a try. I saw that volume 2 was sold out on Amazon and everywhere else (although I didn't read this thread beforehand and check anime corner store), so my friend bought me volume 2 at a comic store in Columbus for me and I ordered volume 1, 3, and 2 other mangas on Amazon so that I could get their 3-for-4 dealie. YAY! I will definitely post my impressions.
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Raven Shinobi
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I on the other hand enjoyed the early 20s volumes since the main characters dealt with spoiler[the core of the conflict and showed how the governemnt of the tyrant king was all a long standing on thin ice . I tend to get a bit lost when reading about battle scenes in manga, but I was quite impressed with the structure of the battle between Shuri and Sarasa and the preparations and tactics used. ] The characterization of spoiler[Asagi] and his inner turmoil was also well-done. I had mixed feelings about the spoiler[White King and Hiiragi,] but reading the bonus story in vol 25 cleared a lot of things up.
The series is indeed quite long, so I can't recommend it for those who prefer shorter series, but I can't really agree with the 'unnecessarily' comment. As for Sarasa, I thought she turned out to be far from stereotypical, she's an assertive and strong-willed heroine who tries her best to fill her brother's shoes and be a pillar of strength for the people around her despite the horrors that surrounds her role and she grows both physically and emotionally and gains a lot of understanding about people on each side of the conflict and why they have to fight which all developed her into a good leader for those under her, she actually ended up being one of my favorite heroines from a manga, the same for Shuri, he starts as a ruthless leader who would resort to even genocide to stabilize his lands, the reasons why I ended up liking him as a character aren't evident early on, but he also goes through a lot of growth spoiler[and realizes at the end through his relationship with Sarasa and the people that he met that people are born free and are the true force that drives the country which made him at the end fight to end the monarchy.] |
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hack_benjamin22
Posts: 136 |
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I've wanted to start this for some time now as I love the artwork of the author. It's near the top of my list to start next. Sadly, that may be a while as my disposable income has taken a sharp downturn. Your post has definitely piqued my interest in it again though. :)
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Raven Shinobi
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I also ended up loving Tamura's style so much that I ordered the two artbooks that she released on the series. What I really appreciate about the art in Basara is that there are no two characters who look even similar, something lacking in the style of some of the more popular manga-ka out there *cough*Watase Yuu*cough* The evolution of the art quality in Basara kind of reminded me of how Please Save My Earth started as one of the ugliest manga available in the market and how it ended as one of the prettiest. |
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