Legend of Basara

Story:
In the 21st Century for some reason (probably global warming or something..) the world has turned into a wasteland and Japan is ruled by a corrupt and selfish clan whom have neglected their subjects through out their years of ruling so much that the quality of life is pretty much the lowest of low. Then one day there was a set of twins, a boy(Tatara) and a girl(Sarasa) was born and a prophet declares that the boy is the chosen one which would save them from their predicament. Unfortunately the supposed chosen one was killed by the "Red King", which happens to be the son ... of the ruling Emperor and now it's up the the other half of the twins to fulfill her brother's role.

The plot of Legend of Basara doesn't really exude originality but through out it manages to make itself interesting enough. It's too bad that the story is clearly unfinished with the way that things were left off with the final episode though it was somewhat obvious that this would happen seeing as this anime adaption was only 13 episodes long while the original manga span for 27 volumes.

Animation:
Now the animation isn't necessarily bad but it's not great either, while the show being more than 10 years old needs to be put into consideration, there was still plenty of shows that were released around the same time as Legend of Basara that looked better. Although the show did have some interesting character designs despite most of the male characters looking a little too fabulous.

Sound:
The OST hardly had much presence through out the show which is kind of disappointing since a lot shows fantasy type shows use background music to make you feel like what you're watching is some epic adventure.

Character:
Probably the best aspect of the show, Sarasa is a great lead character, she's isn't just some push over and is pretty likable from the start and still she displays a lot of growth in her resolve and personality as the story progresses.

Another interesting note about the characters is that most of the so called villains in the show, are really just following their own justice, following what they think is right for the country and in a way you could see Sarasa as the villain as she's stands in the way of the Red King who seems to have good intentions but just needs a bit more guidance in which is the right path to take.

Overall:
Legend of Basara is a good show, despite the story being incomplete it was rather enjoyable. It's recommendable if you're looking for a decent fantasy/adventure/romance series although be prepared to move on to the manga once you've finished since the story is unfortunately cut short.

This is my first review ever and it had to be on this anime. If you're into historical romance and old art this is anime for you. I have never seen an anime with such originality honestly, it's also very unique because it's from a time when anime wasn't cliquè and had differnt storylines.

Story 9/10: it's sort of like Romeo and Juliet, the girl (Sarasa) is from a village with a twin brother who is the chosen one who gets the privilege of holding a swords and whatnot, the usual "manly" tasks. Anyway, so Japan is under control by different kings ruling divided ... parts who are all brothers. Our main male protagonist is the Red King who is Sarasa's enemy for destroying her village, and killing her family. Now Sarasa takes her brothers place (Tatara) as the chosen one who will bring peace to the world and goes after The Red King, tricking his nation that it was the twin sister that was killed. She goes to get revenge and meets a man whom both fall in love not knowing what their true indenties are. Oh and there's a lot of killing since a war starts between Tatara and The Red King. When they aren't doing their duties it's interesting to see how much their tones change when talking to another without knowing each others identities. They help their enemies without realizing each time they meet and I loved watching that friction between them.

Art 10/10: The art is simply beautiful and very detailed. It has a very different setting than what's usually shown in anime today with the your average highschool setting or modern Japan. You just have to watch it to see how lovely it is as on old art fan.

Characters 8/10: There are some holes in the story when it come to character development but it's bearable or how one thing lead to another for characters during the plot.

Enjoyment 10/10: I loved this anime too much. I wish anime could be like anime from the 90s and early 2000s because of the art and each anime had its own touch to it. Also they're very underrated. I was literally so excited while I was watching this anime because I couldn't predict was gonna happen next which is a great feeling for me. Storyline and everything kept me very into it.


(**SPOLIER ALERT***)

Overall 9/10: I do think it could have had more episodes since it did leave some plot holes here and there especially in the end when it came to the main female and male finding out their true identities but there's always the manga to get more deep. Overall I enjoyed it very much. I highly recommend this if you're wanting to take a break from today's anime and for all my old art lovers that are looking for what to watch next.

If you'd like to take a break from all the new shiny mainstream anime and don't mind dipping back into an older era of anime, Legend of Basara can be a hidden gem. I have the bias of reading the entire manga and I will forewarn you the anime is only a taste of the beginning of what is a very epic story. The end WILL leave you wanting more because there IS so much more. The manga is 27 volumes.

The creator likes to break out of the shoujo mold, though clearly with such aesthetics and a romance interest, there is also the horror of ... war and no punches pulled. Characters will die, they will struggle emotionally, and there's no simple good vs evil. Everyone has weaknesses and something they believe in.

The anime will end shortly after the plot arc introducing the Blue King, though I believe they condensed it quite a bit. Even with having the manga I still bemoan it did not go longer but there really is no "satisfactory" spot they could have ended it aside from the end itself. The story is built around a prophecy, a war, and two star crossed lovers who are usually apart. But you can enjoy and appreciate the anime for what it is.

Story: 7

The anime in itself was very interesting and had a lot of potential to be a good anime however, be it only thirteen episodes it clearly displayed that it was unfinished.With that being said it was only okay, could have been better if the plot had finished with answers answered and goals were achieved.

Art : 7
The art was pretty basic for me. I didn't find it spectacular but it also is a anime from the early 90's, so in that aspect I found it just okay.

Characters: 9
Each character that was present and brought forth were unique and really thought about. Sarasa and ... Shuri are by far the most complex characters that are brought forth, due to each of their unique backgrounds and their psychological battles they face by falling in love with the 'enemy'. Although these two are the main focus, the other characters also reveal interesting pasts/experiences/backgrounds that make them appealing as well.

Enjoyment: 7
I did enjoy this anime, however I really would have enjoyed it even more had the story been completed and the goal that was portrayed was brought to light. The fact that those two things were not satisfied made this only an okay anime for me.

They don't make animes or mangas like this anymore. This is what Yona of the Dawn wishes it could be.

This is an underrated masterpiece. It's almost Shakespearean with the amount of foreshadowing and the way the romance is constructed.

"Your loyalty to the Red King will kill you."

There are tons of foreshadowing early on that are reiterated. Nothing is accidental. Basara follows sets up similarly with Avatar The Last Airbender. Sarasa and Tatara are two siblings who grow up in a small village. Tatara is the chosen one, meant to unite Japan and defeat the Red King. Japan has turned into a desert. Sarasa one ... day ventures forth to see the ocean but sees a sea of red, the Fire King's army. They attack their village and kill Ma-kun, a village boy who disguises himself as Tatara. Three years later, the Red King's army comes again and kills not only her father, but also her brother. Without a leader, without the chosen one, Sarasa decides to cut her hair and assume her brother's role and live out her life as Tatara.

Her village is destroyed and from there she starts her journey as she forms alliances and comrade to take down the Red King. The Red King seeks to turn Japan into a dictatorship. You find out as you continue that the goals of the Red King and Sarasa are similar. They dream of turning Japan into a lush green land where cherry trees and vegetation can prosper once again . Even their means of getting there aren't that different.

It made me question what does it mean to be a hero. Is it being on the side that's considered right?

What shines is the story telling and the dichotomy and contradictions within the characters. Sarasa meets Shuri throughout her journey and bumps into him time and time again. She doesn't realize Shuri is The Red King. Their tones change when they are with each other. They can be theirselves without playing their respective roles. Sarasa can just be a normal girl and Shuri can just be a guy.

It woulda been a near masterpiece had it fully adapted the manga. I stopped around volume 5.

Animation is as limited as the current animes but I found the animation fluid for the most part. It looked natural, the animation.

This gave forth Avatar The Last Airbender.

Recommendation: An excellent post-apocalyptic adventure series with strong, complex characters and an engrossing plot. Very much worth watching.

Positives:

+ Epic, sweeping adventure storyline that's perfectly paced and interesting every step of the way. Worldbuilding is well done and makes it fun to follow Sarasa's adventures to new places, while also fleshing out the Red King and his court and making them equally interesting.

+ Gorgeous backgrounds that make the post-apocalyptic wasteland of ruined Japan come alive.

+ Good shoujo-style character designs, major characters look very unique and distinctive.

+ Complex characters that are not fully good or bad. Sarasa's enemies are humanized and you feel conflicted when she fights ... them. This is especially the case with Shidou, whose fight with Sarasa is one of the strongest parts of the series. Sarasa herself is not a perfect protagonist and makes mistakes and has believable flaws.

+ Shuri is an effective anti-hero in the truest sense of the term. He's not an edgy badass but a man that has committed himself to uniting Japan even if it means committing evil and indefensible acts.

Negatives:

- The romance between Shuri and Sarasa can be overly indulgent in shoujo manga tropes. "He's such a jerk. So why is my heart beating so fast?" is the kind of dialogue you get for most of these scenes and it doesn't always fit the mood or setting.

- Hayato is an annoyance and is not competent or interesting enough to justify his position in the story or in Sarasa's inner circle.

- The Blue King arc is weaker than the rest of the story and the Blue King himself is an unfortunate exception to the point above about Sarasa's enemies not being cartoonish villains who do evil things simply because they're bad.

- The story is a bit too epic, and the 13 episode series adapts only the first 5 volumes of the 27 volume manga. As a result, it feels like the series ends right as things are getting good.

Ahh.. finding the forgotten gems of the past is hard but always a thrill. We are bombarded with hundreds of shows in this day of age, yet it's nothing like going back and watching a hand drawn shows now and then.

Legend of Basara was made towards the end of previous century, based on the source material that ran though the 90s and as expected from shows of that time it follows some basic principles that were used then. You can't really take them into account while evaluating an anime (the endless name calling for example). It's just how the things were back then like it ... or hate it.

Now on to the series itself.. I will be blunt and just say it right away. It was not just bad, but straight up horrible. The only bright light that shines though it is that story (while extremely predictable) is at least somewhat interesting.

Characters were bland, stereotypical, edgy and often unnecessarily forced (looking at you Hayato). Story while somewhat interesting overall was predictable and sometimes uselessly stretched to fill out the whole episode. Pacing was off, but that is to be expected of 13 ep series. It could have been better with being 26 ep long. Music was often, if not always out of place. Animation, while taking into consideration the anime is old, was still terrible. Color schemes were all over the place, often completely changing color of clothes or hair from one scene to the other. If it came out 10 years earlier I would still consider it mediocre at best.

All in all this anime has been a shipwreck from start to finish with it's lackluster production. Haven't read the source material, but I've got a strong feeling that it didn't do it justice. We get what we get however and Legend of Basara clearly wasn't the gem I have been looking for. If anything positive taken from it is that I appreciate some old shows (like Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Lain) that came out the same year even more and can't wait to go on another hunt for potential hidden gems. For this one, I do not suggest you to waste your time on it.