Basara

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Before I begin, I would like to say that I have read the first six volumes over ten times and the entire series twice-- and I have loved it as dearly as the first time I picked up a volume.

Basara is definitely an epic to consider if you are seeking an escape from today's world. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, this tale begins with the birth of two twins, Tatara and Sarasa, and follows the latter's journey to create a better world for her people.

The first thing I would like to address is the art. Despite the seemingly haphazard lines that initially deterred ... me, I grew to love it. There is a certain elegance in these pages that takes a little time to notice. It is very much an easily acquired taste, and I am now enchanted by this style.

The storyline seems a little simplistic-- overthrow the king and create a new country. Yet the simple sentence above implies so many complications-- gathering the trust of men, getting close to the king. Sarasa starts practically from scratch and works her way up-- she does not have it easy, and she knows it, yet she works her hardest to improve her situation as well as others', thus gaining their trust. The story, though it can a little slow when gathering reconnaissance about a certain place, stays intriguing for almost the entire series-- and with a whole 27 volumes, that's quite a feat.

As others have stated, the real gem in this series lies in the cast of characters. It is very difficult to stay organized with a large, fully-developed army of characters, but Tam-tam doesn't just stay organized-- she utilizes all of these characters to the fullest, and shows their development. They're not stagnant characters who never change their ways.

The most prominent example I can give of this is Shuri, the Red King. In the beginning, Shuri is pompous, overconfident; he is very reckless and cares little about the value of life-- especially those of individuals whom he knows nothing about. However, Sarasa and other situations teach him that every qlife is valuable, and by the end of the series, he has changed almost completely. No longer is he the reckless, overconfident, I-am-going-to-run-you-over-to-get-what-I-want sort of man; he has become a mature individual who acknowledges the things he has done but wants to help make it better.

Sarasa's development was quite beautiful as well. She started off her journey being a crybaby, constantly relying on others for help. As she moved on, as events forced her to separate from those she relied on, she became more and more independent-- so much so that she was afraid to lean on anyone for a while. She was most definitely human-- she was constantly in conflict with herself over her actions, she is afraid, she is still quite a crybaby. Yet she looks forward with a solid resolve to accomplish what she set out to do. At the end of the series, though still a crybaby, she is very much independent, very accomplished, very confident, and no longer the younger sister who was cast aside.

I must say, I really enjoyed all of the series, even though volumes 19-24 kept leading me on false hopes (both times, at the end of every chapter, I kept thinking, "Are they going to meet again?! What's going to happen? CRAP, THEY'RE NOT MEETING YET? GODDAMNIT, WHY?!"), it's a sign that Tam-tam definitely had a firm grip on the skill of keeping the reader hooked and on the edge of her or his seat.

In conclusion, Basara's intricate plot and full-fledged army (literally) of characters should not be turned away by the seeming messiness of the art. This manga's brilliant plot and well-rounded characters provide the majority of this manga's fanbase. Definitely a must-read epic, Basara has won over my heart-- and as I did last time, I shall be thinking of Sarasa and Shuri for weeks on end!

“Sarasa, even if you feel that destiny is toying with you, destiny is something you design with your own hands.”

I love the fantasy genre. Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, Game of Thrones... stories with a truly epic feel, huge sword battles, intricate political schemes and a mountain of well-developed characters. So, of course, it's no surprise that I searched for an epic fantasy manga series when I began to get into the wonderful world of manga and anime. I read a few, they were okay... And then I found Basara.

Outstanding world building? Check. Incredible character development? Check. Huge, encompassing political wars? Check. ... And, the thing that drew me in the most; delicate, well-handled relationships between characters including but not limited to a forbidden romance, deep rooted friendships, loyal servants, and vengeful enemies? Check. Let's start with the basics.

Art- 9
Yes, the art started off rather... ugly. There's no disguising that fact. It wasn't all that pleasing to look at, there wasn't much detail, and sometimes character's faces looked really messed up. So why the nine? Just like the characters, the art developed from something ugly into something beautiful and detailed, unique yet simple. Battle scenes became easy to understand but still incredibly detailed, and every single character grew into someone beautiful and unique. I had no trouble distinguishing one character from another--they all had certain physical traits and looks that made them easy to tell apart. If you're worried about the art, I encourage you to ignore the ugliness at the beginning, because you'll certainly be rewarded later on. And when you look back, it's interesting, even amusing, to see how the mangaka's art has progressed.

Story- 9
I'm not going to bother with a huge synopsis because it'd be too long and wouldn't do the story any justice. I know people worry about certain things in the story so I'll put any hesitations about the story you have to rest now--the pacing, first of all, was fantastic. The story gripped you and brought you up to dizzying heights of excitement, then slowly released you only to sweep you up again. There was never a moment where I felt bored, never a moment I didn't want to continue reading. Sarasa's journey grew from simple vengeance into trying to save the people of her world, and it worked. The story development was realistic, and though it was pretty unpredictable, there was never anything that happened that seemed like the author just did it on a whim. Going back, you could see the foreshadowing, but while reading it was near impossible to predict what would happen next. The overall plot was extremely well thought out, and the length was spot on for what needed to be done. What needed to be done leads me to the ending... not giving anything away, but it was very satisfying. No huge cliffhangers, no things left undone, nothing that needed to be revealed, and nothing rushed in.

Character- 10
Where do I even begin? I HATED Sarasa at the beginning. I mean, I completely loathed her. She was a crying mess of girly 'please save me' cliches and 'no, I don't want to hurt anybody!' Ok, honey, grow up. Yes, your friends will get hurt if you don't fight. No, you can't save the world by loving everybody. Deal with it. Oh, but she did. She went above and beyond dealing with it--she became an ass-kicking, confident badass who led an army, and one of my favourite characters of all time. Definitely my favourite female character of all time. And Shuri. Man, he was a spoiled little cliche evil dude with his 'yeah I'm gunna kill this village for no reason because I can, and because you're a bunch of puny pukes who don't obey me... suck it up, princess.' But then you find out his reasoning. But then he falls in love. But then his morals and actions change and all of a sudden he's endearing, brave, kind, and fiercely loyal to the people he loves. Then comes in other side characters who help Sarasa and Shuri, who somehow manage to not be cliched whatsoever and all loveable. Ageha in particular stands out--the mysterious man searching for the one woman he'd heard about in a prophecy who would be worthy of his service. So many characters, each with their own hopes, dreams, sense of justice and development... It was so amazing to see the world from each different person's eyes so you understood all sides of the story, and so wonderful to see how they all interact.

Enjoyment- 10
I freaking love the shit out of this series. It's the only 27 book series I've actually bought all of the books of, because I read it over and over and never get tired of it. It has everything, I mean EVERYTHING a high fantasy should. Well, except for orcs. Though I think this J.R.R. Tolkien quote should describe the world of Basara nicely--

“The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places.
But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now
mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater.”

Art: 7/10. The art is definitely that 90s shoujo vibe. If you like Fushigi Yugi, Red River, etc type art, you will like this one as well.

Characters: 2/10. I could not stand the FL in this one. At some points during reading, I kept hoping the author would remove/kill off the female lead and introduce a new likeable one. 90s shoujo manga tend to write the most aggravaging, annoying, headache-inducing female leads in the world of fiction. Honestly, I found most of the characters to be annoying.

Plot: 7/10. I will say the political aspect of the story was done quite well. Honestly it ... was more of a political manga than a shoujo romance manga which isn't a bad thing, but I just wanted more romance though.

Overall: 6/10. It wasn't terrible but for how long it was written, the romance aspect was too little for me. Honestly I felt like it was a waste of my time but I can understand why others would like it.