Kaoru Kurimoto (1953–2009)

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

I'm not much of a traditional heroic fantasy fan and The Leopard Mask, the first installment of The Guin Saga (now at 124 novels), won't be changing my habits. This is a rather uninspiring tale of two twins (Remus and Rinda) whose kingdom has fallen to an evil army and who are now trying to stay alive among all of the ghouls, demons, and other nasties who live in the marches. They are saved by an intriguing amnesic warrior (Guin) who, for some unknown reason, has an irremovable leopard mask fused to his face.

The writing is only serviceable. I don't know if this is due to the original Japanese text or to the English translation but it just doesn't grab me. The perspectives change abruptly, the dialogue is stilted, and the omniscient narrator tells too much -- sometimes in a tone that would be used to teach children.

The plot of The Leopard Mask is quick as it moves from action sequence to action sequence. But for all of the fighting, being captured, escaping, and yelling ("Guin, look out!" "Rinda, Rinda!" "Remus!" "Ahh!" "The door! They're breaking down the door!" "Run!" "Guin, it's coming this way!" "Run, quickly!" "Guin! Quickly! Are you okay?" "Arragh!"), my heart rate didn't rise once.

There is little character development in The Leopard Mask. With their platinum hair and violet eyes, the twins seem more like a couple of manga characters than real humans, but I'm sure readers will get to know them better in future books. The masked warrior is somewhat intriguing (or perhaps it's the rippling muscles that have deluded me) and I would like to know what's up with the leopard head, but I'm not about to read 123 more installments to find out. I have a feeling that The Guin Saga might be more enjoyable in its manga format.
Read this review in context at Fantasy literature. … (meer)

The Marches King is the fifth and final volume in "The Marches Episode," the first major story arc in Kaoru Kurimoto's fantasy epic The Guin Saga. While "The Marches Episode" is the only part of the light novel series available in English, The Guin Saga lasted for one hundred thirty volumes in its native Japan, winning the 2010 Seiun Award for long fiction. The Marches King was originally published in Japan in 1980. Vertical released the English translation of the novel by Alexander O. Smith and Elye J. Alexander in 2008, retaining the illustrations by Naoyuki Kato. Even though The Guin Saga hasn't been nearly as successful in English as it has been in Japanese, the series is still very important to the development of the light novel form and Japanese fantasy literature. The Guin Saga was an influence on and source of inspiration for many Japanese creators.

It is only a matter of time before the Sem and the secrets of Nospherus will fall to the Mongauli army. Although they have managed to deal significant blows to the indavers' morale and nearly wiped out the Blue Knights completely, the Sem are still vastly outnumbered and have sustained heavy casualties. When it comes to military prowess and strategy there is no question that the Monguali are superior. The Sem's only chance is the leopard-headed warrior known as Guin, but he has left the Sem to face the invading army alone as he desperately tries to find and convince the mysterious Lagon to join the their cause. If the giants agree to come to the diminutive Sem's aid they may be able to repel the Mongauli forces. But until Guin returns with reinforcements, the Sem are on their own. And if Guin fails the Sem will be annihilated; the Mongauli are preparing for a final frontal assault that they cannot lose.

From the very beginning of "The Marches Episode," Kurimoto has known how to write a fantastic battle scene, whether it's the one-on-one fights that Guin frequently finds himself in, the ambushes and skirmishes of the Sem, or the more coordinated military maneuvers of the Mongauli army. In fact, the fight sequences feature some of the best writing in the series. The scenes are engaging and exciting. Despite the occasional similar setup, the fights never come across as repetitive. I found Kurimoto's creativity and clarity to be quite impressive when it comes to writing a fight scene. The Marches King is no different as the battle for Nospherus reaches its climax and is finally resolved. Kurimoto doesn't hold back, either. The fighting is brutal and the ramifications are gruesome. There will be casualties in war and it is not often pretty.

Although The Guin Saga was off to a bit of a weak start with the first book, each volume improved and built upon the volumes that preceded it. By the time I reached The Marches King, I was already sold on the series and want to read more. "The Marches Episode" is a complete story in itself but it is obvious, especially after reading the afterword which puts the arc into mythological and historical context within the world that Kurimoto has created, that there is still plenty of story to be told. Kurimoto's worldbuilding, while not always particularly original as she makes very good use of fairly standard fantasy archetypes and tropes, is excellent. Throughout "The Marches Episode" she has given hints about what is to come and has established a solid groundwork for future stories. Unfortunately, it is very unlikely that any of the later novels in The Guin Saga will be translated into English. However, I am very glad to at least have the beginning of such an influential series available.

Experiments in Manga… (meer)

Prisoner of the Lagon, with illustrations by Naoyuki Kato, is the fourth book in Kaoru Kurimoto's heroic fantasy light novel series The Guin Saga. Immensely popular in Japan, The Guin Saga is over one hundred volumes long. In 2010, Kurimoto even won a Seiun Award for the work as a whole. The Guin Saga hasn't met with as much success with English-language audiences. Only the first five volumes which make up the first story arc of the series, "The Marches Episode," have been translated by Alexander O. Smith and Elye J. Alexander. Originally published in Japan in 1980, Prisoner of the Lagon was released by Vertical in 2008 as a paperback. Prisoner of the Lagon is the first volume of The Guin Saga not to receive a hardcover edition from Vertical. Although I wasn't overly impressed by the first novel in The Guin Saga, I have since become quite fond of the series and so was looking forward to reading Prisoner of the Lagon.

The deadly battle for Nospherus and for control of its secrets is a long one. The Sem continue to harass and ambush the the Mongauli troops. Despite its superior numbers and resources, the invading army's morale is steadily declining. General Amnelis must take decisive action against the Sem and turn the tide of war before her troops lose all confidence in her leadership and their mission. Her foe, the mysterious leopard-headed warrior Guin, knows that the Sem won't be able to hold out much longer. Their familiarity with Nospherus has given them an important advantage against the Mongauls, but no mater how dirty the Sem's tactics they will eventually lose. Guin believes they only have one chance for success. Leaving the Sem to fend for themselves, he heads deeper into the wilderness of Nospherus, hoping to find and enlist the aid of the Lagon, a race of giants who are only rumored to exist.

While Guin has always been a prominent player, the saga is named for him after all, many of the previous volumes in the series have heavily featured other characters. Prisoner of the Lagon turns much of the focus back to Guin. More and more is revealed about him as more and more is revealed about Nospherus. But even now, very little is actually known about Guin. Both allies and enemies, not to mention Guin himself, wonder who this god-like warrior really is, what lurks in his past, and where his destiny lies. None of these questions are definitively answered in Prisoner of the Lagon, but the hints that Kurimoto drops are becoming less subtle. The convenient restoration of Guin's memory when needed for the story still bothers me, but it bothers Guin, too. At least this means Kurimoto is aware of the issue and Guin tries to come up with a satisfying explanation.

A few things stand out for me in The Guin Saga. Kurimoto writes fantastic fight scenes. In Prisoner of the Lagon, Guin in particular has a few excellent solo battles in which he is revealed not to be all powerful even if he is an incredible warrior. While the conflicts in The Guin Saga are engaging, I wouldn't say that the violence is glorified. Strategic errors made during war have brutal and fatal consequences; Kurimoto doesn't shy away from horrifying outcomes. Morality is a complex issue in The Guin Saga. The protagonists are capable of truly terrible things that are made no less horrible because they are in the right. On the other hand, Kurimoto doesn't demonize the saga's antagonists. In fact, the characters are often sympathetic. Count Marus, commander of Mongaul's Blue Knights, is a good example of this in Prisoner of the Lagon. He has a family that he misses, close friends and comrades that he worries about, and he genuinely cares for the men who serve under him. The Guin Saga gets better and better with each book. I'm looking forward to reading the final volume of "The Marches Episode," The Marches King.

Experiments in Manga… (meer)