Yumi Tamura

Ok Lexie be strong. Be strong Lexie. BE STRONG DON'T CRY.

And for gods' sakes don't write about how you're sobbing.

Hello readers! Welcome to the Basara Re-read! Much like my Red River or From Far Away reviews I'm going to try and do an actual review for each of these volumes! Let's see if I succeed this series is 27 books long! ahahahaha

kill me now.

So a lot happens in this book because a lot needs to be set up. There's only 188 pages to this volume and in it we have multiple deaths, upheavel in the main character's life THREE times, introduction of a prophecy, end of a prophecy, the actual prophecy, Big Bad 1, Big Bad 2, nebulous other Big Bads mentioned, dystopia Japan, Death of Innocence, death of Ideals, and...romance! Plus a sassy horse.

Principally this is our cast:
- Tatara/Sarasa who takes up the mantle of Tatara at the beheading of her twin brother, who was known as the Boy of Destiny. Previously her best friend Makoto died to save Tatara and Sarasa has some bitterness over the fact everyone forgot she existed. She is optimistic to a fault, rather naive about how the world works and didn't want to become a revolutionary--just wanted revenge. As Sarasa she meets a traveling Shuri who flirts with her and gives her some ironic, but well needed advice about how the righteous are not wrong.

- The Red King/Shuri who is the youngest child of the current Ruling Dictator of Japan (King Ukon XV), he's an ends justify the means. He has a vision, that vision is paramount and he doesn't care who tries to get in his way. He cares for very few people on a personal level, is a bit of a lady's man, loves his horse A LOT and while he'll enforce his father's edicts about putting down rebels that really only is tangential to his real agenda. As Shuri he meets a wounded, recuperating Sarasa at the hot springs and starts up a flirtation with her.

-Nagi, a "prophet" who foresaw the day that the "child of destiny" would bring life back to the land and overthrow the ruling monarchy. He conveniently never thinks to question why everyone assumes its Tatara who is the "Child of Destiny" while teaching Sarasa all about things most women didn't need to know. He's super old, with super nice hair and is super zen.

- Ageha, known as the "Blue noble of the desert" he let the Red King take his eye in exchange for letting Sarasa and Kaku live 3 years prior. He is easily amused by Sarasa/Tatara's optimism, was given his own prophecy that he'd "meet a woman worth dying for" and is in general super helpful with his own highly secretive agenda.

- General Kazan, the Red King's military might and absurdly loyal to the Red King. Known Shuri since he was a young boy and believes in his vision

- Asho, a politician and loyal to nothing so much as his ambitions and greed. Him and Kazan often find themselves dueling to see who can influence Shuri more

- Kaku, a family friend of Sarasa's who has watched out for her and tried to corral her all her life.

Tamura is, to my opinion, a master at foreshadowing and setting things up. Sarasa and Shuri don't have a reckoning about their alter egos for four or five more volumes, but when they meet up its always amusing to see them being each other's personal cheerleader for vengeance and revenge...without realizing how badly that would go for them. They are the classic "same ends, different means" sort of enemies. They both want a world that is united, peaceful and ALIVE. They both want the end of King Ukon's tyranny. Unfortunately they can't achieve their goals independent of each other and they have to get through a lot before they realize their personal histories have to come second to the greater good.

The fact is neither is really a hero. Shuri is violent, ill-tempered and cold. Sarasa is too emotional, too impetuous and too irrational. They both trust where they shouldn't and ignore what they should. Tatara (the actual one) was doomed from the start - the so-called "rebellion" was no secret and no one felt a need to keep it that way. Shuri could not have survived the final battles against his family without the knowledge that Sarasa brought to the table. In their own ways they were both naive and optimistic. The meat of this story is how everyone finds a way to move forward together.

Kazan and Tatara's mother form a bond. Ageha, with his cynical help and jaded optimism, learns that one man's injustice is another's "redemption". Certain spoiler characters I love and are not yet in the story learn that no one is above redemption if they are committed to it.

This series is hard. Its heartbreaking, its a kill your darlings scenario almost every book. Its violent and brutal and oh so very well done that I'm hard pressed to find a reason why y'all shouldn't be reading it (well other then its hard to find in print now).… (meer)

Such an interesting beginning to this series! I'm so glad that my friend Kat found this manga suggested as one we both didn't know anything about to try out as I had never heard of it before and it was even a little hard to find- I had to get it on interlibrary loan from the public library and it looks like the print copy is basically ridiculously hard to buy right now as it must be out of print. It is an older manga series, the 1st volume coming out in 1991, literally the year before I was born. Then the last volume, vol. 27, came out in 2000. It is at least a little easier and more affordable to find via ebook format, and I was able to get the print copy via interlibrary loan, but interesting that it's such a hard one to track down. I really like that while this is a shujo manga and already has some romance hinted at within this first volume, it does a really good job of focusing on the story of the main character and how their journey begins from their humble beginnings to their grand destiny. A very good fantasy setting beginning that I am excited to continue!… (meer)