Basara

“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.”

um okay here goes THIS STIRRED MY EMOTIONS SO HARD I READ IT ONLINE AND I ENDED UP SOBBING SO HARD I BROKE MY COMPUTER BECAYSE OF WATER DAMAGE IM NOT EVEN EXAGGERATING MY NEIGHBORS PROBABLY HEARD ME SOBBING AT THREE AM AND WERE LIKE OMG SHES FINALLY GOING CRAZY SO BE PREPARED WITH TISSUES i literally only made an account on here in order to write this review but i won't make it too complicated so if you're deciding whether or not to read this this is a sign that you should story: so well written omg like so we'll thought out and everything. everytime i questionedthe story and the plot making sense everything was explained in due time art: okay this art style is something u have to get used to and i see why you wouldn't like it but for starters it gets better through out the series since it went on for like 16 years lol but either way there were a few pages that were so beautifully illustrated i was breathless characters: loved them i totally connected with them in the most random ways lol i don't think there were any that i seriously disliked i mean accept the antagonists but i even almost pitied them even though i didn't want to enjoyment: 10000/10 i recommend this for fast readers like me because it's long and takes time to progress but not in a bad way like i was never left bored and i never wanted to put it down (i read the whole thing in like almost three days) overall: just read it you won't regret it no matter what genre youre into

I've been reading manga for over 15 years now. Safe to say I've read a lot of manga across the spectrum from Shounen to Shoujo, from adventure/fantasy to slice of life school or work adaptations. Basara took me by surprise. I did not expect to fall in love with this story and its characters instantly from the first chapter and stay in love through the entire series and even afterwards. I've read and reread this series multiple times in the short span of a few months. (Thanks for all the free time covid-19!) and it truly is a masterpiece. I started this series because Ilove adventure stories with forbidden romance, but that theme only scratches the surface. Yumi Tamura explores so many themes in one story: - Forbidden romance - Gender roles - Human rights, social classes, and equality - Ambition - Challenging the status quo - Suppression of press - Responsibilities of leadership - Overcoming adversity - Managing Change - Accepting self - Personal Growth - Birth right vs self accomplishment - Overcoming trauma - Sacrifice - Camaraderie and friendships - Trust - Forming a vision - Achieving that vision by leading a team The list goes on and on. If you love light-hearted fluffy stories with some fan service and nothing disturbing, I would recommend you don't read this. Or if you do, be prepared to feel uncomfortable and to be challenged. On the other hand, if you like deep, detailed, well thought-out stories about characters that face tremendous hardships, trauma, and change, you might love this series as much as I do. I love the amount of details Tamura-san puts into every chapter, every angle. Every re-read reveals more subtleties that i missed in a previous read. I wish I was fluent in Japanese so I could read this series in its original language and intent. I've read the official VIZ translated version as well as fan-translated versions and even in how the words are rearranged portray a slightly different characterization. Without spoiling too much of the story, I hope you go on a wonderful journey with Basara. Not only the characters, but the readers too can change with this adventure.

Basara. This won't be a helpful review, but I just wanted to share my thoughts. I like the plot because its really original to me. The characters are strong and have personalities of their own, and you learn to love each character because you learn about their circumstances. Because of this, Characters: 10/10. Sometimes stubbornness of specific characters bothered me but it's realistic. I got to understand why they were that way. Enjoyment: Hmmm, I rate this a 7-8. Why? This is mainly because I felt that this manga dragged for longer than I though necessary. Its a good manga, but I feel it would havebeen better if it wasn't so detailed in some areas. I found myself skipping chapters that didn't focus so much on main characters or the story. I also found many of the situations realistic which I am thankful for. Romance: I love how original it is despite being a Romeo and Juliet story. There are lots of things the protagonists were facing and had to over come. However at some point I started wondering when they will learn of their true identities and how they will over come it. Even though it was a happy ending, I didn't feel satisfied with the ending. I wanted more. After blank amount of suffering and tragedy, I wanted to see more happiness. I would have been satisfied if I got to see what good things happened. Conclusion: Read it. :) If you like things like: Strong Characters, Romance, "I will die for you love", Trust, Friendship, Finding a place you belong, Learning who you are, and Forgiving, give this one a try.