Basara (manga)
| Basara (manga) | |
| Genre | Science Fiction |
|---|---|
| Manga | |
| Written by | Yumi Tamura |
| Published by |  Shogakukan |
| Anime | |
| Legend of Basara | |
| Directed by | Noburu Takamoto |
| Studio | KSS |
Basara (バサラ) is a science fiction manga written by Yumi Tamura. The manga, which consists of 27 tankobon volumes, won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo in 1992. It was adapted as an anime that follows only part of the manga story, cutting off after 13 episodes. In North America, the manga is published by Viz Communications in English.
The story takes place in a future Japan, reduced to a barren desert by a catastrophe at the end of the 21st century. The main character is Sarasa, a girl whose twin brother, Tatara, is prophesied to be the "child of destiny" (運命の子供 or 運命の少年) who will bring back the country's wealth and abundance. When Tatara is killed, Sarasa pretends to be him in order to keep the downtrodden from losing hope.
Basara has been described (including by its English-translation editor) as a highly Shakespearean story.
Basara is also a place in India where Goddess of Sraswathi Temple is situated.
Overview
In Basara's post-apocalyptic setting, Japan has been controlled by a succession of corrupt and oppressive rulers of Saffron Clan. The current one is the Golden Emperor, a sovereign so obsessed with maintaining his power that he has had most of his children killed. He later appointed territories to the remaining children, allowing them to rule as subordinate kings and expend their energies in rivalries amongst each other, instead of trying to dethrone him. As a result, most of the Kings neglect the people they rule.
Though the peasants have been downtrodden for decades, they have not completely lost their rebellious spirit. Four swords named for the Ssu Ling gods - Byakko, Suzaku, Seiryū and Genbu - forged for fallen rebel leaders two generations past, are the symbols of underground resistance groups across Japan. The sword of Byakko is kept in Byakko Village, and according to a prophet, a child of fate who will lead a revolution will be born there. When a pair of twins are born - a girl and a boy - the prophet says that it is the boy, Tatara, that is the child of destiny. It is a lie; ultimately the girl, Sarasa, is the child of fate. When the local ruler, Sekiō, destroys her village and has her brother beheaded, she assumes his name and duty to lead her people in rebellion.
Sasara undergoes psychological strain over having to pretend to be a boy. As such, she often visits hot springs to 'let her hair down.' During these visits, she runs into a mysterious young man named Shuri, and they fall in love with each other.
Unknown to Sasara, Shuri is really Sekiō, whom she has sworn revenge upon for destroying her village and killing her family. Sekiō is also unaware of the fact that Sasara, in her alter ego, is the rebel leader he is trying to kill. As the story progresses, the pair's relationship deepens even as their struggle becomes more bloody.
Characters
Sarasa (更紗)
- The protagonist, a 15-year-old girl who takes the name of her murdered twin bother Tatara, who was known as the child of fate. As Tatara, she wields the sword of Byakko and leads the survivors of Byakko Village. Even among her allies few people know she is a girl.
- Sarasa hopes to create a land that is fertile, full of flora, and free of strife. Though she is quick to cry and psychologically weak in some respects, over the course of the story she develops undeniable skills in leadership and swordplay, and becomes the central figure of the Tatara Army.
- The name Sarasa refers to calico cloth.
Tatara (タタラ)
- Sarasa's twin brother, raised as the child of fate in order to protect Sarasa. Respected by everyone in Byakko Village, Tatara is very responsible, and very close to his sister. His is killed by General Kazan, one of Sekiō's subordinates.
- The name Tatara refers to bellow.
Sekiō (Crimson King) - Shuri (赤の王 (朱理))
- The youngest son of the Emperor, he rules over Saikoku (western Japan) which includes Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyūshū. In the early parts of the story Shuri stands out as brutally cruel to those who do not obey him, because he is responsible for the destruction of Byakko Village and the murder of Tatara. Later he meets Sarasa, unaware that they are enemies, and falls in love with her.
- Though he is merciless to his enemies, Shuri is a capable ruler and very proud of his realm. He has a big-hearted, free-spirited personality and is generally quite personable, though he tends to be overly competitive. Shuri is an expert swordsman.
Makoto (Maa-kun) (マコト (まーくん))
- Sarasa's childhood friend, who died in Tatara's place at about 8 years of age.
Nagi (ナギ)
- The blind prophet who foretold the coming of the child of fate, Nagi was also the physician and schoolteacher of Byakko Village. He serves as a mentor to Sarasa, who trusts him completely. Nagi learned medicine from the great doctor Bashō.
Ageha (揚羽)
- A former slave and survivor of the Blue Nobles, a nomadic people all but wiped out by the government. Ageha saved Sarasa from Sekiō when she was younger, but he lost his left eye in the bargain. He has friends all across Japan and is capable of calling in tremendous favors from them.
- Ageha usually tours with Madam Butterfly's troupe of traveling performers under the name Kicho, the star dancer. He keeps an owl, Kagero, who is a parent of Sarasa's owl, Shinbashi.
- 'Ageha' refers to the swallowtail butterfly, and Kicho comes from the personal name of Oda Nobunaga's wife Nohime.
Shinbashi (新橋／シンバシ)
- Sarasa's pet owl, the runt of his hatch. Sarasa is unwilling to let the other chicks crowd him out, and decides to take care of him.
Hayato (ハヤト)
- A boy from the city of Daizaifu in Kyūshū, Hayato becomes one of Tatara's first allies. He is the successor to the sword of Suzaku, but specializes in the use of bow and arrows. Hayato is scatterbrained, but because he gets the others out of many dangerous situations, he becomes a sort of mascot figure for the Tatara Army.
Chacha (茶々)
- The fierce and beautiful leader of a group of pirates who capture Sarasa and Hayato, intending to sell them to foreigners. However, Sarasa's daring impresses Cha Cha, and she decides to become Sarasa's ally instead. Cha Cha has a sisterly nature and likes to have others depend on her. Her lover is her right-hand man, Zaki.
- Cha Cha is named after the childhood name of Yodo-Dono, a concubine of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Zaki (座木)
- Cha Cha's first mate and lover; a man of few words. While even more deadly in battle that she, Zaki admires Cha Cha's indomitable spirit and supports her in any way he can. His loyalty is to Cha Cha above all, and he would trade even Tatara's life for Cha Cha's.
Kakuji (角じい)
- A Byakko villager; he instructs Tatara, and later Sarasa, in swordplay. He plays a surrogate father role for Sarasa, and she places a great deal of trust in him.
- Kakujii originally came from a fishing village in the Tohoku region, but was thrown into Abashiri Prison after rebelling against Kokuō, who rules there. He later escaped, and eventually ended up in Byakko Village.
Shidō (四道)
- The governor of Dazaifu and commander of the Kyūshū division of the Red Army, Shidou is Sekiō's cousin and closest confidant. While generally warm and genial, Shidou does not flinch from the grizzlier duties of leadership - he is a calculating and ruthless general who is said to leave mountains of corpses behind him on the battlefield.
- Shidou is the first character to realize the full implications of Sarasa and Shuri's relationship, but he is killed before he can speak of it.
Senju (千手)
- Shidou's fiancee, a young noblewoman. Senju is made of sterner stuff than her delicate looks would suggest. She truly loves Shidou even though their marriage was arranged, and they have a rush wedding before Shidou goes into battle with Tatara at her urging.
- Senju's name is derived from a title for the bodhisattva Kanon, meaning 'One Thousand Hands'.
Seiō (Azure King) - Asagi (浅葱)
- The captain of Seiō's special guards, 'Gunjou', which is made up of handsome boys. Asagi is actually a secret child of the Emperor and is the true Seiō. Asagi infiltrates Tatara's army on the orders of Hyakuō, plotting to play Tatara and Sekiō against each other.
- Asagi has a contrary and self-centered personality, and he hates physical labor. Though he is very skilled with a sword he is physically weak.
Raizō (雷蔵)
- A subordinate of the false Seiō, known as the "Count". He is actually the leader of the rebellion in Seiran, and inheritor of the sword of Seiryū. Raizō is a friend of Ageha, and he secretly rescued participants of the Suzuka Murder Race.
- Raizou is married to Izumi, a mute former slave of the false Seiō, and over the course of the story they have a child, Raita.
Nachi (那智)
- The son and heir of the head priest of the Kumano Shinto shrine. Nachi runs across Sarasa while hunting the largest whale in the seas in his region. Nachi is a merchant with a bold, optimistic personality, and he speaks with a strong regional accent.
- Nachi is a member of the Tengu youth organization with his friend Hijiri, and serves as second in command. He is knowledgeable about survival skills, and comes to Sarasa's aid numerous times.
- Nachi is named after the eponymous Nachi region, part of present-day Wakayama prefecture.
Hijiri (聖)
- The leader of the Tengu youth organization in Kumano; like Nachi, he is the son of a local Kumano leader. Hijiri's personality is opposite to Nachi's - he is calm and quick-thinking, and a master of Iaidō. He is strict with Sarasa, but well-meaning.
- Hijiri has been the closest of friends with Nachi since they both were young, and is often worried by Nachi's recklessness.
Bashō (芭蕉)
- A physician who travels all over Japan with his apprentice Yuuna, using Okinawa as his home base. He is Nagi's surrogate parent and mentor.
- Both Sarasa and Shuri go to Okinawa seeking treatment from Bashō, and he later joins Nagi as a medic for the Tatara Army.
Nakijin (今帰仁)
- Bashō's sensei's apprentice in Okinawa; karate master; long-time friend of Yuna. He befriends both Shuri and Sarasa in Okinawa.
Yūna (ユウナ)
- Bashō-sensei's apprentice in Okinawa, engaged to the President.
Muratake (群竹):
- One of Asagi's spies, has skill with medicine.
Kikune (菊音):
- One of Asagi's spies, sent to spy on Kokuō under the name Kasane.
Masunaga (増長)
- One of the four generals of Kazuno who allies with Tatara's army.
Tamon (Monta) (多聞)
- One of the four generals of Kazuno, holds the sword of Genbu.
Murasaki no Ue (紫の上)
- The wife of Kokuō (Black King), beloved by the people.
Hida no Ichimatsu (飛騨の市松)
The Black Army's three-horned admiral, devoted to Murasaki no Ue.
Hyakuō (White King) - Ginko (銀子)
- Hyakuō, who is actually female. She was married off to the leader of Awajishima in an arranged marriage, but she ended up falling in love with him. When the Emperor ordered the attack on Awajishima, she got trapped under the burning building, losing the function of both of her legs. She was ’appeased’ with the title of ’Hyakuō,’ but although she is the eldest child, her name is listed after Kokuō’s in the order of ranking.
Hiragi (Kakihito) (柊(柿人))
- Kakihito attacked Awajishima, killing Ginko’s husband, as leader of the Oka, a group of young men from Kyoto who serve as the vanguard of the army. He saved Ginko from the burning debris, getting severely burned in the process. He then gave up serving on the front lines of the army, retiring to be the ’shadow of Hyakuō.’
World: Important Places
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Japan is under the tyrannical rule of a monarchy. The Golden Emperor has divided Japan into several provinces, entrusting the rule of these provinces to his offspring, consisting of Kokuō, Hyakuō, Seiō and Sekiō.
- Kazuno (鹿角)－The northernmost part of Honshu, which has been fighting against the Black Army for independence. Kazuno is protected by four generals, Tamon to the north, Masunaga to the south, Hirome to the west and Mochikuni to the east.
- Motokuro no Ryōdo (もと黒の領土) – the realm of Kokuō
- Shikoku (紫黒)is Motokuro no Ryōdo's capital and lies in the northeast. Kokuō and his mistress Mogami no Kata live here in Kotsuki castle.
- Tenkyōko is a lake where Kokuō has a second castle called the Dove Pavilion. This is where Shuri traps Kokuō and his mistress, Mogami no Kata.
- Kantō (関東)- the realm of Seiō
- Seiran (青藍) is the capital of Kantou, where Seiō (the Snake King) resides.
- Kyōto (京都)- the capital of Japan, where the Emperor resides in Ukon Palace. Kyouto was the site of construction for a large-scale gold Buddha, which required the labour of many slaves which were taken by the Emperor from his son's realms.
- Ōsaka (大阪) - A nearly autonomous merchant town.
- Kii and Kumano (紀伊 熊野) – lies south of Kyoto and is considered a holy land, it is a site for religious pilgrimage.
- Sanyō and Sanin (山陽 山陰)- a desert land, the realm of Sekiō
- Suō (蘇芳) - Sekiō's capital, known as 'The Ruby of the Desert' which prospers until a military coup sends Sekiō into exile.
- Byakko no Mura (白虎の村) - Byakko village, where Tatara/Sarasa was born. The village was razed by Sekiō and no longer exists.
- Shikoku (四国)- One of the provinces entrusted to Sekiō, it is divided into four nations
- Kyūshū (九州)- entrusted to Sekiō, Dazaifu is its capital, and Sakura-jima (Tatara's base) is in the southern part of this province
- Hokkaidō (北海道) - The northernmost part of Japan, this is where Abashiri prison is. Hokkaido is entrusted to the Emperor's brother.
- Okinawa (沖縄) – An island to the south that has declared its independence from Japan, it has a democratic government.
Anime - Legend of Basara
A portion of the manga story roughly corresponding to volumes 1 - 5 was animated under the title Legend of Basara. While generally very faithful to the manga, some material from further into the story was cut, such as Senju's assassination attempt and the Suzuno Murder Race episode.
Cast
- Sarasa - Akiko Kimura
- Shuri - Kazuhiko Inoue
- Ageha - Kaneto Shiozawa
- Nagi - Hayami Sho
- Hayato - Hiro Yuki
- Shido - Jurota Kosugi
- Asagi - Nozomu Sasaki
- Kakujii - Tessho Genda
- Chacha - Kaori Yamagata
- Zaki - Koji Ishii
- Tatara - Akira Ishida
References
- ^ Basara ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia. Accessed 2007-02-21.
- ^ Basara ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia. Accessed 2007-02-21.