Basara 26
Posted: March 25, 2009 Filed under: Basara 10 Comments »This volume was supplement stories in the strictest sense of the word. I was sort of expecting the side stories to wrap things up with Shuri and Sarasa first, then move on to some of the other characters. The bulk of this volume is actually a story about how the rebellion started and how the four swords came to be stolen and scattered. It was a fantastic story with roots that affected all the major characters, including setting up some weird and disturbing connections. It was also a fantastic, epic, and tragic love story, much like the main Basara story. But it was, unfortunately, not what I wanted to read about, so I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as I should have.
Aside from that story (the last one in the volume), we also get a lengthy story that wraps up things for Hijiri and Nachi. Actually, most of it deals with how the two of them came to meet, and it involves a lengthy ride on a huge boat when they were both kids and absolutely hated each other. Hijiri also got to meet a mermaid as a young boy, an event which comes back to him as an adult. I’ll be honest, I loved both of these characters, and I love stories involving mermaids, so it was hard for me not to like this story. Especially since Hijiri and Nachi originally hated each other. By all rights, they probably should since they’re such different types of person. But their friendship is probably one of the deepest in the series.
The third story is a short story, only a few pages, about why Asagi hates Shuri. It’s kind of funny, even though Yumi Tamura said that was unintentional. Asagi’s kind of a funny guy, though.
There’s also some silly stuff in the back, including some 4-panel gag strips that are absolutely golden and another one of those “what if?” stories, this time with Sarasa replacing her brother at a music competition because there is something wrong with his foot. Seeing Asagi, Shuri, and Ageha performing on stage is certainly worth the price of admission in this volume.
Also, this volume has the worst cover in the series. No question. The illustration style is just weird-looking compared to all the other covers.
“… including setting up some weird and disturbing connections.”
Indeed. I must say, The Lion King and his wife bear a striking resemblance to their descendants. I think the relationship between Tara and Gensho resembles the relationahip between Rei and Uozumi in Chicago.
“Seeing Asagi, Shuri, and Ageha performing on stage is certainly worth the price of admission in this volume.”
Yes. I wonder whether the translator had fun, or if the puns drove her crazy.
I think the cover for Volume 25 (Japanese) is worse. It’s so bad that the Viz editors decided to change it to an image from the artbook, even though it’s not as relevant to the plot as the original cover. The covers of the bunko edition are the worst. I don’t believe Tamura did those … or maybe I just don’t want to believe she did them …
So, I look forward to your thoughts on not just Volume 27, but your thoughts on the series as a whole, and how it lived up to your expectations.
[...] Guie on vols. 1 and 2 of Akihabara@Deep (Manga Recon) Connie on vol. 26 of Basara (Slightly Biased Manga) Connie on vol. 10 of Beauty Pop (Slightly Biased Manga) Unnamed Guest [...]
Aw, I liked this cover! ;__; I guess I just like the way Yumi Tamura plays around with colours and shapes. Most of it is strange but then there’s some stuff that really works. I seem to recall one Basara illustration she did in a ukiyo-e style that really impressed me, and this cover reminded me of that. For some reason.
Besides the occasional use of Japanese motifs she really strikes me as the kind of artist whose ideas just…come to her. Very organic and self-contained.
My least favourite cover was actually #1 for a long time. I think it’s because there’s no point of connection for the viewer. But there is one scene from one of the short stories at the end that really takes me back to that image, and now I kind of adore it.
If I may carry on like a fangirl. What always struck me about the Hijiri and Nachi dynamic was that they could’ve easily been a two-man comedy routine but consistently avoided easy stereotype. Nachi is not always a jokester nor is Hijiri the straight man, and the tangerine story essentially presented to us what we already knew – that they were both capable of being independent but never had a chance to explore that or see that in themselves.
The highlight for me was Hijiri – the more I read the series the cooler he seems to me, and by now he’s probably in my top 5 of Basara characters. He has this great “tough love” dynamic with Sarasa where he’s always pushing her to the limit of her potential and forcing her to think. He’s incredibly astute and intelligent. In a fight and out, he holds his own…moreso than even Ageha, Hijiri always seems to have it together. It’s interesting to see him admit weakness now, and also to use his astute observational skills on himself for a change. Also – seeing him writhe under the prospect of getting married was adorkable!!
Actually, I really like the original cover for volume 25, I’m a bit sad they changed it. The image itself is pretty, but it’s also significant for being an echo of the cover of volume 1. I’ll agree that those bunko covers are inferior, though. I wish I could find larger images for them to inspect them for style. I’m looking at three of them right now, and two look like they may have been drawn by her and one doesn’t. Bunko covers in general are bizarre things. The covers for the Bride of Deimos bunko editions have little to nothing to do with the story and aren’t by the original artist, but I prefer them over the originals. The Eroica bunko covers aren’t drawn by the original artist, but they are awesome all the same, and make the series look like something it’s not.
You’re right about Taro and Gensho’s relationship being like the one in Chicago, too. It’s a pretty strong resemblance, actually, and it’s a type of conflict I like a lot. Particularly in these two cases, where the odd woman out continues to stick by the guy, even when there is just no chance.
I always wonder about translators and puns. I’d hate to be stuck coming up with an equivalent phrase, myself, it’s just not something I could do. But nothing delights me more than really funny puns in a manga, because it’s amazing to me that humor like that can translate.
I agree that the original Volume 25 cover is more relevant, but I still don’t like it for some reason.
I actually like the volume 26 cover. First of all, the back portion with Gensho and Tara is quite nice. And Tamura has actually used the illustration style of the front cover elsewhere, it’s just not obvious because all of the color pages in the manga are transferred to black and white.
Of course, the artbooks have sections which are just whatever Tamura wants. I like the drawing where Tamura imitates 19th century Japanese art (I think it’s 19th century … I’m not an art history expert).
I thought I had caught that style on some of the interior art, but it’s hard to tell sometimes without the color. I’m always a little surprised when the color art used in the manga itself differs from the color illustrations the artist uses, though I probably shouldn’t be since the manga art is supposed to be functional and the illustration isn’t necessarily so. Takehiko Inoue is the one with the biggest discrepancy between the two that I can think of. It’s kind of interesting seeing his color artwork in the Big editions of Vagabond.
I ought to keep an eye out for the artbooks, her color art is fantastic. And she does indulge herself in a fair bit of abstract characters-wallowing-in-flowers-type stuff too, which I really like when the artist uses color well.
Indeed. It’s worth getting the first artbook just for the full cast portrait (over 150 characters in one picture!) Most full cast portraits just show characters standing around. Tamura does more. She has a full seasonal motif in action (Sarasa is Spring, Shuri is Summer, Asagi is Fall, Ageha is Winter). Each of the four claimed their own space in the portrait for their friends, family, and associates to gather. For example, Chacha is with Sarasa, Shido with Shuri, Muratake with Asagi, and Taro with Ageha. Though some of the choices feel a little odd … why is Kikune with Ageha? My theory is that Kikune is being associated with winter rather than with Ageha himself. Surely it’s not because Sarasa’s corner was running out of space…
Ooh, I didn’t think she did a full cast portrait since there were so many characters. I love those, especially when series have huge casts, but I think they may have gone out of style. The ones that spring immediately to mind are the full cast illustrations that went along with the different Sailor Moon arcs, and the seasonal illustration Takahashi did at the end of Ranma 1/2 with every single character that had appeared in the series. I had that one on my wall forever, I loved looking at it and remembering all the little side characters. I can’t think of any for more recent series, though.
The cover doesn’t seem to be appropriate which is why it is lousy. It’s not the artwork itself but the style. It simply doesn’t match with the rest of her cover illustrations, that’s why. lol ^O^;;
To be honest I was a bit disappointed by this volume because I expected to see something of Shuri and Sarasa…. But okay why do I complain in the first place when I know that I’ll get my story in Vol. 27?
I remember when I first saw Appendix 5 (KATANA) the only thing I did was to skip this chapter. Somehow it didn’t catch my interest at all until I know that it’s about the ancestors and the four swords. Still, to me it doesn’t make sense at all why the king chose Tara as his wife. lol