Basara Mini Review (manga/anime)
September 17th, 2007 by Lianne
PG-13/16 for violence, sexuality, language, and nudity; official series website and awesome fanpage Midori, which is responsible for the above scan
Another fantastic series that deserves a full review, we just need in writing somewhere how much we endorse this manga. One of the defining shoujo titles of the 1990’s, Basara is about a girl dressing up like her blessed/cursed dead brother and leading the peasants to revolt in post-apocolyptic Japan. This is shoujo at its finest–intelligent, powerful, inspirational stuff. Even if it doesn’t sound or look like your thing, give a volume or two a try; even college-aged boys who are adverse to shoujo have been known to enjoy this one. The anime is far weaker and shorter than the comic, but works as a decent gateway to the series if you can’t get used to the mangaka’s art right away.
Update: The ending is amazing. Amazing. The main plot ends in the middle of Volume 25, but there’s an unbelievably awesome epilogue in Volume 27 (the actual final volume), so be sure to stick around.
Educated impression: I don’t care who you are–if you’re over 13, read this. (Lianne)
I concur! And it’s not only volume 25 that’s amazing, it’s, like, the final six volumes leading up to the conclusion.
Thanks for the reccomendation- I’ll give it a try!
If I’m not mistaken, readers of CLAMP’s X/1999 series will also take a shine to Basara. I much prefer Shojo manga where the female character goes on an adventure for a change.