The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 1: Sea of Shadow by Fuyumi Ono
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Book Reviews of The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 1: Sea of Shadow
Book Review: Sea of Shadow - a must read.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow is the first of hopefully many English translations of stories in the Twelve Kingdoms. This particular story deals with Yoko and the journey she takes from an insignificant school girl to a person worthy and capable of her destiny. The author's ability to bring her characters to life is top-notch.
The presentation of the novel is wonderful. The illustrations from the Kodansha White Heart edition are included and appropriately placed. The novel, happily, does not have the jagged page edges that have been appearing with more frequency. The overall presentaton is pleasing to the eye and touch.
The translation seems to be loyal to the original, and the translator made (in my opinion) usually appropriate decisions as to when to leave the original Japanese word/Twelve Kingdom local jargon and when to translate the word to a literal English meaning. I do take some issue with specific word translations (Emperor->King, sage->wizard), but over all, the prose is engaging and well constructed.
As far as readability and age level go, I will compare it with the later Harry Potter stories (books 4+). The book is written in the 3rd person point of view. The vocabulary is definitely later high school/college vocabulary, and the sentence structures are relatively simple. The amount of description contained in the story requires some careful attention to reading. Though the sentences are usually not overly complex in syntax and form, the complexity of the prose will probably deter some of the younger or weaker readers (age 15 and below). From the beginning there is a generous amount of blood and gore, and those sensitive to such imagry should probably not read this book.
The idea of destiny and fate is paramount in the Twelve Kindgoms, where the will of the Heavens is believed to (and certainly seems to) hold sway. In order to properly appreciate the path that destiny takes, the story should be read at least twice. In the beginning Yoko is a baby - dependent on the protection of her environment. Her parents, who make sure she doesn't stand out, and the safe, clean, well-fed environment of modern Japanese society. Throughout the novel we can take part in the amazing growth that Yoko takes as she attempts to be self-sufficient, forming (bad and good) social connections, making mistakes, and learning how to be independent and true to herself in the end.
Book Review: Worth the Search!
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw "Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadows" in Borders three years ago. I fell in love with the beautiful cover, spending a good ten minutes reading the book jacket and flipping through the pages, admiring the drawings sprinkled through the book. I didn't have the money at the time, so I put it back on the shelf, resolving to buy it the next time I saw it. I ended up waiting two years to find the book a second time. It was quite the little quest. All I remembered of the book was the dynamic cover art and the fact that it was a Japanese translation, which drove clerks to distraction when I solicited their help. Finally, I saw it at the store--this time, paired with the second--and immediately bought it, half expecting it to be terrible after I'd been looking for so long.
It was even better than I could've hoped. The story follows a Japanese high school student, Yoko Nakajima, who is suddenly transported to another world with nothing but a strange sword to protect herself against the hordes of monsters that are drawn to her. "Sea of Shadows" is a coming-of-age tale that at first follows a very stereotypical pattern, rather like Fushigi Yugi, but instead of finding an inner strength, Yoko discovers an inner monster that had been present all the time. She does despicable things both in Japan and in the Twelve Kingdoms--at first rationalizing it away, then accepting her monstrosity, and finally repenting and attempting to atone. Yoko's belief in the monster within her soul forces her to find her meaning of humanity and what, exactly, makes life worth living.
Of course, it's an excellent read at the surface level. Fighting demons, political intrigue, fascinating characters, a dash of romance with a wise and commonsense rat beastling named Rakushun, and an intricately constructed universe with an eye for detail make this a wonderful tale for kids of all ages. (Reading to younger audiences would be very entertaining, now that I think about it--in this world, children are born from a tree.) Fuyumi Ono places sketches of the scenes within the story, adding another layer that is sometimes missing from most adult novels (think why tv is so popular).
I would whole-heartedly recommend you pick up this book, preferably BEFORE you forget the title and have to spend two years looking for it.
Book Review: A rare gem - not just for teens
Summary: 5 Stars
12 Kingdoms: Shadow of the Moon, a Sea of Shadows (full japanese title) is a book about Yoko Nakajima and her transition from ordinary japanese schoolgirl to a ruler in a distant fantasy world. Other reviewers had described Yoko's story in more detail so I won't go into it.
This book has been released in Japan about 10 years ago and then was animated in 2002. While chronologically it is not the first book in the series, but it starts the story of Yoko Nakajima and it is also the starting point for the anime series. Fans of the later should be familiar with ongoing events, but there are some noted differences in the book.
Overall 12 Kingdoms reminds me very much of a Japanese version of Lord of the Rings. And it is a damn good one. Not just because of it's epic proportions and fantasy theme but for it's outstanding quality and attention to details. There is a lot of going on inside the characters and Yoko's internal journey is far more interesting than her surrounding fantasy landscape. The moral problems she faces are relevant for all ages and nationalities: like accepting your dark side, choosing to answer with love to violence and deception, what does it take to be a leader.
It is a rare gem indeed - highly recommended for all readers and not just for teens. I am even tempted to re-read it in original Japanese, though it is not an easy task to do yet after 1,5 years of study as my third foreign language ;).
Book Review: Worth the Wait
Summary: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed the anime and really regreted that I would never get to read the story the TV series was based on. Well, Tokyopop answered the prayers of fans.
The story is written for teenagers, but still enjoyable for adults. If you're tired of the same old fantasy based on European tales, then you'll like this world set in a world of twelve kingdoms based on China. But also very different-for instance all creatures are born from certain trees, rather than from the bodies of their parents.
Since, I saw the extras on the DVD, I knew that the book did not have certain characters, and frankly, I like not having them around. In the anime they served a certain purpose, but that purpose is served in the narration of the book. This allows the pace to be quicker, as the young queen learns about her new world.
For those who worry about yet another book in which an ordinary teenager becomes an extraordinary gifted one in another world-you need not worry. Her world is pretty tough and she gets into a lot of trouble and danger,there is lots of edge-of-seat action.
I really enjoyed this book for the action, likable characters and a whole new fantasy world.
Book Review: The Twelve Kingdoms
Summary: 5 Stars
Seeing how The Twelve Kingdoms is my favorite anime series ever, you can imagine how excited I was to hear that America would finally be getting the novels which spawned the show. This book covers the first 14 episodes, aka the first 3 DVDs of the series. You'll notice a few major changes, most noticable being the characters of Sugimoto and Asano, which played a much larger role in the anime. But with them being absent, this makes Yuko's journey much more hopeless and depressing in my opinion... A difference that I enjoyed very much. Sadly, the TV show was never finished, and i'm told even the novel series does not have a proper ending. However, it has neither been confirmed nor denied (to my knowledge at least) that will be an 8th installment to the novels, and therefore could inspire a continuation to the anime if done. Needless to say this is the best read i've had in quite a while, and will sit proudly on my shelf. I'm hoping we get to see at least one more novel before the year ends, which should cover the next 7 episodes of the anime.