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: Must have for any fantasy fan
Summary: 5 Stars
If you have seen the anime, then you should definitely get this book for it is simply greatness incarnated. Even if you're not a fan of the anime you should at least give the novel a try. Here are some of the reasons:
1. The pacing is not as slow as the anime.
Granted the anime is one of my favorites but there are far too many talking points and dull moments that may bore people.
2. Asano and Sugimoto are not important characters in this book.
If you've ever seen the extras on the anime you will know why they are there. Basically they are there to reduce the number of "monologues", as the animators put it, in the show. Eh... I prefer the novel because these two characters slow things down too much.
3. You get greater a more in depth understanding of the new world and the feelings of the main character Yoko.
Book Review: A Must-Read For Fans Of The Twelve Kingdoms Anime
Summary: 5 Stars
If you like the Twelve Kingdoms anime, you will want to read this book. The Sea Of Shadow corresponds to the first three DVDs in the anime series. The anime is true to the spirit of the book, and borrows much of its dialogue from it. The anime contains additional plot elements not present in the book, but these are compatible with the original story.
Conversely, if you read this book and like it, and you have not seen the anime, be sure to buy (at least) the first 3 DVDs of this series and watch them. For drama and character development, this anime stands head and shoulders above all the other anime series in my collection. It has no equal.
Book Review: This is worth reading even (or especially) if you have seen the anime.
Summary: 5 Stars
This novel is the basis for the first 13 episodes of the anime series. The book and the anime are fairly close, except the novel does not bring any of Youko's classmates into the Twelve Kingdoms world.
What the novel does that is harder to accomplish in a visual medium is to focus more on the inner thoughts and conflict of the main character. The anime pulls this off by introducing extra characters (two Japanese classmates) that allow some of the inner dialog to become external.
I found this novel to be very good and I look forward to the next novel in the series.
Book Review: One of my favorites
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved the anime so much that I wanted to read the books. When I found out that it is was going to be publish in english I was so incredibly happy. At last I can read The Twelve Kingdoms when ever I want. No longer do I have to search for unofficial translations of the book online. Needless to say i love the books more then I do the anime. Which is saying a lot because it is one of my all time favorites. I would recommend that if you are going to read this series you have to watch that anime first. This way you can kind of understand what is going on a little better.Book Review: wonderful
Summary: 5 Stars
I watched the anime version of this story several times. It is my favorite anime. The book is great too. After reading the book I understood the story line much better because it is in some situations quite distinct from the anime and in my opinion much clearer. I recommend this book for all twelve kingdoms fans. Unfortunately they just publish one volume in a year. And in this volume you don't know how Youko will act as an empress just how she becomes the empress. I have to wait another year or two.