The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 2: Sea of Wind
by Fuyumi Ono
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Book Summary Information
Author: Fuyumi OnoEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-03-11
ISBN: 1598169475
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: TokyoPop
Book Reviews of The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 2: Sea of Wind
Book Review: Another wonderful installment in the world of the Twelve Kingdoms
Summary: 5 Stars
As many fans of the Twelve Kingdoms universe, I fell in love with the anime adaptation. Now that TokyoPop is publishing the novels, I wait excitedly for the next novel to come out. This story, in particular, has always been my favorite, and the novel did not disappoint at all.
This year, we get Volume 2: Sea of Wind which centers around Taiki, the kirin of the country of Tai. This novel tells the story of Taiki's return from Japan. The novel begins with the birth of Sansi, his guardian. Through a heartbreaking chain of events, Sansi loses the unborn Taiki to the other world in a terrible storm. For 10 years he is gone, and no one can find him. Finally, Enki, En's Kirin, locates Taiki in Japan. The kirin of Ren uses her treasure to bring Taiki back. From there, Taiki must learn about his true home and his true self in order to fulfill his destiny of choosing the next King of Tai. For a child of only 10 years old, this is a lot to handle!
Much like Volume 1: Sea of Shadow, the main character knows very little about the world of the Twelve Kingdoms and has to learn about the world suddenly. Instead of seeing the perspective of Yoko, a future ruler, we get the perspective of Taiki, the kirin. Taiki, unlike Yoko, is much more accepting of the Twelve Kingdoms. While she questions what kind of world it is, he accepts the world as it is and feels more at home there. As a child, though, he seldom understands everything as the adults do, and struggles to make sense of it all. He particularly struggles with his own role and destiny.
The writing is once again very lovely. Unlike the anime adaptation where the writers had to try very hard to tie Taiki's story with Yoko's, in the novel the characters' thoughts and actions make much more sense as a standalone tale. Through reading the story and making the emotional journey with the characters the world becomes more vivid and real.
The translation seems good and true to the story. Sometimes it seems like the translators do not have faith in the readers' abilities to comprehend certain terms/ideas. Instead, the translators overcompensate by using more rigidly defined words that kind of miss the mark. For example, the translation of Sansi as a "lamia" (a female vampire). I cringed every time I read the "lamia" in the pages. It has never seemed before that Ms. Ono was going for the monsterish angle with the kirins' mother-like guardians (nyokai). I thought this redefinition of terms was also a problem in the Sea of Shadow. Most readers will not care how true to the little details the translators were, and such things should not be an issue.
I cannot say how appealing this novel would be to those who haven't already fallen in love with Ms. Ono's world through the anime adaptation, but for those who have, the novel does not disappoint.
Summary of The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 2: Sea of Wind
Born in Japan and raised as a human, Taiki is overwhelmed when he's brought back to the kingdom of Tai, where he's told he's a kirin. With little knowledge or guidance, he must trust his latent instincts to choose a king for the Kingdom of Tai from among dozens of men and women who seek the position. Will the frustrated Taiki, who can't even figure out how to transform into animal form, make the right choice? And more important, will he discover the kirin that lives within?Manga Books
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