The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 2: Sea of Wind by Fuyumi Ono
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Book Reviews of The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 2: Sea of Wind
Book Review: When's the next volume coming out??? I want it already!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the second volume of the Twelve Kingdoms novel and a lot more action is going on than in the first book. I whole-heartedly agree with the Publisher's Weekly quote on the back of the book : "For those who enjoy getting lost in multi-layered adventures, this epic offers dense and challenging escapism." The summary on the back of the book gives you the gist of the story: "the second volume in this seven-volume fantasy epic, explores what it means to truly know yourself in the face of a destiny outside of your control."
To start off, I highly recommend watching the anime (Japanese animation) first. Perhaps that's because I watched the anime first myself, but I feel that it gives a better understanding of the background of the story. I think that because I believe that all the unique terms the author uses in this book can become quite confusing and/or frustrating, and being familiar with the anime already makes it easier to follow the book.
For those who haven't watched the anime, this is about a boy who has a dishearterning home life, where he can't do anything right. His grandmother criticizes him constantly, his brother uses him to blame things on, his mother is always crying after defending him from grandma, and his dad always shows disappointment in him. One day, out of the blue, he gets whisked away to another world, where things are totally different. He is revered and loved, but trusted with amazing responsibilities. He slowly learns that he needs to trust his instincts and not worry so much about disappointing others. There is a lot of fantasy incorporated into this book, and it's just fascinating to read about the different rituals, traditions, beliefs, animals - just a completely different reality - that the boy comes across. The author has a background in Buddhist studies, by the way. I found myself very absorbed in this book while reading it. People would talk to me while I was reading and I wouldn't hear them! I think that's the sign of a good book, don't you?
For those who have watched the anime, this book goes into much detail about how Taiki is lost and found by Sansi and his life after he returns to the world of the Twelve Kingdoms. It also goes into greater detail about how he chose his king, which I definitely appreciated, as it was cut short in the anime and I was confused as to what was really going on. This cleared it up for me. The only problem is that the story stops very soon after the new king of Tai ascends to the throne. I can't wait to read more! And this volume was much shorter than the first. It was disappointing to finish it so quickly.
Book Review: Another great installment of the fantasy series!
Summary: 5 Stars
I became a huge fan of Twelve Kingdoms through the anime first. When I discovered that Tokyopop was translating the novels, I was elated because the anime covered less than half of the storyline from the novels. My only regret about this book is that I had to wait a year for it to be released since the release of the first novel.
Sea of Wind follows Taiki's story which was the second arc of the anime. The anime followed it very very closely with only minor changes and omissions. While the novel does not require the reader to have seen the anime, I think seeing the anime should encourage the viewer to get a more indepth look at the Twelve Kingdoms universe and read the novels.
What you do get in this novel is a better understanding of Taiki's thoughts as well as what makes him a unique kirin. Also, you get the perspective of other characters such as Sansi. Also the system and ways of the world of the twelve kingdoms are even further fleshed out. Taiki's time with Keiki is also further explored. The only people you will miss in this version of Taiki's story are Yoko and Kenro Shinkun, who really only served as bystanders in the anime anyhow.
The novel is quite vividly written and I daresay flows better than the first novel. Twelve Kingdoms is a great series to read for people interested in politics, fantasy, and just really good characterization. I cannot recommend it enough.
Book Review: So enjoyable
Summary: 5 Stars
After waiting for a year, finally I have this novel.
Such a cute story. It is much more relax than the first book about our empress of Kei, Youko. May be it is because of the innocent of Taiki.
The translation are really good, but I do not like the translation for some specific terms of Twelve kingdoms cause they do not give the original meaning.
There are few funny scenes that its anime cannot make it look funny, and of course, the novel is different to its anime. However, this difference does not make it bad at all. We do not need to have Youka telling us Taiki's feeling, we still can understand them very clearly through the story.
For 12 kingdoms fan, it is a must.
Book Review: Rápido, bom e barato.
Summary: 5 Stars
O produto é ótimo. A entrega foi feita antes do prazo previsto. Mas atenção: as pãginas do livro são de papel simples, parecem de HQ. A capa dura não é plstificada, é rústica mas muito bonita, vermelha com detalhes em baixo relevo. E possui uma "capa" externa de papel plastificado colorido com a imagem azul que aparece na foto do produto.Book Review: The Twelve Kingdoms Vol 2
Summary: 5 Stars
While I may be older than the target audience for this series, I honestly enjoyed the book just as I did the first. A quick, entertaining and engaging read. If you like anime, if you like fantasy worlds, then this series of novels from Fuyumi Ono could probably be for you.
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