Basara (manga)
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Basara (バサラ) is the name of a manga, and later an anime, written by Yumi Tamura. The manga consists of 27 volumes; the anime follows only part of the manga story, and cuts off after 13 episodes. In North America, he manga is published by Viz Communications in English
The story takes place in a future Japan, reduced to a barren desert by a catastrophe at the end of the 20th century. The main character is Sarasa, a girl whose twin brother, Tatara, is prophecied to be the "child of fate" (運命の子供 or 運命の少年) who will bring back the country's wealth and abundance. When Tatara is killed, Sarasa pretends to be him in order to keep the downtrodden from losing hope.
Overview
Basara has been described (including by its English-translation editor) as a highly Shakespearean story.
Within the manga, Sasara undergoes extreme psychological strain for having to pretend to be a boy. As such, she often visits hot springs to 'let her hair down.' During these visits, she runs into a mysterious figure called "Shuri," and they both fall in love with each other.
Unknown to Sasara, "Shuri" is really the Red King. The Red King is also unaware of the fact that Sasara, in her alter ego, is the rebel leader he is trying to kill. As the story progresses, the two's relationship deepens as their struggle becomes more bloody.
Characters
- Sarasa 更紗 -- the protagonist, a young girl
- Tatara タタラ -- her twin brother (deceased)
- The Red King 赤の王
- Makoto (Maa-kun) マコト (まーくん) -- Sarasa's childhood friend (deceased)
- Nagi ナギ
- Ageha 揚羽
- Shinbashi 新橋／シンバシ -- Sarasa's pet owlfr:Basara
Categories: Anime | Manga