From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Basara (バサラ
?) is a shōjo manga
written by Yumi
Tamura. The manga, which consists of 27 tankōbon volumes, won
the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo in 1992.[1]
It was adapted as an anime that
follows only part of the manga story, cutting off after 13
episodes. In North
America, the manga is published by Viz Media in English.
The story takes place in a future Japan, reduced to a barren
desert by a catastrophe at the end of the 21st century. The main
character is Sarasa, a girl whose twin brother, Tatara, is
prophesied to be the "child of destiny" (運命の子供 or 運命の少年) who will
bring back the country's independence and stop the tyrannical rule
of the Empire, namely the Red King. When Tatara is killed, Sarasa
pretends to be him in order to keep the downtrodden from losing
hope.
Basara has been described (including by its
English-translation editor) as a highly Shakespearean
story.
Overview
In Basara's post-apocalyptic setting, Japan has been controlled
by a succession of corrupt and oppressive rulers of Saffron Clan.
The current one is the Golden Emperor, a sovereign so obsessed with
maintaining his power that he has had most of his children killed.
He later appointed territories to the remaining children, allowing
them to rule as subordinate kings and expend their energies in
rivalries amongst each other, instead of trying to dethrone him. As
a result, most of the Kings neglect the people they rule.
Though the peasants have been downtrodden for decades, they have
not completely lost their rebellious spirit. Four swords named for
the Ssu
Ling gods - Byakko, Suzaku, Seiryū and Genbu - forged for
fallen rebel leaders two generations past, are the symbols of
underground resistance groups across Japan. The sword of Byakko is
kept in Byakko Village, and according to a prophet, a child of fate
who will lead a revolution will be born there. When a pair of twins
are born - a girl and a boy - the prophet says that one of them is
the child of destiny. Villagers believe the boy, Tatara, is the
child of destiny, but ultimately the girl, Sarasa, is the leader.
When the local ruler, the Red King, destroys her village and has
her brother beheaded, she assumes his name and duty to lead her
people in rebellion.
Sasara undergoes psychological strain over 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 young
man named Shuri, and they fall in love with each other.
Unknown to Sasara, Shuri is really the Red King, upon whom she
has sworn revenge for destroying her village and killing her
family. The Red King is likewise unaware that Sasara, in her alter ego, is the rebel
leader he is trying to kill. As the story progresses, the pair's
relationship deepens even as their struggle becomes more
bloody.
Characters
Main
characters
Sarasa (更紗
?)
- The protagonist, a 15-year-old girl who takes the name of her
murdered twin brother Tatara, who was known as the child of fate.
As Tatara, she wields the sword of Byakko and leads the survivors
of Byakko Village. Even among her allies few people know she is a
girl.
- Sarasa hopes to create a land that is fertile, full of flora,
and free of strife. Though she is quick to cry and psychologically
weak in some respects, over the course of the story she develops
undeniable skills in leadership and swordplay, and becomes the
central figure of the Tatara Army.
- Genbu sword: One of the four swords descended
from the Basarano rebels. It
was Genshou, Tatara's and Sarasa's great-grandfather's,
weapon.
- The name Sarasa refers to calico cloth.
- Sarasa's pet owl, the runt of his hatch. Sarasa is unwilling to
let the other chicks crowd him out, and decides to take care of
him.
The Red King - Shuri (赤の王 (朱理)
?)
- The 17 year old youngest son of the Emperor, he rules over
Saikoku (western Japan) which includes Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyūshū. In the early parts of the story Shuri
stands out as brutally cruel to those who do not obey him, because
he is responsible for the destruction of Byakko Village and the
murder of Tatara. Later he meets Sarasa, unaware that they are
enemies, and falls in love with her.
- Though he is merciless to his enemies, Shuri is a capable ruler
and very proud of his realm. He has a big-hearted, free-spirited
personality and is generally quite personable, though he tends to
be overly competitive. Shuri is an expert swordsman.
Byakko
Village
The
Deceased
Tatara (タタラ
?)
- Sarasa's twin brother, raised as the child of fate in order to
protect Sarasa. Respected by everyone in Byakko Village, Tatara is
very responsible, and very close to his sister. His is killed by
General Kazan, one of the Red King's subordinates.
- The name Tatara refers to bellows, as used to smelt metal.
Makoto (Maa-kun) (マコト (まーくん)
?)
- Sarasa's childhood friend, who died in Tatara's place at about
8 years of age.
The
Revival
Nagi (ナギ
?)
- The blind prophet who foretold the coming of the child of fate,
Nagi was also the physician and schoolteacher of Byakko Village. He
serves as a mentor to Sarasa, who trusts him completely. Nagi
learned medicine from the great doctor Bashō.
Kakuji (角じい
?)
- A Byakko villager; he instructs Tatara, and later Sarasa, in
swordplay. He plays a surrogate father role for Sarasa, and she
places a great deal of trust in him.
- Kakujii originally came from a fishing village in the Tohoku
region, but was thrown into Abashiri Prison after rebelling against
the Black King, who rules there. He later escaped, and eventually
ended up in Byakko Village.
Butterfly
Circus
Ageha (揚羽
?)
- A former slave and survivor of the Blue Nobles, a nomadic
people all but wiped out by the government. Ageha saved Sarasa from
the Red King when she was younger, but he lost his left eye in the
bargain. He has friends all across Japan and is capable of calling
in tremendous favors from them.
- Ageha usually tours with Madam Butterfly's troupe of traveling
performers under the name Kicho, the star dancer. He keeps an owl,
Kagero, who is a parent of Sarasa's owl, Shinbashi.
- 'Ageha' refers to the swallowtail butterfly, and Kicho
comes from the personal name of Oda Nobunaga's wife Nohime.
- Madame Butterfly: the mistress of the
Butterfly Circus.
- Aro: the former female fellow of Ageha in the
past, she had slept with Ageha. She died in a razzia led by
Shido.
Suzaku
Tribe
Hayato (ハヤト
?)
- A boy from the city of Dazaifu in Kyūshū, Hayato becomes one of
Tatara's first allies. He is the successor to the wielder of the
Suzaku sword, but specializes in the use of bow and arrows. His
great grandfather with his 3 friends were the heroes revolted
against the cruel king Shishiō but failed. Hayato is
scatterbrained, but because he gets the others out of many
dangerous situations, he becomes a sort of mascot figure for the
Tatara Army.
- The Suzaku tribe: the tribe under the lead of
the wielder of the Suzaku sword.
- The Shōjō clan: the traitors of the Suzaku,
they took over the Suzaku battleship by creating a fake Suzaku
sword to fool others.
- Suzaku sword
- One of the four swords descended from the Basarano rebels. It was Rashou's, Hayato's
grandfather's, weapon.
Chacha's
Pirate Ship
Chacha (茶々
?)
- The fierce and beautiful leader of a group of pirates who
capture Sarasa and Hayato, intending to sell them to foreigners.
However, Sarasa's daring impresses Chacha, and she decides to
become Sarasa's ally instead. Chacha has a sisterly nature and
likes to have others depend on her. Her lover is her right-hand
man, Zaki.
- Chacha is named after the childhood name of Yodo-Dono, a concubine of Toyotomi
Hideyoshi.
Zaki (座木
?)
- Cha Cha's first mate and lover; a man of few words. While even
more deadly in battle that she, Zaki admires Cha Cha's indomitable
spirit and supports her in any way he can. His loyalty is to Cha
Cha above all, and he would trade even Tatara's life for Cha
Cha's.
Suō
Castle
Shidō (四道
?)
- The governor of Dazaifu and commander of the Kyūshū division of
the Red Army, Shidou is the Red King's cousin and closest
confidant. He is the commander of the two powerful war-units of Red
Army: the navy unit Fuujin (Kazekami, Wind God) and the infantry
Raijin (Thunder God). While generally warm and genial, Shidou does
not flinch from the grislier duties of leadership - he is a
calculating and ruthless general who is said to leave mountains of
corpses behind him on the battlefield.
- Shidō is the first character to realize the full implications
of Sarasa and Shuri's relationship, but he is killed before he can
speak of it.
Senju (千手
?)
- Shidō's fiancee, a young noblewoman. Senju is made of sterner
stuff than her delicate looks would suggest. She truly loves Shidou
even though their marriage was arranged, and they have a rush
wedding before Shidou goes into battle with Tatara at her
urging.
- Senju's name is derived from a title for the bodhisattva Kanon, meaning 'One Thousand
Hands'.
Seiran
Castle
Asagi (浅葱
?)
- The captain of the Blue King's special guards, 'Gunjou', which
is made up of handsome boys. Asagi is actually a secret child of
the Emperor and is the true Blue King. Asagi infiltrates Tatara's
army on the orders of the White King, plotting to play Tatara and
the Red King against each other.
- Asagi has a contrary and self-centered personality, and he
hates physical labor. Though he is very skilled with a sword he is
physically weak.
- Snake King: the false Blue King.
Raizō (雷蔵
?)
- A subordinate of the false Blue King, known as the "Count". He
is actually the leader of the rebellion in Seiran, and inheritor of
the sword of Seiryū. Raizō is a friend of Ageha, and he secretly
rescues participants of the Suzuka Murder Race.
- Raizou is married to Izumi, a mute former slave of the false
Blue King, and over the course of the story they have a child,
Raita.
- Seiryū sword
- One of the four swords descended from the Basarano rebels. It was Tenmanya Nabezou's
weapon.
Kumano
Region
Nachi (那智
?)
- The son and heir of the head priest of the Kumano Shinto
shrine. Nachi runs across Sarasa while hunting the largest whale in
the seas in his region. Nachi is a merchant with a bold, optimistic
personality, and he speaks with a strong regional accent.
- Nachi is a member of the Tengu youth organization with his
friend Hijiri, and serves as second in command. He is knowledgeable
about survival skills, and comes to Sarasa's aid numerous
times.
- Nachi is named after the eponymous Nachi region, part of
present-day Wakayama
prefecture.
Hijiri (聖
?)
- The leader of the Tengu youth organization in Kumano; like
Nachi, he is the son of a local Kumano leader. Hijiri's personality
is opposite to Nachi's - he is calm and quick-thinking, and a
master of Iaidō. He is
strict with Sarasa, but well-meaning.
- Hijiri has been the closest of friends with Nachi since they
both were young, and is often worried by Nachi's recklessness.
Okinawa
Isle
Bashō (芭蕉
?)
- A physician who travels all over Japan with his assistant Yūna,
using Okinawa as his home base. He is Nagi's
surrogate parent and mentor.
- Both Sarasa and Shuri go to Okinawa seeking treatment from
Bashō, and he later joins Nagi as a medic for the Tatara Army.
Nakijin (今帰仁
?)
- A karate master who is kind, serious and reliable. He nurses
Sarasa for a time while she is recovering from eye injuries.
Despite his initial dislike of Shuri, they reach and understanding
as they defend Okinawa's independence and eventually develop an
unbreakable friendship.
- Nakijin's name is derived from Nakijin gusuku and
the likewise-named region of Okinawa.
Yūna (ユウナ
?)
- Bashō-sensei's assistant whom Shuri meets in Okinawa. She is
bold and tomboyish but likes to be relied upon, and treats Shuri
like a younger brother. She is a childhood friend of Nakijin, and
also capable in karate. Yūna is engaged to the President of
Okinawa, Asato, who is also her surrogate father.
- Yūna's name comes from the Okinawan name of Hibiscus
tiliaceus, a tropical plant.
Tōhoku
Region
Kazuno
Masunaga (増長
?)
- Representative of the Kazuno resistance who assists Sarasa in a
rescue mission to the dreaded Abashiri prison, and later allies with
Tatara's army. A long-time friend of Tamon.
- Masunaga's name is derived from one of the Buddhist Heavenly
Kings, Virūḍhaka, patron of growth.
Tamon (Monta) (多聞
?)
- One of the four generals of Kazuno, he is an eccentric who
speaks with a disinctive northern accent. Unselfish and aloof from
the world, he loves fishing and travels the land in search of good
fishing spots. Sarasa finds him in the most inhospitable part of
the Abashiri prison, where he is the only survivor. He holds the
sword of Genbu.
- Tamon is named after another of the Four Heavenly Kings, Vaisravana, whose
Japanese name means all-hearing.
- Genbu sword
- One of the four swords descended from the Basarano rebels. It was Akihiko's weapon.
Hokkaidō - Abashiri
Jail
The land entrusts the emperor's brother.
- Kaze no Fukuro (Wind Owl)
- Prince of Hokkaido. He is the son of emperor's brother, also a
cousin of Shuri. His face resembles Shuri.
- Mizu no Shika (Water Deer)
- Close friend of Kaze no Fukuro.
- Hi no Kitsune (Fire Fox)
- Karon: Hi no Kitsune's guard
- Tsuchi no Kuma (Earth Bear)
- He was in the same jail of Kakujii. When Kakujii planned to
escape, noone followed him, then the prison's guard punish his
prison fellows.
- Prisoners
- Shirasu: The perverted prisoner who leads the
prisoners at Jail A, guarded by Mizu no Shika. He and his companies
threaten Sarasa by noticing her feminine smell. To protect her,
Ageha sacrifices his body to Shirasu.
Capital
Kyōto
Ginko (銀子
?)
- The White King, who is actually female. She was married off to
the leader of Awaji
Island in an arranged marriage, but she ended up falling in
love with him. When the Emperor ordered the attack on Awajishima,
she got trapped under the burning building, losing the function of
both of her legs. She was 'appeased' with the title of 'White
King', but although she is the eldest child, her name is listed
after the Black King's in the order of ranking.
Hiragi (Kakihito) (柊(柿人)
?)
- Kakihito attacked Awaji Island, killing Ginko’s husband, as
leader of the Oka, a group of young men from Kyoto who serve as the
vanguard of the army. He saved Ginko from the burning debris,
getting severely burned in the process. He then gave up serving on
the front lines of the army, retiring to be the 'shadow of the
White King'.
Four
Nobles of Blue King
Kikune (菊音
?):
- The junior member of the White King's secret unit, the Four
Nobles, which is tasked with guarding Asagi. Despite the feminine
appearance of all the Four Nobles members, Kikune is the female
among them. She has a cheerful, open personality and is an aspiring
inventor. Kikune is employed by the Black King's wife under the
name Kasane, and befriends Sarasa even though they are enemies. She
is also skilled at making mechanical contraptions.
Muratake (群竹
?):
- The senior member of the Four Nobles. He is calm and collected
and very duty-bound, but seems somewhat absent-minded. Unlike the
other members of the group, his loyalties lie with Asagi over the
White King. He has skill with medicine.
- Ranmaru
- Umewaka
Four
Elders of the Capital
- Hagiwara of the South
- Momonoi of the North
- Hozomi: son of Momonoi. Lives at Suo and is
famous for his paintings.
- Renko: lover of Hozomi. A reporter, friend of
Taro.
- Tachibana of the West
- Sakurada of the East
Yarogumi
The guardians of the capital. Their leader is Hachiya.
- Hachiya
Shikoku
Castle
Murasaki no Ue (紫の上
?)
- The wife of the Black King, beloved by the people.
- Black King: eldest son of the emperor
Ukon.
Hida no Ichimatsu (飛騨の市松
?)
- The Black Army's three-horned admiral, devoted to Murasaki no
Ue. He proposes to Kikune at the near end of the Manga.
Others
Tarō-chan (太郎ちゃん
?)
- A close friend of Ageha who directs a nationwide newspaper
network.
- The old man
- Taro's adopted father when he investigates the plan
"Pomegranatte" of Hagiwara.
World:
Important Places
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Japan is under the tyrannical
rule of a monarchy. The Golden Emperor has divided Japan into
several provinces, entrusting the rule of these provinces to his
offspring, consisting of the Black, White, Blue and Red Kings.
- Kazuno (鹿角
?) – The northernmost part of Honshū,
which has been fighting against the Black Army for independence.
Kazuno is protected by four generals, Tamon to the north, Masunaga
to the south, Hirome to the west and Mochikuni to the east.
- Motokuro no Ryōdo (もと黒の領土
?) – the realm of the Black King
-
- Shikoku (紫黒
?) is Motokuro no Ryōdo's capital and
lies in the northeast. The Black King and his mistress Mogami no
Kata live here in Kotsuki castle.
-
- Tenkyōko is a lake where the Black King has a second
castle called the Dove Pavilion. This is where Shuri traps the
Black King and his mistress, Mogami no Kata.
- Kantō (関東
?) – the realm of the Blue King
-
- Seiran (青藍
?) is the capital of Kantou, where the
Blue King (the Snake King) resides. There are ruins of the
high-rise buildings, maybe the ruined Tokyo after apocalypse.
- Kyōto (京都
?) – the capital of Japan, where the
Emperor resides in Ukon Palace. Kyouto was the site of construction
for a large-scale gold Buddha, which required the labour of many
slaves which were taken by the Emperor from his son's realms.
Protected by four elders, Momonoi
to the north, Sakurada to the east, Tachibana to the west, Hagiwara to the south. These four names correspond
to the Japanese names of certain
botanica.
- Ōsaka (大阪
?) – A nearly autonomous merchant
town.
- Kii and Kumano (紀伊 熊野
?) – lies south of Kyoto and is
considered a holy land, it is a site for religious pilgrimage.
- Sanyō and Sanin (山陽 山陰
?) – a desert land, the realm of the Red
King
-
- Suō (蘇芳
?) – The Red King's capital, known as
'The Ruby of the Desert' which prospers until a military coup sends
the Red King into exile.
-
- Byakko no Mura (白虎の村
?) – Byakko village, where Tatara and
Sarasa was born. The village was razed by the Red King and no
longer exists.
-
- Shikoku (四国
?) – One of the provinces entrusted to
the Red King, it is divided into four nations
-
- Kyūshū (九州
?) – entrusted to the Red King, Dazaifu
is its capital, and Sakura-jima (Tatara's base) is in the southern
part of this province
- Hokkaidō (北海道
?) – The northernmost part of Japan,
this is where Abashiri prison is. Hokkaido is entrusted to the
Emperor's brother.
- Okinawa (沖縄
?) – An island to the south that has
declared its independence from Japan, it has a democratic
government.
Basara no
Gaiden – Basara's Sidestories
Basara also has a large collection of sidestories (thirteen
chapter-stories). There are stories about the Basara World before
and after the main storyline is going on, and the others are about
the lives of the other sub-characters such as: Hijiri, Nachi,
Masunaga, Tamon, etc.
Katana
- The story is about the Basarano's Revolution and the four
swords of royal clan. The heroine is Tara, fights along with her
rescuers from the punishment, against the royal clan led by king
Shishioh (Shishioh means "Lion King"). Tara's partners are the
first wielders of the four swords: Rashou wields the Suzaku,
Tenman'ya Nabezou wields the Seiryuu, Asahiko wields the Genbu
(true sword, not bamboo sword) and Genshou wields the Byakko.
Tamura said that she hoped to tell a story about some of the
characters' great-grandparents. Genshou is Sarasa's
great-grandfather; Rashou is Hayato's. Tara is Shuri's
great-grandmother, as at the end of the story, she is captured by
the Emperor and marries him, with the intent that if she is truly
cursed, her hope is that it will be passed onto the royal
family.
The Four Swords' Tale
- The Four Swords are the Byakko (White Tiger) of Sarasa, the
Suzaku (Crimson Firebird) of Hayato, the Seiryū (Azure Dragon) of
Raizō and the Genbu (Black Warrior) of Tamon. Legends say that if
the 4 swords of the heroes from the past are reunited, the new era
will come.
Wakaba
The story is about Japan after Tatara's successful revolution.
In this sidestory, Hayato, using the false name "Shun", is the main
role. There are also new characters such as Sarasa and Shuri's
children, Ayumu and Hikaru, the mature Raita, son of Raizou and the
mature Motomichi, son of Shidou.
Anime – Legend of
Basara
A portion of the manga story roughly corresponding to volumes 1
- 5 was animated under the title Legend of Basara. While generally
very faithful to the manga, some material from further into the
story was cut, such as Senju's assassination attempt and the Suzuno
Murder Race episode.
Cast
References
External
links
Wikis
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