Sea of Shadow (The Twelve Kingdoms, book 1) by Fuyumi Ono

[james_davis_nicoll]

Sea of Shadow (The Twelve Kingdoms, book 1) by Fuyumi Ono

Comments

[arkessian]

Link is very similare to US government.

Broke.

[james_davis_nicoll]

I forgot the html entirely. That's a first.

Isekai

[nojay]

There's been a big upsurge in parallel fantasy world (isekai) stories published in Japan -- the basic plot is a Japanese nebbish character somehow finds themselves in world of magic, demons, dragons etc. and has to cope (a knowledge of 3rd edition D&D rules is often helpful here). Sometimes they end up Munchkining their way through hordes of mooks, occasionally it gets a bit more complicated.

Sturgeon's Law applies, given the large number of amateur isekai Web novels being intermittently serialised on various websites but a few of the better stories have received manga and anime treatments (Sword Art Online, Overlord, Gate frex).

[movingfinger]

The cover promises me Anne of Green Gables with a sword.

[magedragonfire]

I'd read that.

[timgueugen]

Given the Japanese fondness for Anne of Green Gables(including an anime version of the story in 1979) I'm surprised no Japanese creator has done a "ninja Anne" or similar story idea.

[scott_sanford]

Green Gables, Red Sword!

It's probably for the best large sharp-edged weaponry was not laying around Prince Edward Island unattended...

[magedragonfire]

I'm sure if you looked around enough during non-haying season in that time period, you probably could've stumbled over a scythe or two.

Or, hrm. Gilbert Blythe with a deadly scalpel?

[dwight_benjamin_thieme]

'Sigh. Bobby, a big part of being a grownup is doing things you don't want to do.'

-- Hank Hill

[kate_schaefer]

Glenn and I watched what there was of the anime series, some years back. It was slow, beautiful, and oddly satisfying, right up until it abruptly stopped in mid story arc.

[(Anonymous)]

God, I'd kill for more of the anime. I was disappointed by the books--I don't know if he rather stilted writing was a problem with the translation or the original, but they fell flat for me--but I absolutely adore the anime.

[mindstalk]

It doesn't stop mid story arc. The 45 episodes have 4 arcs, plus a few one-short stories and recaps (including the last episode, for a 4-5 episode arc. >_> )

They didn't animate all the Youko/Taiki material, but if they had, you'd still be unsatisfied, because Ono never finished the series; Taiki's arc is advanced, but left on a different cliffhanger.

Review title, "Once in a Lullaby"

[(Anonymous)]

Another interesting choice! ...Did you say you haven't read Oz??

Robert Carnegie

Re: Review title, "Once in a Lullaby"

[james_davis_nicoll]

I have not.

[ba_munronoe]

The system would seem to have some internal contradictions: how can the society be "every person for them selves" (which is an essentially amoral position)when there is a (presumably) absolute ruler selected by magical beings partly due to their morals? Why do people support the "election by magical dragon-unicorn" system of governance in the first place when their choices can and do lose the Mandate of Heaven (with mass Consequences [1])on a not-too-rare basis? If kings are (usually) morally impeccable, why is it legal to sell naive strangers into brothels? [2] In the case of monarchs who have lost the mandate of heaven, how does the succession system work? But then it's not like our system of government actually works the way its supposed to...

[1] I suppose the usual plagues, earthquakes, floods, and monster outbreaks?

[2] Of course, moral impeccability varies with place and time. Most historical Confucian officials would have trouble seeing "treating women like actual human beings" as a part of morality.

[(Anonymous)]

The answer to most of these questions is that the governmental system (including the definition of "morality" as applied to a leader) is literally determined by the gods, and no one, including the monarchs, has any way to induce the gods to change the system.

The answer to the last question is that everyone who thinks they might be the next ruler climbs a magical mountain to see if the dragon-unicorn will choose them. If the next ruler never shows up, the dragon-unicorn eventually goes searching for them. Several of the later books explore the implications of such a system.

[mindstalk]

Native perspectives on morality vary, shockingly enough.

Yes, having a rightful divine monarch prevents (un)natural disasters. And if you're lucky, you can have an enlightened despot ruling peacefully for 600+ years.

Laws vary. I'm not sure selling into a brothel *was* legal. But it's not very legal to be a kaikyaku in Kou, either. And the Kingdoms are actually more gender-egalitarian than our world.

Monarch dies, kirin picks a new one.

[roseembolism]

IIRC, the system has rulers that ate immortal and rule until they become corrupt and lose the mandate of heaven. Implied in this is the fact that eventually, no matter how enlightened any given ruler is at the beginning, they will eventually fall.

Admittedly, this can be a matter of centuries, so from the perspective of the people on the ground, they can look forward to a fairly decent world most of the time.

Also, one of the signs of corruption is evidently blaming the increasing problems on neighboring countries, up to going to war.

[mindstalk]

I don't think there's much of the blaming, and there's basically no inter-kingdom warfare. A later book touches on that. Troops crossing a border without invitation, even for humanitarian purposes, means your king dies in *days*.

[roseembolism]

Bear in mind, it's been a long time since I saw the ankme. There's a reason I started off with "IIRC".

[ba_munronoe]

Hmm, I was unaware of the "immortal until corrupted" bit: that certainly improves people's odds of experiencing benevolent rule. More gender-egalitarian than our reality? Doesn't seem entirely consistent with women being sold into brothels,[1] but maybe it happens to boys, too. Equality! :)

[1] Yes, yes, maybe illegal. Is it illegal for someone to be owned by a brothel in the first place?

[mindstalk]

On average half the rulers are women. Women serve in the highest offices, there doesn't seem to be any systematic discrimination, and serve in the military; I want to say 1/3 is female, but could be wrong there.

Our fugitive in an alien and hostile world does not give us a good perspective on the local legal system. I would note that slavery is illegal in our world, but people end up in forced labor anyway.

If you're interested I would suggest consuming the book or anime yourself, not trying to judge it based on a minimalist and laconic book review.

[scott_sanford]

Admittedly, I am amused at the thought of a kirin walking into a store and telling someone to wrap up what they're doing, they're the new king.

Presumably there are shortcomings to choosing a leader according to the whim of a wandering magical unicorn, but as an American I can't really think of any right now.

[mindstalk]

> Admittedly, I am amused at the thought of a kirin walking into a store and telling someone to wrap up what they're doing, they're the new king.

That's often exactly what happens. Youko was a schoolgirl, Ren-ou was a farmer, Sou-ou might have been a merchant.

> whim

The kirin is said to be a vehicle for the will of Heaven. More than once a kirin has had personal doubts about the one they choose, but their choice is compelled nonetheless.

[mindstalk]

The fact that they transliterated Youko's name as 'Yoko' is just one thing I hold against this translation.

I forget, is this at least the complete novel? The original Japanese novels were published in halves.