Uehashi Nahoko - Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (Eng. trans.)

[oyceter]

Look! I read a Japanese book that is not manga!

This is the first book in a ten-book Japanese children's fantasy series; since then, it's been adapted to manga and anime.

Balsa is a 30-year-old spearwoman who has been tasked with protecting the younger prince. He's currently the receptacle of a mystical force that may or may not be deadly to him and those around him. To safeguard him, Balsa also has to uncover the actual history of the nation, which has been obscured to glorify the nation's founder.

I feel I should have liked this much more than I did—it has an older heroine who kicks ass, people of different ethnicities, and actually looks at colonization. I like how Uehashi acknowledges the forces between colonizers and the colonized, particularly how it affects their stories and legends. She's not quite as pointed in some cases as I would be, but for a children's book, it does well.

My problem is that the prose is just enormously boring. There's a lot of exposition, the dialogue falls flat, and everything feels prosaic, which is the exact opposite effect a fantasy novel should have. I don't know if it's because of the translation or the original, but I struggled to finish the book. Also, I never felt much tension, despite the fact that all the elements call for it. I should have been enamored of Balsa and her vow to save the lives of eight people, and while I like her and the other characters academically, I didn't have an emotional connection.

Still, I hope the series will continue in the US and that it's successful; it's just what I would have wanted to read as a kid. Also, as a side note, the production of the book itself is gorgeous: indigo edging on the pages, illustrations, and a woodcut feel to the entire volume.

I think I will try the anime, since the pretty production values will probably be a good substitute for the prose.

Links:
- rilina's review

Comments

[keelieinblack.livejournal.com]

I think you might like the anime a little better; I watched it before picking up the book, and while the book was all right it really couldn't compare. The anime's occasionally just as slow-moving, but when it picks up the different format pays off--some of the fight scenes are really stunning.

[oyceter]

Ok, good! I saw a short clip of the anime, and it looks gorgeous!

[quadrifons.livejournal.com]

I watched the anime on Adult Swim pretty regularly until they moved it to 5 AM and while the story was sometimes a little slow, it was Balsa's bad-assitude and the beautiful art style that kept me watching. I'd definitely recommend giving it a look.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Agreed! It really is lovely.

[oyceter]

*nods* I am hoping I will be ok with a slower-moving plot if it has gorgeous art, since I'll know the plot anyway. Mostly I just want a better sense of the world and the characters than I got from the book...

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I think that, in general, Japanese prose doesn't translate that well. I really enjoyed the characters and story, but thought it was clunky.

[oyceter]

I'm not sure, just because I've read Banana Yoshimoto and other Japanese authors in translation that worked perfectly well. So I don't know if it's the prose of the original, the fact that it's intended for a younger audience than most of the literary Japanese works I've read, or the translator, or all of the above, that made the prose so flat.

[the-willow.insanejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

The anime rocks. I hadn't tracked down the book yet to read - after the disappointment with Juuni Koki being translated to English (first a wait, then Tokyo Pop with embellishments AND a wait). The anime is my second favourite right after Juuni Koki.

And you're right about the loss or dissolution of the indigenous tales of creation. And I liked the little jab at 'But the legends are written down now, there's no need for an oral tradition' -- except...

[oyceter]

Cool! I've seen a clip or two of the anime, and it looks gorgeous.

Ha, very yes re: the tales of creation. I have to say, I'm a little skeptical at how happily the book ends (I feel in RL, the Star Readers would have been much, much more reluctant to share their knowledge, admit to not knowing everything, and cooperate with the Yogoese, but oh well).

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

The anime has gorgeous production values. I didn't finish it, so I can't say much more than that. :-/

[oyceter]

Heh, how far did you get? Did you just get bored? I haven't been doing so well with keeping up with anime series right now, but there's always the hope...

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

It's a while back, so I don't remember for sure. Slow pacing sounds familiar. I think it was a combination of slow pacing and the file format (the sub group was an early adopter of .mkv files when the little computer that thought it could couldn't). On the plus side, this is a while back, so it should all (or mostly) be available. On the other hand, I know this one was caught by Geneon going under, so I don't know if it's one that the subbers won't release but the legit release hasn't come out yet. Oh Geneon. *sigh*

[oyceter]

Heh, gotcha, thanks! At least the first disc is on Netflix?

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think so. It's worth checking out.