Review (con't)

Basara begins with tight direction and even faster pacing. The first episode literally flies by without mercy. You can miss a lot by just zoning out for a bit. But even though many things happen very quickly, the story and the setting are established with clarity. Many anime fantasies tend to exists in makeup worlds that are hard to understand, but Basara is different. It's actually set in a palpable place where traditional customs from many familiar cultures integrate (think Middle-Eastern, Japanese, and imperial Rome). The central conflict is introduced as a simple good vs. evil battle, but quickly evolves into something far more complex and ambitious. One gets the sense that there should be a lot more than 13 episodes to the story. And indeed, the entire plot as told in the manga requires roughly 50 episodes to conclude.

Sarasa's journey as Tatara begins with her quest to collect the 4 Sacred Swords - katanas left from a past rebellion - and in doing so, she gains many faithful followers who will help her overthrow the current empire. By empire, I mean the Emperor of Japan and his sons, each ruling a different region of the country: Black King of North, Blue King of East, White King of Central, and Red King of South-West. The anime ends at the point when Tatara has just recovered 3 of the 4 Sacred Swords, and the Blue King finally enters the picture. Basically, the story is left hanging. But it does continue in manga form. And the anime made the most of what it can, faithfully adapting the first 5 volumes of the manga. The plot contained within was more substantial than many other anime fares available out there.

Now, a good story isn't so much about what happens than who it happens to. As long as I care about the characters, I'll enjoy the story. And that's why Basara worked on me. The many people Yumi Tamura created in Basara feel like real human beings with real motivations. Better yet, they all have strong personalities and intelligence. After watching the same generic characters being recycled in so many anime, it's a godsend to finally meet people with a little [gasp] complexity.