Introduction
In a small village, twins are born: a boy, Tatara, and a girl, Sarasa. The prophet Nagi declares that Tatara is the chosen one who will free Japan from the tyrannical rule of the King and his four sons. But when the ruthless Red King slays Tatara, Sarasa must take on her brother's name and responsibilities and embark on a quest to free Japan and deliver vengeance to the Red King.
(Source: ANN)
Audience reviews
9 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
pitcher11
The main issue with this anime is how good it is, how great the characters are and how insanely good the plot it is. And 13 episodes is not enough!!! Clearly. The anime is good, but you can tell some scenes should be longer or the transition to a moment/place to another needed more time to flesh out. At the same time, we spend too much time in moments where we needed to spend less time and other moments need like 3 episodes to actually enjoy it.
The romances is barely there but the moments between them are gold, the dynamics between the characters is really interesting because everyone has both good and bad elements, and the violence is so realistic. I really liked the settings, we have a more diverse Japan, with elements mainly from Middle East rather a hard Japanese style.
HOWEVER, wo…
Read at the sourceLuxuriousHeart
This anime adaptation was actually good. The only problem is that it didn't fully adapt the manga, which I don't understand. Basara was popular enough to warrant a complete adaptation, and this was during the time where Shoujo series usually got full adaptations. I don't get what happened here.
Despite it being a partial adaptation, I do recommend it. Sarasa is a likeable character who develops as the story moves along. If you want a strong female protagonist that isn't a shallow girl boss, this is your anime. It's a shame that it wasn't fully adapted.
The characters are complex and the romance is beautiful. One of the few flaws is that I found a side romance a bit more interesting than the main romance. I really wanted more interactions from Sarasa x Shuri. They had nice chemistry and…
Read at the sourceSopt
Ahh.. finding the forgotten gems of the past is hard but always a thrill. We are bombarded with hundreds of shows in this day of age, yet it's nothing like going back and watching a hand drawn shows now and then.
Legend of Basara was made towards the end of previous century, based on the source material that ran though the 90s and as expected from shows of that time it follows some basic principles that were used then. You can't really take them into account while evaluating an anime (the endless name calling for example). It's just how the things were back then like it or hate it.
Now on to the series itself.. I will be blunt and just say it right away. It was not just bad, but straight up horrible. The only bright light that shines though it is that story (while extremely predictable)…
Read at the sourceAnimeEnjoyer420
Recommendation: An excellent post-apocalyptic adventure series with strong, complex characters and an engrossing plot. Very much worth watching.
Positives:
+ Epic, sweeping adventure storyline that's perfectly paced and interesting every step of the way. Worldbuilding is well done and makes it fun to follow Sarasa's adventures to new places, while also fleshing out the Red King and his court and making them equally interesting.
+ Gorgeous backgrounds that make the post-apocalyptic wasteland of ruined Japan come alive.
+ Good shoujo-style character designs, major characters look very unique and distinctive.
+ Complex characters that are not fully good or bad. Sarasa's enemies are humanized and you feel conflicted when she fights them. This is especially the case with Shidou, whose figh…
Read at the sourcettmeng
They don't make animes or mangas like this anymore. This is what Yona of the Dawn wishes it could be.
This is an underrated masterpiece. It's almost Shakespearean with the amount of foreshadowing and the way the romance is constructed.
"Your loyalty to the Red King will kill you."
There are tons of foreshadowing early on that are reiterated. Nothing is accidental. Basara follows sets up similarly with Avatar The Last Airbender. Sarasa and Tatara are two siblings who grow up in a small village. Tatara is the chosen one, meant to unite Japan and defeat the Red King. Japan has turned into a desert. Sarasa one day ventures forth to see the ocean but sees a sea of red, the Fire King's army. They attack their village and kill Ma-kun, a village boy who disguises himself as Tatara. Three years…
Read at the sourceRTPDJRT1
This is my first review ever and it had to be on this anime. If you're into historical romance and old art this is anime for you. I have never seen an anime with such originality honestly, it's also very unique because it's from a time when anime wasn't cliquè and had differnt storylines.
Story 9/10: it's sort of like Romeo and Juliet, the girl (Sarasa) is from a village with a twin brother who is the chosen one who gets the privilege of holding a swords and whatnot, the usual "manly" tasks. Anyway, so Japan is under control by different kings ruling divided parts who are all brothers. Our main male protagonist is the Red King who is Sarasa's enemy for destroying her village, and killing her family. Now Sarasa takes her brothers place (Tatara) as the chosen one who will bring peace to th…
Read at the sourceStarMasayume
If you'd like to take a break from all the new shiny mainstream anime and don't mind dipping back into an older era of anime, Legend of Basara can be a hidden gem. I have the bias of reading the entire manga and I will forewarn you the anime is only a taste of the beginning of what is a very epic story. The end WILL leave you wanting more because there IS so much more. The manga is 27 volumes.
The creator likes to break out of the shoujo mold, though clearly with such aesthetics and a romance interest, there is also the horror of war and no punches pulled. Characters will die, they will struggle emotionally, and there's no simple good vs evil. Everyone has weaknesses and something they believe in.
The anime will end shortly after the plot arc introducing the Blue King, though I believe…
Read at the sourceRainy_008
Story: 7
The anime in itself was very interesting and had a lot of potential to be a good anime however, be it only thirteen episodes it clearly displayed that it was unfinished.With that being said it was only okay, could have been better if the plot had finished with answers answered and goals were achieved.
Art : 7
The art was pretty basic for me. I didn't find it spectacular but it also is a anime from the early 90's, so in that aspect I found it just okay.
Characters: 9
Each character that was present and brought forth were unique and really thought about. Sarasa and Shuri are by far the most complex characters that are brought forth, due to each of their unique backgrounds and their psychological battles they face by falling in love with the 'enemy'. Although these two are the m…
Read at the sourceMagEarwhig
Story:
In the 21st Century for some reason (probably global warming or something..) the world has turned into a wasteland and Japan is ruled by a corrupt and selfish clan whom have neglected their subjects through out their years of ruling so much that the quality of life is pretty much the lowest of low. Then one day there was a set of twins, a boy(Tatara) and a girl(Sarasa) was born and a prophet declares that the boy is the chosen one which would save them from their predicament. Unfortunately the supposed chosen one was killed by the "Red King", which happens to be the son of the ruling Emperor and now it's up the the other half of the twins to fulfill her brother's role.
The plot of Legend of Basara doesn't really exude originality but through out it manages to make itself interestin…
Read at the source