One of the best manga I've ever read. It's a magnanimous, touching, beautiful, and formidable tale, which is taken place in an immense & colorful (all kinds of colors & shades) world. It made me happy, satisfied, indignant, heartbroken... everything to the extreme.

At first, the drawing is kinda hard to look (it's like a sketchbook), but actually it's drawn carefully & lively. The feelings of the characters & the story, which are developed cleverly, can be felt clearly through each picture. Furthermore, the story is a grand advanture in which each character has to take part to find his or her true goal in life.

I love the world of "Basara" and extremely grateful of Tamura Yumi for creating it.

... Last updated on December 5th, 2006, 8:55pm

I absolutely love this manga. The love that evolves for two people who can not love each other. It's sort of like Romeo and Juliet. Next to this, I love Goong and Princess. It's for those who love a historical and romantic story. It's wonderful and must-have and a must-read for all shoujo readers. To add to that even more, the plot in itself is why it's great.

That's how I'd sum this series up. It started quite well and I found myself unwilling to stop reading. After a few volumes (around the middle - vol. 15 or so) it started to become really repetitive and boring. The ending was a predictable "happy ending". The MC is a bit annoying, being strong and weak the next moment, it was like a horrible emotional rollercoaster, but instead of sympathizing with her it just made me angry 😀 Could have been a good series, but has its flaws. The style of drawing is fine in my opinion. Still recomend for reading, if you have the patience for it.

I just couldn't get through it...I have no idea why but it just did not capture my attention. Like I know it is a very good story but not one that I can read? Don't let my comment deter you though, give this one a shot and it may be a story for you.

This manga is definitely in a class of its own. I like going back to it once in a while because the plotwork is very intrincate, the heroine is a complex character who grows and the political intrigue, the complexity of the rest of the cast, and the action are all top notch. It's one of the better historical/sci fi genres out there. I really found myself pulled into the plot and the characters. It's creative and emotionally wrenching at times, although romance does take a backseat. One of the best aspects of the manga is the lush characterization of secondary characters like Asagi. It is not only the main character that grows but the entire cast. It is also full of symbolism, archetypes etc.

That being said, this is for older audiences that don't mind a lack of the tradition lovey dovey type of romance or gradual buildups for relationships. I do feel that although the rest of the manga is excellent, the romantic aspect is a tad unrealistic if you're cynical like me, but the ending is climatic and gives off the tone and atmosphere that it was striving to achieve.

On another note, the artwork is good but not clean cut. I, myself, prefer crisp lines and shapes so the artwork here isn't my ideal cup of tea.

Overall though, this is definitely a series everyone should check out. It has its flaws, as with everything, but in terms of all the mangas I've read, this definitely touches pretty close to perfection.

I originally did, which is why I stayed away from it until now. After much egging from friends, I finally started it--and I was completely hooked! great action, great plot, likeable characters, romance, and ass-kicking female lead! Wish they had more mangas like these nowadays...

Emphasis on SHOUJO (i.e., it doesn't flesh out the world/setting as much as shounen manga tend to, but instead focuses on characters and interactions). It sometimes takes the "even bad guys are people" theme a bit far. It's true that everyone has their own motivations and good intentions but then who do you blame for the people who get crushed in the way? And is every single person in the world really worth your sympathy? I feel that the ending hasn't really resolved that to my satisfaction. However, amazingly, the author has truly built a massive world and an all-encompassing storyline, from the birth of rebellion to the creation of a new nation. It's a world you want to return to.

The story is very epic in scope and has all the plot twists and tweaks to make it a great story. Character development is amazing, and its themes are all featured prominently together. The art is also good, though I prefer a style less focused faces with sharp angles.

One critique: I think the author drops too many hints of future events along the way - it makes the story too predictable at times, and that's this manga's biggest problem in my eyes. For example, if something bad is going to happen to a character, there are always scenes portending doom surrounding that character several chapters before the actual event happens. I just wish the author would leave more of the mystery unlocked and let the reader figure it out for himself/herself. Edit: Thankfully, the author improves on this later on in the story.

... Last updated on November 16th, 2006, 3:54pm

I really had high expectations about this mangas regarding the very positifs reviews. But in reality it let me without any special feelings. Yes i can see that there was a good potential for the story and the characters but i dont know why at the end i couldn't be attracted to anyone... and the story, even if the author tried to pass meaningful messages through this work but the way he did it didn't touch me at all.

Anyways it's different from the other typical shoujos and we see that the main girl isn't weak at all (she may cries a lot but she can also be a kick ass ) so you should give it a try it's not a total mess

... Last updated on December 30th, 2008, 8:48pm

Basara is one of my very favorite series. The art in Basara might throw you off at first glance, but once you grow accustomed to it, it's really got its own charm. Enthralling action scenes, interesting characters at every turn, romance that isn't too sappy and extremely well written. Also, even though Basara is quite long, the story manages to not drag on, which is nice. Other series by this author like 7 Seeds and Chicago (plus I imagine anything else she's written) are worth reading as well.

... Last updated on August 10th, 2015, 11:03am