Basara (manga)

Basara
The Japanese cover of the first manga volume
バサラ
GenreDrama, fantasy[1]
Manga
Written byYumi Tamura
Published byShogakukan
English publisher
ImprintFlower Comics
MagazineBessatsu Shōjo Comic
DemographicShōjo
Original runSeptember 1990 – June 1998 (1998-06)
Volumes27
Anime television series
Legend of Basara
Directed byNoburu Takamoto
Produced byTakao Asaga
Takashi Terasaki
Written byTakao Koyama
Yoshimichi Hosoi
Masashi Kubota
Music byFumitaka Anzai
Toshiyuki Omori
Original networkSun Television
Original run April 2, 1998 – June 25, 1998 (1998-06-25)
Episodes13

Basara (Japanese: バサラ) is a Japanese fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Yumi Tamura. The story takes place in a future Japan, reduced to a barren desert by a catastrophe at the end of the 21st century. The main character is Sarasa, a girl whose twin brother, Tatara, is prophesied to be the "child of destiny" (運命の子供 or 運命の少年) who will bring back the country's independence and stop the tyrannical rule of the Empire, namely the Red King. When Tatara is killed, Sarasa pretends to be him in order to keep the downtrodden from losing hope.

The manga was serialized in Shogakukan's Bessatsu Shōjo Comic magazine from September 1990 to June 1998.[2][3] Shogakukan collected the individual chapters into 27 bound volumes under the Flower Comics imprint from March 1991 to March 2000.[4][5] The manga won the 38th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōjo (girls) category in 1993.[6] Viz Media licensed the manga for an English-language release in North America; they published 27 volumes from August 2003 to May 2008.[7][8]

Basara was adapted into a 13-episode anime television series titled Legend of Basara (レジェンド・オブ・バサラ), which aired in Japan from April to June 1998. It was produced by KSS and directed by Noburu Takamoto.[2]

The manga was also adapted into several stage plays in Japan, the first of which premiered in 2012.[9] A filmed performance was released on DVD in July 2013.[10] The second stage play was performed at Theater 1010 in Tokyo from January 9 to January 14, 2014.[11] The third stage play was performed at Kinokuniya Hall in Tokyo from January 25 to January 28, 2019.[2][12] The fourth stage play was performed at Theater Sun Mall in Tokyo from January 13 to January 24, 2022.[13][14]

  1. ^ "The Official Website for Basara". Viz Media. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 29, 2018). "Yumi Tamura's Basara Manga Gets Stage Play in January". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  3. ^ "Basara". Kotobank (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  4. ^ Basara (1) (別コミフラワーコミックス) (in Japanese). ASIN 4091336213.
  5. ^ Basara (27) (別コミフラワーコミックス) (in Japanese). ASIN 4091372872.
  6. ^ 小学館漫画賞：歴代受賞者. Shogakukan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  7. ^ "Basara, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "Basara, Vol. 27". Viz Media. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  9. ^ 初舞台化された田村由美「BASARA」の公演DVDが2枚組で登場. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). July 27, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  10. ^ 舞台『BASARA』公演DVD. tuffstuff.shop-pro.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  11. ^ 田村由美原作の舞台「BASARA」第2弾、来年1月に上演. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). October 22, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  12. ^ 田村由美「BASARA外伝」舞台化、タタラと更紗の曽祖父たちの若かりし頃描く. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). November 28, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  13. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 5, 2021). "Yumi Tamura's Basara Manga Gets New Stage Play in Tokyo in January". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  14. ^ "舞台「BASARA」田中珠里・宇野結也らのキャラクタービジュアル解禁、ライブ配信も". Comic Natalie (in Japanese). January 7, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2024.