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A review by joeywins
The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow by Fuyumi Ono
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a really fun book- an early isekai that still manages to be original to someone who isn't too familiar with the genre outside of pop culture.
While the set up is cliche (and continues to be so in some areas) it is much closer to being about Youko growing independently as a person- no big casts or romances here.
The worldbuilding is based off chinese mythology, so if you're familiar with it at all its very neat to see! The combat is also done well, the author Ono manages to have a strong character without losing any stakes; she also doesn't hold back on graphic details.
I've been told the tokyopop translation itself is a bit of a mix- some lines are removed and the wording can get weird. If you have the option to read the original japanese or another translation it might be looking into.
While the set up is cliche (and continues to be so in some areas) it is much closer to being about Youko growing independently as a person- no big casts or romances here.
The worldbuilding is based off chinese mythology, so if you're familiar with it at all its very neat to see! The combat is also done well, the author Ono manages to have a strong character without losing any stakes; she also doesn't hold back on graphic details.
I've been told the tokyopop translation itself is a bit of a mix- some lines are removed and the wording can get weird. If you have the option to read the original japanese or another translation it might be looking into.