(L) Seirei no Moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit)

[Guardian Enzo]

Scholastic has already announced that's it for the translations.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

RightStuf is selling the "Wal-Mart Edition" of Moribito for just $25. This version has all eight disks on a common spindle from what I've read, so you might want to repackage them after the set arrives. The "premium" box set sells for $91!

Erin Finnegan at ANN suggests this week that Media Blasters might be on its last legs. Even more reason to buy a copy of Moribito as soon as possible. (MB also licenses two other favorites of mine, Twelve Kingdoms and Mahou Shoujo Tai Arusu, aka "Tweeny Witches.")

Latest Rightstuff price of Moribito is $19.99 (just ordered it). I already have Tweeny Witches on my library shelf.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Latest Rightstuff price of Moribito is $19.99 (just ordered it). I already have Tweeny Witches on my library shelf.

Maybe they're trying to move the DVDs in anticipation of the Blu-ray release in early 2011.

[tion]

Just a hopefully helpful post to non-Japanese speaking folks who are wondering like crazy on whether or not Balsa and Tanda end up together (for realz!).

Originally Posted by itis

If people are curious if something happens between Balsa and Tanda

Spoiler for balsa and tanda:

It happens. Infact, it is implied that they do the mcnasty which is funny considering that the books are supposedly targeted towards children.

Originally Posted by kujoe

The final novel brings their subplot to a close, and if I'm not mistaken...

Spoiler:

....it's Balsa who actually says that they should get together. Beyond that, nothing changes. They're still the same people.

Originally Posted by kujoe

At the end of the tenth novel,

Spoiler for At the end of the tenth novel:

they pretty much settle down with each other. Balsa is still Balsa though. I can imagine her getting a case of wanderlust for a while, as Tanda plays the wife waiting for her man to return.

Also adding my theory that

Spoiler for Balsa and Tanda's ages:

Balsa is about 37 and Tanda 35 when they finally got together. (This is only a theory based on the age chart in the Japanese Wikipedia Page for this series.) If this is true, then I gotta say that Tanda is a very very patient guy.

[Tri-ring]

Just finished the last 3 volume arc, Ten to Chi no Moribito and the only thing I can say is WOW.
Real dramatic events happening.

Spoiler for Events:

Balsa again catches up with Chagum in a blizzard as Chagum is is being pursued by assassins.
With key information concerning the weakness within the Talishi Empire that may turn the tide, Chagum finally unites a coallition between Rota and Kanbaru taking risk by meeting each king personally while constantly being targeted by assassins .
Tanda is drafted as a foot solider taking his brother's place and is taken to the battle field.
With help from Tanda, Torogai discovers that an impeding natural disaster is about to hit Shin-Yogo Kingdom that will wipe out Kosenkyo, the capital. Now she must risk her life to cast the ultimate spell in order to inform everyone the coming disaster.
A conspiracy to assassin the Mikado is plotted out of desperation to save Shin-Yogo with Shuga taking part.
Chagum returns with 30,000 soldiers to join the fight in Shin-Yogo and gallops into the battle field like the White Sorcerer in Lord of the Ring.

A true epic with various elements you'll find in Greek Myths, Shakespeare and other bold tales of a young boy turning into a true man molded by hardship and the heavy burden to save his people that lies on his shoulders.

[BiZz]

Hey ! I watched Serei no Morobito recently and I really enjoyed it !

Are there animes like Serei no Moribito or 12 Kingdoms ?
You know, with a great background, characters, something mature without all the fanservice (I can't bare that)

Thanks

[SeijiSensei]

The most obvious choices would be:

Kemono no Sou-ja Erin - Like Moribito, Erin is based on a novel by Uehashi Nahoko. It tells the story of a young girl who wants to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a veterinarian to mystical beasts. She becomes involved in a political struggle when it is discovered she has some unique powers. Intended perhaps for a slightly younger audience than Moribito, but still compelling for this adult. Erin was one of Crunchyroll's early projects, and the translation is not the best. Look for the subs, which are definitely superior.

Saiunkoku Monongatari - Impoverished princess Kou Shurrei is offered the position of Imperial Consort to a newly-crowned young emperor who is thought to be a homosexual. Smart and ambitious Shurrei wants to become the Empire of Saiunkoku's first female official. Two seasons of 39 episodes each.

Two entirely unrelated shows I'll add are "Bakeneko" and Mononoke. These are a set of short stories about a travelling medicine seller who slays demons. You can watch Mononoke, which is unlicensed, without watching its precedessor, but you'll have a better understanding of events in the latter show if you watch Bakeneko first.

Aoi Bungaku is an anthology of adaptations of famous Japanese novels. Mouryou no Hako concerns some detectives trying to solve a set of horrific murders of teen-aged girls. Japanese culture and mores play a role in both shows.

Subs for these shows exist but are hard to find except on one tracker I cannot link to here because it also has licensed content. Google for "mouryou no hako torrents" and you'll find it.

Finally, while it has no connection to Asian cultures like the shows above, I'll suggest you watch Monster. It's set in Germany and Eastern Europe just after the fall of the Berlin Wall. A Japanese neurosurgeon practicing in Germany saves the life of a young boy who lster becomes a mass murderer.

[Guardian Enzo]

Believe it or not, I'd recommend Hikaru no Go. It has incredibly complex characters, a well-conceived plot, emotional honesty and an amazingly realistic vibe to it. The characters change both physically and emotionally, and there's even a bit of magical realism.

[BiZz]

Thanks to you !
I'll check those animes

[gopackgo]

Originally Posted by tion

Just a hopefully helpful post to non-Japanese speaking folks who are wondering like crazy on whether or not Balsa and Tanda end up together (for realz!).







Also adding my theory that

Spoiler for Balsa and Tanda's ages:

Balsa is about 37 and Tanda 35 when they finally got together. (This is only a theory based on the age chart in the Japanese Wikipedia Page for this series.) If this is true, then I gotta say that Tanda is a very very patient guy.

If I'm correct in one of the volumes doesn't Tanda ask Balsa to settle down with him. She never gives him a direct answer and leaves for a few years on one of her adventures.

[SeijiSensei]

Moribito has mysteriously disappeared from Crunchyroll without a trace. I can't find any news about this event either.

Still, you can currently buy the DVDs for just $13 at RightStuf!

[Guardian Enzo]

A nice honor for Uehashi-sensei.

I wasn't aware Viz had purchased the rights and was re-releasing Moribito on BD and DVD. Hopefully Scholastic will change their mind and translate the rest of the novels.

[Proto]

Is there anywhere where you can get a legal streaming for Seirei no Moribito now that Crunchyroll is no longer hosting it?

[SeijiSensei]

VIZ was carrying it on its Neon Alley service, but I don't see it there now. Their rather stupid effort to build a "linear" online service unsurprisingly ended in failure. It looks like some of the shows are over on vizanime.com, but not Moribito. VIZ also now owns the home video rights as well.

You can still buy the stack-pack set originally distributed by Media Blasters.

[Proto]

I wanted to show it to a friend but I couldn't find a legal stream anywhere. Guess I'll have to buy the physical media.

[SeijiSensei]

Second Moribito novel to get manga adaptation

And maybe an anime version, too, perhaps?

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Second Moribito novel to get manga adaptation

And maybe an anime version, too, perhaps?

Seiji, I'll slap you so hard for getting my hopes up. Intellectually, I know there isn't a chance in hell.

[Guardian Enzo]

I just finished a rewatch of Cross Game this evening, and my solace for finishing that was knowing I was going to start a rewatch of Moribito afterwards (perhaps my fourth?). And my God, it's amazing how transportive an experience it is - the show absolutely hasn't lost a step.

There are many anime that have moved me profoundly through their story - Cross Game among the elite. But Seirei no Moribito is really the only one that can move me so much simply through my awe at how perfect and magnificent it is.

[Blaat]

What coincidence I recently watched Moribito as well (third time for me though) and it's definitely as good if not better than I'd remember. Weird part is I give up a lot on rewatches but this one sucked me right in and I couldn't let go until I finished it.

Still want to see the sequels animated though.

[Guardian Enzo]

I've completely given up hope on that - money speaks too loudly. I'd be thrilled if they all get manga treatments. There may be a small chance that a studio would do a live-action film of the second book (or who knows, maybe even the first one) someday, but the anime ship sailed to the Undying Lands long ago.