The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow
© Tokyopop

Mania Grade: A
Story: Fuyumi Ono
Art: Akihiro Yamada
Publisher: Tokyopop

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"The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow"

Magic Moon had broken the chain of excellent Pop Fiction titles from TOKYOPOP for me, but The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow, the first book in the seven volume series (which is still unfinished), brought back the quality ten-fold. Fans of the anime series based upon the novel series will find a slightly different story, while newcomers will find a classic hero monomyth tale, but with a twist.

The book opens with Yoko Nakajima, a sixteen year old high school student and class president. Other than her unusual reddish hair, Yoko otherwise blends into her world. One day, a strange man with golden hair appears and swears fealty to her at school and gives her an ornate sword, just as a giant bird monster tries to kill her. The man, Keiki and his monster servants quickly whisk Yoko away into the air, where she crosses into the mystical world of The Twelve Kingdoms, where each kingdom is ruled by a near immortal god-king chosen by the Will of Heaven. When the king dies and becomes corrupt, the kingdom suffers and demons spawn. Yoko, Keiki and their entourage are attacked by demons shortly after entering the world, and Yoko becomes separated from the rest of the group. Thus begins Yoko’s trial by fire and ice.

Yoko’s journey follows Joseph Campbell's hero's journey template almost perfectly. Yoko initially refuses to go with Keiki, who we learn near the end of the novel is the kirin (think goat-like unicorn) minister for the Kingdom of Kei, who has been on a journey to find the next Glory-King of Kei. Yoko is abducted by Keiki’s demon helpers against her will, where she has a strange rebirth experience shortly after crossing over into the other world, as her body changes into her true form. Apparently, Yoko was born in the world of The Twelve Kingdoms, and not the real world of Japan (think fairy changeling); her red hair, now bright red, was a sign of this. Misadventure after misadventure occurs as Yoko refuses to fight, ignores the warning she received regarding the sword and its scabbard, and wavers on living up to her destiny as the ruler of Kei. Instead, she pines for home and her old drab life. Gradually, as she travels alone and confronts her own fears, while tempted by a blue monkey demon to kill herself and just be done with it, Yoko realizes that her life before was a mere shadow of a life, that she was merely acting out roles to be the perfect student and the perfect daughter, and her survival demands that she must fight and kill. In the closing chapters of the novel, Yoko finally accepts her destiny to become the Glory-King of Kei, and saves Keiki from the pretender king of Rei. The novel ends with a passage from a history, explaining the rest of the story, of how Yoko takes the throne and the Kingdom of Kei prospers.

It is the world's oldest story, but Ono makes it feel new. The novel starts out slow, as Yoko seems determined to end the story barely one chapter in, with her refusal to answer the call to adventure. However, once the story moves past Yoko’s self-misery and whining in the world of The Twelve Kingdoms, the story becomes quite captivating. Yoko believably grows and changes, as she loses her naivety and trust in others, then regains it when she meets her first real friend, the rattling Rakushun who shape-changes into a young human man occasionally. This is definitely a novel for older teens and adults, if only for the slow build-up in the plot and the heart-wincing amount of misery that Yoko endures.      

Retailing at a rather high price of $16.99, Sea of Shadow will be released in March as a hardcover novel (hence the price). The 464 page novel (another reason for the price) includes black and white artwork throughout the chapters in a traditional shounen action/adventure manga style. TOKYOPOP plans to release the novels on a biannual schedule, meaning that I’m already looking forward to the second volume sometime in the fall of 2007, which I believe continues Yoko’s adventures, if Wikipedia is correct. The novel has an excellent translation, which reads fluidly in English, while maintaining the characters’ personalities. I’d definitely recommend this book to older teen and adult readers, as it’s just a great book.