Monday, April 29, 2024

The Beast Player, Vol. 1 - Manga

 



My Thoughts:


This book about Elin has been a Japanese manga series, an anime, a translated English book, an audiobook, and now an English manga. The story is about a young girl, Elin, whose mother takes care of the Toda, water dragon like animals who make up the Duke's army. When there seems to be a mass casualty of Toda, Elin's mother is held accountable and sentenced to a violent water death by wild toda. Elin tries to help her mother by swimming into the water with a knife, but instead, her mother breaks all the secrets of her own people in order to save Elin. Elin rides one of the toda to safety where she meets people that are willing to help and protext her. 

This volume one is only the first section from the death of the toda, the execution of her mother and an introduction to what will become her teacher and trainer. 

The visuals are loyal to what I also envisioned. I know what is going to happen, however, I still want to read more so that I can see the book through the mind of the illustrator/artist. Pre order it now. 

This manga publishes on my second son's birthday, which bodes well for the success of this series because that son happens to be a Hawaiian and Asian influenced tattoo artist. 

From the Publisher:

Ten-year-old Elin loves her brave and beautiful mother, a gifted beast doctor charged with the care of the Toda-the fearsome giant serpents that the kingdom's warriors ride into battle. Their modest but happy life together is shattered when a mysterious illness fells the entire stable of the prized serpents overnight, and Elin's mother is saddled with the blame. Before she knows it, Elin finds herself cast out from all she has ever known, alone in a faraway land, with only her mother's words and the kindness of strangers to guide her. A sumptuous manga adaptation of the hit fantasy novel series, The Beast Player, by Nahoko Uehashi.


Publication Information:

Author: Naoko Uehashi
Artist: Itoe Takemoto
Publisher: Kodansha Comics (May 14, 2024)



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