月の影影の海

TSUKI NO KAGE KAGE NO UMI

NOVEL

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
2
RELEASE
July 9, 1992
CHAPTERS
8

DESCRIPTION

Except for her red hair, Yoko Nakajima is a typical, obedient Japanese high-school student. Her life is fairly ordinary—that is, until Keiki, a unicorn in the guise of a young blond-haired boy, tells her that she is his master and must return to their kingdom. When the boy mysteriously vanishes, Yoko is left alone, confused, and wandering through a foreign land with nothing to help protect her save a magic sword and a magic stone. When Keiki suddenly appears at Yoko’s school, little does she realize that her life is about to change. Lost in a strange land--without a map—and demons on her trail, Yoko begins her quest for both survival and self-discovery.

(Source: TOKYOPOP)

CAST

Youko Nakajima
Enki
Keiki
Taiki
Rakushun
Shoukei
Shouryuu
Sanshi Haku
Shushou
Suzu Ooki

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO TSUKI NO KAGE KAGE NO UMI

ANIME ActionJuuni Kokuki

Cover Art for Kaze no Umi Meikyuu no Kishi

NOVEL ActionKaze no Umi Meikyuu no Kishi

REVIEWS

RoseFaerie
96/100
An older isekai novel that current series should learn from with both chosen one characters and world-building.
This is my first light novel review, and I'm happy to say that it's on a light novel that spawned one of my favorite anime series: The Twelve Kingdoms. The anime was the perfect Yona replacement for me, and we all know just how obsessed I am with Yona of the Dawn. I'm happy to be able to read the novels it's based on and share my thoughts on them.

The story begins when Youko Nakajima, a high school girl with bright red hair, is approached by a mysterious man named Keiki who claims that she is his master. Before she can even process that event, the two of them are attacked by demonic creatures. Soon Youko finds herself spirited away to a new world where she must survive on her own with only the aid of a few magical items. This is the beginning of Youko's journey not only through this new world, but a journey to become the person she was meant to be.

This series has some of the most innovative word-building that I've ever seen. Everything about this world feels super unique, especially in comparison to some of the copy-paste fantasy European settings that are prominent in modern isekai. Everything from the government and religious structures to the way children are born and how Youko came to enter the Twelve Kingdoms is super unique and well thought out. Unfortunately, this leads to a ton of exposition, but it was easy for me to follow and interesting to revisit. (I will note that the ease probably came from watching the anime before, which tended to spread out the exposition a bit better, and it had the benefit of imagery to accompany the explanations.)

The story at this point is primarily about Youko exploring the world, overcoming her weaknesses, and figuring out her purpose. While Youko has a chosen one role, she is deeply flawed. She's a people-pleaser at heart, and she just agreed with the people around her and followed their lead since she was afraid, and it was easier than standing against the crowd. She enters this world weak and spineless, and she endures some trauma as well. She really struggles on her journey, and she does things that she regrets. She's discriminated against for coming from another world, and she faces constant hardships. However, with the aid of a new friend, she becomes a kinder and stronger person.

Even her chosen one role is established as something she must grow into. Youko has the potential to become great, even if she doesn't see it herself. She may be a timid and weak-willed high school girl when the story starts, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't have the potential to change and the traits befitting a wise leader, even if they take time to grow and blossom.

As for the other characters, the only ones worth mentioning are Keiki, who plays a minor role in this part of the story, and Rakashun. Keiki is more serious and doesn't really do much in this part. He only appears in the very beginning and the very end. Rakashun is the character who does the most. He is admirably kind and compassionate while being pragmatic and reasonable. He is discriminated against for being a hanjuu, a half animal, but he is proud of who he is, and he tries to keep others from suffering the same treatment he does. His existence has such a strong influence on Youko, and he's such a beautiful character.

In the anime, the most fascinating character, other than Youko, was Yuka Sugimoto, who is an anime only character, mentioned only in passing in the novels. I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I liked Sugimoto and found her presence to add more depth to the series, since she was a foil for Youko. I really missed seeing her again since she was so complex and had great character development.

This series is just so beautifully written, and I can't wait to read the other novels in the series. I love watching characters like Youko grow from a flawed nobody into the person they admire and want to be, especially if they work for it. I have a feeling that the later novels will go in my favorites. There's nowhere to go but up.
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