NooOOoooo....
Last summer was my big "Moribito" phase, as the blog posts below attest to. I re-watched all of Production I.G's thrilling anime adaptation of "Seirei no Moribito" with my sister, where we both cried at the catharsis of Episode 25's amazing climax.
Hung up with suspense over what happens next to the amazing three-dimensional characters in "Moribito,"last summer I also bought the second book of the ten-book "Moribito" series, "Yami no Moribito." I sped through that story in a night, visualizing the vast stark plains of Balsa's homeland and the magical darkness of the mountain caves, and madly wishing and praying that Production I.G might be able to animate it someday too. Of course, I also vowed to purchase the entire 10-book series as they came out in English.
Alas, my plans were not to be. :'( I'm sad I didn't find out about this earlier (I only remembered "Moribito" tonight as I went through my music collection and re-discovered the awesomeness of the anime's soundtrack), but I finally found out via the Moribito LJ community that Scholastic has put the series on hiatus for now. They're only willing to consider translating more books if the first two volumes sell well, despite the fact that BOTH volumes, in English and in Japanese, have won a slew of book awards.
NooOOooOooooOooo....
Unfortunately, unlike with browncoats and "Firefly," Moribito's fandom has always been ridiculously small. Production I.G had trouble selling the anime in its native Japan, and most definitely lost money on it. While it was critically well-received when it debuted on Adult Swim in the US, it never picked up a huge following either (the 5 AM timeslot might've had something to do with it too), and when Adult Swim finally axed its anime block, there wasn't enough of a US fan uprising to reinstate it.
The main problem with "Moribito" and fandom is that it just isn't an "addictive" sort of series, but I can never quite put a finger on, say, why "Bleach" hooked me from day 1, while "Moribito" took some more time and curiosity to keep me with it. It was quite worth that investment, though.
"Moribito" touches on themes with tremendous value, but it's the kind of complex stuff that requires patience to appreciate. It's chock full of myths and culture, of legends and politics, of the distortion of history over time and future generations' responsibility towards that history, of personal responsibility and loyalty, of sacrifice and honor, of respect for the elderly and for cultural knowledge that may seem rustic but is more profound and lasting than any modern technology. It's all wonderfully wrapped up in deep themes and an engaging story, with smart, wonderful characters, so you never feel like you're being spoon fed an anthropology lesson, which you probably are, the most beautiful and moving one possible.
But knowing just how beautiful and moving it is, I can't help but wonder what doomed "Moribito."
1) Is it because of the foreignness of a proto-Asian culture to an American audience? But proto-European cultures like the ones depicted in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy get warm receptions in modern Asian cultures, so why not the other way around? Is that just a result of Western cultural dominance all over the world?
2) Is it because the series requires so much investment until the payoff occurs, that even though the emotional climax of the story is great, no one sticks around to enjoy it? Possible; it's a slow-paced story at times, and fanbois who were disappointed after the anime didn't keep going with balls-to-the-wall action like Balsa's spear fight in Ep. 3 dropped the series around Ep. 15's fillers and thus missed out on the awesome monster fights in Ep. 23-24.
3) Is it because despite the harsh realism of the series (the impending threat of drought in New Yogo, the stark climate of Kanbal, the extensive foot travel, and the near-death injuries Balsa suffers), there is still an overall positive tone to the series and a feeling that it probably will end all right? Some people may be turned off by the gritty realism - no shonen hero would have even paused for a break after suffering injuries like Balsa's, but Balsa realistically nearly kicks the bucket after her spear fight, for instance. The ones who do appreciate some darkness might be upset that the ending wraps things up pretty neatly, without killing off any characters and even redeeming the "bad" guys. (It was all a misunderstanding!)
4) Is it because the characters defy stereotyping and are so well fleshed out that there aren't any Mary Sues/Marty Stus, but are also a bit foreign and thus hard to admire or relate to? I mean, how many shamans do you know personally?
5) Perhaps it's because it stays high-minded throughout and absolutely refuses to cater to the lowest common denominator. There's no excessive violence (even though there are glorious, well-executed battles), and there's no ridiculously overwrought romance (just the sad one-sided feelings of Tanda). There's nothing to feed a shipwar (no Team Edward vs. Team Jacob, glug), and there are no power levels for fanboys to fight over. Even Balsa's size-D chest and good girl-next-door looks was a creation of the anime team, not part of the original novel. Nothing in it hits crude emotional beats.
No matter what the reason, though, this "Moribito" fan is sad. Now I will have to step up my effort in learning Japanese so that I might be able to read the rest of the "Moribito" saga in the original language.
Hung up with suspense over what happens next to the amazing three-dimensional characters in "Moribito,"last summer I also bought the second book of the ten-book "Moribito" series, "Yami no Moribito." I sped through that story in a night, visualizing the vast stark plains of Balsa's homeland and the magical darkness of the mountain caves, and madly wishing and praying that Production I.G might be able to animate it someday too. Of course, I also vowed to purchase the entire 10-book series as they came out in English.
Alas, my plans were not to be. :'( I'm sad I didn't find out about this earlier (I only remembered "Moribito" tonight as I went through my music collection and re-discovered the awesomeness of the anime's soundtrack), but I finally found out via the Moribito LJ community that Scholastic has put the series on hiatus for now. They're only willing to consider translating more books if the first two volumes sell well, despite the fact that BOTH volumes, in English and in Japanese, have won a slew of book awards.
NooOOooOooooOooo....
Unfortunately, unlike with browncoats and "Firefly," Moribito's fandom has always been ridiculously small. Production I.G had trouble selling the anime in its native Japan, and most definitely lost money on it. While it was critically well-received when it debuted on Adult Swim in the US, it never picked up a huge following either (the 5 AM timeslot might've had something to do with it too), and when Adult Swim finally axed its anime block, there wasn't enough of a US fan uprising to reinstate it.
The main problem with "Moribito" and fandom is that it just isn't an "addictive" sort of series, but I can never quite put a finger on, say, why "Bleach" hooked me from day 1, while "Moribito" took some more time and curiosity to keep me with it. It was quite worth that investment, though.
"Moribito" touches on themes with tremendous value, but it's the kind of complex stuff that requires patience to appreciate. It's chock full of myths and culture, of legends and politics, of the distortion of history over time and future generations' responsibility towards that history, of personal responsibility and loyalty, of sacrifice and honor, of respect for the elderly and for cultural knowledge that may seem rustic but is more profound and lasting than any modern technology. It's all wonderfully wrapped up in deep themes and an engaging story, with smart, wonderful characters, so you never feel like you're being spoon fed an anthropology lesson, which you probably are, the most beautiful and moving one possible.
But knowing just how beautiful and moving it is, I can't help but wonder what doomed "Moribito."
1) Is it because of the foreignness of a proto-Asian culture to an American audience? But proto-European cultures like the ones depicted in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy get warm receptions in modern Asian cultures, so why not the other way around? Is that just a result of Western cultural dominance all over the world?
2) Is it because the series requires so much investment until the payoff occurs, that even though the emotional climax of the story is great, no one sticks around to enjoy it? Possible; it's a slow-paced story at times, and fanbois who were disappointed after the anime didn't keep going with balls-to-the-wall action like Balsa's spear fight in Ep. 3 dropped the series around Ep. 15's fillers and thus missed out on the awesome monster fights in Ep. 23-24.
3) Is it because despite the harsh realism of the series (the impending threat of drought in New Yogo, the stark climate of Kanbal, the extensive foot travel, and the near-death injuries Balsa suffers), there is still an overall positive tone to the series and a feeling that it probably will end all right? Some people may be turned off by the gritty realism - no shonen hero would have even paused for a break after suffering injuries like Balsa's, but Balsa realistically nearly kicks the bucket after her spear fight, for instance. The ones who do appreciate some darkness might be upset that the ending wraps things up pretty neatly, without killing off any characters and even redeeming the "bad" guys. (It was all a misunderstanding!)
4) Is it because the characters defy stereotyping and are so well fleshed out that there aren't any Mary Sues/Marty Stus, but are also a bit foreign and thus hard to admire or relate to? I mean, how many shamans do you know personally?
5) Perhaps it's because it stays high-minded throughout and absolutely refuses to cater to the lowest common denominator. There's no excessive violence (even though there are glorious, well-executed battles), and there's no ridiculously overwrought romance (just the sad one-sided feelings of Tanda). There's nothing to feed a shipwar (no Team Edward vs. Team Jacob, glug), and there are no power levels for fanboys to fight over. Even Balsa's size-D chest and good girl-next-door looks was a creation of the anime team, not part of the original novel. Nothing in it hits crude emotional beats.
No matter what the reason, though, this "Moribito" fan is sad. Now I will have to step up my effort in learning Japanese so that I might be able to read the rest of the "Moribito" saga in the original language.