Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness by Nehoko Uehashi
Though a sequel to Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, this actually stands alone very well. Balsa, the spearwoman who protected a young prince in the first book, returns to her homeland to solve the mysteries of her past, and to satisfy her mentor’s debt of honor.
I still haven’t seen the anime based on the first book in the series (I know, I know) but I do remember the fans of the anime comparing the book and the series. I don’t recall seeing much on this book when it came out last year, but for my part, I thought it was great. Despite Balsa’s age (30-something) the book is a coming of age story, if more for the younger warriors she meets along the way than Balsa herself, as well as a coming of responsibility story along the lines of Twelve Kingdoms. I’ve read and seen enough Japanese fantasy the last few years to realize a lot of the elements are fairly common, but they still work for me. (Also, Asian fantasy tropes seem to be based more on personal growth and awareness than western fantasy tropes, and less of saving the day. This would also explain why I mind watching 30 episode wuxia series about young men on adventures way less than even a Hollywood movie about young men on adventures. Wuxia and Asian fantasy I’ve seen/read tend to be more prone to girls, too.)
Sadly, I’m pretty sure there won’t be any more Moribito books officially translated into English, but the two that were wrap up the shared elements, and don’t leave things dangling.
I still haven’t seen the anime based on the first book in the series (I know, I know) but I do remember the fans of the anime comparing the book and the series. I don’t recall seeing much on this book when it came out last year, but for my part, I thought it was great. Despite Balsa’s age (30-something) the book is a coming of age story, if more for the younger warriors she meets along the way than Balsa herself, as well as a coming of responsibility story along the lines of Twelve Kingdoms. I’ve read and seen enough Japanese fantasy the last few years to realize a lot of the elements are fairly common, but they still work for me. (Also, Asian fantasy tropes seem to be based more on personal growth and awareness than western fantasy tropes, and less of saving the day. This would also explain why I mind watching 30 episode wuxia series about young men on adventures way less than even a Hollywood movie about young men on adventures. Wuxia and Asian fantasy I’ve seen/read tend to be more prone to girls, too.)
Sadly, I’m pretty sure there won’t be any more Moribito books officially translated into English, but the two that were wrap up the shared elements, and don’t leave things dangling.