Samurai Girl: Book of the Sword by Carrie Asai

[meganbmoore]

When she was an infant, Heaven Kogo was the sole survivor of a plane crash. At 19, she’s the pampered and sheltered adopted daughter of a Yakuza boss, and about to be married off to a creepster for daddy’s business. Then ninjas invade her wedding, her exiled adopted brother saves her and tells her not to trust her family as he’s dying, and

Comments

[kakkobean]

EVERYONE needs to learn about Bushido from white men--it's common fact that asian men only known kung-fu and the art of ninjitsu!

/sarcasm

[meganbmoore]

Tom Cruise agrees?

[kakkobean]

of course he does, he is the god of white man bushido.

Ish.

*never watched that movie and has no plans on doing so since seeing one scene was enough to make her sick*

[paperclipchains]

Bawwww why romance

Because otherwise I'd be all over this

[meganbmoore]

I'm hoping it doesn't take over.

[lotuseyes]

RE: the ABCfamily mini

It wasn't bad. I think that it worked well enough, considering how it condensed practically all the plotlines from the 6 books into 3 episodes while also trying to tie up all the loose ends the book series left us with.

Honestly speaking I like Jake better than Hiro, mostly for spoiler filled reasons so I won't go into it until (and if) you read the other 5 books. The Heaven of the mini-series ends out a much stronger person, and though there is romance wangsting its not on the same level as the books become.

My main issue was that the subtle supernatural elements to Samurai Girl are exploited, amplified and made into a ridiculous parody of what could have possibly happened (but not very likely given who was the end of the mini-series and who was at the end of the book series) in the climax

[meganbmoore]

As compared to Other Things, it's "sigh" level whitewashing, since everyone else still appears to be Japanese, at least.

[lotuseyes]

That's true. While Jake the American Ninja is a far cry from Hiro the Badass, I'm glad they didn't whitewash the entire cast and try to remake it. Heaven stills stays Asian, the backstory stills stays rooted in Japanese culture/mythology and at least Jake doesn't make a fool of himself.

Though I'm glad hiro wasn't in the movie. I really started to hate him by the end of the series.

[ladysaotome]

I watched the series, too. It was excellent until the end - it was a bit anticlimatic and very confusing - basically, I didn't understand it at all. I didn't know there were books or I'd have checked them out before to see it it possibly answers anything.

[lotuseyes]

With you on the ending.

And the books go a different route then the series does in regards to Heaven and her 'destiny', as well as several other plot developments. They make it more supernatural than the book series.

[ladysaotome]

They make it more supernatural than the book series.

Maybe that's how they backed themselves into a corner at the end. Didn't think that part through all the way or something.

[lotuseyes]

I suspect that may be part of it. Obviously when the mini-series came out all the books were out, so they had the original ending to draw from, but they purposely changed character roles and motivations in the last part.

I think they were also hoping to make it appeal to a bunch of different markets instead of just the teen market.

One thing I'm happy about, they didn't emphasize the romance Heaven has as much as in the books. Heaven spends a good chunk of each book worrying more about how Hiro sees her then on the fact someone is trying to kill her (or kidnap her or hurt her or whatever).

[valkyriesailor]

Oh, how I want to forget ever reading this series. T_T Actually by the end I was sure the title is only given cause there was a 'Japanese/samurai' bloom in the land, and this way everyone bought it.
My worst problem was with Heaven's character. Though raised in Japan, the moment she lands in America she is thinking like a teen from there. Then every time I feel just a bit of development, the writer crushes it with a bunch of bad decisions on Heavens part, making me want to pull my hair out one by one.

I haven't seen the miniseries, only heard about it from my friend who lend me the books, but if you have the luck I would be interested how that came out.

[lotuseyes]

I often wondered if 'Carrie Asai' was a group of authors instead of just one (like the Alex Archer series from Golden Eagle), for the reasons you stated.

Well by the end of the series I'm pretty sure that Heaven wanted to forget she was Japanese (the books didn't exactly paint them in a great light, but then it was only focused on the criminal element I suppose).

mwaha I think the last half of Book 6 is where they made their biggest mistake, but that could be bitter disappointment speaking.