さらざんまい 下

さらざんまい / Sarazanmai - Light Novel #2

by Kunihiko Ikuhara (Story), Teruko Utsumi (Story), Migi (Illustrator)

玲央と真武が漏洩する!幾原邦彦監督最新作“さらざんまい”第七皿~第十一皿、そしてアニメで描かれなかったエピソードも加え、完全ノベライズ!!

Genres: Light Novel, LGBT, Manga

216 pages, Softcover

First published August 7, 2019

About the author

Kunihiko IKUHARA (幾原邦彦) is a Japanese director, writer, artist, and music producer.
He has created and collaborated on several notable anime and manga series, including his early works Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena, and his later works Mawaru Penguindrum, Yurikuma Arashi, and Sarazanmai.
He has done various collaboration with other artists, such as Asumiko Nakamura (Nokemono to Hanayome THE MANGA).

He often uses pen names for his works.
- Ikuni;
- Ikunichowder (Mawaru Penguindrum);
- Ikunigomakinako (Yurikuma Arashi);
- Ikunirapper (Sarazanmai).

He is also the founder of Be-Papas.

Reviews

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't believe I forgot to add this to my shelves. My comfort! If your familiar with the franchise yk it's chaotic and silly and weird and u have to switch your brain off but it has so much heart and makes me giggle so if you adore Sarazanmai buy this! Love the new scenes. Desperately wishing for a S2 or any other continuation please please please.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I really liked this. It's honestly closer to 4.5 stars - can't be a full 5 because the writing is still a bit choppy and the pacing's a little off, jumping from one scene to another (although that made it a relatively quick read). I have no idea how satisfying this book would be if you weren't already familiar with the anime, with all the visuals clustering through your memory to back up the text. But I really, really enjoyed this text.

I'll admit I'm surprised...I read the first volume 5 months ago and have been putting this one off, assuming it'd be tough to slog through, and I'd have to decide whether to get rid of the books after. I've been thinking all along that I would be passing these books on to a friend, but it turns out I'll have to hang onto them. Poor me.

True to the gorgeous Reo and Mabu art on the cover, this volume actually focuses even more on those two than I'd been expecting. The "bonus chapter" promised in the summary is really a smattering of extra Reo and Mabu content throughout this volume...the story opens and closes with them, and much to my joy, Sarazanmai really turns out to be been their love story all along. I loved every moment with them, and I loved seeing more glimpses of how they first got to know each other. They're incredible characters; I'm not someone who traditionally falls for "villains," but there is so much complexity to them, and emotional resonance behind all of their actions. Their bond is, as Keppi says, one that cannot be broken, and there's something so beautiful about seeing that connection make it through every disaster thrown their way.

Toi is the other gem of this story. As I think I said in my other review, the additional emotional depth he gets in these books is one of their main strengths. He's such a good person, underneath all the broken bits that he doesn't think are worth saving. The scenes with his brother (and Enta) are absolutely heartbreaking. How is it possible for these awful characters to be so sympathetic? Like Toi, I understand that Chikai is a genuinely bad man - who would even stoop to killing his own brother - but I care about him and mourn for him anyway. That's the strength of the writing.

I could muse about the deeper messages...connection and despair and how relevant this story is for a world that often feels like it's falling apart...but it's honestly kind of difficult to put all those emotions into words. That's why the anime, and the books, say it in song, I suppose, and through a weird, wonderful, frankly entirely bizarre but somehow fully understandable setting.

Sarazanmai continues to be one of the strangest, and most emotionally intense, stories I've ever seen, or read. I still recommend prioritizing the anime, if you have to make a choice...but if you liked the anime, these books are a solid way to dive back into the story and to relive it from a slightly different angle.

[小さな N (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)⊃ [_|_] ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just like volume 1, the way this story is written is my main issue. The topics that are addressed here are pretty serious and important, but in my opinion, the writing style doesn’t do them justice. It prevented me from connecting with the characters and their stories on a level where I couldn’t sympathise with them. Everything that happened left me cold, and I know that I would’ve been weeping a lot if I could get into the story more.

[Christopher Debono · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun

A great adaption of the anime with a few new scenes. Fans of the original anime should really check this out!