Sarazanmai, Vol. 1

さらざんまい / Sarazanmai - Light Novel #1

by Kunihiko Ikuhara

Based on the hit anime by Kunihiko Ikuhara (Sailor Moon, Revolutionary Girl Utena, PENGUINDRUM), three boys are transformed into mythical creatures with a mission in this action-filled LGBT+ comedy about friendship, secrets, and growing up. And don’t miss the manga spin-off, Sarazanmai: Reo and Mabu!

After accidentally breaking a statue of a kappa, junior high students Kazuki, Toi, and Enta are transformed into kappa themselves as punishment by Keppi, prince of the Kappa Kingdom. Keppi has a task for the boys if they want their bodies back: work for him to hunt down zombie kappas! Can the boys complete their mission—even if it means exposing their own darkest, deepest fears and desires to each other?

Genres: Light Novel, Manga, LGBT

195 pages, Paperback

First published April 16, 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

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

~*See below for review in English*~

Ich bin so zwiegespalten was dieses Buch angeht. Die Geschichte an sich finde ich unterhaltsam. Ich mag die Kappa-Mythologie gerne und die ganzen Ticks und Verhaltensweisen, die hier in dem Buch vorkommen, haben mich zum Schmunzeln gebracht. Die drei Jungs Kazuki, Toi und Enta sind interessant. Auch über Reo und Mabu möchte ich unbedingt noch mehr erfahren. Alles in allem mag ich also die Charaktere und die ernsten Töne, die diese recht schräge Geschichte anschlägt.
Jedoch finde ich den Schreibstil in großen Teilen einfach nicht gelungen, denn die Autoren schaffen es nicht die interessanten Aspekte der Geschichte/der Charaktere durch den Schreibstil hervorzuheben. Vieles wirkt recht platt, sodass kaum Emotionen bei mir ankommen, obwohl die Charaktere und die Geschichte dies eigentlich hergeben würden. Alles wird recht schnell und meistens zu oberflächlich abgehandelt, sodass der Verlauf der Geschichte teils undurchsichtig und schwer zu verfolgen ist. Es wirkt tatsächlich häufig so, als lese man ein Skript zu einem Anime und das funktioniert hier für mich nicht, besonders während der leichteren, komischen Momente, weil diese von der Bildsprache leben.
Hier und da gab es Momente, die mir vom Schreibstil gefallen haben, aber diese waren leider recht kurz, zum Beispiel der Anfang oder das Interludium mit Reo.

Ich würde liebend gern den Anime sehen, dieser scheint momentan in Deutschland allerdings nicht verfügbar zu sein.

~*~*~*~*~

I am so conflicted about this book. The story itself is entertaining. I like the kappa mythology, the tics and typical behaviours of Kappa in the book made me smile. The three boys, Kazuki, Toi, and Enta, and their stories are interesting. I would also like to know more about Reo and Mabu.
The story is pretty wacky, but it also strikes serious tones, and I love that.
However, I simply don't like the writing style. Most of the time the authors don't manage to emphasize the interesting aspects of the story and the characters with their writing. It often feels flat so that hardly any emotion is conveyed even though the potential is there. Everything happens quite fast and remains too shallow so that the course of the story feels obscure and difficult to follow in parts. In fact, it often seems as if you are reading a script for an anime and that doesn't work for me, especially during the lighter comedic moments because those scenes need the imagery.
There were a few moments were I quite liked the writing style, but these were rather short. The prologue and the interlude with Reo for example.

I'd love to watch the anime but it seems like it isn't available in Germany.

I used www.DeepL.com/Translator to help me with this translation.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's probably fitting that I had a really weird and conflicted experience reading this light novel adaptation of an extremely weird (and wonderful) anime. Every time I picked up the book to begin reading it, or to read a little more, I'd start out thinking that I would definitely not keep the book once I was done, and then I'd get absorbed into the pages and feel attached to it...connected, if you will.

If you're choosing between the anime or the book, 100% watch the show. That's the original material, and the incredible strangeness of the experience and the depth of the storytelling translates significantly better in a visual format.

However, if you're already a big fan of the show, and the ReoMabu spinoff manga wasn't enough (Sarazanmai: Reo and Mabu), this can be a pretty interesting addition to your collection. It definitely feels like a pretty thin summary of on-screen events, but there are a few moments that add emotional depth - mostly Toi's responses to Enta's pain, which I don't remember as strongly from the show...because it's not something Toi would ever say out loud, unlike his much more verbal friends.

Thinking about picking up the second volume, just to finish it out...especially because there's supposedly an extra scene included in that book, and there should be a lot more of Reo and Mabu's story, which is my absolute favorite bit.

[Lisa Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to start by clarifying that the anime came first, the novels are based on the show. The show is one of my top favorites! It’s an Ikuhara anime, so it’s about as crazy as you’d expect lol. It looks like a coming of age story, with all of the symbolism and metaphors hiding deeper meanings his shows usually have. And singing! It’s really very good, and touching and deep, if you can handle it’s strangeness.

The novels were definitely made more for people who were fans of the show first. I don’t recommend just picking the novels first, the story will be confusing and you lose a lot of context the animation brings to life that the novel doesn’t quite articulate. They’re a fun read though if you’ve watched the show, and they add a little extra detail in some scenes the show didn’t have.

[April Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A trippy, weird story of three middle school boys who accidentally break a kappa statue that serves as the guardian god of the Asakusa in Taito, Tokyo. As a result, they are turned into kappas by Keppi, the prince of the Kappa Kingdom, and must help him collect the Dishes of Hope, which grant the wish of whoever posses them. This involves doing some crazy kappa stuff that I try not to think about. There are strong themes of anti-capitalism and anti-consumerism throughout the story, and themes of connection and friendship. Bonus points positive portrayals of gay characters. Deeper than you would think a story about kappas would be.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Early last year, I encountered the Sarazanmai anime and laughed my shirikodama right out at this crazy, trippy, insanely fun ride. Once again, I put the chicken before the egg. I failed to research whether the anime or the light novel was the original source before picking this up; it suffers from perfunctory adaptation disorder. This novelization fails almost entirely to capture the zany hijinks of the original anime. So, do yourself a favor, watch the anime and skip this milquetoast recreation.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Especially considering all the plate puns in the original, I'd say this translation is solid. Not particularly poetic or artistic, but good and clear.

I enjoyed the animated series and this light novel was exactly that, but with more detail. Apparently volume 2 includes some portion of story that was not included in the series, and I'll likely pick that one up too.

[Cristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Demasiado rara para mi gusto. Y con un inglés complicado y rebuscado

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my favorite anime of all time, but this novel is a poor adaptation. I’ll still probably pick up the second one.

[Linda]

Torimodosanakya ikenai mono ga aru 😔✌️

This is basically a recap of the first part of the anime. Makes me once again realize how much I enjoyed the masterpiece

[Fin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not bad but not as amazing as the anime. The animations and the music is what makes the anime 5 stars so the novel on it's own only gets a 3 from me. Just watch the anime to be honest.