#Nahoko Uehashi

[iukasylvie]

Can someone enjoy a work and criticizing it at the same time? Sorry if this ask so sudden.

Yes.

The Wittebane lore got me interested in The Owl House in the first place and introduced me to a passionate fandom, which included @anglerflsh. The way "Watching and Dreaming" did it dirty by ignoring all the build-up from Season 2 to the first two episodes of Season 3 is so egregious. I've had bad times among the fandom, but it's been great to find people with whom I could discuss the show from a critical lens on Tumblr and the Discord server of @mdhwrites.

Philip would absolutely get along with Bai Jin from Karakuri Circus over having older brothers who abandoned them and everything they stood for—even though both of them had looked up to and had the closest bonds with their brothers since childhood—and how the writers did them dirty by neglecting their backgrounds and misrepresenting their motives. I count Bai Yin among the worst brothers in fiction alongside Yuguro Musa from Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness and Akio Ohtori from Revolutionary Girl Utena. It's egregious how Fujita refuses to criticize him as much as he does with Bai Jin given the themes of love and relationships in the manga.

As for Witch Hat Atelier, I love Tartah's arc in which he finds a way around his disability and the Romonon arc in which the apprentices complement each other, helping them grow up—Richeh's and Eunie's backstories are among the greatest in the series and Eunie's internal struggles connect with the lore too! I wish Shirahama had been more resolute in criticizing the rigidity and cruelty of witch society like she did with Coco's, Agott's, Tartah's, Richeh's, and Eunie's backgrounds.

Why is Qifrey not allowed to convey his struggles through his own voice like the apprentices, Luluci, and Dagda? Why do almost every bad adult figure—including Beldaruit who partook in the neglect of Qifrey by the adults around him and blames his own apprentice for being the way he is due to it—escape a call-out for their behavior unlike Luluci's teacher? Why are the Knights Moralis allowed to act like judges, juries, and executioners? Why do they threaten to erase people's memories first instead of asking questions whenever they show up? Why do they not pursue the Brimmed Caps as much as Qifrey has been doing on his own when they are supposed to enforce the law of magic? Where are detectives and attorneys? Why has Luluci been granted kindness and understanding when everyone else—even Agott from the prestigious house of Arkrome—receives nothing but cruelty and ignorance from the Knights Moralis?

Speaking from experience, I find people to be more open to criticism for The Owl House than for Witch Hat Atelier. People such as @imsosocold, @let-us-cultivate-our-garden, @mdhwrites, @peacesmovingcabaret, @the-enchanted-archivist have talked about the flaws of The Owl House but I've never seen anyone examining the series from a critical lens like them on Tumblr or Discord.

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: The Beast Player

Author: Nahoko Uehashi

Series or standalone: series

Publication year: 2006

Genres: fiction, fantasy

Blurb: Elin's family has an important responsibility: caring for the fearsome water serpents that form the core of their kingdom's army. When some of the beasts mysteriously die, Elin's mother is sentenced to death as punishment. With her last breath, she manages to send her daughter to safety. Alone, far from home, Elin soon discovers that she can talk to both the terrifying water serpents and the majestic flying beasts that guard her queen. This skill gives her great powers, but it also involves her in deadly plots that could cost her her life. Can she save herself and prevent her beloved beasts from being used as tools of war...or is there no way of escaping the terrible battles to come?

[fallloverfic]

Yen Press Licensed "The Deer King" novels & manga by Uehashi Nahoko for English release in September 2023!!

This is not a drill folks! You can pre-order volume 1 of both now!

Also the film is available in a number of places in English, and here's my short post on why you should watch it.

[straycalico]

If you but chose, you could see the structure of this world in its entirety, couldn't you? Then do so. So that you can judge what can and cannot be, and accept your fate accordingly.

The Beast Player, Nahoko Uehashi

Art by Lumi Mizutani

[rhetoricandlogic]

The Deer King, Vol. 1 (novel): Survivors - Nahoko Uehashi

Based on the premise, I expected this book to be more adventurous. The author has a doctorate in cultural anthropology and history, and the content of this book certainly reflects her fields of interest. Too much of the book focused on exposition for my liking. The explanations regarding medical theories (especially relating to vaccination and disease) quickly became repetitive. If, like me, you have already taken several classes in medicine, all of this will probably be all too familiar to you. For me, the weakest part of this story was the plot (there was too little of it). The book ends on a cliffhanger, but I don't feel compelled to read the next book.

Despite all of that, there were still parts of this book I found enjoyable. The characters are likeable and the father-daughter relationship between Van and Yuna is quite cute. The character interactions in this book are generally wholesome. The environmental descriptions do an excellent job of painting a picture. Although I said I didn't enjoy the excessive amounts of exposition, some of the information was interesting. I hope this book finds it's audience, but it's not for me.

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

note: the original Japanese series was published in four volumes; the English translation is available in two. The Beast Player includes the first two volumes of the series (闘蛇編 and 王獣編). the series is at least partially available in a number of other languages as well, and it looks like in these it’s mainly published in four volumes like the Japanese. I’ve included the French and German covers for reference; it’s also available in at least Swedish and Chinese (with covers based on the 2006 Japanese edition).

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

[petalpetal]

okay books I've read since the beginning of 2024 (also note I only complete books I like if I don't like I drop it and move on so these are all good according to me)

also some of these are new and some are not I randomly choose what to read next through a generator

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories by GennaRose Nethercott

Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill

The Scholomance Trilogy by Naomi Novik

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin

The Tatami Time Machine Blues by Tomihiko Morimi

Penguin Highway by Tomihiko Morimi

The Tatami Galaxy by Tomihiko Morimi

Once and Forever: The Tales of Kenji Miyazawa by Kenji

Night on the Galactic Railroad & Other Stories from Ihatov by Kenji Miyazawa

The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl by Tomihiko Morimi

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Uehashi

Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness by Nahoko Uehashi

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura

Joan by Katherine J. Chen

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

Menewood by Nicola Griffith

Hild by Nicola Griffith

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

The Beast Warrior by Nahoko Uehashi

The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi

Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed

The Sundial by Shirley Jackson

The Road Through the Wall by Shirley Jackson

Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson

Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson

The Bird's Nest by Shirley Jackson

Anime Supremacy! by Mizuki Tsujimura

After the Forest by Kell Woods

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty (okay I read this in decemeber BUT ITS SUPER GOOD I MEAN HELLO ITS A PIRATE ADVENTURE)

[manic-intent]

Hi there! About five years ago, you provided reading recommendations for me in the “weird western” genre. It took me on a journey that exposed me to many incredible, diverse authors and reignited my love of reading. Would you be willing to share some more book recommendations? Doesn’t have to be weird western - I like your taste and am always happy to expand my horizons.

Thank you so much for your time and I hope you’re doing well!

Hello!

I haven't been reading that many English novels lately... I fell into the hole of reading Chinese danmei novels and with all its popcorn bloody drama it's been hard to turn back. If you're willing to try danmei, I rec:

Qiang Jin Jiu (officially licensed, or you can look up the English fan translation). Probably my fave danmei of all time and my fave book of the year from a couple of years back. Incredible read. Alt history novel.

Scum Villain's Self Saving System (same as above)

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (same as above). Has been adapted into an animation and a tv show that is on Netflix (The Untamed).

Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know (x)

The Demon Venerable's Wistful Desire (x)

Peerless (x)

Books by priest (Guardian, Mo Du, etc). For priest if you're unfamiliar with her work I rec starting with the tv adaptation of Tian Ya Ke (Word of Honour) that is on Netflix

For English/English Translated novels, I've always loved:

Jin Yong (The Legend of the Condor Heroes is deservedly one of the most-read books in the world. I grew up with this, as did many people across the Chinese diaspora. On the official translation it's billed as the "Chinese Lord of the Rings", but it's nothing like Lord of the Rings--it's wuxia. Hell, it's probably more read than Lord of the Rings by sheer reader volume. tbh the official English translation annoys me because of the random name translations, so I rec the fan translation here)

NK Jemisin (Fifth Season series etc, incredible books, fantasy)

Liu Cixin (Three Body Problem etc: now adapted into several tv shows, including one on Netflix. I haven't watched any of them yet but you can try those first if you don't want to commit to the books)

Claire G Coleman (Terra Nullius, The Old Lie)

Saad Z Hossain (The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday etc)

Nnedi Okorafor (Akata Witch etc)

Yoon Ha Lee (Ninefox Gambit etc)

Nahoko Uehashi (Moribito, Beast Player etc)

SA Chakraborty (City of Brass etc)

Stephen Graham Jones (The Only Good Indians etc)

... and more :) Hope that helps as a starting point!

[kodanshamanga]

NEW Kodansha Digital:

🐝The Beast Player, Vol 2🐝 By @takemotoitoe and Nahoko Uehashi

🐊Back on her feet—at least physically—after her harrowing ordeal, Elin adjusts to her new life with the kind old beekeeper Joeun.

[iukasylvie]

How to do a pure evil antagonist while exploring their background: Yuguro Musa from Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness by Nahoko Uehashi

How not to do a pure evil antagonist while exploring their background: Emperor Belos/Philip Wittebane from The Owl House

[dokushoclub]

Hi! What is on your TBR list for 2024?

Hi, thanks for asking about my TBR! While I haven't nailed down a super detailed list to work through, there are some novels that I've been eyeing for a while now and I hope this year I will get around to reading them!

medium by Aizawa Sako A supernatural mystery that caught my eye after reading JTalkOnline's review about it last year.

本を守ろうとする猫の話 by Natsukawa Sosuke I admit I was mostly captured by the pretty cover ;) I don't know much about the plot, but am looking forward to be surprised.

十角館の殺人 by Ayatsuji Yukito Missed the 2022 book club on Natively for this serial killer mystery and is has been on my TBR ever since. Maybe this year!

鹿の王 by Uehashi Nahoko Tried it twice in 2023, stumbled with the language and never processed past the first 50 pages. Maybe third time's the charm haha

すべて真夜中の恋人たち by Kawakami Mieko I've been curious about the author and picked up this book by her because it was rated positively. I don't know anything about the plot, so this one's a surprise too.

ビブリア古書堂の事件手帖 by Mikami En This light novel series was a spontaneous haul last year! It's about a secondhand bookstore and mysteries so it seemed to be right up my alley :)

For 2023 it was my goal to read one novel each month, but I soon realized that this proved incompatible with working full time. So for 2024 I'm aiming for 6-8 novels in Japanese.

[fallloverfic]

Have you ever read the Moribito series or The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi, the same author as The Deer King?

I haven't actually read Seirei no Moribito, but I did watch the anime adaptation... apparently in 2016 lol I remember it was okay (it was good, just not really my thing)! I really liked the way it depicted spear combat and the degradation and maintenance of weapons, and the found family stuff was sweet. I seriously considered writing Balsa/Tanda fic for a bit (I don't know that I could do that now lol I just don't write het much these days, but I was really into them back when I was watching it). I wouldn't be averse to reading the novels in future! It's just not quite high on my priority list (I have a long list).

I have sadly not read or watched The Beast Player/Kemono no Sōja! I wasn't precisely aware of Uehashi before coming across The Deer King and becoming obsessed with that lol (I stumbled across The Deer King (movie) entirely by accident as I was browsing Rightstuf and the DVD popped up as a suggestion, and I liked the art style on the cover). I mostly found it kind of funny because before knowing Uehashi wrote both Moribito and The Deer King's source material, I'd been telling a friend, "You know, The Deer King (movie) reminds me a lot of Seirei no Moribito." And then while researching The Deer King (movie) because I was hungry for fanworks, I found out one reason why I was seeing similarities (because she wrote both series' source material) and had a good laugh about it lol But I have run across the title when browsing sites looking up whether or not The Deer King novels and manga have/were going to get an English translation (and thankfully they are starting in September :D).

I'm looking at a summary for Kemono no Sōja, though, and it looks neat! I'll add it to the list! I have a very long list lol I have, however, had Kemono no Sōja Erin on my to watch list for years, and it's another instance of, "I did not know that was by the same person" lol

Have you read either of them and what do you think about them?

[straycalico]

Humans, beasts, bugs—all are but tiny pricks gleaming in the night—a herd of countless points of light, bound in the darkness of distrust.

The Beast Player, Nahoko Uehashi

Art by Hajime Namiki

[kustas]

Have you ever read The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi? I think it has similar themes with Witch Hat Atelier and the K MANGA app has the manga adaptation of the novel with beautiful artwork by Itoe Takemoto.

I haven't and had never heard of it! Really liking the plot description on anilist at least. I've marked it as something to read in the future. Unfortunately kmanga does not work in my country so I can't read it on there, though. I might read the novel instead of the manga as I don't like the artwork

[tinygumdrops]

Hello just here to say I love LOVE your period drama kagehina sengoku jidai fic. I know u cited dororo and kabaneri(?) as ur inspiration but what other sources did u read to paint such beautiful picture?

*Blushing furiously* AHHH, thank you!!! I'm so glad to hear from someone who read it ;-; Seriously, thank you for sharing your appreciation for it!!!

OH, as for my inspirations for the fic.... although there aren't much similarities with the plot, the reasons why I was so compelled to write a sengoku jidai fic in the first place were because I enjoyed watching Dororo and reading Journey to the West so much, and historical fiction is not a genre often explored in fanfiction.... so I thought yk, why not? Maybe some nerds like us (yes, I'm including you in this!!!! :D) would love having a fic or two like it in the wild.

I read the Moribito series by Uehashi Nahoko while I was in school, and the main character was a female warrior named Balsa. I think there's also an old anime based on the novels, but I haven't watched it yet. Anyway, I based Saeko and the all-female Hojo warriors on her ;-; Balsa, my queen!!!

I also read Shogun by James Clavell (incidentally, I think there's a new series coming out based on this!!), and skimmed The Chronicles of Lord Nobunaga by Ota Gyuichi and The Cambridge History of Japan. I also rewatched some historical Japan Ghibli films (Princess Mononoke, you will forever be undefeated!!!). Obviously, I googled a lot of stuff in between writing lmao and gosh, there's really tons of free resources out there for medieval Japan! I love the internet sm!!!

For part two, well I haven't finished the entire thing yet (ugh), but I might post the prologue and act 1 soon! Since the gods are a lot more involved (ugh I hate why I made things much more complicated for myself, someone stab me), I watched a lot of documentaries on Nihon Shoki and Kojiki. I also borrowed some aspects from Greek and Roman myths, and because I love Dante's The Divine Comedy so much, I had to throw that bad boy in the ring ;-;

Honestly, the sengoku jidai series is just a culmination of my love for medieval Japan. Really glad I got the opportunity to share it! Thanks so much for dropping by, anon!!!

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)