#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.

[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

[iukasylvie]

Moribito (live-action series)

Karakuri Circus (manga and anime)

Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea (game and manga)

Poupelle of Chimney Town (animated film)

A Witch's Life in Mongol (manga)

The Owl House (animated series)

a piece of media that is bad: mundane. effectless

a piece of media that is bad but had the potential to be so so good: unbearable. agonizing. soul crushing even

[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

[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)

[iukasylvie]

The character arcs of Balsa in Guardian of the Darkness, Chagum in Guardian of the Spirit, and Asla in Guardian of the God of the Moribito series and Elin from The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi and Scar from Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa epitomize the pain of violent separation from everything they had ever known far more than Fatima and Töregene do in A Witch's Life in Mongol by Tomato Soup.

God but Scar’s best character trait really is that he FEELS so profoundly… How many shitty male antiheroes (I use the term loosely) are out here sporting the emotional range of a constipated duck? Then you’ve got this exhausted, angry motherfucker with seventeen broken ribs and a questionable arm count who is just so Unapologetically Caring On Main

[ofliterarynature]

TBR TAKEDOWN: Week 18 (September 29)

TLDR: I have too many unread books, and I’m asking tumblr to help me downsize. Pick one or none - it doesn't have to be something you've read, just the one you think sounds the worst! Comments and reblogs welcome, book descriptions below the cut. See my pinned post for more info.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

The Martian Chronicles tells the story of humanity’s repeated attempts to colonize the red planet. The first men were few. Most succumbed to a disease they called the Great Loneliness when they saw their home planet dwindle to the size of a fist. They felt they had never been born. Those few that survived found no welcome on Mars. The shape-changing Martians thought they were native lunatics and duly locked them up.

But more rockets arrived from Earth, and more, piercing the hallucinations projected by the Martians. People brought their old prejudices with them – and their desires and fantasies, tainted dreams. These were soon inhabited by the strange native beings, with their caged flowers and birds of flame.

In The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury, America’s preeminent storyteller, imagines a place of hope, dreams, and metaphor— of crystal pillars and fossil seas—where a fine dust settles on the great empty cities of a vanished, devastated civilization. Earthmen conquer Mars and then are conquered by it, lulled by dangerous lies of comfort and familiarity, and enchanted by the lingering glamour of an ancient, mysterious native race. In this classic work of fiction, Bradbury exposes our ambitions, weaknesses, and ignorance in a strange and breathtaking world where man does not belong.

The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi

Elin's family has an important responsibility: caring for the fearsome water serpents that form the core of their kingdom's army. So 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 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

Dog On It by Spencer Quinn

Meet Chet, the wise and lovable canine narrator of Dog on It, who works alongside Bernie, a down-on-his-luck private investigator. Chet might have flunked out of police school ("I'd been the best leaper in K-9 class, which had led to all the trouble in a way I couldn't remember exactly, although blood was involved"), but he's a detective through and through.

In this, their first adventure, Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of Madison, a teenage girl who may or may not have been kidnapped, but who has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavory characters. A well-behaved, gifted student, she didn't arrive home after school and her divorced mother is frantic. Bernie is quick to take the case-something about a cash flow problem that Chet's not all that clear about-and he's relieved, if vaguely suspicious, when Madison turns up unharmed with a story that doesn't add up. But when she disappears for a second time in a week, Bernie and Chet aren't taking any chances; they launch a full-blown investigation. Without a ransom demand, they're not convinced it's a kidnapping, but they are sure of one thing: something smells funny.

Their search for clues takes them into the desert to biker bars and other exotic locals, with Chet's highly trained nose leading the way. Both Chet and Bernie bring their own special skills to the hunt, one that puts each of them in peril. But even as the bad guys try to turn the tables, this duo is nothing if not resourceful, and the result is an uncommonly satisfying adventure.

With his doggy ways and his endearingly hardboiled voice, Chet is full of heart and occasionally prone to mischief. He is intensely loyal to Bernie, who, though distracted by issues that Chet has difficulty understanding-like divorce, child custody, and other peculiar human concerns-is enormously likable himself, in his flawed, all-too-human way.Meet Chet, the wise and lovable canine narrator of Dog on It, who works alongside Bernie, a down-on-his-luck private investigator. Chet might have flunked out of police school ("I'd been the best leaper in K-9 class, which had led to all the trouble in a way I couldn't remember exactly, although blood was involved"), but he's a detective through and through.

[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!

[iukasylvie]

Thank you for a long explanation!

I, myself, joined the fandom late for the Wittebane lore. It was the only thing that fascinated me because of:

How it challenged viewers to pay close attention to detail

The potential complexity not only for Belos, the main antagonist, but also for his brother

How Evelyn, the witch Caleb fell in love with, was implied to be an ancestor to the Clawthornes

The fact that it kickstarted the plot of the entire series

By the time I joined the fandom, fans had already figured out the tragic story of "two witches torn apart, now alone, two hearts of stone, a curse of feathers and mud, a betrayal of blood". Were it not for them, I would've never found a great amount of fan content - including amazing fanart by @anglerflsh.

Of course, after all the build-up from Season 2 to the first two episodes of Season 3, the way "Watching and Dreaming" delivered no pay-off, giving Belos a cheap end, disappointed me. "AND THIS IS HOW YOU [Repay] ME!? TREATING ME LIKE [DLC]!?" is the perfect line to describe both the episode's treatment of the Wittebane lore and my own feelings as a fan.

I channeled my immense disappointment into something productive - I coped by revisiting pieces of media such as Fullmetal Alchemist, The Beast Player, and Moribito that formed my early adolescence. I keenly realized how I took it for granted that those pieces of media, along with Undertale and Tweeny Witches, were created with proper care.

In particular, the character arcs of Scar in Fullmetal Alchemist, Elin in The Beast Player, and Balsa in Moribito (especially Guardian of the Darkness and Guardian of the God) still strikes a chord with me. All three characters, treated as foreigners by the majority populations, have been driven out of home by cruel circumstances beyond their control and have to deal with complicated relationships with their heritage. Their trauma causes them to disown their heritage but they realize much later that it's impossible to find closure unless they reconnect with their heritage. Hiromu Arakawa and Nahoko Uehashi told their stories in such a manner that their backgrounds truly matter instead of being there for diversity points. I love them.

How did The Owl House manage to attract plenty of praise and one of the biggest and most active fandoms I've ever seen even though the cancellation is not the source of all the issues present in the series? I've asked this question multiple times on Discord but I'd like to see someone elaborate on this topic in a manner that you can't on chatrooms, message boards, and Twitter.

A lot of shows have big fandoms despite having major narrative flaws; what keeps these shows afloat is that they provide something that the audience wants. In TOH's case, the show is a fun, fantasy adventure with unabashed queer rep that caters to a young audience.

The Owl House is the first major cartoon show that puts its protagonist in a sapphic romance and explores that instead of using it for queer-baiting or waiting until the end of the series for the couple to get together.

That's huge.

Now, whether Amity and Luz's relationship is healthy or well-written is a question for more critically-minded fans, the rest just appreciate what the show offers and celebrate that.

And that's okay.

You don't need to analyze a show to death in order to enjoy it, in fact most don't. Most fans just enjoy the show for its surface level elements and don't really think about the themes. For those that do, it's fun analyzing their favorite show for deeper elements, characterization, narrative tropes, etc.

Outside of simply enjoying the show, many fans have claimed that they felt "seen" by the show; whether that was seeing a poc character in an active role, the queer rep, or defeating the villain character who reminds them of their bigoted family members, the show has a lot of emotional elements that people connect to. If a show has already emotionally resonated with you, it can be difficult to look at its flaws or worse, seeing legitimate criticism of the show can feel like a personal attack on you.

Personally, I joined the TOH fandom late and didn't get emotionally invested with it (except for ONE character), so I'm able to look at it from a distance and spot the flaws. Now, a person can both love a show deeply AND recognize its shortcomings.

Despite all of my criticism against the show, The Owl House isn't a bad show; it's still fun and engaging but for me, it is riddled with missed potential and has significant structural issues.

But that's just me. Other fans either don't see the problems or blame them on something else. And that's fine. Fandom is extremely fickle and what makes a show accrue a large following is complex and varied.

I see The Owl House as like candy, looks and tastes great but not very substantive. It's a show that never really challenges its audience but it does make them feel good. And for many people, that's perfectly alright.

[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)

[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.