Legend of Basara

Story:
In the 21st Century for some reason (probably global warming or something..) the world has turned into a wasteland and Japan is ruled by a corrupt and selfish clan whom have neglected their subjects through out their years of ruling so much that the quality of life is pretty much the lowest of low. Then one day there was a set of twins, a boy(Tatara) and a girl(Sarasa) was born and a prophet declares that the boy is the chosen one which would save them from their predicament. Unfortunately the supposed chosen one was killed by the "Red King", which happens to be the son ... of the ruling Emperor and now it's up the the other half of the twins to fulfill her brother's role.

The plot of Legend of Basara doesn't really exude originality but through out it manages to make itself interesting enough. It's too bad that the story is clearly unfinished with the way that things were left off with the final episode though it was somewhat obvious that this would happen seeing as this anime adaption was only 13 episodes long while the original manga span for 27 volumes.

Animation:
Now the animation isn't necessarily bad but it's not great either, while the show being more than 10 years old needs to be put into consideration, there was still plenty of shows that were released around the same time as Legend of Basara that looked better. Although the show did have some interesting character designs despite most of the male characters looking a little too fabulous.

Sound:
The OST hardly had much presence through out the show which is kind of disappointing since a lot shows fantasy type shows use background music to make you feel like what you're watching is some epic adventure.

Character:
Probably the best aspect of the show, Sarasa is a great lead character, she's isn't just some push over and is pretty likable from the start and still she displays a lot of growth in her resolve and personality as the story progresses.

Another interesting note about the characters is that most of the so called villains in the show, are really just following their own justice, following what they think is right for the country and in a way you could see Sarasa as the villain as she's stands in the way of the Red King who seems to have good intentions but just needs a bit more guidance in which is the right path to take.

Overall:
Legend of Basara is a good show, despite the story being incomplete it was rather enjoyable. It's recommendable if you're looking for a decent fantasy/adventure/romance series although be prepared to move on to the manga once you've finished since the story is unfortunately cut short.

If you'd like to take a break from all the new shiny mainstream anime and don't mind dipping back into an older era of anime, Legend of Basara can be a hidden gem. I have the bias of reading the entire manga and I will forewarn you the anime is only a taste of the beginning of what is a very epic story. The end WILL leave you wanting more because there IS so much more. The manga is 27 volumes.

The creator likes to break out of the shoujo mold, though clearly with such aesthetics and a romance interest, there is also the horror of ... war and no punches pulled. Characters will die, they will struggle emotionally, and there's no simple good vs evil. Everyone has weaknesses and something they believe in.

The anime will end shortly after the plot arc introducing the Blue King, though I believe they condensed it quite a bit. Even with having the manga I still bemoan it did not go longer but there really is no "satisfactory" spot they could have ended it aside from the end itself. The story is built around a prophecy, a war, and two star crossed lovers who are usually apart. But you can enjoy and appreciate the anime for what it is.

Ahh.. finding the forgotten gems of the past is hard but always a thrill. We are bombarded with hundreds of shows in this day of age, yet it's nothing like going back and watching a hand drawn shows now and then.

Legend of Basara was made towards the end of previous century, based on the source material that ran though the 90s and as expected from shows of that time it follows some basic principles that were used then. You can't really take them into account while evaluating an anime (the endless name calling for example). It's just how the things were back then like it ... or hate it.

Now on to the series itself.. I will be blunt and just say it right away. It was not just bad, but straight up horrible. The only bright light that shines though it is that story (while extremely predictable) is at least somewhat interesting.

Characters were bland, stereotypical, edgy and often unnecessarily forced (looking at you Hayato). Story while somewhat interesting overall was predictable and sometimes uselessly stretched to fill out the whole episode. Pacing was off, but that is to be expected of 13 ep series. It could have been better with being 26 ep long. Music was often, if not always out of place. Animation, while taking into consideration the anime is old, was still terrible. Color schemes were all over the place, often completely changing color of clothes or hair from one scene to the other. If it came out 10 years earlier I would still consider it mediocre at best.

All in all this anime has been a shipwreck from start to finish with it's lackluster production. Haven't read the source material, but I've got a strong feeling that it didn't do it justice. We get what we get however and Legend of Basara clearly wasn't the gem I have been looking for. If anything positive taken from it is that I appreciate some old shows (like Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Lain) that came out the same year even more and can't wait to go on another hunt for potential hidden gems. For this one, I do not suggest you to waste your time on it.