Filed under: B Reviews Category, B- Reviews, Reviews
[Jia's Note: The English translation was done by Cathy Hirano.]
Dear Ms. Uehashi,
With the increasing popularity of manga and anime in the West, it only makes sense that Japanese novels would follow. I first heard about your ten-volume Moribito (Guardian) series via various blogs discussing the anime adaptation of the first book, Guardian of the Spirit. The premise sounded interesting so when I heard the book was going to be released in English, I asked for a review copy.
First off, I want to say I know translation is difficult. While I’ve read about the various conflicts that arise out of English adaptations of manga and anime, both of those are still highly visual mediums. I imagine novels, where the storytelling vehicle is purely textual, are much harder. Something is bound to get lost in the translation, and I’m aware of that.
Even so, I couldn’t help but notice how dependent on exposition this book’s narrative is. I usually dislike that in my books, but I have a feeling this is a cultural difference. I also realize this is a childrens/young adult novel so I think my criticisms regarding the clunky text might be similar to …
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