▪	RELEASED BY:		VIZ MEDIA
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		YUMI TAMURA
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / B&W
		▪	PAGES:		200
		▪	RATING:		T+
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		05/13/2008
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		05/08/2008
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		HOLLY ELLINGWOOD

The final volume is a series of short stories that cover the various characters of Basara as well as showing what happens with Shuri and Sarasa.  To get away from the reminders of their pasts, the two leave to visit a neighboring kingdom. But danger finds them even outside the walls of home when Sarasa is abducted and infected with a lethal illness to force Shuri to kill the emperor and topple the kingdom! It is a true test of his mettle as he must overcome his depression, his doubts and his guilt in order to decide how to save his love and an innocent nation.

The emotional and moving story has seeds of realism to it in the sense that not everything is necessarily happily ever after since the battle ended a couple of volumes ago. Rebuilding is hard work and there are some harder feelings involved with the war. The war may be over, but the meetings and wrongs done can not necessarily be forgotten, and perhaps not forgiven either. This is seen particularly in the final story of the volume dealing with the archer Hayato.  He has tried to leave the court and his responsibilities to live a simple and quiet life under an assumed name. But the arrival of twins and old comrades force him to have to again choose to fight or run forever. Although the story covers Hayato’s tale well, it serves a double purpose by also giving Basara readers a great deal of follow up on the other characters as well as what has happened with Shuri and Sarasa in the years that have followed. Each tale is a potent and subtle warning against the evils of war and the need for forgiveness. It has been an epic fantasy adventure and these series of “appendixes”, the tales within the last few volumes, have been an interesting conclusion to the series, offering both back story and epilogues for a well rounded look at the end of this tale.

IN SUMMARY:
The final volume reveals the future of Sarasa and Shuri as well as the many characters that have complemented this epic fantasy series.

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