- Manga Released: doujinshi- 1987, manga- 1989,
- Number of Volumes: 10,
- Translated By: 2005 by Tokyopop. 2016 by Dark Horse,
- Genres: Mythology (Hindu/Buddhism,) Adventure, Fantasy, Mild Romance, Questioning Destiny, Magical and Sword Combat,
- Rating: 16+ (death- and often brutal- suicide, war, family strife, destruction.)
- BLURB: “RG Veda, pronounced Rig Veda, is based on the classic Indian saga of the same name. The lush, sprawling epic follows Yasha, once a mighty warrior king, but now the lord of a slaughtered people he could not save. Yasha journeys the land as the companion and protector of the genderless Ashura, even knowing Ashura’s fate is wound with doom for many. Together they seek the other four of the ‘Six Stars,’ whose prophesied gathering will at least defeat Taishukuten, the evil usurper of Heaven’s throne. But all prophecies are open to interpretation…”
Back in January, when this Clamp manga musing journey started, I gave everyone information about these goddesses of manga. So for my birthday month, to go all “Sound of Music,” let’s start at the very beginning, refresher and other for this entry:
“In the 1980s, a group of 11 women started as dojinshi artists, creating manga-style stories based on existing works. In 1987, they began original works. Then in 1989, they were given their chance to get their first series published, seven of its original members remaining: “RG Veda.” Mokona grew up near Hindu temples, its lore inspiring this tale. It was meant to only be one 60-page short story, but the readers’ response was high. The magazine releasing it asked for more, but told them after each chapter if readership went down, they would cancel it. It lasted 10 volumes; I call that success!”
This is the story that launched an era!
And what a way to begin a story here: “He stormed the royal palace- to raise the severed head of the God-King before all. It was the beginning of a turbulent age.”
Heaven and the human world (Earth) were in a state of peace until the thunder god slaughtered the guardian God-king and all his people AND beheaded the ruler of the land, the God-King. Now, for 300 years a ‘holy’ war has broken out. Any tribe that defies, slanders, or anger the king in any manner will get fully wiped out by his generals (the four gods of directions) in horrible ways, some clans going extinct. When they do, they become taboo and even saying their ‘cursed’ name is cause for punishment.
The land of Tenkai is ruled by fear or submitting blindly to this powerful tyrant until King Yasha, the strongest fighter in the land, is tasked to kill his friend, the royal stargazer who can see the future and has refused to aid the evil new God-king since his reign. As Yasha finds her, she gives him a prophecy, how Yasha must find a child of a slaughtered race that will set the wheels of fate into motion, this ‘dark star’ going to find the other five stars to confront the God-king, creating the split between the heavens in fire (I am paraphrasing; their description for it is much more elegant and they repeat it often.) Yasha finds the baby and with its golden eyes and pointed ears, it is the last of the destroyed Ashura tribe, a cursed child. And this is soon proven true.
Caring for the infant is considered treason and the most loyal of the God-king generals and his army come to kill every single member of King Yasha’s people, he and Ashura are the only survivors, and their last breaths blame the child. Alone and full of guilt, King Yasha swears to protect Ashura, no matter the curses and dangers interacting with them causes. The two seek to find the other four stars and fulfill the prophecy to take down the cruel and murderous G0d-king. Even…if fate says that Ashura will one day kill King Yasha…
Phew! A lot to take in! Now, we get to add our massive cast of characters! They are all stunningly drawn (although some do look very similar.) The expressions were regal. It is wonderful to see where Clamp started with character designs, I see homages to some of their future series from there. For example, Ryuu’s mother shines with the looks, light, and energy of an older Hikaru from their other fantasy series, “Magic Knights Rayearth” and I adore it. In the interview I own, CLAMP stated for this and “Tokyo Babylon,” they used copic pens, a tool popular at the time which is hardly been seen in manga for a while now. They were overly focused on screen tones and streamlines for the backgrounds. These legends also half-chuckled that since this was their first official publication, they had to use bigger paper and they were always concerned about having to fill it up, lol!
About half of the commercial manga came from their doujinshi of this original tale of theirs from two years prior. Not every aspect made it and several minor elements were altered of course. Clamp jokes they look back and think they drew the eyes too big and shoulders too wide. I personally did not see this, but it established their detailed style they are known and have captured my heart for. Cutely, they also said it took them aback, in a good way, each time they saw a new volume of this series in stores for sale. ^_^ Their first achievement of many.
I mean! LOOK AT THIS PAGE!!! And this has two of my favorite characters: Prince Tenou and Lady Kendappa!
The characters look like ink paintings that could pop out of the arcs. There were layers and complexities to most, even (or unsurprisingly in this day,) the villains. The Six Stars are a fantastic team and fleshed out well, although I will admit all six of them did not get to bond much before the final battle (although the first four I think was done well there.) Ryuu, the dragon king, is my favorite and brings a natural big brother, high energy, secret softy warrior role that makes you want to befriend him. And Souma is this lovely, quiet, caring, loyal ninja girl…yeah! Definitely love her. All the women were depicted prettily and every good one cracked my soul… Ashura has a grand duel persona that fits the plot and their bond with Yasha is the pulse of the story. In the interview I mentioned prior, they said that Ashura was a jerk in the doujinshi. Yasha…well, actually, Ryuu describes him perfectly in this section here!
The themes of this adventure is, like Clamp is grand at, thought-provoking. The main ones (other than fighting for what you believe in/good versus evil) are being wanted and can stop destiny. Ashura is not only the survivor of their clan, but was an unwanted child by their mother, to the point that the queen tried to kill Ashura as an infant. Ashura hears how warm and gentle mothers are/should be and every time they find someone who loves them and shows them kindness, tragedy befalls them because the God-king is trying to stop the prophesy. This leaves Ashura feeling guilty, crushing their soul. It makes you think of times when you feel unwanted or lonely, it rips your heart for Ashura. The second theme, fate, is not uncommon for Clamp, but I have to admit, how they explain here is brilliant. They compare it to how stars have their set alignments and no matter how hard one tries, you cannot stop them, like destiny. I found this very powerful, although I would of course still fight my fate with all my might. There also is the opposite of acceptance; what would you sacrifice to get what you want against fate and is it worth the cost to everyone involved?
This also began the parade of representation Clamp were pioneers for and still champion. There are a good number of LGBTQ+ pairings and Ashura, our lead, is genderless and has a rounded for all beauty. This is why I have been referring to Ashura as they/them. In the manga translation, it is ‘he.’ In the two-episode OVA series made in 1991, Ashura is a girl.
I cannot stress enough though that this manga is pretty graphic and in some…creative ways. So, I would take the rating seriously.
The first two ominous volumes I feel were paced fairly well, but once we got to the final one (or around volumes 8-10 in the original run,) my brother and I agreed it was rushed. With numerous characters, the world at stake, twists to come (and yes; there are those indeed,) epic battles, and emotions to absorb, you want components, as many as possible fleshed out. Yet, it was rushed. I am glad the story was complete since Clamp was hired to only do one chapter at a time and would get canceled if their ratings slipped…yikes. But by this point, they were confirmed good. It was already difficult enough that you knew destruction somehow was promised with the prophecy, and this story, as my brother so epically referred to it, is “Clamp’s version of ‘Game of Thrones.’ SERIOUSLY! Do NOT get attached to any secondary character! The ending felt rushed and I felt a bit empty inside after. Clamp did agree it was not their favorite ending and the doujinshi. They also did three of my favorite characters dirty! Grrr! But a few of them did get a ‘happy ending.’
But do not let this discourage you. Without this foundation, I would not have my introduction to manga/anime Clamp and my life would be void of color and so many friendships and moments/interests of happiness. So, I owe it a lot.
If you want a high fantasy adventure with a large cast, explosive battles, breathtaking art, and opulent, rich mythological lore, an almost 40-year-old tale that is timeless in the enjoyment department, give Clamp’s first series a try.
*This is the book resource series I get my official interviews from. All credit goes to them with my gratefulness and love! ^-^
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Educator of young minds by day, super nerdy savior of justice, and cute things by night, Morgan Straughan Comnick has a love for turning the normal into something special without losing its essence. Morgan draws from real-life experiences and her ongoing imagination to spark her writing. In her spare time, she enjoys doing goofy voices, traveling to new worlds by turning pages, humming child-like songs, and forcing people to smile with her “bubbliness.” It is Morgan’s mission in life to spread the amazement of otaku/Japanese culture to the world and to stop bullying; she knows everyone shines brightly.
For more information about Morgan and her works, check out her website, which also has links to all her social medias: http://morganscomnick.com
