Arata: The Legend, Volume 1

March 15, 2010
This appealingly illustrated fantasy yarn from the creator of Fushigi Yugi
tells the story of Arata, the heir to the throne of an extradimensional realm populated by magic-wielding men and gods. Unfortunately for Arata, the successors to the throne are all supposed to be female, but the royal family has produced no daughters in three decades, forcing the last princess to serve for two terms of office. As the time of ascension nears, Arata is forced to appear disguised as a girl, a situation he loathes, but an attempted political assassination/revolution exposes his true sex and sets in motion the arrival of his double from our world (also named Arata) and Arata's emergence into modern-day Japan and the angst-ridden high school soap opera of his put-upon doppelgänger. Meanwhile, our world's Arata finds himself in the midst of political intrigue and on the receiving end of a sentence of exile when he's framed for attempted murder, but he finds levels of courage he never displayed in his previous situation. As the Aratas of two worlds have no choice but to live as their mirror image, the stage is set for an epic and entertaining blending of the mundane and the mystical.

July 1, 2010
Gr 7 Up—-wo young men named Arata are in different kinds of trouble. Arata of the Hime clan lives in what appears to be a medieval fantasy world, and he learns that he needs to disguise himself as a girl in order to fulfill an ancient ritual. Years ago his grandmother registered him as female on his birth certificate, and now he has to maintain the ruse and step up to succeed the ruling princess. Meanwhile, in modern-day Japan, Arata Hinohara has just transferred schools and is trying to get a fresh start in life. It is only when another transfer student joins the class that readers learn what he was trying to escape, as Masado Kadowaki is revealed to be one of the boys who mercilessly bullied him at his last school. After both Aratas try to run away from their problems—medieval Arata is falsely accused of murder, while modern-day Arata becomes a pariah all over again—they exchange places. While at first their situations seem worse than before, it appears that each boy has traits that will help him to fight through the problems of the other. Watase's artwork complements his story well, with lots of dramatic close-ups enhancing the action. While the cover art and description will certainly entice fantasy readers, what really makes this book stand out is the realistic description of modern-day Arata's problems with bullies, which will make his character instantly recognizable and empathetic to modern teens.—"Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.