My first ever review is on RG Veda by CLAMP.
My category: Classic CLAMP Epic
Completed: 10 volumes, 16 chapters.
Synopsis (mangahere): 300 years ago, a powerful warlord rebelled against the Heavenly Emperor. After killing the Emperor, the warlord crowned himself as the new Emperor, starting a cruel reign. But there is a prophecy: Six Stars will one day assemble and overthrow his tyrannical rule ... Now, the ruler of the Yasha Clan has found Ashura, the last of the Ashura Clan, and together they set out to find the Six Stars and fulfill the prophecy.
All in all, 8.5/10.
Story: 9/10
For me, I have to have a different mindset when reading classics (before 2000 is my 'classics'). If I read one without knowing it's a classic, a lot of the storylines seem predictable and cliche. However, RG Veda is a classic that I think even now wouldn't be cliche. It's a very intense, very powerful and emotional story, with defying fate as its central theme. As a mangaka's debut goes, this is a VERY GOOD manga. The story mostly centers around Yasha and Ashura's journey, and we follow as they meet friend, foe, and everything in between. Some of the story's mysteries were rather predictable, but many were not. The reveal about the prophecy was extremely shocking. The pace of the story is also quite well done. A side note, RG Veda is named so as it is based on Vedic mythology, Rigveda, one of the four Vedas.
Characters: 8/10
All of the characters were unique and interesting, with their own beliefs and passions. There was a fair amount of character development as well. However, I had a problem with Ashura and Yasha's characters. I adored their relationship , they would do anything for the sake of one another; and I really like their personalities. But, Ashura didn't really do anything in the entire story. He just was. Rather than his actions pushing the story forward, it was more or less fate than carried him onwards. And Yasha... well I had no problem with him except I couldn't really accept his reasons for freeing Ashura in the first place. It seemed quite weak for me. My favourite characters were Karura-ou and Kujaku.
Art: 10/10
The art in RG Veda is unbelievably beautiful and detailed. This manga would be best enjoyed slowly looking at the rich details. Everything is done well, from background to characters to props, all are presented beautifully. There is nothing whatsoever to complain about the art, and should only be admired and adored. A perfect 10/10 for me. It's a shame the scanlations online for it are in a small size. If you prefer simplicity over detailed work, CLAMP's more recent work would suit you better.
*edit:if anyone is looking for the digital version of the RG Veda artbook, Tenmagouka, you can download it here. I'd been looking for torrent links but they all seem dead. Not that I encourage piracy but the artbook is no longer in print and you can only see it on screen.)
Enjoyment: 8/10
Overall I enjoyed reading RG Veda very much. It wasn't so thrilling that it keep me at the edge of my seat, but I could read it at a good pace while admiring the artwork. The scope of its ideas and themes are very vast, and as many classics go, most of them centre around defying the status quo and of course, intense love, regardless of gender or any restriction. A read I recommend all to try!
All in all, 8.5/10.
*SPOILER ALERT*
My thoughts on the manga itself:
All spoilers from here on out. One gripe I have about CLAMP's older work is that a lot of it has too much foreshadowing of certain events, that the surprise is spoiled. In RG Veda, the part about Kendappa-ou being the Jikokuten was heavily hinted on, and it was no surprise at all that Rasetsu was Shara's husband. Also I wasn't the least surprised that Karyoubinga died--so much emphasis was placed on how much Karura-ou loved her, and how she was her world... well, she had to die if Karura-ou was going to defy Taishakuten.
I couldn't really understand why Taishakuten ruled Heaven so cruelly. I understand about killing everyone associated with Ashura, but he didn't have to a cruel ruler. Perhaps killing and eating Ashura-ou changed him, but... hmm...
And why oh why, if he said all that after killing Kakura-ou, did he kill Karyoubinga so cruelly in the first place?? It's like he himself was pushing for the Six Stars to meet, though he might not have known Kakura-ou was one. Still.
Speaking of which, I was so shocked when Taishakuten said he wanted Ashura-ou!! It was a big shock for me. But it was cool. I liked that there was a gay and a lesbian pairing, though I doubt Ashura-ou ever reciprocated Taishakuten's feelings. I also admired how Ashura-ou was willing to do so much for the sake of changing the fate of his son, and by him, the world. Even though he thought he was committing the gravest of sins, he did it anyway. I like that whole-hearted sincerity in his actions.
Tennou and Kendappa-ou's scenes I thought weren't really necessary to be that long or that much... I think their pages could have been used to flesh out other parts of the story better. To be honest I had no true interest in Tennou, but Kendappa-ou was one of the most interesting characters in RG Veda. There's a lot to her--she's one of the best musicians, the Jikokuten, she loves Souma whole-heartedly and unashamedly, and she only serves the strongest people and admires them. Though I wish she would try with the others to defeat Taishakuten, instead of declaring it hopeless, I do admire that she held to her oath and belief, even in the face of killing her most beloved person. If it were me I would choose Souma over an oath, and live and rebel and love rather than kill Souma and kill myself. But that shows how serious she is towards her oath and belief, though I personally think little of strongest people crap. Come to think of it, Souma's character wasn't very developed--it was kind of flat but if CLAMP really went all out to develop each person, I think it would definitely exceed 10 volumes.
I LOVED adorable little Ashura. He was sweet, innocent, pure and strong. He cried freely, and blamed himself for the death of those around him, held fast to Yasha and got stronger. I really rooted for him, but he was tossed around by the story--the true Ashura taking over him, Shura-to telling him about the Six Stars... see what I mean? His own actions didn't seem to mean anything or amount to much, sadly. Still, I love Ashura.
I adore Yasha; he's the protective type, and so willing to do anything and everything for Ashura. That pure-hearted devotion was really a force to be reckoned with. Still, his character shines only with Ashura... the part with his brother Rasetsu was a nice backstory for him though.
Kakura-ou I really liked because of her character development. She really grew through all her trials, and I admired her strong-will and her deep love for her sister. She's a role model, in my opinion. I cheered for her with all my heart.
Kujaku's character was mysterious and fascinating. He was powerful, he was nice to Ashura, he was different from everyone else. I like how he felt for Ashura and supported him, a large part due to their shared circumstances as 'unwanted children'. His character had many layers to him and he was a source of intrigue. When he died to awaken Ashura, and he said 'Good morning...' he was just perfect in his own way.
I hated that almost all the Stars died. ESPECIALLY Ryo-ou! I mean, to journey and come so far just to die at the hands of the person you were fighting for... gah. And the others too. All that, and to die at the very end... *sigh* a lot of people died. A big part of why I didn't give RG Veda a 9 instead is because all the Stars died, I just couldn't...
*END OF SPOILERS*
And this concludes my first ever manga review!
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