Tenmaku no Jadugar is Interesting (Part 2)
Good evening.
Last time (https://note.com/chiha_002/n/n879361edf538), I also posted under the title "Tenmaku no Jadugar is Interesting," and this is the continuation of that.
Last time, I had watched the anime with zero prior knowledge, and after watching up to episode 3, I thought, "This work is incredible... I have to write down these feelings," and that was when I wrote my impressions.
As for this time, I am writing this after having purchased volumes 1 through 6 of the manga, as well as "Motto! Tenmaku no Jadugar" after posting here last time, and also after finishing the anime up to episode 6. Well, it’s quite clear how hooked I’ve become in just a little over a month since last time.
The anime is interesting, isn't it!
So, I’ve finished watching up to episode 6. This flashback episode of Toregene was quite shocking even when I was reading the manga, but seeing it in the anime, with visuals, music, and voices, the direction and depiction were so wonderful that I couldn't help but think, "This is...!" Above all, the depiction of Toregene and her expressions are superb. Since Dail is voiced by Akira Ishida, I knew the ending (that he would rebel after she passed away), so I chuckled a little, but the depictions of Kulan, Qutugan, and Toregene starting to enjoy her life there were also wonderful, and above all, the scene with the shaman was magnificent...!
And what was so wonderful about episode 6 of the anime was that it didn't just wrap up Toregene's flashback episode as beautifully as a single movie, but the way it ended with that line from Fatima... Sitara, made me slap my knee and think, "Is their composition skill too good?!" It was a scene that gave me goosebumps in the original work too, but I never expected to see it presented with such direction. It really is wonderful.
Something I'm a little curious about
If you read my previous article, you might understand, but I love history, have read various novels, and also enjoy watching historical dramas (Taiga dramas), so I really love how Tenmaku no Jadugar has unfolded from episode 4 onwards. If anything, I’m growing to like it more and more.
On the other hand, I wondered if there might be people who got hooked after watching episodes 1 and 2, thinking, "Fatima... what will happen to this girl's fate?" and then felt, "The story has suddenly become like a historical drama" or "It's different from what I expected."
Of course, it is unfolding exactly as in the original work, and it’s not something for someone like me to worry about, but seeing how much more popular this work has become lately even with its historical drama-like progression, I felt that what I was worried about was surely a trivial matter.
Couplings
And what surprised me when I searched for Tenmaku no Jadugar on X was that there are so many coupling illustrations! This was a surprise. For me, Tenmaku no Jadugar is a work that depicts the life of a girl named Sitara and a woman named Fatima, and I had never viewed it in terms of couplings.
However, I am someone who originally liked male-female couplings and used to make fanzines. So, seeing the illustrations on X, I felt happy, thinking things like, "Shirafa, that's a possibility too," "Muhasita, you do think about that, don't you?" and "Ogodore, I see, that's also a possibility..." I can't explain it well, but I got the impression that it’s delicious as a historical piece, delicious as a historical drama, and delicious as a coupling work—about three times as delicious in one go. I thought that the fact that the work itself is interesting, and that there is also an aspect where people can get excited about these couplings, might be a factor that is further boosting the popularity of this work.
Anyway
I’ve digressed a bit from my impressions of the anime, but Tenmaku no Jadugar is indeed an interesting work. Not only is the original work interesting, but it becomes even more so by being adapted into an anime. I can feel the seriousness of the anime production staff, who love the work and are trying to create something interesting. In particular, Mongolian history is a field and era that I only knew existed, but there is little knowledge to be gained about it, so I am able to watch it with great interest in that respect as well.
Also, recently I have been watching these kinds of commentary videos often.
As I followed the history and learned about the events, I saw opinions saying, "Usually, if you were to think of a story with this era as the theme, it would be Sorghaghtani Beki," and I thought, "That's probably true." However, I thought the author's sense in shining a spotlight on Toregene and starting to write the story with Fatima as the protagonist is truly wonderful.
The anime is still just about to reach the second half of volume 2 of the original work. I don't think it will end in 12 episodes, but I wonder how far they will go. Will there be a sequel to the anime? And what will happen to the original work as it heads toward its climax? I think I'll stop here for this time. I'll try writing here again if my thoughts start to overflow.