2009/05/11|
Hi, there. I spent most of last weekend playing the PC98 version of simuation game software "Sangokushi," or Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The Three Kingdoms refer to the 3 rival states of China around the 2nd and 3rd century AD, namely Cao Wei, Shu Han and Eastern Wu, and, with an array of arresting anecdotes reflective of the strong characters of the primary military commanders, the story has been enjoying a long-lasting popularity among Japanese people of all generations. Especially school kids love it. Over the last couple of months, Japanese and Chinese entertainment industry seems to be tapping into this fascinating narrative of wartime China. In addition to the blockbuster film called "Red Cliff," which focuses on the famous battle of Red Cliffs, there is the comic series "Ikki Tousen," aka "Battle Vixens," where a bunch of beautiful girls, each named after a Chinese commander, fight their ways through their tough high school days. If you are into video games, you may be familiar with the action-packed PC software "Koihime Muso." The plot of this adventurous Eroge is basically based upon that of "Sangokushi," but, strangely enough, and surely to the consternation of ordinary readers of the original, all the military chieftains are depicted as sprightly young girls. If we talk about Sangokushi being metamorphosed into something rather comical and lighthearted, we cannot forget about the SD Gundam Sangokuden from Bandai. The instructions that come with those plastic model sets are hilarious. They are certainly worth reading! Who would've ever thought that some of the greatest politicians and army officials in history could one day be parodied into, among other things, young adorable girls? In fact, not just Sangokushi, but also some of the most respected Japanese warriors of the Sengoku era are now being recreated as female characters of Otaku subculture. And, get this, the sexy Saber is actually modeled after King Arthur! By the way, according to some legend, Uesugi Kenshin, one of the greatest strategists of the 16th century Japan, may actually have been a woman.  Better take it with a grain of salt, I think. See you around! Tomeko |
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