Magatama trilogy fanart on Tegaki E

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For those who don’t know, Tegaki E is a blogging service where entries and comments are handwritten, ie. with a mouse (or tablet). Recently it has blossomed into a thriving art site. Think of it as a cross between deviantART and Facebook Graffiti.

The ‘Magatama Trilogy’ tag on Tegaki has many entries, so here are the search results, feel free to browse through them! (This link has also been added to the Fanart page.)

There’s a ‘Noriko Ogiwara’ tag on Tegaki as well. It includes Magatama trilogy art as well as fanart for her other novels: link

Dragon Sword and Wind Child cosplay

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Here’s a treat for you today — Dragon Sword and Wind Child cosplay featuring Saya, Chihaya, and Torihiko. Look at those gorgeous handmade costumes! And I wonder where they got the Dragon Sword!

Cure is a Japanese cosplay community. You’ll need to register in order to view the photos fullsize. Fortunately, registration is free and the site has an English version that is easy to navigate.

DSWC review and Hakuchou Iden news

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Another review from 2007, dated but still relevant and compelling, by Lesley Smith:

“Everyone has books that they grew up reading, titles which have as much power over them as adults as they did when seven years old. I’d love to say that Dragon Sword and Wind Child (空色勾玉 or Sora Iro Magatama) was one of the ones I read as a child but from reading it I can guess how children in Japan must have felt. … Dragon Sword and Wind Child is [Ogiwara’s] debut novel and was translated by Cathy Hirano back in the early nineties and up until Viz republished it, English copies have been almost impossible to find.”

Read the rest of the review at:
Through the Eyes of a Journalist

In other news, you’ll be pleased to learn that Viz has Cathy back to work on Dragon Sword’s sequel, Hakuchou Iden. Let’s all wish for the best!

Dragon Sword and Wind Child gets an A from PopCultureShock

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This is a comparatively older review, but nonetheless wonderful.

Reviewed by Katherine Dacey:

“It’s a testament to Ogiwara’s skill as a writer (and Cathy Hirano’s skill as a translator) that casual readers will still enjoy Dragon Sword without any knowledge of Japanese history or religion. Ogiwara spins an engaging yarn that evokes the spirit of Shinto mythology without ever sounding stuffy or archaic. A delightful read for fantasy lovers of all ages, whether you’re a Tolkein buff or a Takahashi fan.”

Read the full article at:
PopCultureShock

“It’s been a long time since I didn’t want a book to end”

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I always meant to link good reviews of the English translation!

Kathy Hassinger reviews Dragon Sword and Wind Child:

“It’s been a long time since I didn’t want a book to end. When I finished reading The Lord of the Rings and all of its appendices I felt like crying. It wasn’t just that the story was over, but because the magical age in the world of the story was ending. The only one who seemed cool with that was my favorite character, Sam Gamgee.

I had the same feeling after finishing Noriko Ogiwara’s Dragon Sword and Wind Child (VIZ Media LLC). I didn’t feel like crying, but I had that same sort of wistful feeling. An age of the world in the story was ending, and even though all of the threads in the story were tied up very neatly, I wanted the story to continue. I wanted to know what happened to the characters after that.”

Full review can be found at:
Otaku News (Japanese pop culture news site)
Spilt Ink (Kathy Hassinger’s blog)