cross-posted from: lemmy.world/post/50020858
Otherwise known as Tenmaku no Jaaduugar or A Witch’s Life in Mongol.
Next up on our tour through educational animation and comics is Jaadugar. This historical drama manga and anime series follows a captured Persian slave girl as she maneuvers through the Mongolian Court during the time of Genghis Khan and his progeny, bearing witness to (and getting herself wrapped up in) court politics while the Mongolian Empire quickly conquers Asia and beyond.
As with all historical fiction, I of course question the historical accuracy of the work (doubly so with any works about cultures other than the creator’s). However my impression is that the series is at least somewhat accurate, and given that I walked into the series knowing almost nothing about 13th century Asian history, I’m filing this series in the “educational” category, as I left it knowing much more than I did coming in.
I haven’t seen the anime (currently airing), however I can attest to the beautiful aesthetic of the manga, drawn in a manner akin to Ranking of Kings meets Persepolis. Whether you’re drawn by the history, the political drama, the tale of revenge, the art, or the fish-out-of-water story, there’s a lot going for Jaadugar.
What are some of your favorite historical works in animation and comics? Is historical accuracy important to you? What examples of historical fiction had you walking away feeling more informed than when you went in?
Endmaker@ani.social 4 days ago
Depends. If they claim to be historically accurate, or allude to it in some way (e.g. the characters are based on real people), then I would expect some level of accuracy - especially for the significant moments.
These are really more fictional than historical, but they would be my picks:
I enjoy these more for the story / drama than the historical aspect, but if you are looking for accuracy it has to be the Umamusume brand.
My favourites are:
Just look at how they replicate one of the races: 1993 All Comers - Umamusume vs real life. Notice not just the characters’ positioning, but the commentary - it’s pretty much word-for-word!
And that’s just races. Even outside of the races, there are too much IRL / historical references - not just to the horses, but also to the people involved (e.g. jockeys).
It’s peak
fictionreality.MahouOwl@piefed.zip 4 days ago
I never thought to use “historical” to describe Umamusume, but… you’re not wrong.
fireweed@lemmy.world 2 days ago
One of the great things about anime is that it’s already somewhat niche and already attracts nerds, so why not lean into it? Make that historically-accurate horse-racing series! Recreate real plays from top sports games! Geek out about your special interest; there’s bound to be an audience of other otaku who are also into that! Unfortunately a lot of the especially niche subjects don’t make it to an official English translation, but that’s where scanlations come to the rescue to fill in the gaps.
I’ve never seen Umamusume, but from what I’ve heard it’s shockingly high effort; the historical accuracy doesn’t surprise me in the least. I’d be interested in a breakdown from someone who specializes in Chinese history of the accuracy of Apothecary Diaries (on the surface it seems at least somewhat accurate, but it also feels a bit romanticized… I want to believe!). Vinland Saga didn’t seem quite my taste so I’ve never seen it. Tanya the Evil is awesome, but I think it’s much more on the “inspired by” side of historical (makes for a great aesthetic, though).
Endmaker@ani.social 2 days ago
Bad news: these are all fictional characters in a fictional nation.
I’d say historical accuracy is more of a thing if, say, Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义) gets an anime adaptation.