Dear GuardianEnzo,

I have been a reader of your blog for I don't know how long now, two years? It is still my favourite anime blog, was even in the months were I did not find the time to watch much anime nor read all of your posts :).

Moribito is one of my all time favourite animes and I don't know why I did not read this earlier, I remember you mentioning it in your blog a while ago, but who knows.

It probably has something to do with my new Kindle. Ever since I had it I've read much more, books and fanfics alike :D.

But anyway, now to my review proper.

I pretty much loved everything in this fanfic so don't expect much "constructive criticism" from me, bur rather a lot of gushing. Alot :D.

I started to read this fanfic yesterday, having stumbled upon your account some days ago and downloaded this story onto my Kindle. I pretty much did not do anything but eat, sleep and read this. I did not even start up my computer until now to write this review :D.

So this was one of those, those books that keep me reading till 3 AM and then don't let me go until I have read them all though. Because I'm just so drawn in, captivated by it's charms, by it's characters.

I suffered with Chagum, under his dad. I groaned with him at Balsa and Tanda not getting married for the whole story :D. I felt for everyone – even his dad, when he basically said goodbye and sorry to Chagum and his regret was palpable. Palpable like everybody's emotions in this story, be it Torogai or [waterfall girl] or Shuga or Jin. Be it Balsa or Tanda. :)

I love emotional stories. Stories about relationships. About their daily surprises (maybe something every relationship of any kind should have). About characters. So this one was almost like written for me and, as it's narrator would say, I relished in it :D.

I was frankly surprised by how wonderful a fanfic writer you are, even having enjoyed the writing in your blog many many times. I wish, I hope, you write more, be it Moribito (which I of course would selfishly want most :D) or whatever kind of fiction. I think you have a great talent for storytelling :).

There is so much more to say and I am afraid I might not get all of it on paper, but let's try :D.

Chagum, breaching the protocol left and right, may actually be my favourite part. I love [Blithe Spirits] in stories and he is very good at that :D.

Torogai, my favourite character in the anime, shines again with her bluntness and her unique ways of showing affection :D.

Balsa, saving him at the very last minute. Giving everything. Their bond, like a bond all children should have with their parents and guardians. Beautiful, magnificent! :)

Tanda, kind and more patient than anyone in all of Yogo. Always there. Helplessly in love with Balsa. A wonderful dad to Chagum, the caretaker.

Shuga, loyal to the toe, his only friend for those two years. Who know what Chagum would have done without him. Like a big brother.

Jin, Jin ... I wish he didn't have to do that, I wish noone would have had to kill the Mikado ... I wish I could have given him lots of hugs :D.

My heart went out to them when reading this story, and I want to thank you, on behalf of it :D, for writing this. It really moved me, and I cherish stories that do that, no matter what others think their literary merit may or may not be. For me, those stories are the classics, the greats, the canon of emotionally touching me. 3

Arigatou gozaimasu!

MaxManuka.

TT…. I almost cry ! You know, I begun reading your fanfic (three days ago) and each days, I couldn't stop me from reading three or four chapters ! I found surprising how you described the fights scenes, the emotions and respect of the personality of each characters ! I was feeling in the ambiance and I saw the movie of the fanfic in my head.

Great job ! It's the best fanfic on Seirei no Moribito that I have ever read.
Can I request something ? I speak French, and I want to translate your fanfic in French. I will put your link saying that you are the author of this fanfic. Seirei no Moribito it's the best anime for me. Thanks for the fanfic.

Alika-Chan )

All right, this is obviously a late review but Im praying you'll get an email and reply back somehow. I'll point out what I didn't like then I'll praise the story as much as I can.

One thing I didn't like, I'm being nitpicky here, is how Chagum responded to Shuga or Mon, especially after becoming Mikado. I felt he shouldn't have said 'Thanks' but rather 'Thank you.' It seemed pretty awkward that whoever was talking to him would be grateful to him and say My Lord after their spiel and then Chagum to be 'Thanks'. Again, I know I'm being nitpicky there, but it kinda bugged me. xD

Also, the pacing in the cave could've been drawn out more, but it's fine as it is.

Now, onto praise. I swear to goodness, this was the perfect ending. Balsa and Chagum's relationship with and without each other was captured so well..I honestly can't get over it. When they openly admitted they loved each other towards the end...my god that was positioned so well. I can't praise this story enough, I truly can't. I can completely say this is one of the greatest stories I've ever read, inside fanfiction and outside. Surely, people do say that a lot, but I really mean it.

I do hope you recieve an email for this review and I absoloutely look foward to more from you, especially in the Moribito universe. Even if it does take a few years, I'm looking foward to it. And please excuse any errors, this was typed on my phone. xD

I loved this story. It flowed well although I will admit I wouldn't have minded it lingering on the hunter's cave or filling in around the edges with more written-out scenes. It was very well done. I thought you got the character's voices right. Admittedly a little more time spent on Jin would have helped his betrayal of the emperor seem a little more logical, as much as any betrayal of that magnitude could be termed logical. I would have enjoyed more Tanda but that's personal preference and you portrayed him masterfully anyways. I liked that Balsa finally realized she wasn't losing Chagum and his order to make Balsa and Tanda nobility was unexpected and hilarious, but made quite a bit of sense. It was a lovely story.

Thank you so much for writing this story. It was written very well, and honestly, I wish that they had ended the series like this. I look forward to reading more of your stories in the future.

You've kept the characters in character and developed them well. The story is extremely realistic in nature, as seen in Chagum's somewhat reluctant ascension to the throne, in Balsa's continued wanderings, and in other things. You've made this story such a pleasure to read. If there were awards for this fandom, I have no doubt you'd sweep them up.

Wonderful story. I loved the attachment between Balsa and Chagum and the satisfactory conclusion. Keep up the good work!

I loved this story! It was a perfect follow-up to the anime, I you nailed Chagum really well; this is just how I imagined he'd be, older.

best story ever! i'm so happy you were able to write this. i never liked the ending of the series very much, to many things left unsaid. any way something cool you could write about is a time chagum does have to fight with the spear, maybe balsa could be with him as well? so love the story

Loved this story! So happy to have found a good Moribito fic! You're right-the series really calls for some great follow-ups, and I was very sad to see a dearth of them. This one was great, though. You've captured much of the Balsa/Chagum relationship nicely, as well as where we'd expect to see the boy eventually. I'm looking forward to a sequel with greater character development beyond Chagum, who I think you have nicely.

I'd love to do a sequel and maybe I will someday... But right now I just don't have the time to dedicate to it. Thanks for asking!

It's me again:) The story had the same'flow' as the anime (I've only watched the anime) and like I said earlier would be perfect as the way the anime should have ended. Any chance of a sequel? I would love to see what would happen if Tanda and Balsa got together and had a child or two and Chagum's reaction; his reaction to having to share his mother figure.

I am reading this story for a third time and I still love it! I read 100k stories and was so glad that I found your story of Serei no Moribito. This story is how it should have ended between everyone. It's a shame that there are very few stories for this fandom, however I prefer your story to the for the story:)

Woah...this story is sooo awesome.

This is the second time I have read this story. I thoroughly enjoyed it both times. The characters are perfectly portrayed and believable. Every piece of dialog is something that I can picture the characters saying, and every action is also in character. I really do hope you'll write more Moribito pieces some day, since this is definitely the best Moribito fanfiction that the internet has to offer. Truly stunning work. I am sure that this will not be the last time I come back and read it, either.

Coming back to re-read this amazing work after so long (SO LONG), I realised that I, for some inexplicable reason, be it exams or general stupidity on my part, never reviewed the last chapter of this work.

...

Yes, this is a travesty within itself.

To me, the ending just resolved everything. And your writing style is both serious and humorous and generally lovely.

'How long to teach Shuga the knowledge of a lifetime manipulating emperors and politicians?' is both serious and funny all at once (or perhaps that's just me?) Chagum and Shuga are officially some kind of dream-team in my mind.

'Chagum's house would not have any permanent resident until he had at least two wives'. That, my friend, was both true, and pure gold. To me Chagum's always the young boy/teen and it brings me back to how things work in the case of the Mikado and heirs. Or perhaps just the idea of Chagum grown up with a wife, let alone two.

Chagum asking how things are going between Balsa and Tanda, and Balsa's reply of 'Some things not even an emperor can hurry along,' was also perfectly done. As was Chagum's answer. They both get along so well.

And the ending, well, I was moved to tears with this story's end without actually bawling my eyes out and drawing strange looks from family. You just nail character interaction, and your description illustrates the scenery without going into extreme lengths of description a la JRR Tolkien and dragging out everything, which is great balance. And you have a lovely pace set. Sorry, I guess I'm not very good for constructive criticism at the moment, all I seem to do is praise. I mean, your grammar's great and all, and you even have a glossary and notes to cover other information at the very beginning to avoid confusion, what am I supposed to say now?

It's been a while since I read the book, and reading your fanfic just brings it all back. Technically, I should be studying mathematics, but let's not go there.

I just wish that the Serei no Moribito fandom was more popular or something so that more people could read your work and drop a review. You deserve more reviews.

Yes, I love this story. And you for writing it. It's that good. In any case, I hope you've been doing well (it seems like ages - a year?) and all the best in your future endeavours, writing or otherwise.

Swordsmagician