The Tale of Orochi

Abstract

The Tale of Orochi is an epic story, one that relates the adventures of a young boy, Arake Sho, and his quest to capture eight dragons of legend. Its plot is based on the myth of the Japanese storm god, Susano-o no Mikoto, a tale that is found in the Kojiki, a sacred Shinto text written in the eighth century. I was first inspired to write something that involved the legend after watching the animated series Blue Seed, a 26-episode saga adapted from the manga (comic book) of the same name by author Takada Yuzo. The series continued the tale of Susano-o in a modem setting, combining mysticism with monsters, guns, panty humor, and pro-environmental messages. While I had been impressed by the series, I felt that something was lacking and began to think of the various ways I would have improved the series were I given the chance.