Okie-dokie, I finally read a complete synopsis of the novel. If you don't own this novel (or do speak Japanese), you cannot imagine how frustrating it is to have a copy and be unable to read it. Pity me. Really. I think I deserve it.
The story is, in my mind, the best of the novels. It neither tries to recreate nor adjust characters to fit popular conceptions. Rather, it elaborates on what the manga and anime already presented to the readers, allowing those who cared about the characters to not be stricken by sudden of severe changes, inexplicable additions to history, or just plain bad writing. I may be risking my life saying this, but I thought that some of the novels - namely, Nuriko's, Hotohori's, and the Eikouden duo - were extremely weak when they clearly should not have been. It seemed as though the author, Nishizaki Megumi, was merely trying to ingratiate herself to the audience, and I disliked that. Ryuuseiden takes another route, and it isn't hard to see why: the twins were never as popular as many of the cast members, making it easier to experiment with them rather than adhering to the rigid expectations of a large fandom. I wouldn't be surprised if I weren't the only one who feels this way.

On to the plot: it begins to unravel as the story of their unity and importance is being related to the boys. It is explained that they are no less than national treasures to which all of Kutou must look with admiration. Koutoku and Shunkaku are Seiryuu Shichiseishi, born with the marks of such; however, Shunkaku's mark, "Suboshi," appears infrequently, and he is physically and mentally less stable than his brother, leading his father to believe that he may not actually be a Shichiseishi. He asks Koutoku, who bears the symbol of "Amiboshi," to take care of his brother.

As Koutoku returns from a stroll one night, he finds that his entire village has been laid to waste by Kutou's army, which was blotting out civilian upheaval. (Or whatever armies do when there's a civil war. Hell if I know; the U.S. hasn't had one in a while.) Amiboshi finds his parents dying in their home. His father asks him to look after Shunkaku, who is hiding in the barn. He gives Koutoku his flute, telling him that because he can manipulate his chi through his mouth, he ought to be able to use the flute to his advantage. Koutoku reluctantly leaves his father and seeks out his brother. The two of them, now orphans, find refuge with a family who offers to put food in their mouths and shelter over their head. In a very Cinderella turn of events, the two beautiful twins are lorded over by a very ugly, incompassionate family.

Times passes, and Koutoku is ill at ease. He knows that finding Seiryuu No Miko could lead to not only his own freedom from a life of servitude, but liberate his brother, whose poor constitution makes it difficult for him to carry out household chores and maintain a dry bed. (Yes, Shun-kun's a bedwetter. Laugh and perish.) Koutoku sneaks away from the family to find Seiryuu No Miko, intent on making the world a better place. A week goes by, and Shunkaku becomes a wee bit upset that his dearly beloved brother has left him. His nasty surrogate family continues to be abusive, but is shocked when Shunkaku retalliates, telling them in no uncertain terms that they can go to Hell. During a scuffle, the symbol on his left shoulder, "Angle," appears, and the family's head decides that it might be a wise decision to sell such hot property to the highest bidder.

Koutoku, having failed in his pursuit of the Miko who has not yet arrived, returns to find that his brother has been sold. Not exactly happy with this turn of events, he sets out to be reunited with his brother. Alas, Kutou is a big place, and Koutoku is a young boy; there is little he can do but wander aimlessly, finally settling down in a small village where an irritating girl named Touka conveniently appears to act as a minor love interest for the novel. (Quick question: does anyone else find the insertion of Touka to be pointless and annoying? Just wondering.)

Nearby, Shunkaku has joined the Basara militia, a congregation of likeminded orphaned teenage boys who are out to settle their disputes with the Kutou army, as personfied by His Blondeness, Nakago. Tetsusou, the emotionally and physically scarred leader of the makeshift clan, realizes that Shunaku is something special, and not for the same reasons that the other fellows believe so. (Well, it wouldn't be a Watase story if it didn't include gratuitous homosexuals, would it?) Shunkaku commands the ryuuseisui with skill, proving himself a worth adversary in combat. He is overwhelmed by rage from years of fear, grief, and loneliness; consumed by a desire for revenge, and with a tendency to act destructively. Vindictive, angry, and a force to be reckoned with, Shunkaku is recognized as the strongest, and perhaps most important, member of Basara. He's also the best-looking. (Yes, I know I'm waxing on about him romantically... Shut up and leave me alone.)

Touka, a.k.a. The Ultimate Plot Contrivance, is Tetsusou's "sister," though in name only. In reality, her parents were killed by Basara, which she passionately hates for this reason. She infiltrates the group as a spy, relating their plans to Nakago, by whom she is employed. As she wanders alone one night, she is attacked by hooligans. Shunkaku, who was stalking... *ahem* protecting her per Tetsusou's request, intervenes, but he is outnumbered. A familiar tune fills the air, however, and Koutoku pulls the typical Watase-inspired deus ex machina, appearing in time to save everyone. Immediately, Shunkaku bristles, preparing to murder his own brother, whom he denies knowing. Yet after a moment he flings himself into his brother's arms, years of apprehensions and doubts washed away.

Shunkaku returns to camp and announces he is leaving Basara. Only, this isn't the real Shunkaku: it's Koutoku pretending to be Shunkaku. Why? I figure it's because he was so upset with his bland characterization in this novel that he decided he wanted to be someone else, which is nothing new considering he did this god knows how many times in the manga.

He goes back to his brother, taking Touka with him. During the night, Shunkaku cops a feel on Touka while he's asleep, apparently because Nishizaki-sensei wasn't content just to mess around with Koutoku and decided that she also had to make a fool of Shunkaku. In a huff, Touka, who cares very little for Shunkaku, stomps out of the tent. She is captured and ends up in Kutou where, upon learning that Nakago was the one responsible for the demise of her family, tries to kill Nakago. She fails and is sentenced to death, but someone intervenes on her behalf. That someone is... Yui. BEGIN SARCASM MODE: Yes, the so-called heartless bitch, wicked fool, and impossibly senseless Yui. Gee, don't you just hate that whoring skank? END SARCASM MODE

An inevitable confrontation between all takes place. Shunkaku saves Tetsusou, wielding his ryuuseisui, by far the coolest weapon in the manga, if only because it made a hell of a lot more sense than most of the others, largely because it looked and acted like a weapon, and was based on existing weapons, not just something that seemed like a good idea until put to the logical test. Shunkaku and Koutoku are nearly killed, but Soi (who made a cameo appearance earlier, but I'm too lazy to write about it) rescues them. They make the journey to Kutou, where Nakago tells them that once more they just separate. Shunkaku begs his brother not to leave him, but Koutoku, as everyone knows, makes the voyage to Kounan, where a fate worse than death befalls him: he is forced to spend time with the mindblowingly dull Suzaku Shichiseishi.

The End.

I left out some details, all of which I felt were superfluous since they were either redundant, irrelevant, or just didn't register on my Important Meter. What did I think of the novel? I think it did Suboshi more justice than I had imagined it would back before I knew what it was about. Suboshi may even make more sense now that it's clear who he was and what he was doing during the years between his parents' deaths and the deaths of the Sou family. It all accumulates, and the sum of parts is a striking character whose development is, in my anything but humble opinion, the best from any manga or anime.

Ah, but you wonder, what did I think of the rest of the novel, as it clearly was not devoted exclusively to Suboshi? Well, at some point during the summary I began to wish that Amiboshi would... I don't know... DO SOMETHING NEW. We have a deliciously conflicted character, and what does the author do? Screw him over badly. At the end he assures himself that he can sacrifice one Kutou soldier for the greater good of mankind. That, to me, was a copout. From a character whom I admired for his self-delusion and power of persuasion to a character who was just another dork on a mission to make the world a beter place? Oh, please, spare me the cliches! Amiboshi deserved better! I refuse to believe that any character who is so great can really be so lame. This "sweetie" bit is getting out of hand. Watase's original Amiboshi, who posed as Chiriko, was wonderful. All follow-ups have left me wanting to beat down the authors' doors and slap them upside the head with a solid steel flute, because I swear that's how my head rings every time I see Amiboshi pull his "sweetie" schtick. Why, oh WHY, did they do this to him? And they just keep digging that hole deeper and deeper and...

On another note, why is it that Suboshi was crammed behind Amiboshi on the cover art? Just thought I'd ask, seeing as how I'm getting annoyed with Suboshi not getting the credit he deserves. Yeah, Pioneer didn't use him for the spines on their VHS sleeves. No, they replaced him with Tama-Neko. Tama-Neko. Read that one more time: TAMA-NEKO. I ask you, who is really more key to story: the cat or the twin? Yeah, that's what I thought. Why are all these people so compelled to do everything in their power to pretend Suboshi doesn't exist? And is it just me, or does anyone else sort of prefer the more stylized way the twins used to be drawn back when the manga was still running? The jarring shift in character designs doesn't quite work for me. They still look great, but it isn't right to draw them so differently from volume thirteen, the last one in which they appeared.

*cough* Well, I enjoyed the novel... or the summaries thereof, seeing as how I cannot read the text. Despite my complaints about Amiboshi, the cover art, and the unrelated issue of Pioneer's crappy choice of box art, I think the novel did what it was supposed to do: sate the fans who were concerned with the back story to the Bu Twins. Was it an entirely successful outing? No, not quite, but it was my favorite so far, and not only because I think Suboshi is GOD.