Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781593074685
Released: February 2006
Original release: 2003
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

Trickster is the fifteenth volume in the English-language edition of Hiroaki Samura’s award-winning manga series Blade of the Immortal. Because the series has been collected slightly differently between the Japanese and English releases, Trickster is actually equivalent to the fourteenth volume published in Japan in 2003. Trickster was released three years later by Dark Horse in 2006. Since Blade of the Immortal‘s beginning it has garnered numerous awards and honors. Among these are a Japan Media Arts Award from 1997 and an Eisner Award from 2000. Along with the end of previous volume, Last Blood, Trickster marks the beginning of the fourth major story arc in Blade of the Immortal. Last Blood established the groundwork for some major plot developments, so I was very interested in seeing how things would play out in Trickster.

Manji is a wanted man. He has killed more than one hundred men, and that was before he became immortal. While he and Giichi are “discussing” Manji’s joining the Mugai-ryū—a group of death row inmates serving the bakufu as assassains to earn their freedom—Rin is captured by the Ittō-ryū. The bakufu isn’t the only group interested in Manji and his bloody history. Serving as Rin’s bodyguard, Manji’s taken out quite a few of the Ittō-ryū’s best fighters. A few of the remaining members want revenge and are willing to hold Rin captive until they get it. Meanwhile, the rest of the Ittō-ryū is recovering from a devastating assault which left a majority of the members of the sword school dead. With only the core remaining, the Ittō-ryū is developing plans for its own attack, striking back at the bakufu in return for its betrayal.

The setup and location, an abandoned quarry, for the Ittō-ryū’s confrontation with Manji and Giichi in Trickster is marvelous. Unfortunately, the resulting combat, with the exception of a few choice sequences, was somewhat disappointing. The fight scenes are fantastic in concept but they are rather difficult to follow. How the series has been adapted for the English edition, a sort of cut-and-paste method, compounds the issue. I know that Samura can create phenomenal fight choreography, I’ve seen it in previous volumes of Blade of the Immortal, which is why Trickster didn’t quite meet my expectations. The fights in Trickster had a tremendous amount of potential and could have been incredibly dynamic but sadly their execution largely seemed to be wasted opportunity. But even considering this, Samura is still able to pull off some stunningly effective moments.

Although I was unhappy with some of the combat in Trickster, over all I was still pleased with the volume—there was some nice character and plot development. Several members of the Ittō-ryū who have only really been seen in previous volumes of Blade of the Immortal were more thoroughly introduced in Trickster. Some won’t last very long while others have been set up to play an important role in the story. And then there’s Rin who has been important from the beginning and continues to grow and evolve. Rin has been separated from Manji for several volumes leading up to Trickster. Now that they have been reunited it is readily clear that she has become very attached to him. Manji started out as a body guard but by now he means much more to Rin than just that. It’s important that these feelings have been established since by the end of Trickster, things are really not looking good for Manji. I am very interested in seeing how things develop in the next volume, Shortcut.

Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781593073213
Released: June 2005
Original release: 2002
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

Last Blood, the fourteenth volume in the English-language edition of Hiroaki Samura’s manga series Blade of the Immortal was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2005. The chapters collected in the English volumes are different from those collected in the original Japanese volumes; even the actual chapter divisions have been modified in some cases. However, in the case of Last Blood, it is nearly identical in content to the thirteenth volume of the Japanese edition published in 2002. Since Blade of the Immortal began its publication it has been very well received, winning many awards and honors such as a Japan Media Arts Award and an Eisner Award among others. Blade of the Immortal is one of the manga series that I enjoy reading the most. Last Blood is a transitional volume in Blade of the Immortal, marking the end of the third major story arc and the beginning of the fourth.

In a strange turn of events, Rin finds herself fleeing Kaga along with her enemy Anotsu, each one of them helping to keep the other alive. Unfortunately, Anotsu is dying from a infected wound. It’s only a matter of time before the remaining students of the Shingyōtō-ryū dōjō catch up with them. Although Anotsu never intended for it to happen, his presence in Kaga brought tragedy down upon the school. The Shingyōtō-ryū members are determined to take his life in return, even if it means their own deaths. And because Rin is accompanying Anotsu, her life is in danger, too. This is the mess that Manji, Rin’s bodyguard, walks into. Separated from Rin in Edo when she left him behind to pursue Anotsu on her own, Manji finds her again only to discover that she’s being held captive. The Shingyōtō-ryū isn’t too keen on the appearance of an unknown swordsman, making a tense situation even more volatile.

As previously mentioned, Last Blood largely serves as a transition volume. Although there are a few very important plot developments, for the most part there is very little evolution in either the story or the characters. Instead, Last Blood is the culmination of everything that has come before it as largely independent storylines begin to collapse together. Every group that has so far had a stake in Blade of the Immortal is involved in Last Blood, resulting in a sort of battle royal between the Ittō-ryū, Shingyōtō-ryū, Mugai-ryū, and even the bakufu itself. And then there’s Manji whose main concern is Rin. Depending on the circumstances, Manji has allied himself with the various factions over the course of Blade of the Immortal in order to protect her and keep her safe. With the exception of his loyalty to Rin, Manji’s allegiances are constantly shifting as he makes the most of the situations with which he’s confronted.

While there may not be much plot or character development in Last Blood there certainly is a fair amount of fighting going on. Blood has been shed and battles have been waged since the beginning of Blade of the Immortal. And, as Last Blood shows, that is something that won’t be changing any time soon. In one way or another the different factions are all fighting to change their lives and the society in which they live. Because they choose the sword to live, many will also die by the sword. Last Blood is anything but the last blood that will be shed as their struggles continue. The Ittō-ryū in particular is faced with some major setbacks, but they have always proven themselves to be versatile and adaptable. They will begin to make their next move in the next volume, Trickster.

Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781593072186
Released: August 2004
Original release: 2002
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

The thirteen volume of Hiroaki Samura’s manga series Blade of the Immortal, Mirror of the Soul, was published by Dark Horse in 2004. The releases of the English-language volumes collect slightly different chapters than the Japanese releases. I recently discovered that some of the chapter divisions are also slightly different. Mirror of the Soul includes chapters sixty-eight through seventy-six of Dark Horses’ edition. It is most closely equivalent to the twelfth volume of the original Japanese release, published in 2002. Blade of the Immortal has been the recipient of many awards and honors, including a Japan Media Arts Award in 1997 and an Eisner Award in 2000. I also happen to be quite fond of the series personally. Mirror of the Soul picks up the story directly where the previous volume Autumn Frost leaves off. Since Autumn Frost ends with the implication of a major (although not unexpected) plot twist, I was looking forward to seeing how the story developed in Mirror of the Soul.

Kagehisa Anotsu, leader of the increasingly powerful sword school known as the Ittō-ryū, has agreed to the absorption of the Shingyōtō-ryū dōjō despite some of its students misgivings. In order to secure the schools’ cooperation, Anotsu marries Hisoka, the foster daughter of the Shingyōtō-ryū’s head. But even though he was reached Kaga safely and the wedding proceeds without any major complications, there are still those who see the Ittō-ryū as a threat and would attempt to take Anotsu’s life. Broke and starving, Rin, whose parents’ deaths were caused by the Ittō-ryū, has also reached Kaga in pursuit of Anotsu. A chance encounter brings the two of them together on the road when suddenly Rin finds herself caught in the middle of an assassination attempt. Manji, the bodyguard Rin abandoned in order to find Anotsu, has finally managed to leave Edo, but arrives in Kaga too late to find either Anotsu or Rin. And now that both she and Anotsu are on the run, Manji will have his work cut out for him to find them again.

At the beginning of Blade of the Immortal I was prepared to dislike Anotsu as he appeared to be the series’ villain. But as the manga progresses, he has proven to be a much more complicated character than that. At times its difficult to even call him an antagonist, one of the reasons he makes such a fascinating character. His and Rin’s relationship is also very interesting to see. Even though she wants him dead he holds nothing against her and understands her fury. Mirror of the Soul is the first time Rin witnesses Anotsu go all out as he fights for his life, realizing once again just how out-classed she is. It’s also one of the first times Anotsu is seen actually fighting with his axe—an exotic and devastating weapon with which he is able to deal an impressive amount of damage. Because the weapon is so unusual, and because Anotsu is so skilled, he is at a distinct advantage against opponents who aren’t sure how to respond to it.

Mirror of the Soul also shows Anotsu at his most vulnerable. He ends up having to rely on Rin as much as she relies on him, an odd but compelling situation for the enemies to find themselves in. Illness, disease, and injury could be a fate worse than death in an era where medical expertise is limited. Anotsu’s physical well-being isn’t the only thing at risk in Mirror of the Soul. His reunion with Makie is tragic (I was, however, very happy to see her return to the series) and is bound to take an emotional and mental toll on him. His plans for the Ittō-ryū are also in danger of unraveling. Anotsu may be an incredibly skilled strategist, but even he isn’t able to plan for every possible development. I am very curious to see how he will handle everything that has been thrown at him in Mirror of the Soul; the series continues with the next volume, Last Blood.