Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781595824431
Released: January 2010
Original release: 2007
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

Footsteps is the twenty-second volume in the English-language release of Hiroaki Samura’s manga series Blade of the of Immortal. The volume was published by Dark Horse in 2010. Because of the difference in how the various chapters of Blade of the Immortal have been collected for the English-language edition, Footsteps is actually equivalent to the twenty-first volume of the original Japanese release published in 2007. Blade of the Immortal is a long-running series, having first begun serialization in 1993. Over the course of its publication it has won several awards, including a Japan Media Arts Award and an Eisner Award. It also happens to be a series of which I am particularly fond. Footsteps marks the beginning of the fifth and final major story arc in Blade of the Immortal.

After staging a successful prison break, setting free hundreds of captives from the hidden dungeons underneath Edō Castle and rescuing them from the fate of becoming the human test subjects of cruel immortality experiments, Rin has finally been reunited with Manji. The two have been separated for quite some time. Manji, despite his near-immortality, is a little worse for wear from his time spent in the dungeons and is currently missing his left arm. Isaku and Dōa, two members of the Ittō-ryū who were also involved in the raid on Edō Castle, were able to escape as well. However, their involvement has brought the Ittō-ryū back under the intense scrutiny of the shogunate. Nearly wiped out when the bakufu betrayed them, the few remaining Ittō-ryū members have been working in the shadows readying their revenge. They may have been forced out into the open sooner than planned, but the Ittō-ryū is still prepared to face the authorities head on.

Although I did enjoy the previous storyline, I am glad that the series is moving on from the dungeons and experiments and beginning to cover some new ground. Footsteps is an excellent volume in general, but particularly as the opening to the final story arc. The volume establishes where nearly all of the major players in Blade of the Immortal are after the fallout from the prison break. The focus turns from Rin and Manji (although they do have some absolutely wonderful scenes together) to the Ittō-ryū, which was largely though not entirely ignored during the previous arc. Anotsu, the highly capable leader of the Ittō-ryū, is gathering his forces and the Ittō-ryū is gaining new members and strength. For better and worse the Ittō-ryū has left a strong impression on other sword schools. Anotsu faces Habaki Kagimura, who has proven to be a worthy opponent, and the newly formed Rokki-dan—a group of death row felons hand-selected for their battle prowess.

I was actually a little surprised by the introduction of the Rokki-dan in Footsteps. Samura already included one group of death row assassins in Blade of the Immortal—the Mugai-ryū. However, the Mugai-ryū has been disbanded. The Rokki-dan is a similar group with a similar goal—to annihilate the Ittō-ryū. At this point, the only difference between the two is that the elite of the Rokki-dan are implied to be even more badass than the members of the Mugai-ryū. This would certainly be impressive if true. Skill-wise, its top fighters may even be able to hold their own against some of the Ittō-ryū’s. The lower ranking members of the Rokki-dan are nothing more than faceless cannon fodder, though. In many ways the Rokki-dan’s introduction does seem to be more of the same, but there should at least be some fantastic confrontations and battles in the next volume, Scarlet Swords, as a result.

Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781595823236
Released: July 2009
Original release: 2006
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

Demon Lair II is the twenty-first volume in the English-language release of Blade of the Immortal, Hiroaki Samura’s long-running, award-winning manga series. Along with the previous volume, Demon Lair, it forms the conclusion to the series’ fourth and penultimate major story arc. Demon Lair II was published by Dark Horse in 2009. The chapters collected in Demon Lair II are the same as those found in the twentieth volume of the Japanese release of Blade of the Immortal, published in 2006. In addition, Demon Lair II also includes a glossary (useful since many terms in Blade of the Immortal are left untranslated, or simply don’t have an exact equivalent in English) and a translation of a parody article about Samura originally found in the September 2003 issue of Afternoon, the magazine in which Blade of the Immortal was serialized.

Somehow, Rin and Dōa have successfully fought their way into the secret underground dungeons of Edō Castle. There they have found what, or rather who, they have been looking for: Manji and Isaku, who have both been subjected to cruel experiments meant to find a way to transfer Manji’s near-immortality and regenerative abilities to another person. Now the real trick will be getting everyone back out alive and ideally in one piece. As challenging as it was for Rin and Dōa to infiltrate the castle grounds, escaping will be even more problematic. The tunnels underneath the complex are flooding and are ready to collapse; standing between them and their way out are armed guards as well as crazed inmates. The situation above ground, assuming that they can make it that far, is chaos with countless escaped prisoners inside the castle complex and their families outside of its walls on the verge of rioting.

Much like its companion volume Demon Lair, Demon Lair II is largely one long action sequence. There are some important plot revelations and character moments, but for the most part Demon Lair II is made up of one fight after another. What sets Demon Lair II apart form previous volumes, and one of the things that I like the most about the volume, is Samura’s use of water. The flooding of the dungeons is a violent event in and of itself. The water is extraordinarily destructive and its effect upon those unlucky enough to be caught up in it is extremely detrimental. Generally speaking, Samura has always made good use of the environment and surroundings as part of his battles in Blade of the Immortal. Demon Lair II is no different and he has given special consideration to the sorts of problems and opportunities fighting in high, cold water would present.

Many of the recent volumes in Blade of the Immortal have focused on the human costs and failures surrounding the immortality experiments. Demon Lair II reveals that some of the successes that Burando, the doctor in charge of the investigation, has had are just as horrifying—he has literally created monsters. To some extent, that particular development wasn’t foreshadowed as well as it could have been, but it does go to show just how far Burando has strayed from his ideals. The conclusion of Demon Liar II also brings together a few of the stray plot lines and characters in Blade of the Immortal in preparation for the next and final story arc. Samura introduces a surprise or two along the way, too. I am very curious to see how things begin to play out in the next volume, Footsteps.

Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781595821997
Released: December 2008
Original release: 2005-2006
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

Demon Lair is the twentieth volume in the English-language release of Hiroaki Samura’s manga series Blade of the Immortal. Published by Dark Horse Comics in 2008, Demon Lair is most closely equivalent to the nineteenth volume of the Japanese edition of the series published in 2006, although it includes a couple of chapters from the eighteenth volume released in 2005 as well. Demon Lair is also the first volume in which none of the chapters were previously released by Dark Horse in a monthly format. In general, Blade of the Immortal has been well received. In 1998 the series won a Japan Media Arts Award and in 2000 it received an Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material. The series also happens to be a personal favorite of mine. Demon Lair marks the beginning of the end of the fourth major story arc in Blade of the Immortal.

Following rumors of an immortality experiment, Rin and Dōa have successfully penetrated the first level of Edo Castle’s defenses. It wasn’t easy—Rin in particular isn’t in the best physical condition after a brutal run in with the guards in the secret tunnels leading to the castle—but the two young women are determined to find Manji and Isaku. Not that they have any hard evidence that the men are being held within the castle complex; their insider information is sketchy at best. Rin and Dōa are so focused on finding and rescuing Manji and Isaku that many of the finer points of their plan have been neglected, which is bound to get them into more trouble along the way. But for two fighters in over their heads, they have done remarkably well to have made it as far as they have.

From beginning to end, Demon Lair is one long, non-stop sequence of battles, fights, and near escapes. The plot might not move forward much, but there is certainly plenty of action to be had. The last few volumes of Blade of the Immortal have really been building up to and setting the stage for Demon Lair. Some of the developments in Demon Lair may not be particularly unexpected, but there are still some nice twists and surprises in store as Manji’s storyline and Rin’s storyline finally collide again. Samura even mangaes to work in a few brief sweet and touching moments amid all the chaos of Demon Lair. Some of the series’ humor also returns; this is welcome even if it does feel a bit out of place—lately Blade of the Immortal has been pretty dark.

One of the things that stands out in Demon Lair is Rin’s reactions to what she and Dōa discover in the dungeons and tunnels of Edo Castle. Up until now, the rumours of the immortality experiments have just been rumors. Readers of Blade of the Immortal are well aware of the horrifying experiments, but Rin and Dōa are facing the results of the atrocities for the very first time. Slowly Rin is able to piece together what has been going on underneath the castle and she is outraged. It’s a very nice character moment. At the series’ start, Rin was concerned about her own personal revenge. More recently, she has been focused on Manji’s plight. But now in some small way she is also fighting for the people of Edo. Of course, if she plans on making any sort of difference, she’ll need to escape from the castle first.

Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781593078713
Released: June 2008
Original release: 2005
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

Badger Hole is the nineteenth volume in the English-language release of Hiroaki Samura’s long-running manga series Blade of the Immortal. Published by Dark Horse in 2008, Badger Hole collects five of the eight chapters that appeared in the eighteenth volume of the Japanese edition of Blade of the Immortal, released in 2005. Because of how Dark Horse is releasing the series—individual volumes collect chapters by story arc rather than number or page count—Badger Hole ends up being one of the shorter volumes. Blade of the Immortal has been well received in both the East and the West. The series won a Japan Media Arts Award in 1998 and an Eisner Award in 2000, among other honors. Blade of the Immortal was one of the first manga series that I started reading and it continues to be one of my favorites.

After Manji and Isaku both go missing, and are presumably imprisoned, Rin and Dōa have been working together to find them. Rumours of an immortality experiment have led the two young women to a guarded and secluded passageway known as the Badger Hole by the locals. There are jobs to be had there hauling out and disposing of the dead bodies of prisoners and, thanks to the experiments, in increasingly large numbers. If Rin’s theory is correct, the Badger Hole is the entrance to a series of labyrinthine tunnels leading to Edo Castle itself where she believes that Manji at least is being held. And so Rin and Dōa prepare to infiltrate the Badger Hole under the guise of beggars looking for work. With Dōa’s fighting skills and Rin’s quick thinking, along with a little luck, they hope to successfully stage a rescue, but things don’t always go exactly as planned.

While the previous few volumes of Blade of the Immortal have largely focused on the plight of Manji, the other felons, and the doctors involved with the immortality experiments, in Badger Hole Samura turns his attention to the women of the series. At various points in Blade of the Immortal Rin, Dōa, and Hyakurin—one of the assassins of the disbanded Mugai-ryū—have all been shown to be just as strong as the series’ men and in some cases even stronger. In Badger Hole it is the men who need rescuing and the women are prepared to do anything they can to see them safe again. And it’s not just Rin, Dōa, and Hyakurin. The women of Edo, those who have lost their fathers, husbands, and sons to the experiments (even though they don’t know that’s the reason their loved ones have gone missing), also have power, strength, and an important role to play.

In some ways, this empowerment is completely undone by the ending of Badger Hole. Dōa and Rin get into some trouble and it takes a deus ex machina and the introduction of a new Ittō-ryū member to get them out of it. Ozuhan may suddenly appear from nowhere, but the resulting battle is nicely choreographed and dynamic. He has an eerie presence about him and his style of fighting is very different from most of the other characters in the series. Ozuhan does ends up stealing the spotlight from the women, but it seems as though he will be an interesting addition to the series. Badger Hole also reveals Dōa’s first encounter with Anotsu, the leader of the Ittō-ryū who she more or less worships, something I’ve been looking forward to seeing since her introduction. There’s still more of Dōa’s story that hasn’t been told, so I look forward to learning more about her in the next volume, Demon Lair.

Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781593078713
Released: February 2008
Original release: 2004
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

The Sparrow Net, the eighteenth volume of Hiroaki Samura’s award-winning manga series Blade of the Immortal as released in English, was published by Dark Horse in 2008. Dark Horse’s English-language edition of the series divides the individual volumes by story arc rather than strictly by number of chapters. Because of this, The Sparrow Net is most closely equivalent to the seventeenth Japanese volume except that The Sparrow Net includes one additional chapter. Also because of Dark Horse’s tendency to compile the volumes by story arc, The Sparrow Net ends up being on of the longest books in the series. Blade of the Immortal is one of my personal favorites. I’ve been enjoying the manga’s mix of historical fiction, martial arts, and the supernatural along with Samura’s complex characters and great artwork.

After the Ittō-ryū was betrayed and nearly wiped out by the bakufu, the surviving members of the rogue sword school have been quietly working in the background, biding their time and preparing a return assault against the government. Although they are supposed to be in hiding and keeping a low profile while in Edo, two of the Ittō-ryū’s most recent members, Dōa and Isaku, can’t seem to help but draw attention to themselves. After a confrontation with the police force, Isaku goes missing and Dōa is left behind with Rin who in a strange twist of fate has been helping to hide them (her parents were killed by the Ittō-ryū.) Although their relationship is less than ideal, the two young women must work together in order to find both Isaku and Manji, Rin’s bodyguard who has also disappeared under troubling circumstances.

Dōa and Isaku are relatively new characters in Blade of the Immortal having first been introduced towards the end of the fifteenth volume, Trickster. Although Dōa in particular has been shown to be violent and easily provoked, The Sparrow Net is the first time that she and Isaku are seen to really fight. With Isaku’s size and strength and Dōa’s speed and viciousness they make an incredibly effective and formidable team. The Sparrow Net is also the first volume in Blade of the Immortal to delve into the pair’s backstory. Previously, there have been some hints as to their pasts and who they really are, but until now their history has largely remained a mystery. I am still very curious to learn how they joined up with the Ittō-ryū.

While chaos surrounds Dōa and Isaku, Rin continues her search for Manji. Eventually she hears rumor of a bizarre immortality experiment. The procedures being performed on Manji and the other felons have reached disturbing new heights of cruelty. However, this escalation means that more people are involved and it is increasingly difficult to hide. Even those who are only tangentially involved suspect that something horribly wrong is going on. And those who are at the heart of the investigation—the doctors and their assistants, not to mention their human guinea pigs—have all been affected in terrible ways. The change in Ayame Burando, one of the head doctors on the case who himself is on death row, and what that brings about is particularly horrifying. I’m almost afraid to see what is in store in the next volume, Badger Hole.