Random Musings: Wrapping Up the Blade of the Immortal Monthly Review Project

Manji - Blade of the ImmortalHiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal was one of the first manga that I ever read and it was the first series that I made a point of collecting. Even before I started writing at Experiments in Manga, I was reading and reviewing Blade of the Immortal. However, I wasn’t very consistent or timely with those reviews. And so, early in 2012, I began a monthly review project in which, beginning with the seventh volume, I would read and review one volume of Blade of the Immortal every month.

Nearly two years later, I have reached the twenty-seventh volume and my reviews have finally caught up with the English release of the series. I also plan on reviewing the new volumes of Blade of the Immortal as they are published. Assuming Dark Horse continues releasing Blade of the Immortal as it has been, there should be a total of thirty-one volumes in the English-language edition and we’ll see the end of the series in 2015.

Deliberately focusing on a single series month after month was an interesting experience and one that I enjoyed. I believe that it allowed me to see overarching plots and themes more clearly; it forced me to really look at what was going on and I noticed details that I might not have otherwise. Overall, I found it to be a valuable exercise in reviewing. So much so that I’ll soon be taking up a new monthly review project. I’m putting it up to a vote, too, so be on the lookout!

The links to all of my Blade of the Immortal reviews have been conveniently collected below, including the links to my reviews of Samura’s Blade of the Immortal artbook and the novel based on the manga written by Junichi Ohsako. (Some of the older reviews were written before I had read much manga and before I really knew what I was doing; I find them rather embarrassing, so please be forgiving.)

The Art of Blade of the Immortal
Blade of the Immortal: Legend of the Sword Demon

Blade of the Immortal, Volume 1: Blood of a Thousand
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 2: Cry of the Worm
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 3: Dreamsong
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 4: On Silent Wings
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 5: On Silent Wings II
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 6: Dark Shadows
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 7: Heart of Darkness
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 8: The Gathering
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 9: The Gathering, Part II
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 10: Secrets
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 11: Beasts
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 12: Autumn Frost
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 13: Mirror of the Soul
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 14: Last Blood
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 15: Trickster
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 16: Shortcut
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 17: On the Perfection of Anatomy
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 18: The Sparrow Net
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 19: Badger Hole
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 20: Demon Lair
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 21: Demon Lair II
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 22: Footsteps
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 23: Scarlet Swords
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 24: Massacre
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 25: Snowfall at Dawn
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 26: Blizzard
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 27: Mist on the Spider’s Web
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 28: Raining Chaos
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 29: Beyond Good and Evil
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 30: Vigilance
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 31: Final Curtain

Blade of the Immortal, Volume 27: Mist on the Spider’s Web

Blade of the Immortal, Volume 27Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781616552152
Released: September 2013
Original release: 2010
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

Mist on the Spider’s Web is the twenty-seventh volume in the English-language edition of Hiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal manga series. Released by Dark Horse in 2013, Mist on the Spider’s Web is more or less equivalent to the twenty-sixth volume of Blade of the Immortal published in Japan in 2010. Blade of the Immortal is an award-winning series. Over the course of its long publication history the manga has earned Samura a Japan Media Arts Award and an Eisner Award among other honors. Blade of the Immortal is also a series of which I am particularly fond, so I am glad to see Dark Horse sticking with the manga through to its end. Mist on the Spider’s Web takes place during the fifth and final major story arc of Blade of the Immortal. The previous volume, Blizzard, was particularly good and so I was very interested to see where Samura would take things next with Mist on the Spider’s Web.

While Rin, Manji, and the others are recovering from their final confrontation with Shira, the hunt for the remaining Ittō-ryū swordsmen continues. The main group is well on its way to Hitachi under the guidance of senior members Abayama Sosuke and Kashin Koji. Before making their escape they hope to reunite with their leader Anotsu Kagehisa who has been delayed after his attack on Edō Castle. The three other Ittō-ryū fighters who also took part in the strike are either dead, missing, or severely wounded. Habaki Kagimura is in pursuit, chasing down the Ittō-ryū and its allies. He and his Rokki-dan warriors—death row convicts with little choice but to aid Habaki in his quest—are charged with annihilating the rogue sword school. The pressure on the Ittō-ryū continues to mount as more and more of Anotsu’s enemies draw ever closer.

If it wasn’t already apparent, Mist on the Spider’s Web makes it very clear how far the Ittō-ryū has fallen since its glory days. The most talented swordsmen are slowly being killed off, the new members are few and inexperienced, and the group has had to abandon some of its core ideals and principles just for the chance of survival. It is becoming increasingly likely that the Ittō-ryū may simply cease to exist in its entirety. The sword school is a mere shadow of what it once was. The Ittō-ryū, which destroyed so many other martial groups and caused so much chaos, is now faced with its own demise. However, its members are prepared to fight to the very end and by any means necessary. Despite the questionable methods that the Ittō-ryū has employed to reach its goals, Anotsu wasn’t entirely wrong in his ambitions. It is a little disheartening to see the Ittō-ryū’s idealism fading away.

Mist on the Spider’s Web has some fantastic action sequences, but there’s also quite a bit of standing around and talking, too. It can be somewhat tedious at times, but it does make sense within the context of what is going on. In general the focus of Blade of the Immortal on the Ittō-ryū has been directed towards its fighters, but the group also has members that rely more on their mental capacities rather than on their martial capabilities. Anotsu has always been shown to be a particularly impressive strategist in addition to being a skilled swordsman, but in Mist on the Spider’s Web it is old man Kashin who demonstrates his worth through his devious intelligence. He doesn’t need physical strength to overcome his enemies, only careful thought, thorough planning, and little bit of time. Of course, time is one of the things that the Ittō-ryū has less and less of these days.

Blade of the Immortal: Legend of the Sword Demon

Blade of the Immortal: Legend of the Sword DemonAuthor: Junichi Ohsako
Illustrator: Hiroaki Samura

U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781595823380
Released: January 2010
Original release: 2008

Hiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal was one of the first manga series that I began reading and it remains one of my personal favorites. When I learned that a novel based on the manga had been written I immediately picked it up. However, it did take me quite some time to actually get around to reading it. Blade of the Immortal: Legend of the Sword Demon, written by Junichi Ohsako with illustrations by Samura, was originally published in Japan in July 2008—the same month the anime adaptation of Blade of the Immortal began airing. I don’t know much about the author (Legend of the Sword Demon is the only novel by Ohsako to have been released in English), but I do know that Ohsako is a fellow fan of Blade of the Immortal. The English-language edition of Legend of the Sword Demon was translated by Camellia Nieh and released in 2010 by Dark Horse. Unsurprisingly, Dark Horse is also the publisher responsible for releasing the Blade of the Immortal manga and artbook in English.

Rin was the only daughter of Asano Takayoshi, the head of the respected Mutenichi-ryū sword school. A few years past he was brutally murdered before her very eyes, her mother was raped and abducted, and Rin was abandoned and left alone to fend for herself. Her family was destroyed at the hands of a group of renegade swordsmen known as the Ittō-ryū and their leader Anotsu Kagehisa. Now Rin is seeking her revenge, hiring an outlaw known only as Manji as her bodyguard. Rumored to be immortal, Manji has vowed to kill one thousand evil men to atone for hist past misdeeds. But is the Ittō-ryū truly evil? Whether it is or isn’t, Manji and Rin aren’t the only ones seeking the group’s demise. This complicates matters a great deal and it becomes difficult for Rin and Manji to determine who are friends and who are foes. Any alliances made in the fight against the Ittō-ryū can only be assumed to be temporary.

Legend of the Sword Demon is a very quick read. The story is a re-imagining of the early part of the Blade of the Immortal manga series. While the novel has some unique content of its own, including a dangerous enemy not found anywhere else, many of the scenes will be familiar to those who have read the original. All of the most popular characters make an appearance in the novel as well. (This was actually one of the conditions set by the publisher when the novel was initially commissioned.) Legend of the Sword Demon mostly focuses on the action of the story. Very little descriptive detail is given and the characters aren’t particularly fleshed out, either. It is interesting to see a slightly different take on Blade of the Immortal, but Legend of the Sword Demon almost requires that readers have a fairly firm grounding in the original series to really appreciate what Ohsako is doing with the story and characters. There might be enough in the novel to entice new readers to pick up the manga, but I am not at all confident of that.

In the end, I was actually rather disappointed with Legend of the Sword Demon. I can’t really recommend the novel to anyone but those who are Blade of the Immortal completists (a group of people to which I admittedly belong). Ultimately, Legend of the Sword Demon is a very insubstantial work and somewhat shallow, lacking the depth present in the manga series. It feels as though the novel is nothing more than tie-in promotional material. Ohsako may be a devoted fan of Blade of the Immortal but Legend of the Sword Demon isn’t long enough nor complex enough to really establish itself as noteworthy. It’s fun in places, but Legend of the Sword Demon is largely forgettable. The real highlight of the volume is Samura’s cover art and the handful of full-page illustrations that he created specifically for the novel. Otherwise, Legend of the Sword Demon is something that most people probably won’t regret passing over.

Blade of the Immortal, Volume 26: Blizzard

Blade of the Immortal, Volume 26Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781616550981
Released: March 2013
Original release: 2009
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

Blizzard is the twenty-sixth volume in the English-language edition of Hiroaki Samura’s long-running, award-winning manga series Blade of the Immortal. Dark Horse originally released Blade of the Immortal by story arc rather than by number of chapters, so the volumes in the English-language release are slightly different from those in the original Japanese edition. Blizzard was published by Dark Horse in 2013 and is equivalent to the twenty-fifth volume of the Japanese series which was released in 2009. Blizzard takes place during the final major story arc of Blade of the Immortal and includes one of the series’ most important climaxes. I consider Blizzard to be a companion volume to the previous collection Snowfall at Dawn which leaves off partway through the battle between Shira and Manji. By the end of Snowfall at Dawn things aren’t looking at all good for Rin and Manji, so I was anxious to read Blizzard.

With Manji and Rin sunk beneath the pond’s freezing surface, Shira returns to the roadside where he left Magatsu incapacitated. Shira is not yet through with Manji, but he wants revenge against the young Ittō-ryū fighter as well and intends on making the most of their chance meeting. Magatsu is surprised to see Shira, too, having previously sent the sadistic killer plummeting from the top of a cliff during their last encounter. Shira once again finds himself interrupted when he is challenged by Meguro, one of Habaki’s shinobi. She has little hope of defeating Shira, especially now that he is semi-immortal, but her attack serves as a distraction. Shira isn’t aware of it, but back at the pond Meguro’s companion Tanpopo is doing all that she can to rescue and revive both Rin and Manji. At this point Manji is the only person who has even a slight chance of stopping Shira, but as Manji’s condition continues to deteriorate his success seems increasingly unlikely.

The beginning of Manji and Shira’s confrontation in Snowfall at Dawn was relatively subdued, focusing more on the psychological aspects of Shira’s attack and less on the physical combat. The conclusion of their battle in Blizzard is what I was really expecting and waiting for from their showdown. With two near immortals battling it out the damage that they inflict on each other is tremendous. Others can only look on astounded at the viciousness and brutality of the bloodbath occurring in front of them. Describing Manji and Shira’s final fight as intense would be putting it very mildly. At times it is difficult to see through all of the blood and guts as the two opponents literally rip each other apart. Samura’s artwork is unflinching and captures the entirety of their exceptionally violent battle as well as its bloody aftermath. Blizzard is extreme and gruesome and even those who make it through to the end of the volume barely survive.

While the duel between Shira and Manji is certainly the focus of Blizzard it isn’t the only important development in Blade of the Immortal to occur in the volume. I was happy to see Tanpopo and Meguro take on a more active role in the series. Up until this point in the manga they have generally been part of the series’ comedic relief—Meguro in particular frequently comes across as rather ditsy—but the women are shown to be quite capable martially in Blizzard. Another important development in the volume has to do with Renzō. His father, a member of the Ittō-ryū, was killed fairly early on by Manji in Blade of the Immortal. Since then Renzō has led a very difficult life, eventually becoming a broken and damaged young man partly due to the abuse he suffered at Shira’s hands and partly because he can’t forgive what happened to his father. His struggle isn’t over, but his story does begin to find a satisfying resolution in Blizzard.

Blade of the Immortal, Volume 25: Snowfall at Dawn

Blade of the Immortal, Volume 25Creator: Hiroaki Samura
U.S. publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781595828835
Released: August 2012
Original release: 2009
Awards: Eisner Award, Japan Media Arts Award

Snowfall at Dawn is the twenty-fifth volume in the English-language release of Hiroaki Samura’s award-winning manga series Blade of the Immortal. Published by Dark Horse in 2012, Snowfall at Dawn collects the same chapters as the twenty-fourth volume of the original Japanese edition of Blade of the Immortal released in 2009. Blade of the Immortal first began serialization in 1993 and has covered a lot of ground since then. Starting as a story of revenge with a touch of the supernatural, the series mixes historical reality with the fantastic and later on even a healthy dose of horror. Snowfall at Dawn is part of the fifth and final major story arc of the series. With morally complex characters, dynamic artwork, and an engaging story, Blade of the Immortal continues to be one of my favorite manga series.

After their daring assault on Edō Castle, Baro Sukezane provides the diversion needed to allow his comrades Magatsu Taito and Anotsu Kagehisa, the leader of the Ittō-ryū sword school, to escape. They aim to rejoin the rest of the Ittō-ryū as quickly as possible while avoiding their pursuers. Among those trying to locate Anotsu are Asano Rin and Manji, her bodyguard and companion. Little do the pair know, but they are also being pursued. Shira, a sadistic murderer who holds a particularly intense grudge against Manji, is steadily getting closer to exacting his revenge. Accompanying Shira is Kawakami Renzō, a broken young man with his own reason for hating Manji. It’s only a matter of time before the four of them meet once again. The encounter is one that Shira has been preparing for and fantasizing about, taking great pleasure in anticipating and contemplating the pain and torment his plans will bring Manji and Rin.

The last few volumes have been building up to the confrontation between Shira and Manji. Unsurprisingly, their battle is the focus of Snowfall at Dawn. What did surprise me, however, is how comparatively tame it is physically when considering the perverse and barbaric nature of Shira’s past exploits and misdeeds. The potential for extreme physical violence between Shira and Manji is great. Shira is an unapologetic and twisted sadist while Manji is a man who is extraordinarily difficult to kill, making him an ideal victim and target. But Shira isn’t only interested in Manji’s physical suffering, he also takes great joy in causing mental anguish. Although there is still plenty of bodily harm and pain inflicted during the battle in Snowfall at Dawn, the psychological impact and agony caused by Shira’s attack on Rin and Manji is just as crucial to the fight. Out of all of the characters in Blade of the Immortal, Shira is easily the most unquestionably villanous and terrifying.

In addition to the showdown between Shira and Manji, Snowfall at Dawn also reveals Shira’s whereabouts during the long prison story arc as well as his involvement in the immortality experiments. Shira may be an utter bastard, but he’s had some unspeakable things done to him as well. As part of this, there is also a lengthy discourse in Snowfall at Dawn about the nature and limitations of Manji’s bizarre regenerative abilities. While vaguely interesting, it is largely unnecessary. Anyone who has been reading Blade of the Immortal should be well aware by this point that Manji’s immortality is imperfect; ample evidence can be found throughout the series. However, Samura hasn’t previously gone into such specific detail about it as he does in Snowfall at Dawn. Unfortunately, he has to interrupt the flow of the story in order to do so. Still, Samura soon returns to what really matters in Snowfall at Dawn—Manji and Shira’s battle, which will reach its conclusion in the next volume, Blizzard.