Blade of the Immortal, Volume 12: Autumn Frost

Blade of the Immortal (US) #12

by Hiroaki Samura

You'd think that Manji, the immortal swordsman, would have dispatched just about every sinister personality in feudal Japan on his mission to slay a thousand evil men. But instead of thinning out the vicious herd, he's only shaken loose the most vicious and depraved. Now, Manji and his pal Magatsu are on the trail of one of the baddest apples in the barrel, Shira, old enemy of Manji - and a one-handed enemy, courtesy of the immortal's blade. But while Manji and Magatsu are hunting Shira, the crafty killer has hired a pack of hunters of his own, and if he can't kill Manji, he's hoping for the next best thing: to cut Manji to pieces on a daily basis. Streetwise and violent and yet possessed with a dark grace and beauty, Hiroaki Samura's award-winning Blade of the Immortal has taken its rightful place among the finest that graphic fiction has to offer, a stunning tour-de-force of story and art like none other.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Comics, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Fiction

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Hiroaki Samura ( 沙村広明) is a Japanese cartoonist and illustrator. He is best known for writing and illustrating the manga Blade of the Immortal (1993-2012). Among his other manga series Die Wergelder (2011-2018) and Wave, Listen to Me!, the latter serialised since 2014.

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the risks of bargain hunting books was that more often than not, you can never get the correct sequence of volumes of a series in the order it was published. I started with Volume Six of Blade of the Immortal and followed it up with the twelfth. I expected to be grasping at the back story as I did with the first collection I read but I found to be self-contained. It helped that a fight scene took up 60 to 70 percent of the pages. Also since the duel had a vengeance subplot that stemmed from an event in the sixth volume, every nuance of dialogue and swordplay became richer because of it.

It is during the fight scenes that you can appreciate the author’s brilliantly paced storytelling and kinetic line work. His fights are bloody and visceral which is despite the art rendered in black and white the blood flows freely from every sword wound.

This is my idea of a samurai manga. And I will be looking for more of these volumes, even if I have to read them out of sequence.

[The_Mad_Swede · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the five-part arc Beasts in the previous volume, Hiroaki Samura offers another longer arc, the six-parter Autumn Frost, in which Manji and Magatsu face off against Shira (and some rented underlings of his). The volume also contains something of a coda, in "The Wind and the Heron" and "Cherry Blossom", which focuses yet again Anotsu and Hisoka at the Shingyōtō-ryū Shinanjo.

All in all, a good instalment of this somewhat unorthodox samurai manga with fantastical elements and dialogue which mixes old style with anachronistic slang.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is easily my favorite so far! It’s essentially one extended hunt and fight sequence, with Shira orchestrating chaos by hiring some unfortunate souls to keep Manji occupied until he can arrive to finish him off.

Meanwhile, Manji and Magatsu form an unlikely bond as Magatsu hunts for Shira to settle his own score, and Manji just wants to be done with it all so he can find Rin.

The action in the forest is intense, with some incredible fight choreography brought to life by the stunning artwork. The showdown between Magatsu and Shira is both satisfying and brutal, while the volume’s ending ties it all together with a solid, literal and metaphorical cliffhanger. The unresolved tensions promise even more gripping developments in future volumes.

Fantastic storytelling, breathtaking artwork, and a relentless pace make this volume a standout for sure.

[Adam M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Manji and Magatsu fight Shira and Antosu decides if he's going to get married. Rin is getting really tired from traveling with no money. So intrigue was thrown in at the end, but the subtly of the things that were mention was lost on me as I don't know if I'm supposed to remember some of these names/etc or not. Anyway, several points resolved while others set up.

[shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

2 badass bros fighting. And Anotsu got the pussy.

[John Wiswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume follows Manji and Magetsu's hunt for Shira. It is barely a revenge story, really just the climax of one, with the small plots on either side. Most of the book is the combat between Magetsu and Shira, and Manji and Shira's goons. They're different conflicts, with the goons being unqualified and humorously horrified at the way these men do business. That serves as a fine counterpoint to Magetsu's willingness to die to avenge his lover. That battle is intelligently constructed, not just featuring big sweeping blades, but running, hiding, taking advantage of terrain, and a particularly tense and believable instance where the two stand on opposite sides of a straw wall try to figure out what they can do to safely attack. The fear and hesitation of combat lends a emotional tension that makes the unrealism of its ultraviolence much more effective. It's another page-turner from Hiroaki Samura

[Jokoloyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the fight scenes.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was one long drawn out battle sequence -- and to be honest, it was very engaging. A lot of tension, gorgeous full page illustrations, and a few twists in who held the upper hand kept the battle suspenseful throughout.

I also enjoyed the banter between Manji and Magetsu, and felt their brief partnership was a lot of fun. Probably too much to hope they'd stick together a little longer, what with Manji and Rin out to kill Magetsu's friend and all, but I came out of this volume with a deeper fondness for Magetsu. I hope he stays okay throughout the rest of the series (or at least dies an "honourable death" or what not -- I also get the feeling that this is one of those Everyone Dies in the End type stories).

[Joe Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. Would have been a 5 star if book had ended two chapters earlier. The main fight is as good as any that you will see. Better if it had ended with the end of the fight.

[OmniBen · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review for the deluxe edition collecting this volume) 4.5/5
Again I'm bestowed with the honour of writing the first review for this amazing series, and I would suggest reading my earlier review for greater context. Whilst this one would likely be my least favourite of the four so far. Evidently I still greatly enjoyed it, owing to the near perfect score, a few of my major gripes crept into this one, although said infringements were far less frequent or frustrating than the admittedly small number of other manga I've read. Overly long fight scenes with little dialogue or ability to discern what is happening would be the major culprit, although we focus less on the two main protagonists here, and instead, verge off to flesh out some of the secondary characters only casually featured or referenced in the earlier books. Now, given how long this series runs for (were not even halfway yet) this is clearly a cunning and calculated move, it's just that the execution here was a little hit and miss. And to have my favourite character barely feature throughout the majority of these three volumes was a tad disappointing. That said, quite a bit of the secondary character groundwork laid here will hopefully pay off with some very intriguing plots on the horizon. Plot armour for some characters became just a little toot hick in this one also, with several characters now able to sustain mortal wounds, often multiple mortal wounds, and yet survive. This will be an unfortunate blight on this series should this continue, as this severely impacts upon the investment during critical moments. If we've seen the character live through just about anything, why be worried when they are in danger.
I've strangely focused on a few of the downsides, but overall this was still a mostly excellent addition to the BotI storyline. It both started out and ended very strongly. It just went a little missing in the middle, there. I'm still psyched as hell for volume five. Just gotta put on my patient pants and breathe... 4.5/5


OmniBen.

[Adam Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

The crux of this volume: an action heavy story where Manji and Magatsu battle Shira and some hired hands is some of Samura's best long-term action storytelling in the series. More violent than ultra-violent and less bleak than some of the other dark chapters in the story, I enjoyed its choreography and how it progressed the characters.

But omre and more, I find myself more invested in Anotsu's story. The villain who had been kept at arms' length from the protagonists for the first nine or ten volumes of the series has noe become a more dynamic and intriguing character than either of the protagonists. What are his goals? How has he commited the atrocities associated with him when his present actions seem so morally upright?

I love where this story is going, and can't wait to read the next chapter.

I recommend it for people who like their protagonists and their antagonists to blur the lines of morality.

[Jason Holtzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably could lower my review a star, but I don't want to do the book a disservice -- it has been quite a bit since I last read volume 2. I just pick these books up when I find them/get the chance. That being said, this was an enjoyable volume overall. The beginning was a bit confusing, but I don't know if I'm just not remembering some characters. Past that the story took off and got going, and ultimately was pretty good. I'm still not completely sure what's going on with the new swordswoman introduced here, but I assume that is because her story continues more in future volumes.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

[4.5/5] I enjoyed this volume quite a bit. It has some great fight scenes and I like the interactions between Magatsu and Manji. Anotsu is a more complex character than the psychopath Shira. I do think the wounds suffered in the fights are often too severe to survive (and definitely to recover from so quickly) especially during the period this manga is set which can take me out of the story a bit.

[Etienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, but I find it a bit slow and the characters just are very similar to each other, visually and by the lack of personality, so that make them hard to distinguish and obviously made them less memorable. Maybe it was just too long between volume two and that one.

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good volume.

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok manga....Overall story💩1/10 But on the plus side pretty decent samurai/Feudal japan type manga with lots of Explicit Violence(Heads,ears and other body parts flying all over the place)👌😅💀👂👃💕💕

[Drizztl · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10

[Minahel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want more Rin :(

[Jin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice flow.

[Phil Blonde]

manga

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review of the entire series.

Manji is a ruthless ronin stricken with the curse of immortality. To undo his curse, he must take the lives of a thousand sinners. He's a wandering sword for hire that kills without mercy and hunts down evil warriors all over feudal Japan. He wanders and kills without purpose for quite some time, but his long journey to end his own life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a compassionate young girl named Rin who is seeking revenge for her parents after they were murdered by members of a brutal new sword school called the Itto-ryu. Manji accepts the role of Rin's guardian and their drastically different ideals and personalities begin to change each other in ways neither of them could've foreseen as they clash with one merciless sinner after another.

The story cycles between several groups of samurai warriors each with their own moral codes and objectives. Other than Manji and Rin, there is Anotsu Kagehisa; the leader of the Itto-ryu and his band of rogues that openly defy old traditions as they seek to revolutionize the way of the samurai through force. Hyakurin and her partner Giichi who work as government cutthroats under a faction called the Mugai-ryu along with a serial killer named Shira, and so on. There are also hundreds of assassins, criminal gangs and shady individuals that wish to learn the secrets of Manji's immortality for their own nefarious purposes. With so many vicious people on the loose, it's no surprise that this ends up being one of the most brutal and bloody samurai tales ever told.

Blade of the Immortal makes ultra-violence look like a poetic art form. Blood and limbs fly like scarlet paint. Blades cut through flesh and bone like knives through butter. The use of clever battle poses and finishing techniques against the backdrop of hyper-stylized Edo period art makes for some museum-worthy battle and death scenes.

Despite how glamorized violence and bloodshed is throughout the series, it does not shy away from exploring the aftermath of said violence and how it impacts the psychological state of the characters. A sweet girl like Rin seeks revenge against Anotsu of the Itto-ryu for leading an assault that resulted in the murder of her family and slowly grows accustomed to the constant brutality that the path of revenge leads to. Anotsu himself isn't the one-dimensional evil monster that Rin believes him to be as he is driven by a sense of revenge himself; his revolution against outdated traditions begins only because people he loved were hurt, killed and outcasted by the harsh rules and teachings of the old sword schools. Even those who live through vicarious swindling and assassination such as Hyakurin and her partner Giichi have very traumatic upbringings and take no joy in their work.

We see how violence warps these characters into killing machines and then we see how the violence they inflict on others leads to more tragedy and bloodshed. Whether it be physical, mental or sexual, the violence throughout the series never goes unexplored or unpunished. It somehow manages to be brutally elegant and mature at the same time, the bloody battles are fantastic and the effects it has on the characters is even more so.

What seems to be a cliche samurai revenge story subtly transforms into an exploration of the psychological effects that violence has on many different types of individuals. Some are defined by it, some are bound to it, some love it while others allow themselves to grow from it or be destroyed by it. Violence and revenge are never fully justified nor condemned. It's presented from a very neutral and realistic point of view, allowing you to see it from every angle possible and judge for yourself whether it can be justified or not.

The story is simple, but the webs of conflict between many groups of complex and dangerous characters is where it truly shines. Strong development, elegant violence, moral ambiguity and an unusually modern punk tone in the dialogue and mannerisms of the characters offers a unique way of exploring a feudal-era drama that defies the expectations of a traditional revenge story.

***

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[Jessica Halleck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using fights to further character building (all the things in the air at once and shifting: revenge, morality, limits, tactical advantage, emotion) is a place where Samura really shines. Sure we get testosterone, we get blood and gore, but intelligent, well-paced fights with depth like the showdown between Magatsu and Shira are one of the jewels in Blade of the Immortal's crown. We know these two well enough at this point to be invested in the stakes. We've seen just enough of how twisted Shira is to really root for his downfall. In a story filled with gradients of good and evil, he's the kind of bastard you need every now and then.

When Samura's in his element (which he often is), I'd put this story right up there with the layers Quentin Tarantino achieves in his movies.

Speaking of the shifting, evolving views of antagonists and protagonists, I'm enjoying the story's time with Anotsu during this re-read, too. The consummation scene is handled gorgeously.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading 2 different "samurai manga" lately, I've come to decide that this is not the genre for me. I can appreciate the artwork, the feeling of quick camera angles panning around the action, and the Buddhist notions underpinning the text. But, all in all, I have a hard time getting in to the storyline. If you're in to this genre, I've heard that Samura is one of the best.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic battle scenes. Bad guys are crazier to make up for good guy's immortality. It's still this good after 12 volumes.

[Jinx:The:Poet {the LiteraryWanderer & WordRoamer} · Rating 4 out of 5]

[REVIEW FOR THE SERIES...]

Blade of the Immortal (Vol. 1-31)

Blade of the Immortal (Japanese: 無限の住人 Hepburn: Mugen no Jūnin, lit. "The Inhabitant of Infinity") is a Japanese seinen manga series by Hiroaki Samura. The series is set in Japan during the mid-Tokugawa Shogunate period and follows the samurai Manji, cursed with eternal life, who now has to kill 1000 evil men in order to regain his mortality. The series ran from 1993 to 2012, and has garnered itself quite a fan following and now has several animated and movie adaptions.



The Blade of the Immortal series is perhaps one of my top favorite manga series of all time and I’ve read a lot of manga in my life. I’m still not completely sure what it is about this series that worked for me; all I know is it did. The truth is it is a very dark, violent, historical manga with elements of fantasy and mysticism. Much of it involves very gritty and gory sword fighting scenes and super fascinating cast of characters, heroes, villains and all shades in between. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, if you manage push past the first few chapters, which can be very confusing honestly. Once you get into the meat of it though, it becomes enthralling, disturbing and even emotional. And the art...well it’s exquisite and only improves as you continue through the volumes... Check it.



WOW. Epic no? So this is Manji, our cursed yet extremely skilled samurai hero (anti-hero?) who is on a quest to kill 1000 evil men in oder to relieve himself of this curse and die peacefully. So it all starts when he is the cause of the death of 100 good samurai, due to his criminal actions, and is cursed to immortality, (by means of "sacred bloodworms" (血仙蟲 kessen-chū) that allow him to survive nearly every injury and even reattach dismembered limbs, by a 800-year-old nun. After a tragic turn of events he then vows to make amends for his sins that will allow his curse to be ended. This dark endeavor for redemption causes him much sorrow and suffering, but Manji always manages to persevere. His life only gets more complicated, however, when he meets Rin.



Manji later crosses paths with a young girl, named Asano Rin, and promises to help her avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by the mysterious and evil Anotsu Kagehisa. Anotsu killed Rin's father and his entire dōjō, making them a family of outcasts. Anotsu's quest is to gather other outcasts and form an extremely powerful new dojo, the Ittō-ryū (a school teaching any technique that wins, no matter how exotic or underhanded), and has started taking over and destroying other dojos, and threatens to defy the honorable system of the samurai realm.



Manji and Rin team up together to hunt down the savage Anotsu, which leads them on a perilous adventure, down a simultaneous path of revenge and redemption. I love the platonic dynamic between Manji and Rin. This series is a wonderfully thought out read, amazing illustrated and filled to the brim with action, excitement, mystery, and suspense and of course, a load of violent sword fighting scenes. There are a series of other interesting characters that I will not go into in this review, but suffice it to say, Blade of the Immortal is a read to remember. I highly recommend this to seinen manga fans, but not to the squeamish or faint of heart. This is a very graphic series.

[OFFICIAL RATING: 4.8 STARS]