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Shigurui #1
Shigurui 1
El genial mangaka Takayuki Yamaguchi nos presenta esta excepcional adaptación de una de las novelas del escritor más polémico del género de samuráis. ¡Asiste al inicio de esta tragedia despiadada y sangrienta!
250 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
10 people are currently reading
397 people want to read
About the author
Takayuki Yamaguchi
76 books15 followersTakayuki Yamaguchi (山口 貴由, Yamaguchi Takayuki, born in Tokyo) is a Japanese manga artist. He is the creator of Apocalypse Zero and Shigurui.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
February 5, 2017
Takayuki Yamaguchi's samurai illustrations has got to hold the world record for the most number of muscle flaps! Set during the Tokugawa era of Japan, Shigurui volume one follows two swordsman students of the Kogen school as they prove themselves worthy of the dojo leadership and a woman who happens to be the daughter of the current leader.
Shigurui is unforgiving. It is bloody and gory, giving its readers an uncomfortable imagery of guts, awkward body movements and weird muscular structures. The story on the other hand is passable, though it may be too early to judge the whole series, given only the first volume.
Shigurui is unforgiving. It is bloody and gory, giving its readers an uncomfortable imagery of guts, awkward body movements and weird muscular structures. The story on the other hand is passable, though it may be too early to judge the whole series, given only the first volume.
May 18, 2021
4.5 stars ★★★★ for the whole series!!!
(*Note: I have read the complete 15 volumes but decided to record as 1 book in the Annual Reading Challenge*)
There are 15 volumes of this masterpiece but I'll write just one general review here (because I don't want to flood your walls with my reviews). This is by far one of the most graphic, violent, gore, and most of all best samurai mangas I've ever come across in years. My #1 is still Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls, Vol. 1, but Shigurui (Death Frenzy) will hold a special place in my heart.
It's 16th century Japan: the Daimyo has ordered to hold a tournament where 20 of the best samurais in the country must fight each other to death to entertain the foul-mood tyrant. This is a story of the first match between Fujiki Gennosuke, the one-armed swordsman, and Irako Seigen, the blind samurai, following by a flashback of events that led them to the final showdown.
It is a story of revenge, honor, corrupted souls of the samurais like no other. Well, I think you must be a veteran of the way of the samurais and Japanese culture a bit to understand the theme, which is a mixture of loyalty, duty, and honor. It's a criticism and a slap-in-the-face to feudalism in Japan, or perhaps basically power-corrupted human beings, in the finest form.
God-tier storytelling technique, by the way. This is not just any manga, it's literature.
*warning: The ending would leave your soul numb for days*
However, there are some things I don't really like. First of all, I must say the illustration changes drastically around volume 7 and it's for the worse :( which is sad because it's the style that got me hooked from the beginning (oh how I wish I could start a petition to re-illustrate it! The change of style bothered me so much). Next is the introduction of subplots that are entirely irrelevant to the main story which cast a series of 1-800-what-the-fuck-did-I-just-read episodes to my mind as I tried to get through them. Not to mention thousands of characters with a mouthful of names I barely got a hold of (but that's my problem, I guess). Lastly, the last couple of volumes were dragging - I wish it was 2 volumes shorter.
Still, it's worth the pain and experiences. Please read this manga, you can thank me later.
If you like something similar to this, I highly recommend Basilisk (of course), Peacemaker Kurogane, and Vagabond.
(*Note: I have read the complete 15 volumes but decided to record as 1 book in the Annual Reading Challenge*)
There are 15 volumes of this masterpiece but I'll write just one general review here (because I don't want to flood your walls with my reviews). This is by far one of the most graphic, violent, gore, and most of all best samurai mangas I've ever come across in years. My #1 is still Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls, Vol. 1, but Shigurui (Death Frenzy) will hold a special place in my heart.
It's 16th century Japan: the Daimyo has ordered to hold a tournament where 20 of the best samurais in the country must fight each other to death to entertain the foul-mood tyrant. This is a story of the first match between Fujiki Gennosuke, the one-armed swordsman, and Irako Seigen, the blind samurai, following by a flashback of events that led them to the final showdown.
It is a story of revenge, honor, corrupted souls of the samurais like no other. Well, I think you must be a veteran of the way of the samurais and Japanese culture a bit to understand the theme, which is a mixture of loyalty, duty, and honor. It's a criticism and a slap-in-the-face to feudalism in Japan, or perhaps basically power-corrupted human beings, in the finest form.
God-tier storytelling technique, by the way. This is not just any manga, it's literature.
*warning: The ending would leave your soul numb for days*
However, there are some things I don't really like. First of all, I must say the illustration changes drastically around volume 7 and it's for the worse :( which is sad because it's the style that got me hooked from the beginning (oh how I wish I could start a petition to re-illustrate it! The change of style bothered me so much). Next is the introduction of subplots that are entirely irrelevant to the main story which cast a series of 1-800-what-the-fuck-did-I-just-read episodes to my mind as I tried to get through them. Not to mention thousands of characters with a mouthful of names I barely got a hold of (but that's my problem, I guess). Lastly, the last couple of volumes were dragging - I wish it was 2 volumes shorter.
Still, it's worth the pain and experiences. Please read this manga, you can thank me later.
If you like something similar to this, I highly recommend Basilisk (of course), Peacemaker Kurogane, and Vagabond.
March 9, 2021
Stunningly grotesque and beautiful drawing. More hard blokes with implausible weaponry and a studied indifference to their own maiming. But also an irreverent social history - this was a sick culture, and nobility and skill worship were central to that sickness.
Massive amount of nudity and gore, but it just doesn’t feel gratuitous. Nudity is rather a device to show a character’s shame, fear, emotional connection, desolation, surrender (Yamaguchi will draw them unclothed in one panel when actually they aren’t). X-ray views go even further: to be laid bare, to be owned. The gore is a device to show... that the human body is composed of very small bits.
All main characters are bloodthirsty prideful knaves. But virtuous in their way. Went through all 15 volumes in 3 days
Massive amount of nudity and gore, but it just doesn’t feel gratuitous. Nudity is rather a device to show a character’s shame, fear, emotional connection, desolation, surrender (Yamaguchi will draw them unclothed in one panel when actually they aren’t). X-ray views go even further: to be laid bare, to be owned. The gore is a device to show... that the human body is composed of very small bits.
All main characters are bloodthirsty prideful knaves. But virtuous in their way. Went through all 15 volumes in 3 days
March 12, 2016
Set during the Tokugawa era, Shigurui is the tale of two swordsmen, the one-armed Fujiki Gennosuke and the blind Irako Seigen who battle each other in a tournament ordered by the daimyo Tokugawa Tadanaga.
I first saw the incomplete anime some time ago, and I had to know the rest of the story. This is no Rurouni Kenshin. The story is gruesome, bloody and gory, yet astonishingly beautiful in its depiction of violence and death.
I first saw the incomplete anime some time ago, and I had to know the rest of the story. This is no Rurouni Kenshin. The story is gruesome, bloody and gory, yet astonishingly beautiful in its depiction of violence and death.
November 9, 2024
What did I just read? This story is heavy on the names and invokes many practises related to statesmanship and swordplay. It's quite overwhelming, but I chose to focus on the characters, even though I may be missing out on a lot of detail.
The story starts with a tournament ordered by the shogun. What's unusual is that the most skilled samurai are ordered to fight to the death, rather than with wooden swords. The first two samurai are the one-armed Fujiki Gennosuke and the blinded Irako Seigen. A most bizarre matchup, but both are described as being inhumanly skilled. First, we must see how they acquired their wounds, years before.
The story starts with a tournament ordered by the shogun. What's unusual is that the most skilled samurai are ordered to fight to the death, rather than with wooden swords. The first two samurai are the one-armed Fujiki Gennosuke and the blinded Irako Seigen. A most bizarre matchup, but both are described as being inhumanly skilled. First, we must see how they acquired their wounds, years before.
February 3, 2021
Fucking wow.
gory + homoerotic.
good stuff all around
gory + homoerotic.
good stuff all around
April 10, 2021
Those who do not suffer, do not learn
July 21, 2022
Shigurui vol. 1-15—> 4.2/5✨
February 20, 2017
Its worth checking out, but as a series it doesn't tie together very nicely. It kind of drags on after a while. But for the first 3/4 I really enjoyed it. Its set in Sengoku period Japan, and it depicts the historical setting very nicely. This also has some rough relationship to reality via a novelisation of some samurai happenings. It struck me while reading this that Samurai were basically super violent and aggressive monsters, and its weird that we honor them at all. They were basically gangsters.
January 1, 2024
To kill is easy... but to "beautify" is difficult!
Kao što na samim koricama prvog tankobona piše, ovo je čista estetika okrutnosti, ja bih dodala i ludosti! Ako ste mislili da su Berserk i Vagabond vrhunac pokolja, čekajte da vidite tek prvi tankobon ovoga.
U detinjstvu sam nekako uvek veličala japansku kulturu, fascinirao me bušido i samurajština generalno. Pretpostavljam da nam je kroz pop kulturu tako i predstavljena cela stvar. Vremenom me roknuo po glavi hladan tuš realnosti ili sam samo odrasla. Iako sam svesna da je među njima verovatno bilo dosta neotesanih budala koje nisu bile gospodari sopstvenih života i dalje su mi intrigantni i izuzetno zanimljivi.
Kao i u većini mangi, anima i japanskih filmova, odmah bivamo ubačeni u radnju. Mnogo je novih pojmova (hanbei, karo, kagebara, goshi, neri, kabuto-nage...), kulturoloških šokova i imena. Malo teže pohvatati, ali par imena će odmah privući pažnju:
- Tokugawa Tadanaga - unuk Ieyasu Tokugawe (jednog od najvećih baja Japana od XVII veka pa do danas), ovde prikazan kao okrutna razmažena budala i varvarin, željna pokolja i krvi i verovatno raznih bahanalija, koja i skončava tako kako je okončala život mnogima - od sečiva. Sudeći po uvodu, zaslužio je da mu o smrti odlučuje Vlad Cepeš lično. Da li je u stvarnosti bio ovakav kreten pojma nemam. Znam da je sagradio dedi vrlo lepo šinto svetilište u Nikku.
- Fujiki Gennosuke - mlada nada Kogan škole. Rekla bih za sada povodljiva budala bez svog "ja", koja je u tripu "those who do not suffer, do not learn!" A realno nema pojma da se nešto može i bez patnje savladati, a da se može patiti i uz svo znanje sveta. Mlad, lud i neuk. Ima vremena, osećam da će lupiti glavom o ne samo jedan zid.
- Kogan Iwamoto - matora dementna okrutna budala s katanom, koja ugrožava život i bezbednost sopstvene ćerke. Ljubavi tu nema. U naletima dolaska sebi odlučuje o sudbini škole i ko će mu oploditi ćerku. Bes iz mene izbija samo dok kucam ovo.
- Mie - ćerka Kogan Iwamotoa, devojka koja niti ima glasa, niti života u duboko patrijahalnom društvu punom napaljenih budala emocija bez
- Irako Seigen - još jedna popaljena budala koja ide okolo i taba ljude dok ne naiđe na protivnika dostojnog svog naklona (je l' da da podseća na nekog? 😆). S tom razlikom da ne deluje skroz naivno kao gore pomenuti Gennosuke. Još je rano suditi, videćemo.
- lady Iku - ljubavnica Kogana Iwamotoa, koja će verujem imati i drugih uloga s obzirom da je na početku prvog tankobona vidimo na strani Irako Seigena.
Zašto rekoh iznad hladan tuš - pa zato što ovde posle makljačine ljudi zaista ostaju osakaćeni za ceo život. Nema ovozemljaskih ili onozemljaskih sila koje će neutralisati odsecanje vilice, udova ili vratiti iz mrtvih. Ovde su stvari vrlo jasne i konačne, a nadasve nasilne i krvave. Ovde se slavi smrt, a ne život. I nema te magije kojom bi se neki dozvali pameti. Stvari su jednostavno onakve kao i u realnom životu - često nepopravljive, ali se živeti mora. Samuraji ovde nisu zaštićeni od manjkavosti, slabosti i mana koje poseduju obični ljudi. Jednostavno rečeno, neki od njih su bili govna, silovatelji, napansici, razbojnici, bahati batinaši koji su u ime svog feudalnog gospodara (daimyoa) radili razne prljave poslove.
Stoga, ako niste spremni na surovost i ogoljenost do juče vaših omiljenih tabadžija, nemojte ovo čitati. To pisac čak doslovno i čini na momente (likove prikazuje nage), ali čini mi se ne u svrhu šoka golotinjom, već razotkrivanja slabosti, bespomoćnosti i surovosti. Ovo je ujedno i priča o feudalnom društvu sastavljenom od "malog broja sadista i velikog broja mazohista" i to nije svojstveno samo feudalnom Japanu. Svi ćemo kroz ovo prepoznati neki deo krvave istorije podneblja u kom živimo.
Prvi tankobon dođe samo kao fina najava kritike i manjkavosti feudalnog Japana i onih koji su određivali sudbinu mnogih.
It all begins with the loss of something.
Kao što na samim koricama prvog tankobona piše, ovo je čista estetika okrutnosti, ja bih dodala i ludosti! Ako ste mislili da su Berserk i Vagabond vrhunac pokolja, čekajte da vidite tek prvi tankobon ovoga.
U detinjstvu sam nekako uvek veličala japansku kulturu, fascinirao me bušido i samurajština generalno. Pretpostavljam da nam je kroz pop kulturu tako i predstavljena cela stvar. Vremenom me roknuo po glavi hladan tuš realnosti ili sam samo odrasla. Iako sam svesna da je među njima verovatno bilo dosta neotesanih budala koje nisu bile gospodari sopstvenih života i dalje su mi intrigantni i izuzetno zanimljivi.
Kao i u većini mangi, anima i japanskih filmova, odmah bivamo ubačeni u radnju. Mnogo je novih pojmova (hanbei, karo, kagebara, goshi, neri, kabuto-nage...), kulturoloških šokova i imena. Malo teže pohvatati, ali par imena će odmah privući pažnju:
- Tokugawa Tadanaga - unuk Ieyasu Tokugawe (jednog od najvećih baja Japana od XVII veka pa do danas), ovde prikazan kao okrutna razmažena budala i varvarin, željna pokolja i krvi i verovatno raznih bahanalija, koja i skončava tako kako je okončala život mnogima - od sečiva. Sudeći po uvodu, zaslužio je da mu o smrti odlučuje Vlad Cepeš lično. Da li je u stvarnosti bio ovakav kreten pojma nemam. Znam da je sagradio dedi vrlo lepo šinto svetilište u Nikku.
- Fujiki Gennosuke - mlada nada Kogan škole. Rekla bih za sada povodljiva budala bez svog "ja", koja je u tripu "those who do not suffer, do not learn!" A realno nema pojma da se nešto može i bez patnje savladati, a da se može patiti i uz svo znanje sveta. Mlad, lud i neuk. Ima vremena, osećam da će lupiti glavom o ne samo jedan zid.
- Kogan Iwamoto - matora dementna okrutna budala s katanom, koja ugrožava život i bezbednost sopstvene ćerke. Ljubavi tu nema. U naletima dolaska sebi odlučuje o sudbini škole i ko će mu oploditi ćerku. Bes iz mene izbija samo dok kucam ovo.
- Mie - ćerka Kogan Iwamotoa, devojka koja niti ima glasa, niti života u duboko patrijahalnom društvu punom napaljenih budala emocija bez
- Irako Seigen - još jedna popaljena budala koja ide okolo i taba ljude dok ne naiđe na protivnika dostojnog svog naklona (je l' da da podseća na nekog? 😆). S tom razlikom da ne deluje skroz naivno kao gore pomenuti Gennosuke. Još je rano suditi, videćemo.
- lady Iku - ljubavnica Kogana Iwamotoa, koja će verujem imati i drugih uloga s obzirom da je na početku prvog tankobona vidimo na strani Irako Seigena.
Zašto rekoh iznad hladan tuš - pa zato što ovde posle makljačine ljudi zaista ostaju osakaćeni za ceo život. Nema ovozemljaskih ili onozemljaskih sila koje će neutralisati odsecanje vilice, udova ili vratiti iz mrtvih. Ovde su stvari vrlo jasne i konačne, a nadasve nasilne i krvave. Ovde se slavi smrt, a ne život. I nema te magije kojom bi se neki dozvali pameti. Stvari su jednostavno onakve kao i u realnom životu - često nepopravljive, ali se živeti mora. Samuraji ovde nisu zaštićeni od manjkavosti, slabosti i mana koje poseduju obični ljudi. Jednostavno rečeno, neki od njih su bili govna, silovatelji, napansici, razbojnici, bahati batinaši koji su u ime svog feudalnog gospodara (daimyoa) radili razne prljave poslove.
Stoga, ako niste spremni na surovost i ogoljenost do juče vaših omiljenih tabadžija, nemojte ovo čitati. To pisac čak doslovno i čini na momente (likove prikazuje nage), ali čini mi se ne u svrhu šoka golotinjom, već razotkrivanja slabosti, bespomoćnosti i surovosti. Ovo je ujedno i priča o feudalnom društvu sastavljenom od "malog broja sadista i velikog broja mazohista" i to nije svojstveno samo feudalnom Japanu. Svi ćemo kroz ovo prepoznati neki deo krvave istorije podneblja u kom živimo.
Prvi tankobon dođe samo kao fina najava kritike i manjkavosti feudalnog Japana i onih koji su određivali sudbinu mnogih.
It all begins with the loss of something.
June 10, 2021
Blood and flesh, the life of those who devoted themselves to the way of the sword must end by the sword, there's simply no other way to go about it. In retrospect, this must be the first work of art to teach me that there is also beauty in death and destruction.
Before even discussing the men of this manga, let me start with the fate of the women: they have no freedom, no voice, no strength to fight for their own happiness. Inner beauty does not matter, they are essentially tools to be employed and exploited by those who hold the power to decide life and death. In a society that tolerates not genuine happiness nor even the right to decide for themselves the kind of life one'd lead, death of course is a much more comforting prospect than a life of humiliation, one that amounts to a prison, at best. Both Mie and Lady Iku had their moments of fleeting happiness under the sun, before their sole embers of hope, comfort and security - their men - crumbled under the weight of obligation, blood lust and vengeance in a society blinded by oaths of uncompromising loyalty.
The samurais of this era are, for the majority, absolutely detestable. Under the name of loyalty and honor, they kill, rape, destroy countless lives of the innocents - those who they are supposed to rule over and protect. They are essentially blind puppets who succumbs to an order higher than them, one of brutality and oppression. Take Kogan Iwamoto for example: the grandmaster of a prestige school (Kogan-Ryuu), arguably one of the strongest swordsmen in all of Japan even in his 60s, yet still an absolutely coward upon facing people of higher authority, lived a life of shame and bitter regret while unwitting continued the circle of oppression and malice that was imposed upon him. The rest of his disciplines, saved for our two main characters, are no different from their master, at all. A life devoted to the art of sword without the opportunity to receive proper education, led all of them astray.
Before even discussing the men of this manga, let me start with the fate of the women: they have no freedom, no voice, no strength to fight for their own happiness. Inner beauty does not matter, they are essentially tools to be employed and exploited by those who hold the power to decide life and death. In a society that tolerates not genuine happiness nor even the right to decide for themselves the kind of life one'd lead, death of course is a much more comforting prospect than a life of humiliation, one that amounts to a prison, at best. Both Mie and Lady Iku had their moments of fleeting happiness under the sun, before their sole embers of hope, comfort and security - their men - crumbled under the weight of obligation, blood lust and vengeance in a society blinded by oaths of uncompromising loyalty.
The samurais of this era are, for the majority, absolutely detestable. Under the name of loyalty and honor, they kill, rape, destroy countless lives of the innocents - those who they are supposed to rule over and protect. They are essentially blind puppets who succumbs to an order higher than them, one of brutality and oppression. Take Kogan Iwamoto for example: the grandmaster of a prestige school (Kogan-Ryuu), arguably one of the strongest swordsmen in all of Japan even in his 60s, yet still an absolutely coward upon facing people of higher authority, lived a life of shame and bitter regret while unwitting continued the circle of oppression and malice that was imposed upon him. The rest of his disciplines, saved for our two main characters, are no different from their master, at all. A life devoted to the art of sword without the opportunity to receive proper education, led all of them astray.
September 1, 2019
I understand why everything in this manga happened the way it did. I don’t agree with all of it, but I understand. Irako was filled with hubris and in a sense fulfilled his role in the story. But I liked him as an underdog, just how I like Genousuke as an underdog. I switched sides after Irako beat daughter-rapist-SEED tiger man. Also Iku is best girl. She got one of her tits sliced off, had both her husbands killed, was led into a den of killer monks after Irako got his eyes sliced like watermelon, got a huge back tattoo in honor of Irako, repeatedly had her life endangered because she willingly let a blind guy swing a sword at a grain of rice she stuck on her tit, saw Irako teaching two women swordplay naked (WHY????), had Irako suck on her tit (WHY????), killed herself because Irako died, was shunned before she met Irako, was a whore. She’s too good.
Gore was fucking great though. (I’d love to see the guy who drew this draw an anatomy textbook.) I’m just saying... I appreciate some good intestines.
Gore was fucking great though. (I’d love to see the guy who drew this draw an anatomy textbook.) I’m just saying... I appreciate some good intestines.
September 8, 2021
15 volumes
Summing up the story of "Shigurui" (Death Frenzy), it's basically about the two 17th century swordsmen obsessed with killing each other. Hatred and desire for revenge are behind it, and it's extremely violent. Yeah, there's plenty of both death and frenzy.
The first half of the series is just amazing at how intense it is. The story is not something extraordinary, but it works really well. Drawing is great, and while it sometimes goes overboard with the gruesome details and unnecessary nudity, even then it still feels somewhat appropriate in the vein of the atmosphere of ubiquitous violence and obsession. Unfortunately, about halfway through Shigurui goes completely grotesque, the story loses steam and focus, and the final third is just a drag to the disappointing final, that in no way lives up to the premise of the glimpse of it given in the very first chapter.
But, really, the first half is so damn good.
Summing up the story of "Shigurui" (Death Frenzy), it's basically about the two 17th century swordsmen obsessed with killing each other. Hatred and desire for revenge are behind it, and it's extremely violent. Yeah, there's plenty of both death and frenzy.
The first half of the series is just amazing at how intense it is. The story is not something extraordinary, but it works really well. Drawing is great, and while it sometimes goes overboard with the gruesome details and unnecessary nudity, even then it still feels somewhat appropriate in the vein of the atmosphere of ubiquitous violence and obsession. Unfortunately, about halfway through Shigurui goes completely grotesque, the story loses steam and focus, and the final third is just a drag to the disappointing final, that in no way lives up to the premise of the glimpse of it given in the very first chapter.
But, really, the first half is so damn good.
July 20, 2019
While the series stagnates towards the final third of the story. There is no denying that it is an exceptional manga. The characters were itched in my brain even when I took a long break. The graphics -while violent or erotic- were brilliant. Especially the sword techniques as it forces you to imagine the impossible strain on the muscles deeming most of the characters as beasts (graphically even) beyond human strength and endurance. The concept is unlike any Japanese piece of it’s genre, and the ending is well executed.
“Since that summer day they met, had there been a day when Gennosuke did not think of Seigen?”
“Since that summer day they met, had there been a day when Gennosuke did not think of Seigen?”
May 15, 2025
A masterpiece of epic proportions, and brutality. The art is some of the crispest you'll come across, the time period was obviously meticulously researched and the narrative thoroughly engaging. Up there, in my opinion, with the likes of Lone Wolf and Cub (although admittedly it has the considerable advantage or being far smaller in sheer size).
P.S. This is a comment reflecting the work as a whole - I'm not particularly into the idea of reviewing individual volumes.
P.S. This is a comment reflecting the work as a whole - I'm not particularly into the idea of reviewing individual volumes.
Read
October 18, 2025A undying hate so strong that it threatens to consume ones self and those around you. Needlessly gory/edgy but left me clutching my head at the end of it. One of those endings I had to go online and find an intelligent person to help me come to terms with what I just read and it made it like 40% better.
To be clear, I liked it before and after I read more about it online. Great read but I don't feel confident that I could casually recommend it.
[backlog review]
To be clear, I liked it before and after I read more about it online. Great read but I don't feel confident that I could casually recommend it.
[backlog review]
March 5, 2024
I searched a long time to find this manga after a brief taste via the anime. At this point I’ve finished the entire series. I feel that this comic accomplishes what a lot of others set out to do. I’ll just say what I was thinking at the very end:
Masterpiece.
Masterpiece.
January 24, 2021
Really loved this series, great swordsman manga! The story is pretty good but really love the sword fights and really gruesome manga😻😻👌⚔️
August 6, 2021
4 stars for the entire series. Brutal. Deep. NSFW 😄
March 7, 2023
Excellent across the board, but the final volume is perfect.
July 22, 2023
Interesting. The David Cronenberg of samurai stories. A lot of mutilated flesh.
February 27, 2024
Prob the most engaging graphic novel or manga or comic. So good it hurts (in an algedonic kind of way).
April 12, 2024
Well. Its fascinating
September 13, 2024
Best manga ever read
January 3, 2015
This Manga is all about the art, the story is good but the arts brilliant. Not sure if I will call the art beautiful with all the gore and carnage, haven’t seen so much innards thrown around as we see in this manga. Having read many manga the art of this one stands out for the way it uses gore in storytelling. The pacing and intensity was good enough for me to finish it in one go.The negative for me with the manga was the insanity & brutality shown, in short doses it’s fun but too much just spoils the ride.
June 23, 2015
Brrrrr, me da cosita tanta tripa suelta y músculo desgarrado, pero la verdad que la historia pinta buena (más allá de que este tomo 1 es poco más que una gran introducción) y el género samurai claramente me llama. Eso sí, ojalá que después empiecen a alcarar qué significan los mil y un términos japoneses que dejaron en la edición española porque así se me pasaron muchos detalles.
October 4, 2015
An exceptional manga, gruesome and brutal but presented as an indictment of such. The artwork is fantastic and the story, taken from a novel by Norio Nanjō, is deeply tragic yet still action filled.
Not for kids, or those looking for kawaii. Fans of Berserk and its ilk will be satisfied.
Not for kids, or those looking for kawaii. Fans of Berserk and its ilk will be satisfied.
November 2, 2014
Grotesque, but remarkable.
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