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Samurai Executioner (4 volumes)
Samurai Executioner, Omnibus 1
Yamada Asaemon has been trained since childhood in the way of the sword. Now, the feared "Decapitator Asaemon" tests swords and performs executions at the shogun's behest. Asaemon is the last stop for the condemned and often becomes final confessor as well as slayer, finding that sometimes the stories of the doomed do not end with their deaths. From Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, the legendary creators of Lone Wolf and Cub, comes Samurai Executioner, a dark, complex exploration of Edo-period feudal Japan and the depths of the human spirit.
768 pages, Paperback
First published June 10, 2014
5 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Kazuo Koike
562 books292 followersKazuo Koike (小池一夫, Koike Kazuo) was a prolific Japanese manga writer, novelist and entrepreneur.
Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series.
Koike, along with artist Goseki Kojima, made the manga Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub), and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famous Japanese actor Tomisaburo Wakayama. Koike and Kojima became known as the "Golden Duo" because of the success of Lone Wolf and Cub.
Another series written by Koike, Crying Freeman, which was illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami, was adapted into a 1995 live-action film by French director Christophe Gans.
Kazuo Koike started the Gekika Sonjuku, a college course meant to teach people how to be mangaka.
In addition to his more violent, action-oriented manga, Koike, an avid golfer, has also written golf manga.
Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series.
Koike, along with artist Goseki Kojima, made the manga Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub), and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famous Japanese actor Tomisaburo Wakayama. Koike and Kojima became known as the "Golden Duo" because of the success of Lone Wolf and Cub.
Another series written by Koike, Crying Freeman, which was illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami, was adapted into a 1995 live-action film by French director Christophe Gans.
Kazuo Koike started the Gekika Sonjuku, a college course meant to teach people how to be mangaka.
In addition to his more violent, action-oriented manga, Koike, an avid golfer, has also written golf manga.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 19, 2014
Samurai Executioner was a shorter series that Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima created whilst they were working on their landmark series, Lone Wolf and Cub. For me, the bar is set pretty high because I feel Lone Wolf and Cub is one of comics greatest narratives. I was unsure if Samurai Executioner would be able to come anywhere close. Luckily, I found it immensely enjoyable. Much like Lone Wolf and Cub, major plot points are set out early and then left in the background whilst Koike concentrates on building atmosphere and characterisation through several vignettes. The episodes in this first volume could largely be read independently in any order but I imagine as the plot progresses the key points will come to the forefront.
What is often forgotten about Koike's writing, possibly to elevate Lone Wolf and Cub's status as a serious work, is the pulpy exploitation that is often on display. This is not lacking in Samurai Executioner. However, the primary point that Koike appears to wish to stress is honour and (a some what twisted) morality. The protagonists in the book seem to exude that samurai spirit that is expected. Other plot points involve political scheming and backstabbing which also seem to be a major part of fiction set in Edo period Japan.
Although there is some great violence in Samurai Executioner it is not on the same level of Lone Wolf and Cub, but this is to be expected as the professions of the lead characters are quite different. Yamada Aseamon, the titular Samurai Executioner, is the Shogun's chief executioner as well as a sword tester, for the Shogun and other officials that require his service. Therefore, he rarely kills anyone that he isn't ordered to. Rather than epic battles, Samurai Executioner revolves around, sometimes ludicrous, psychology and morality, or else focuses on the Yamada's victims and how they came to be sentenced to death by his hands.
As with Lone Wolf and Cub, Goseki's old fashioned scratchy line work, with loads of great detail especially on things such as clothing and architecture, complements the subject matter and has a rugged, realistic feel. The layouts are more traditional than modern manga but the short bursts of action are expertly handled and break up the more tranquil, subdued scenes. Goseki's artwork captures that subdued, respectful air that one would image permeated in times of the samurai.
Overall, I enjoyed Samurai Executioner immensely. It has enough historical background to make it believable (to a degree) but it is the pulpy, exploitative factors that make it so fun to read.
What is often forgotten about Koike's writing, possibly to elevate Lone Wolf and Cub's status as a serious work, is the pulpy exploitation that is often on display. This is not lacking in Samurai Executioner. However, the primary point that Koike appears to wish to stress is honour and (a some what twisted) morality. The protagonists in the book seem to exude that samurai spirit that is expected. Other plot points involve political scheming and backstabbing which also seem to be a major part of fiction set in Edo period Japan.
Although there is some great violence in Samurai Executioner it is not on the same level of Lone Wolf and Cub, but this is to be expected as the professions of the lead characters are quite different. Yamada Aseamon, the titular Samurai Executioner, is the Shogun's chief executioner as well as a sword tester, for the Shogun and other officials that require his service. Therefore, he rarely kills anyone that he isn't ordered to. Rather than epic battles, Samurai Executioner revolves around, sometimes ludicrous, psychology and morality, or else focuses on the Yamada's victims and how they came to be sentenced to death by his hands.
As with Lone Wolf and Cub, Goseki's old fashioned scratchy line work, with loads of great detail especially on things such as clothing and architecture, complements the subject matter and has a rugged, realistic feel. The layouts are more traditional than modern manga but the short bursts of action are expertly handled and break up the more tranquil, subdued scenes. Goseki's artwork captures that subdued, respectful air that one would image permeated in times of the samurai.
Overall, I enjoyed Samurai Executioner immensely. It has enough historical background to make it believable (to a degree) but it is the pulpy, exploitative factors that make it so fun to read.
September 28, 2022
4 1/2 stars.
August 1, 2023
A bit too lurid to sell its serious tone.
July 10, 2014
Samurai Executioner (Kubikiri Asa or 'Decapitator Asaemon' in Japanese) comes from the writer/artists team behind Lone Wolf & Cub, and ran for a few years alongside it. Those who've read LW&C may have already encountered this series' central character, as he makes an appearance in Chapter 27 - set after the events of this series - in which he faces off against Ogami Itto. I expect you can guess how that turns out...
This series follows Yamada Asaemon, official sword-tester and executioner to the Shogun, and usually concerns his duties executing condemned prisoners; many stories are more about the back stories of the criminals than Asaemon himself, with Asa as the central point through which all these different stories pass, though there are some which concern Asa directly. There isn't much in the way of an ongoing storyline at this point; the stories for the most part would make sense in isolation, however it is worth reading them in order as they sometimes refer back to previous stories or bits of background. Later on in the series there will be certain ongoing storylines and recurring characters, but none of those are introduced in this volume.
To get right to the point, Samurai Executioner isn't as good as Lone Wolf and Cub, though it is worth reading as a companion piece. Koike is quoted as saying that the most important thing in writing a story is coming up with a good character, and I think that's key in understanding why this series isn't quite as engaging. Asaemon isn't as complex or compelling a character as Ogami Itto, and of course, the parent-child relationship that the latter character has with Daigoro is not to be found here. You could see Asaemon as almost the antithesis to Itto; since Itto's story is one of having gone rogue and invoked the wrath of the Shogun, while Asaemon is very much part of the establishment and loyal to the government. We get a different perspective, therefore, on the world of Edo-period Japan, though one less fraught with danger and threat. In LW&C we had a protagonist who was constantly being hunted down; always in peril even when he wasn't carrying out outlandish assassination attempts, and who was motivated by revenge. Here the drama is more cerebral, it's less about action and more about interpersonal conflict or Asaemon trying to maintain the complex morality of the samurai way of life. Often the morality and the politics are hard to follow (as they could be in LW&C); I have no idea how much of this is due to a non-Japanese perspective or whether a native reader would find the Edo/Samurai way of thinking equally strange, but it's always been key to the appeal of Koike and Kojima's work.
To go into a bit about the format of this Omnibus release; the series, like LW&C was originally release in a 'pocket-sized' format, but is here presented in a larger size. This makes quite a difference to the impact of the artwork, especially when it comes to some of the full-page panels, and so even having bought the original run, I feel it was worth buying the series again in this new format. The volumes are thicker, of course, which can make them a little cumbersome to read, but it's not too bad. As a minor cosmetic issue, the stories in these omnibus editions are missing the title page pictures that the original editions had; I'm not sure why they couldn't include these but it's a minor quibble.
I'd recommend bookmarking the glossary at the back of the book, which explains some of the cultural and political terms. You will most likely need to refer to this a lot. I appreciate the translator's decision to maintain the use of these terms rather than trying to simplify things too much, though it can interrupt things a little to have to keep checking what certain words mean; also, sometime a Japanese word will appear that doesn't appear in the glossary, so you're never quite sure which words to check. This point applies to all volumes of Samurai Executioner and Lone Wolf & Cub though.
This series follows Yamada Asaemon, official sword-tester and executioner to the Shogun, and usually concerns his duties executing condemned prisoners; many stories are more about the back stories of the criminals than Asaemon himself, with Asa as the central point through which all these different stories pass, though there are some which concern Asa directly. There isn't much in the way of an ongoing storyline at this point; the stories for the most part would make sense in isolation, however it is worth reading them in order as they sometimes refer back to previous stories or bits of background. Later on in the series there will be certain ongoing storylines and recurring characters, but none of those are introduced in this volume.
To get right to the point, Samurai Executioner isn't as good as Lone Wolf and Cub, though it is worth reading as a companion piece. Koike is quoted as saying that the most important thing in writing a story is coming up with a good character, and I think that's key in understanding why this series isn't quite as engaging. Asaemon isn't as complex or compelling a character as Ogami Itto, and of course, the parent-child relationship that the latter character has with Daigoro is not to be found here. You could see Asaemon as almost the antithesis to Itto; since Itto's story is one of having gone rogue and invoked the wrath of the Shogun, while Asaemon is very much part of the establishment and loyal to the government. We get a different perspective, therefore, on the world of Edo-period Japan, though one less fraught with danger and threat. In LW&C we had a protagonist who was constantly being hunted down; always in peril even when he wasn't carrying out outlandish assassination attempts, and who was motivated by revenge. Here the drama is more cerebral, it's less about action and more about interpersonal conflict or Asaemon trying to maintain the complex morality of the samurai way of life. Often the morality and the politics are hard to follow (as they could be in LW&C); I have no idea how much of this is due to a non-Japanese perspective or whether a native reader would find the Edo/Samurai way of thinking equally strange, but it's always been key to the appeal of Koike and Kojima's work.
To go into a bit about the format of this Omnibus release; the series, like LW&C was originally release in a 'pocket-sized' format, but is here presented in a larger size. This makes quite a difference to the impact of the artwork, especially when it comes to some of the full-page panels, and so even having bought the original run, I feel it was worth buying the series again in this new format. The volumes are thicker, of course, which can make them a little cumbersome to read, but it's not too bad. As a minor cosmetic issue, the stories in these omnibus editions are missing the title page pictures that the original editions had; I'm not sure why they couldn't include these but it's a minor quibble.
I'd recommend bookmarking the glossary at the back of the book, which explains some of the cultural and political terms. You will most likely need to refer to this a lot. I appreciate the translator's decision to maintain the use of these terms rather than trying to simplify things too much, though it can interrupt things a little to have to keep checking what certain words mean; also, sometime a Japanese word will appear that doesn't appear in the glossary, so you're never quite sure which words to check. This point applies to all volumes of Samurai Executioner and Lone Wolf & Cub though.
May 22, 2015
Wow, this was impressive. I've read some work by these same creators, namely Lone Wolf and Cub, which is considered their best work and some of the best work in the history of Manga, or to be honest, comics in general. I also read some of Crying Freeman, also by this team, but not quite as well thought of (or as good.)
I haven't read all of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, although I plan to. So far, this first volume of Samurai Executioner was just as good to me as the LWAC stories that I have read. Just really good stuff, especially if you have any interest in the Edo period of Japan. Fans of Samurai stories can't go wrong with this volume.
There are some gross and off-putting things in the stories, such as some mild misogyny. However, when you consider the time frame of the stories, I'm sure it's all entirely accurate.
The art is also gorgeous. The women are very sexy but they also look more like actual women than you see in most American comics.
There is graphic violence and nudity so these are definitely for the mature reader.
If you are a fan of Manga, Samurai, or stories set in Feudal Japan, I can't recommend this one highly enough, and I will definitely be reading the other volumes in the series.
I haven't read all of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, although I plan to. So far, this first volume of Samurai Executioner was just as good to me as the LWAC stories that I have read. Just really good stuff, especially if you have any interest in the Edo period of Japan. Fans of Samurai stories can't go wrong with this volume.
There are some gross and off-putting things in the stories, such as some mild misogyny. However, when you consider the time frame of the stories, I'm sure it's all entirely accurate.
The art is also gorgeous. The women are very sexy but they also look more like actual women than you see in most American comics.
There is graphic violence and nudity so these are definitely for the mature reader.
If you are a fan of Manga, Samurai, or stories set in Feudal Japan, I can't recommend this one highly enough, and I will definitely be reading the other volumes in the series.
July 16, 2017
The 'complex exploration of Edo-period feudal Japan and the depths of the human spirit' is undermined slightly by the 'boobs and violence' aesthetic. As soon as a female character shows up I'm left wondering how long it'll be before she's raped or naked. :-/
October 14, 2019
Similar to the story telling Koike produces in Lone Wolf & Cub, this shorter lived series is familiar yet very different from Lone Wolf & Cub. The episodic storytelling is familiar, however the motivations of the protagonist in Executioner is purely honorable whereas Lone Wolf will often present questionable decisions for a protagonist.
Both writing and art continue to strengthen as the story progresses. As an American in the 21st century reading Manga from the 1970's and not having too much knowledge of the culture, the amount sexual content, especially in the form of rape (which seems to be included in the majority of the stories in Volume 1 anyway), can be off putting.
Regardless, for readers of Manga, reading Koike is rewarding.
Both writing and art continue to strengthen as the story progresses. As an American in the 21st century reading Manga from the 1970's and not having too much knowledge of the culture, the amount sexual content, especially in the form of rape (which seems to be included in the majority of the stories in Volume 1 anyway), can be off putting.
Regardless, for readers of Manga, reading Koike is rewarding.
November 27, 2015
This was a pretty amazing story. The creators really developed kubikiri asa as a character, even though he appears emotionless and dead. Was not pleased about the really graphic bits, but it is accurate at least. Also, who doesn't like awesome samurai action?
April 10, 2016
Haunting and thought provoking while historically informative, a unique little narrative.
November 13, 2016
I came across this comic book on a book sight on my tablet and upon looking at the picture which was beautifully drawn by the way, I wasn't really sure if it was really that good. On the first few pages, I thought I was looking at a newspaper comic (wasn't too crazy about those), but then as I looked at the drawings at a different angle, There was realism in it. I like how the author explains in detail on what different forms of executions mean and are about when the main character announces his intention. It's a beautiful Samurai tale, and I highly recommend this book to anyone a fan of the Samurais.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews