Okko: The Cycle of Water

Okko #1-2

by Hub

Year 1108 in the official calendar of the Pajan Empire. This turbulent age, often called the Asagiri Era or the Time of Mists, saw the great clans wage decades-long wars in attempts to seize power. Far from the fields of battle, Okko the ronin heads a small group of demon hunters, wandering the realms of Empire. He is accompanied by Noburo, a mysterious giant who hides his face behind a red mask, and the whimsical monk Noshin, the sake lover with the power to summon and commune with the spirits of nature. When Tikku's sister Little Carp is kidnapped by pirates, the young fisherman enlists the group's help in finding her. But the quest will have a price, and will lead our four heroes much farther afield than they'd ever imagined... The first of five Cycles by French comics master Hub.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Fiction, Bande Dessinée, Graphic Novels Comics, Adventure

104 pages, Hardcover

First published January 11, 2006

About the author

Pen name of Humbert Chabuel.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 2 out of 5]

The historical-fantasy world was interesting, the specific story less so although not terrible.

Pretty good art, although I didn't care for the faces/anatomy.

Lots of splattered viscera and gratuitous titties (especially squicky in that they're often from the point of view of the underage boy -- srsly, who watches their sister be a sex slave?)

Not a ton of emotional register given the content, but I guess it is supposed to be narrated years after the fact.

Not really to my taste, but ymmv

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the five book graphic novel series, Okko. The artwork throughout is beautifully detailed. The book is a historical fantasy set in the Pajan empire; there is some magic throughout as well.

Okko is a Ronin and the leader of a small group of demon hunters. He is accompanied by Noboru (a vicious warrior who hides behind a crazy looking mask) and Noshin (a sake’ loving monk who seems to have an affinity for water spirits). Their paths cross with that of a young boy named Tikku whose sister, Little Carp, is kidnapped by pirates. Tikku begs their help finding his sister and, sensing demon involvement, they agree.

This is definitely an adult or older teen graphic novel; there is quite a bit of nudity and a lot of violence.

The above being said I really enjoyed this story a lot. The characters are great, they have a lot of personality and depth. All of the characters have some mystery surrounding them that as a reader I am dying to know more about.

The story is action packed and right from the beginning you are sucked into it. It’s definitely a page turner and the dialogue and story are both very well written.

The illustration is amazing; it’s full color with a lot of wonderful detail. I really enjoyed it a lot. There is a lot of excellent world-building here; the Pajan Empire has a very Asian tone to it and is broad and very well developed.

Overall this was an incredibly well done fantasy graphic novel. I enjoyed the characters, the story, the illustration, and the world a lot. I would definitely recommend this to fantasy graphic novel fans out there and look forward to reading the next one.

[Jenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

The illustrations themselves were beautifully done. The action scenes not so much and I find it interesting that there were Japanese words inserted into the dialogue and narration, and yet they had samurai duelists shout out "touche!" during a fight... I couldn't get into this story and skimmed the narration boxes for the majority of the time. Maybe it was because there is so much detail and illustration that there was no real emphasis on where the reader is supposed to look.

[Romain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okko est un samouraï sans maître, un ronin – je fais mon malin dès le début en employant un terme technique. Pourtant, il n’est pas seul. Il est accompagné d’un bonze – et hop un autre pour dire moine bouddhiste – ayant un fâcheux penchant pour le saké et d’un personnage très énigmatique voire même assez effrayant. On ne sait pas si c’est un homme ou un démon. Pour ajouter au mystère, son visage est toujours caché sous un masque d’Oni – décidément les recherches sur Wikipedia m’auront donné du fil à retordre, ce sont des démons, des sortes d’ogres japonais – et l’on croit bien discerner des griffes au bout de ses doigts. Pourtant, les démons ne sont pas vraiment leurs copains. Ils sont même devenus le gagne-pain de nos trois amis qui se font payer pour les chasser et débarrasser leur client de leurs méfaits.

Okko n’est pas une histoire classique de samouraï comme il en existe beaucoup. C’est un mélange entre les Contes du 7ème souffle et Hellboy ou B.P.R.D.. Le fantastique et le folklore japonais sont au centre de cette série d’action / aventure. Elle est organisée en cycles de deux tomes correspondant aux quatre éléments – comme c’est bien fait. Le premier, celui dont nous parlons ici, est dédié à l’eau. Si chaque cycle raconte une histoire, le lecteur en apprendra à chaque fois un peu plus sur les personnages, leur personnalité et surtout leur passé. Peut-être finira-t-on par savoir ce qui se cache sous ce masque de démon ?

Le graphisme est irréprochable et plaira certainement au plus grand nombre. Les dessins, certes classiques, sont très fouillés, très détaillés et très bien mis en couleur. Je dois avouer, malgré tout ces points positifs, avoir été un peu déçu. Je ne sais pas vraiment expliquer pourquoi. Peut-être un sentiment de déjà-vu.

Songeons à la série Les Forêts d’Opale qui, a priori, n’a rien à voir puisqu’il s’agit d’heroic fantasy. Et pourtant, nous retrouvons des personnages finalement très proches: le bonze comme homme d’esprit, Okko le héros et un homme fort auréolé de mystère et dissimulé sous un masque que le lecteur n’aura de cesse de vouloir voir tomber.

Également publié sur mon blog.

[DaViD´82 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vynikající propojení tradiční dobrodružné "samurajárny" v jakože feudálním Japonsku obohaceného o různé fantasy prvky. Svět i jeho zákonitosti a zvyky jsou vystavěny nosně. Navíc jsou umně představovány "jen tak mimochodem" skrze dobrodružnou linky táhnutou postavami a nikdy nestrhávají pozornost jen čistě na sebe.

Má to dvě zásadnější chyby, ze kterých navíc jedna nejde za autory. V edici Modré Crwe již tradiční problém v podobě formátu publikace. Oproti původním albům je to zmenšené, což s ohledem na detailnost kresby a mnohé akční zalidněné pasáže je na překážku přehlednosti. Druhý je, že autoři jako by se báli nechat působit kresbu samu o sobě. A tak se nesustále uchylují k blbuvzdorným vysvětlujícím vnitřním monologům "co se právě děje, co cítím, na co myslím". Navíc to není potřeba, jelikož z dění i kresby to je vždy jasné i tak. Je to prvek, který má opodstatnění v komiksech pro menší čtenáře, ne v takovéto žánrovce pro odrostlejší publikum. Někteří jistě mezi zápory zařadí i klišé dějovou linku či jednoduší "béčkové" dialogy, ale ty dle mého k žánru patří a nejsou na škodu.

Každopádně svět, postavy i kresba jsou dostatečně nosné prvky, abych se těšil i na další alba z této řady.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okko is an innovative take on Japanese mythology, interwoven with unique literary and visual elements that make this tale something more than ordinary. The four protagonists are fairly cliched, but beyond that, the story moves along with enough flair and energy to be rewarding all the way along. Better yet, Humbert Chabuel (Hub) is an exciting graphic stylist, and the sheer beauty of some of the imagery in Okko thoroughly distracts the reader from some of the weaker elements of the story itself.

[Annschi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ziemlich männerlastig das Buch. Die Hauptfiguren (so ne Gang um einen Samurai rum) sind alles Männer. Nur zwei Frauen mit Text kommen vor. Die eine ist die Frau des Bösewichts, die andere eine Mischung aus "girl in the refrigerator" und "damsel in distress". Ansonsten aber spannend. Und: ist es cultural appropriation, wenn ein Franzose einen Samurai-Fantasy-Comic schreibt?

[J-Man J-Man · Rating 4 out of 5]

With an old school traditional feel and great artwork Okko is a great piece set in a Rural Asian environment that feels authentic. The action is great and the wonders of its world are just beginning. Looking forward to more

[Ron Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the look of it. And I liked the idea of it. But the story just wasn't there for me. It felt very rushed. We jump right in and go, go, go. There really isn't enough time to get to know the characters or explore the interesting world based on Asian mythology.

[Soteralzobooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Lukáš Pokorný · Rating 3 out of 5]

Líbivá mainstream kresba, jednoduchej příběh, co odsýpá. Zkrátka fajn oddechovka. Jinak ale generické dialogy, špatná práce s letteringem a hrozivá práce s panely. Obzvlášť akční sekvence jsou strašně sekané a neplynulé, místy dokonce nesmyslné a nepřehledné. Naprosto zapomenutelný průměr.

[Arminzerella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okko is a ronin in the land of Pajan (similar to feudal Japan). His companions are Noburo (a masked man or demon or creature), and a drunken monk. Together they fight demons. Noburo is attacked at a geisha house while he is being entertained by the lovely Little Carp. Pirates carry her and the other geisha off across the sea, and Little Carp’s brother, Tikku, convinces Okko and company to help him rescue his sister. They have to consult the water spirits in order to track the pirates, and when they do discover their whereabouts, things are not as they seem. Little Carp has been murdered by Pennagolans – demonic spirits who are masquerading as the lord and lady of a high-ranking Pajan family. The lady of the house has taken her body, and she and her husband are using it to produce an heir (Little Carp is already pregnant at the time). The samurai and his companions defeat them and Tikku joins them for training, service, and further adventures (to be continued in the Cycle of Earth).

This full color graphic novel is beautifully illustrated – stylistically it’s very Asian (appropriate considering the setting). I wish some of the panels had been larger as it was occasionally difficult to make out what was going on action-wise. Good story, very engaging, with plenty of surprises and gory beheadings. I’m not as well-versed in Japanese mythology as I’d like to be, and I’m wondering if the demons mentioned in this book are part of actual Japanese mythology, analogous to something in that mythology, or created especially for this Pajan. I’d love to read what comes next. This is definitely for adults/a mature audience – there’s lots of violence and some nudity.

[Thomas Vree · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first of four books. Great art and fantastic story. If I have a criticism of it, it’s that way too much art is packed into way too small an area. It’s brilliant, no doubt about it, but it deserves to be displayed at a much bigger scale.

[art of storytelling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such beautiful art, and an interesting (but perhaps somewhat unoriginal) story. I like the cast of characters. Sometimes it's a bit hard to tell what's going on and there are mistakes in the text, and I do not understand the random interspersing of Japanese words.

[Saif Bagmar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was true. A combination of japanese managa and american comic.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool art and an interesting story. Took a seemingly odd turn at the end but, still, cool.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best graphic novel I've read in several years and I can't wait to pick up the next in the series. It's a feudal Japan-inspired setting with the action taking place among an archipelago on the edge of the empire. (The back of the book has a few pages on the lore of the setting and various factions, but none of that really matters in this first book.) The titular hero is a ronin, accompanied by a consistently tipsy water priest, and a masked oversize warrior with an unusual ability to absorb damage.

The trio arrive at a small island where a prostitute is abducted by pirates. Her young brother hires them to rescue her, and so the adventure begins. This takes them to a notorious port casino, and then on to a mysterious distant island where a lord rules from a floating castle. The story mixes action, magic, and sneaking around perfectly, reminding me of the best kind of D&D adventures. Like most translations of European BD, this combines two shorter books to provide the complete story.

But what makes the book special is the artwork -- absolutely gorgeous in creating a sense of place, with incredible attention to detail in each panel. Where most books treat backgrounds as empty spaces that the reader's eyes will gloss over, this has stunning amounts of interest, with servants, decor, and texture lurking at every edge. When showing a balcony, instead of leaving it at a standard series of wooden joinery, this has intricate coils of rope at every juncture, creating a real sense of place. Can't wait to read the next one!

[47Time · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring AF. I can't remember when I've had such a slow progress on a comic book. The characters are bland and the action is slow enough to put me to sleep within three pages. The art is detailed and colorful, but also cluttered and often confusing. The story is the worst of all and takes a long time to start. Read this if you have a lot of time on your hands. It was definitely not a page turner.

Little Carp, a beautiful gheisha with a snake tattoo, is kidnapped. Tikku, Little Carp's brother, offers his life in servitude to Okko in exchange for rescuing his sister. Noshin, the drunk monk tasked with Tikku's education, uses a combination of magic and religion to summon a water spirit to guide the way to Little Carp. They arrive at the town where a sacrifice was just made for a mysterious woman that already has Little Carp in captivity. The woman calls her the Betrothed, and takes her to the Satorro clan's ancient family castle.

Okko's group are nearly swallowed up by a storm before being welcome at the castle. The king and queen are clearly hiding something, but Okko must bide his time until he can act. Tikku goes alone and is captured after finding that Little Carp is pregnant with lady Satorro's child. Okko and Noburo are captured trying to save Tikku who ends up rescuing them instead and punishing his sister's killers.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing art. Very detailed backgrounds. An original fantasy take on feudal Japan. A solid action story with a fast paced quest, several interesting locations, some nice battles, a satisfying conclusion.

The book has more visual storytelling (less text) than most BD due to the influence of manga. A strong central goal drives the plot — rescue little carp from a band of rogues. The conflict escalates through several twists and turns, leading the heroes from a backwater brothers to a corrupt casino, and, after a shipwreck, to an isolated island, home of a dynasty long thought extinct.

The author does a good job of pushing conflict and danger and building suspense I especially thought it was creepy in the final act where the heroes were guests of the villain in his lair, knowing full well the danger.

The world is not overly fantastic, but there are touches here and there there which add an air of mystery and intrigue. From the decapitated Demon in the opening shot to the giant puppet armors to wild ogres to floating castles. Has a ninja scroll feel to it.

[Mayank Agarwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is based on a medieval-themed Japanese style kingdom only it’s full of mystic arts, magic and puppet controlled robots. The plot is straightforward, we got a rescue mission going on by a group of demon hunting adventurers. The characters are likable but we have not got into their past yet.The graphic novel is aimed at adults with its nudity and gore but what made me interested in the work was the amazing artwork.

The illustration and sketches are extra detailed, it’s really well made. Although I didn’t like the coloring, each page seemed to be saturated with color themes, Red, Blue or Green. This didn’t seem natural and made the great artwork lose some of its charms.

The first Volume “The Cycle of Water” ends with the conclusion of the rescue mission. I am looking forward to discovering more of this world.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Series: Okko #1
Rating: 2 stars - It was ok

This was an interesting historical fantasy world but the story was just ok for me. I kept reading hoping the story would pick up and be more interesting or unique but it didn’t. It was a pretty common storyline with a woman kidnapped and the rescue team racing to find her, except with samurai, demons, and gods.

I also had a lot of questions about the characters that I expected to be answered in this first volume but they just weren’t. Like who Noburo is and how he can survive some of the things done to him. Overall, this was an interesting concept but I didn’t enjoy it enough to read the rest of the series.

Trigger Warnings: death, gore, violence, sex work

You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.

[Czterysta Czterdzieścicztery · Rating 2 out of 5]

Po ten komiks sięgnąłem, gdyż bardzo spodobał mi się inny komiks autorstwa Huba "Wąż i Włócznia". Widać, ze jest to komiks dużo wcześniejszy, opowieść nie jest aż tak dobrze poprowadzona, a rozwiązanie zagadki nie było dla mnie satysfakcjonujące (szczególnie, że w dużej mierze została opowiedziane w bardzo dużej ilości tekstu, a niewielkiej ilości kadrów, na przekór zasadzie "show, don't tell"). Najciekawsze są postaci, choć pewnym mankamentem jest, że tytułowy bohater nie jest ani aż tak dobrze pokazany, ani interesujący jak członkowie jego grupy (często wczorajszy mnich i bardzo trudny do zdarcia potężny wojownik).
Graficznie nie przekonują mnie kolory, a kreska nie jest tak klarowna jak w przypadku wspomnianej wcześniej późniejszej serii.
Ogólnie, mimo mankamentów, obiecująca seria, którą będę na pewno czytał dalej.

Scenariusz: **
Rysunki: ***

[Fahim Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

It might start a bit typically, but this story just keeps getting better and better as you keep reading. As the layers of the story are slowly peeled back, you come understand that is a story and a world that has a lot going on under the story. Realistic sword battles, the mystical and fantastical, and even steampunk elements come together seamlessly. Nothing feels out of place and that really is the best thing about this premise, there's few other quite like it.

Although the story focused more on Tikku's growth as a character, I would like to see the story go into the pasts of the Okko, Noburo and Noshin a bit in future stories. Overall though, it's a great book and I'm definitely looking forward to more.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like having a cell phone that could bring down a satellite but you use it for youtube videos.

There were so many great possibilities with the art and the basic concept. However, it was so poorly executed that many people should have been fired after the first publication.

The writing not so good, i dont know if it was lost in translation, editing or both. Im gonna stick with both! There was a page that actually had a random half sentence printed on some character's belly!🤷🏽
Did quality control not exist when this was published?

I mostly felt bad for the artist, they deserved a better compliment to their art.

2.9✨

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is stunningly detailed. All of the panels are incredibly lush and set the appropriate tones for each scene. I will say, I didn't expect that ending. Gore and vampires, who knew? I knew it was a fantasy setting, but for some reason my mind didn't think "vampire." I thought it would be some other type of creature, so it was a fun surprise for me. It did lead me to be more interested in this world's lore. I really enjoyed my time with this one, if my library has the next installments I'll probably continue.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought “Okko: the cycle of water” was ok. It was pretty average in my opinion.
While I enjoyed the story line and anticipated what would happen next, I wasn’t as much a fan of the dialogue. I found it very distracting, because I kept finding grammatical errors here and there as well as some words or parts of statements that were unnecessary to the dialogue.
I’m curious to see what sort of story book 2 will have, however I’m in no hurry to continue this series.

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed OKKO - The Cycle of Water. The story is thrilling, characters are great and suits the story perfectly, the mystic/fantasy elements combined with feudal Japan lore is just lovely and enchanting. Hub's art is perfect, both in big and small panels. I really like the colouring. Not too vivid to be excessively opulent, not too dim to be just lifeless. I value this one highly both in story, dialogues and art.

[Salamah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okko is just well done! I read it all in one night. I love the graphics, the action and the story line. My new favorite character is Noburo. He seems to be invincible and mysterious. It is like reading a movie because it has all the elements of a great movie. The story is about Little Carp who gets kidnapped and the crew's quest to get her back. I am trying to get my hands on the next book.

[Kate Dostálová · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zvláštní skupinka, ke které se přidá malý rybář Tikku, se vydá na cestu, aby zachránili Tikkovu sestru Rybičku. Tu někdo unesl a Tikku má o ni velký strach. Naštěstí s sebou mají mnicha se saké. Toho Kami dobře znají. Dostanou se až na daleký ostrov, kde na ně čeká něco nepředstavitelného.

Po grafické stránce je to nádhera. Skvělé kresby a úžasné barvy.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bande Dessinée graphic novel, mature content - so beautifully drawn. The tale is odd, the characters interesting and the story takes you in unexpected pathways - all in ancient Japan of 1180. My only regret is I wish the book was bigger, the panels given more space - but savoring the artwork always makes Belgian comics a slower read than US men in tights comics.