Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls, Vol. 4

バジリスク～甲賀忍法帖～ [Basilisk: Kōga Ninpōchō] #4

by Masaki Segawa, Fūtarō Yamada (original creator)

OF BLOOD AND DESTINY

The titanic battle between the clans rages on. Akeginu and the blinded Oboro of the Iga clan encounter a powerful aristocrat named Ofuku, who will do whatever it takes to make her godson, Takechiyo, the next Shogun. If Ofuku and her troops join forces with the Iga, will the Kouga still have a chance at victory?

Meanwhile, the Kouga leader Gennosuke, also blinded, and his comrades–including the shapeshifter Saemon and the deadly seductress Kagerou–embark on a long journey to Sunpu to find out exactly why the truce was dissolved. They will face the fury of the calculating Tenzen and the whirlwind-wielding Koshirou. In the end, who will survive this bloody game of deception and politics?

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

224 pages, Comic

First published April 9, 2004

About the author

Masaki Segawa made his debut in 1997 with the series Senma Monogatari, which ran in the weekly magazine Comic Morning. In 1998 he began his long-running series Onigiri Jyuuzou, which ended in the year 2000. Basilisk is his second long-running series and his first adaptation. He loves cats and watermelon, and currently lives in Funibashi.

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best volume yet, with two intense ninja duels and two casualties. Particularly for the Kouga, who lose one of its most capable men. Even when they are not fighting, there is great tension between paramours Gennosuke and Oboro, will they be able to carry out the will of the shogun and of their clan? Will they be able to face each other battle?

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's a vast improvement. It begins with a short prequel chapter that gives some much needed personality for the characters - dead and alive alike - by showing more of how they hang out in peacetime, and it ends with the plot thickening and new pawns coming to play and even with a twist or two. And as I figured in the previous volume, the reduced numbers do give the remaining warriors some more space to stand out.

Nearly at the end now. We'll see if things keep up.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

The flashbacks, the appearence of Hattori Hanzo and clan Tokugawa (if you never heard about them this manga is really not for you, just skip it), the great fight Koshirou vs Hyoma, and the author working a lot much more on the plot instead of showing nudity like on previous issues, make this one the best volume of the series.

[AP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly I won't be able to finish this series as my library does not have the last volume. >_>; How much it matter as this point I don't know since to me the series has turned out to be a fairly mediocre 3, maybe as low as 2.5 at points, star rating after having read the first 4 volumes. Basically I found the second part of the chunin exam in Naruto a lot more entertaining when it comes to grabbing scrolls!

[Ign33l · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of rape in this edition, nice analogies. But the trama gets heavy, no wonder it just lasts 5 books. Ofcourse the story of this is too wide, the trama is about the battle of the kouga and the iga. Now the 10 show their powers and a greedy grandma apears to put some level in the fight, because the kouga were the best.

[Nathaniel R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

More blood, death and violence. While our cast of characters are dwindling, new powers are seen, others face off and some new characters make an introduction, which I hope adds an interesting twist to the following volumes in the series. Considering the quickness in which characters are dispatched, the action always wants me reading more and wondering just how things will end.

[Craig Schorling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume starts with a flashback that gives a little more life to the characters but it still is not enough to get me fully vested into them. This series has been a wild ride in the action department with some really great samurai fight sequences but the story has been just average at best. One more volume to go and I won't lie, I am excited to see how it ends.

[47Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Iga and Kouga finally find why the Hattori truce was dissolved - to elect a new shogun from the winning clan for the following 1000 years. Only three of the initial ten are left alive in each clan by the end of the volume. I'm expecting an epic battle in the last volume.

[Amara · Rating 3 out of 5]

We're finally beginning to see what's behind all this.

[Dominique "Eerie" Sobieska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iga - 3 Remain
Kouga - 3 Remain

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent ninja manga based In the Feudal Japan era! The action was pretty awesome but the plot/story was pretty dull 👌😁❤️

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This just keeps getting wilder! So Tenzen is completely unkillable?!

[Carole Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 4th manga in the series. Unlike the other two, I wouldn't read this as a stand alone. Many references one can only understand if they read the last 3. These references and back-knowledge are important to understand whats going on.

I've been dying to read this, because I believe that this is the best of the series. I still think so (so far), still have one more to go, so we shall see. So much is going on, but I love every second of it.

I especially love the number of flashbacks that are showed. Awesome and the little cute, romantic scene between Hotarubi and Yashamaru. Super cute! The flashbacks are really bittersweet though, because you really wish the treaty was never broken by the corrupted politics. Damn them. Things had been looking up for both clans with the engagement between Oboro and Gennosuke. Meh.

This manga also was bittersweet, because a couple really awesome characters are slain. I know its gunna happen, but I still get upset when it happens. I especially am bitter, because one of my least favorites has a hand in the killings. >_> Stupid tragic manga....

ANYWAYS....

This is and was my favorite of the series. So much going on, but it's just so good. I can't say more without spoiling it. I do believe my favorite parts of it are the flashbacks. So bittersweet. *sighs* Well, I shall HIGHLY recommend this manga to those that love this genre. So fantastic. I wish it was more popular, because it does deserve the attention. It really does. In the end, I shall stamp this with 5 stars.

Favorite Character(s): Gennosuke, Koshirou, Hyouma, and Saemon (awesome power)
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Oboro (meh), Tenzen (asswipe), and Kagerou

[Conan Tigard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is just an absolute pleasure to read. The drawing look like artwork and the story is both exciting and action-packed. I just couldn't put the book down. To tell the truth, I read books 2 through 5 in one sitting, unable to wait until the next day to find out what was going to happen.

Basilisk is a hell of a story and one that I will always treasure and a true Japanese manga. Masaki Segawa is an utterly incredible artist and his work speaks for itself. Basilisk: Volume 4 is another stupendous manga book in this fantastic series that DelRey Manga has published. If you never read another manga series, this is the one you need to pick up. It is totally spectacular!

Overall, Basilisk: Volume 4 is a bodacious story that will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat wanting to finish the series by reading Basilisk: Volume 5. So, be prepared for a sword-wielding story of magic and misunderstandings that leaves blood dripping from the pages.

I rated this book a 10 out of 10.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The battle between the Iga and Kouga clans continues, leaving only 5 ninjas left by the end of this volume (out of ten per side that started out). A noble lady decides to meddle, which could make things interesting. Once again, the pace on this one moves along very fast. One of the things I am noticing in this series is the amount of detail. I may reread the series soon just to appreciate it some more. Oh, and in this volume, did that last ninja to die, Tenzen, actually die? Seems a shapeshifter is involved. Maybe instead of 5, there may still be 6 ninja left. Another cool thing about this series is that the ninjas all have different techniques and powers from the shapeshifter to the woman who can stop any ninja technique with just her vision. This is a nice blend of fantasy and action. Well worth the reading, and I am heading along to read volume 5 to find out how it all ends.

[Christine Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tightly written, well illustrated glimpse at classic manga, worth a read.