Blade of the Immortal, Volume 2: Cry of the Worm

Blade of the Immortal (US) #2

by Hiroaki Samura, Dana Lewis (Translator), Toren Smith (Translator)

The curse of the bloodworm is what keeps Manji alive -- slit his throat or stab him in the heart and those mystical worms will force his body to heal. This immortal curse will not be lifted until Manji has killed one thousand evil men. Manji's female companion, Rin, finds the treasured sword of her destroyed Mutenichi-ryu dojo (school of swordsmanship). The ronin who has it must have been involved in the destruction of the school -- and that means that Manji could be one step closer to ending his curse. If you like ninja action, Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal will keep you on edge.

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

176 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 1994

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

[John Wiswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume begins to examine the relationship between Manji, the immortal swordsman, and Rin, the last survivor of a massacred and dishonored household. For all their fighting (and the blood spilled around them), theirs is a very sweet relationship - more complicated than any comic book romance, it opens both characters up as conflicted people who may just be too simple for the lives they're trying to live. It also introduces a second immortal who takes an uncomfortable obsession with Manji, showing the toll eternal life can have on the human mind. His conflicts with this other immortal further displays just how gory the artist is willing to make things, and sets up a barrier: if this makes you uncomfortable, you must stop here. If you can accept it and understand the physical torture Manji has gone through, you'll begin to understand this mystique of this masterpiece. It's all done with the trademark sketch style of art and a wild sense of cool that film would do well to study.

[Gabriel Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a violent story! Warning: it's a little graphic. To be able to understand some of the goings on in this story, you would've had to have read volume one. There is no explanation for some of the uncanny things that happen in the story unless you've read the first volume. I love the characters, Manji and Rin, and, of course, anything samurai. Compared to volume one, volume two didn't seem as chaotic of a story, didn't seem as complex. I'm looking forward to reading the third volume now, just to see what happens to Manji and Rin.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one surpasses the first volume with its intense action and a gripping epic battle at the end.

The character development is deeper, bringing new dimensions to the protagonists and adding layers to the story, which is beginning to truly unfold. The artwork remains stunning, with dynamic and detailed illustrations that capture the essence of the battles and emotions. This volume hooks you in, making it impossible not to eagerly anticipate the next chapter in this compelling saga.

PS. I still can't get used to the swastika on Manji's back yea yeah, I know what it means (I read the intro and the history of it all) but still.

[Adam M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manji and Rin travel together, get to know one another more and fight all kinds of ronin and ninja. They meet another man who has the blood worms and Rin finds someone carrying a sword that belong to her father when his dojo still stood. - I get the impression that this is the format at least the next couple volumes will likely follow as Manji starts working his way through 1000 evil men killed to lift his curse. I'm not complaining about that, as long as they keep giving us more back story on these two and progressing their characters it's a satisfying read with really great art and intense fights.

[shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

What more could I want than some badass one-liners, a gay joke, and a man’s limbs hacked off?!?!

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Natalia Adamashvili · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting better

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way better than the first volume

[Stergios · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cry of the Worm
1. Path of fire (1/3): Manji and Rin make a short stop and they meet a strange man, who seems to know a lot about them. He tells them that Ito Ryu aims to be the best sword school by combining the best techniques of all the other schools. The problem is that it's founder, Anotsu Kagehisa is mortal and maybe he won't have enough time to fullfil his dream. The strange man is also immortal and has an offer for Manji, to become the leaders of Ito Ryu...
2. Path of blood (2/3): Shizuma Eiku, the immortal man kidnaps Rin while Manji lies poisoned on the verge of death. He offers Rin some of his blood. That way the worms can be transferred to her body and she can too become immortal and take her revenge.
3. Path of the sword (3/3): Final showdown between the two immortals. Dreamsong
4. Dreamsong (1/5): Manji with Rin decide to wait two weeks and thenĺ ambush Anotsu as he will head to another town. Manji has a weird dream about a young girl. While in town he is approached by a prostitute who seems to have a hidden agenda.
5. Dreamsong (2/5): We learn the story of O-Maki, the assasin from last chapter. She was a prostitute and a former lover of Anotsu but most of all a mistress of the sword who even Anotsu thinks is better than him. Best chapter so far, I liked the lyrics of the song at the start.

Overall the story is ok, but I find it difficult to "read" the art, I wish it was inked better, there is a lot of pencil work.

[Michael Emond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like the first volume - Great art - Okay story of revenge with a body guard who can't be killed because he has magic worms healing him - and atrocious dialogue.

A bit better than number one because we are through with the backstory and can focus on the cool fights and conflicts. The writer gets full marks for keeping each fight different and interesting and no marks for his horrid dialogue.

I'll stick with this for one more volume but this did NOT live up to the hype (for me at least). If I had read this when I was a teen - maybe I would appreciate it more but I would much rather watch the anime Samurai Champloo three more times than read this. Also - I guess Manga isn't for me - I'll take Americanized Manga like Usagi Yojimbo (which I love).

[Helen]

The first volume I read of the series and one of my favourites as a result. The fight with Shizuma was great, but has sadly been made obsolete by even more awesome fights in later volumes. I appreciated the pencil work of early volumes of Blade and found them reassuring; even today, as an art student, I'm no good with much more than pencil.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am just in love with the art work- the story is okey for now and the characters are developing. I am interested to see where the story goes!

[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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[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

My journey with Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal continues with volume 2, titled Cry of the Worm.

I want to start with the positives on this one. In the last review, I mentioned that Dark Horse seems to have done a subpar job at scanning the original manga pages, with some frames looking like rough drafts inserted into the comic book — complete with pixelation. This problem seems to have gone away for the most part in volume 2, which leads me to believe that it was, in fact, a production issue with the first volume of the series.

The art here is also a significant step up from the previous volume. It is strange to talk about 'cinematography' in the context of a manga or comic book. However, I feel that the framing has improved tremendously in volume 2 as well. It feels like the artist now takes more care of how a frame should look like, and there are several standout moments, including a beautiful 'shot', if you will, of the morning light falling on Ren as she awakens alone in a bedroom. The pencil work has also improved, with more disciplined lines that define the characters and settings better.

Another marked improvement is the translation, which, again, I think Dark Horse did a poor job before. One thing that I did not mention in the last review was how characters would say seemingly nonsensical things, and I suspect that to be the result of bad translations. This problem has been largely eradicated by volume 2, and characters actually talk more like human beings now — which is great.

Now, to the not-so-great aspects of the book. The action sequences and fight scenes continue to be poor on the visual front. There are two main sword fights in this book, and both of them remind me of Michael Bay's Transformers movies. Even though you know that two people are duelling it out on the page, you don't quite know who is doing what. It feels like the artist failed to map out the action-reaction on the page, so the reader is left to guess what is happening. I cannot tell you how a stroke lands a hit on Manji's shoulder, for example. All I can say is that Manji is not injured in one frame, then injured in the other. Everything in between is a blur. For a series called Blade of the Immortal, where sword fighting should happen frequently, I do hope that the action visuals improve as we go along.

One major plot point in this book is how Manji is poisoned and, as a result, the worms in his body are not quite able to mend his injuries. This turn of events is supposed to be crucial, akin to Superman coming in contact with Kryptonite for the first time. Yet, within three pages, his sickness is cured because Rin so happens to have some antidote with her. It does feel a little contrived and convenient, unless this plot point is addressed again in later volumes.

Speaking of unanswered questions, Manji apparently has some contacts with Magatsu? What's up with that? Maybe that will be answered later also.

[OmniBen · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review for the deluxe edition this volume collects) 4.75/5
Thank the comic gods, I've finally found a manga series that isn't either a promising although poorly executed concept (See Berserk, which I do think is pretty good regardless). Or an absolute trash fire of poor storytelling in both pictures and words. I can't claim to have a massive amount of experience with the genre, although I have certainly tried a number of very well thought of titles, and to say I have been underwhelmed by the stories themselves, but the genre in general would be an understatement. If I didn't already have a couple of the Blade of the Immortal deluxe editions sitting there already, I would never have tried this series, and would have solemnly vowed to never pick up a manga volume again (or for a long while at least).
So again, thank the comic gods that this story pretty much ticks every box I look for in a graphic novel, and stands head and shoulders above every other manga I've touched. The story actually has some flow about it. Word panels connect nicely with each other, and the dialogue and narration has a poetry and structure that is not only more akin to a well told Western story, but simply put, a well told story period. The narrative can actually be quite beautiful at times. Yes, there is very occasionally a bit of the Japanese 'cheese' that I've found all too common, and rather galling within this medium. The characters are extremely well fleshed out and varied. All of them have some amazingly unique traits, and no one is over powered or flawless, as is far too overdone within the medium.
Another plus, it is an ongoing narrative, and it is very well executed. Within the 600 or so pages in this volume, there were numerous opportunities to phone an arc in, and do the usual, safe, samurai tale. But no, each one of these stands out as unique and very well done. It is a very rare thing for to be shocked about a plot twist, although I never quite knew what was going to happen throughout these stories. Or if I knew the overall destination, I certainly didn't foresee the journey.
The art is absolutely phenomenal. Best manga I've seen. Yep, better than Berserk. It might not be technically as adept a Muira's work, although it is far more evocative and meaningful. I don't think I've ever lingered on panels as long as I did here. Sure, some are rushed inks, although Samura's pencil work is exquisite.
So yeah, before I drown myself in a hyperbolic soup of my own making, go out and check out this book. I'm so glad I have volume two to pull off the shelf and carry on with. And volume three is about to come out as well. God only knows what I'll do when I've read all of those. A very painful wait, I guess. 4.75/5


OmniBen.

[Adam Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been collecting the Blade Of The Immortal books for about twenty years, but never really sat down to read them because for Years, volume two was out of print and going for hundreds of dollars online. Dark Horse has some fantastic series but their collections editing has been pretty terrible for almost thirty years. If you have a thirty volume series, and volume two has been out of print since volume six came out, you're not going to sell as many books. They've since reprinted the volumes as omnibus edition trade paperbacks, and are currently printing them as Deluxe Hardcovers. If you're interested in the books, you should sntach them up soon because, again, they are grossly negligent at keeping series in print.

I lucked out a few years ago, and while looking for some Marvel books at a used bookstore, I found an unnumbered Blade Of The Immortal trade on a shelf, and it was Volume Two for $5. I snatched it up, paid for it, and sprinted out of the store before anyone looked at how much it was going for online. And then I put it on my manga shelf, forgot about it, moved, put it on a shelf, forgot about it, and moved again. And Now I'm finally getting down to reading it.

Volume two is an improvement, pacing and art-wise from the first volume, which was mostly very good. The one issue I have is that it seems a little early in an epic for The Immortal Protagonist to discover an Immortal Antagonist, given that the story is currently focused on dealing with a mortal antagonist who is mentioned several times in this book but neither he nor his henches are anywhere to be found. This is a trifling complaint, as I doubt Samura knew how long this story was going to end up being, though we're into volume two of an I Have To Kill A Thousand Bad Guys storyline, and I think we're only up to about twenty dead people.

The fight scenes are a little DC Live Action, as the actual fights look blurry, and you tend to see wounds without actually seeing how the combatant is wounded. But that could be just to show you how fast these people are with their swords.

I still think this is an excellent series for people looking to read an action manga, as the art is excellent and the storytelling is superior to most of the manga I've read.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

A shockingly bad manga. Maybe the series gets better, but this is crap.

The art style is interesting, with its occasional use of pencil. However, it is also amateurish. Faces are wonky. Characters look alike. Expressions are often hard to read. Linework is often rough and anatomy is off. Fights are a mess not worth the effort to parse. Samura uses cinematic storytelling at times, reminiscent of Kurosawa/lone wolf and cub. This aspect is effective.

Manji has to be one of the most unlikeable protagonists in manga. (Maybe this will change in later volumes) A prototypical edgy teen — arrogant, cynical, lazy, rude etc. Rin is not much better. Whiny and annoying.

SPOILERS

The plot of this volume centers around 2 random fights. First, Rin runs into a low-level thug in the employ of Anotsu, who is the bad guy they are hunting. The thug has a sword that was stolen from Rin’s family dojo. She hints to Manji that she wants it back. Manji later hunts down and attacks the thug. The thug badly outclasses Manji and defeats him several times. Manji, however, has the blood worms, so he is able to stab the thug in the back. This entire episode is pitiful and highlights the problems with an immortal hero.

The next fight occurs when a random samurai, also in the employ of Anotsu, accosts Manji at a tavern. After some banter and a kidnapping or two, they agree to duel. The difference this time is the guy also has blood worms. They stab each other through the torso multiple times but neither can die. Finally the guy lets Manji kill him because he’s depressed that Rin had earlier called him a worm.* So once again, Manji comes off as a buffoon. Before he dies the worm guy gives the “heroes” a clue to the whereabouts of Anotsu, advancing the plot.

* This volume introduces a worm poison that prevents regeneration. Manji slices open worm guy’s poison flask and it splashes on him, rendering him vulnerable. You have to look closely to figure this out amid the wild scribblings.

[Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Blade of the Immortal's second volume, we are offered a ghastly mirror to Manji in the form of Eiku Shizuma. Mirroring a character is an underutilized narrative technique with a number of psychoanalytic valences (the alternate version might represent the unconscious, among other possibilities). Here, the utility is granting some insight into the possibilities for Manji without making him engage in existential exposition. Eiku carries the pain of eternal life through his 200 years and 1,000 murders. That anguish is a clear cautionary tale for Manji and it dovetails nicely with Manji's growing relationship with Rin.

What this second volume demonstrates is Samura is not satisfied with his kinetic action set pieces and great art but rather wants offer substantive ideas and character beats as the manga's foundation.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

[4.5/5]

This volume continues with Manji and Rin traveling to find members of the Itto-Ryu. They encounter one and we get a pretty good, if somewhat short, fight scene. The art style has the flow of the fight a bit hard to follow. While I know that there is quite a bit of sexual violence towards women in this series, I appreciate that the manga has not gone down the creepy route between Manji and Rin. later in the volume, they meet someone who is not part of the Itto-Ryu that Manji ends up in a fight with. Again, the fight scenes are good but somewhat hard to follow. This volume shows how brutal this word and many of the people in it are. We also get to learn a bit more about the worms in this volume.

[Anna Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than vol 1, I like the relationship developing between Rin and Manji. Shizuma was a cool enemy and its only the beginning of the story so im excited to see where it's headed. It's kinda gory but at the same time I feel very peaceful while reading it

[Jason Holtzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was much stronger than the first volume! Personally, I think it just took me some time getting used to the different formal and informal language used across characters, along with establishing a course for the story to follow. When I get the chance, I look forward to reading more!

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If I could only be a silly little fool never knowing the ruthless meaning behind those words… how happy i would be! Such ecstasy!”

Here appears for the first time one of the best female characters of all time, Makie Otono-Tachibana!
Even now we need more characters like this.

[John May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than the initial volume. Less backstory, and the introduction of a silver bullet for blood worm immortality.

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

Good volume.

[Scott Ollar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this volume as well, still think the editions are too small to do the artwork justice

[Bethany Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This manga is great its packed full with fight scenes but is also very graphic but you feel very connected with the characters and empathise with them. while also feeling the romance and love develop between the two main characters. I love how this is adventurous, deadly but also romantic I love the sharing of this if it was coloured or had slightly more detailed art I would have rated 5 star but this is my personal preference for this book. Over all this was a great read I would highly recommend this manga if you are a fan as it is very good and well worth the money and time.

[Jash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story's getting stated now.

[SwedishGeekGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is even better than the first! Amazing art, characters with depth and a haunting intresting revange story.
Blade of the immortal volume 2 by Hiroaki Samura get a 10/10 stars.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this one more than the first. The art is really nice and we're just starting to get to know the characters. Nothing major happening yet.

[Drizztl · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10