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Clan
Saburo is an ambitious young yakuza who provokes a war between rival factions in an attempt to overthrow the Oyabun Kodama, Tokyo’s gang boss. But the sly old devil won’t give up without a fight! Hoping to have Saburo killed, he orders Shi’s release from prison, something the old blind warrior has been waiting thirty years for. Thirty years cut off from the rest of the world, unaware of the betrayal that sealed his fate. Sometimes, all that separates family and business is the width of a blade…
- GenresComicsGraphic Novels
101 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 13, 2015
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 12, 2020
An okay Yakuza revenge story, where violence typically only begets more violence, all presented in an exceptional art style.
A young Yakuza member wants to remove his clan's leader, the leader won't go easily and calls in the help of a long incarcerated blind sword assassin.
It's all about family, both in the crime family sense and the blood sense. Speaking of blood, a lot of it is splattered about - some of it stylised, quite a lot of it more directly.
The story is nothing you haven't seen or read before, but it's entertaining enough, and moves at a steady clip.
But you're not here for the story, you're here for the art. A mix of moody, stylised art and near photo-realism with a sharp line, it's quite excellent and worth the price of admission alone.
(Received a review copy through Netgalley)
A young Yakuza member wants to remove his clan's leader, the leader won't go easily and calls in the help of a long incarcerated blind sword assassin.
It's all about family, both in the crime family sense and the blood sense. Speaking of blood, a lot of it is splattered about - some of it stylised, quite a lot of it more directly.
The story is nothing you haven't seen or read before, but it's entertaining enough, and moves at a steady clip.
But you're not here for the story, you're here for the art. A mix of moody, stylised art and near photo-realism with a sharp line, it's quite excellent and worth the price of admission alone.
(Received a review copy through Netgalley)
August 23, 2020
A young upstart tries leads a mutiny against the head of the Yakuza as he's not satisfied with his position. So the head unleashes a blind assassin who has spent the last 30 years in prison. It's got your standard revenge tropes in it and borrows a lot from Old Boy. The art is the star here but I wasn't a fan of its overuse of silhouettes.
Received a review copy from Europe Comics and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from Europe Comics and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
April 24, 2020
Pretty standard gangster/yakuza/revenge plot. the art was pretty, but if you've read Frank Miller, then you have pretty much gotten everything you can get here and more. The themes of honor and blind obedience to a code being a cover for fear to take control of their own life were moving but also pretty standard. A perfectly fine beach read.
**Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
**Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 8, 2018
I have a bit of a thing for Japan - I've played taiko and I learn the shakuhachi - so I am probably predisposed towards this comic. It's created by someone who obviously is keen on the collection of islands, and often reads like it's written for people who share that enthusiasm.
I don't find this problematic.
The book is a yakuza tale. It's treated with something of the high drama that typifies the Yakuza game series: there's lofty stakes and revelations in store that will completely change the way characters exist in the world. There's power struggles, and in the background to all this is Tokyo, unsleeping.
The city becomes more of a character than you'd expect largely because the focal point of the story is a blind prisoner, released from a jail cell after decades. He's out on the streets to help restore a bit of order - to bring to heel a troublemaker - but there's a distinct sense that our blind hero has a bit more in mind than that. But as he's blind, he's reliant on memory and sound to make his way through the world - resulting in a number of panels where the sounds of the street stand in for dialogue: onomatopoeic mapmaking in action.
It's neat, and when coupled with the crisp, noir stylings of the work, it's effective.
The closest touchstone to Clan - though set in a different time - is obviously the various versions of the Zatoichi story. Though this illustrated version lacks the dance sequence finale of the Beat Takeshi iteration, it's very much in the same spirit: lightning-fast reactions, flipping the odds and injecting a bit of wry humour into ever goon-a-thon that's encountered. It could be that the idea of an old bloke pounding shit out of some tough nuts with a golf putter is inherently amusing, but there's a little more appeal than that.
This is a short book, and it won't take you long to complete. If you've an interest in either Japan or the yakuza, it's worth a look. The story isn't the most original, but that's fine: what crime story is? Rather, there's enough telling nods to the culture and literature of the place to illustrate that the creator knows their onions, and are keen to share that enthusiasm.
Give it a go.
I don't find this problematic.
The book is a yakuza tale. It's treated with something of the high drama that typifies the Yakuza game series: there's lofty stakes and revelations in store that will completely change the way characters exist in the world. There's power struggles, and in the background to all this is Tokyo, unsleeping.
The city becomes more of a character than you'd expect largely because the focal point of the story is a blind prisoner, released from a jail cell after decades. He's out on the streets to help restore a bit of order - to bring to heel a troublemaker - but there's a distinct sense that our blind hero has a bit more in mind than that. But as he's blind, he's reliant on memory and sound to make his way through the world - resulting in a number of panels where the sounds of the street stand in for dialogue: onomatopoeic mapmaking in action.
It's neat, and when coupled with the crisp, noir stylings of the work, it's effective.
The closest touchstone to Clan - though set in a different time - is obviously the various versions of the Zatoichi story. Though this illustrated version lacks the dance sequence finale of the Beat Takeshi iteration, it's very much in the same spirit: lightning-fast reactions, flipping the odds and injecting a bit of wry humour into ever goon-a-thon that's encountered. It could be that the idea of an old bloke pounding shit out of some tough nuts with a golf putter is inherently amusing, but there's a little more appeal than that.
This is a short book, and it won't take you long to complete. If you've an interest in either Japan or the yakuza, it's worth a look. The story isn't the most original, but that's fine: what crime story is? Rather, there's enough telling nods to the culture and literature of the place to illustrate that the creator knows their onions, and are keen to share that enthusiasm.
Give it a go.
April 28, 2020
'Clan' with story and art by Amazing Ameziane is a stylish looking graphic novel about rival gangs in Tokyo.
Saburo is a young upstart who wants to start a war between gang factions. Kodama, sensing his power is in danger, orders the release of fighter Shi. Shi is blind and he's been in prison for 30 years, but that doesn't mean he's gotten soft. Shi wades into Saburo's men with a vengeance.
I had a hard time following or staying very interested in the story, but darn did it look really cool. The art really deserves a better story, but I'm not sorry I got to read it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Saburo is a young upstart who wants to start a war between gang factions. Kodama, sensing his power is in danger, orders the release of fighter Shi. Shi is blind and he's been in prison for 30 years, but that doesn't mean he's gotten soft. Shi wades into Saburo's men with a vengeance.
I had a hard time following or staying very interested in the story, but darn did it look really cool. The art really deserves a better story, but I'm not sorry I got to read it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
April 26, 2020
A pretty standard yakuza/revenge story. Nothing special in the writing but I really enjoyed the art. There were certain segments in the story that reminded me of '100 bullets' which was great.
September 21, 2020
Just your average Yakiza story, but fun in its own way.
An old man, blind and kept in solitary confinement in the pitch black for 30 years.
A Yakuza kingpin, who ordered him put away.
A young Yakuza, fed up with having to take orders.
Who lives, who dies, who tells their stories?
An old man, blind and kept in solitary confinement in the pitch black for 30 years.
A Yakuza kingpin, who ordered him put away.
A young Yakuza, fed up with having to take orders.
Who lives, who dies, who tells their stories?
April 28, 2020
(Contains 18SG and 18SX themes)
‘Sometimes, all that separates family and business is the width of a blade.’
My first impression based on the cover: It’s seems bold and dangerous with the main character, Shi, with his Yakuza pose.
The plot: The introduction by Jerome Pierrat on the Yakuza’s world, especially in terms of its early history and culture making me interested to know more. It’s neatly describing how Yakuza weren’t just dominating in a vendetta’s world, but also official businesses that occurred on a micro- or macro- scale, apart from shunning their Yakuza status. Furthermore, most Yakuza ‘minions’ were originated from the ‘ghetto’ – burakumin – and they’re making up a high figure for the biggest Yakuza gang in Japan, Yamaguchi-gumi.
The character: I love the way Améziane describes Saburo Yoshitoshi, Shi and Eiko. For the young and handsome Saburo, he might be a junior in the Yakuza’s world, but the way he describes how Yakuza dominates the economic structures makes him ‘someone to look at’. He’s quite skilful and determined to take ‘oyabun’ Kodama’s ‘minions’ and himself down. For the blind old man, Shi, who’s finally being released from a maximum security prison for 30 years, paving his way to finish Kodama off and find his wife back. He’s quite skilful and calm in sensing the rivalry movements. Eiko, Shi’s wife and Saburo’s mother, was a beautiful woman and works in her own small bar in a secretly dark and dirty alleyway. I felt bad for her, as she has to bear such pain in a ‘nonsensical’ turmoil made by them, targeting Kodama at the same time with a same reason.
‘Sometimes, all that separates family and business is the width of a blade.’
My first impression based on the cover: It’s seems bold and dangerous with the main character, Shi, with his Yakuza pose.
The plot: The introduction by Jerome Pierrat on the Yakuza’s world, especially in terms of its early history and culture making me interested to know more. It’s neatly describing how Yakuza weren’t just dominating in a vendetta’s world, but also official businesses that occurred on a micro- or macro- scale, apart from shunning their Yakuza status. Furthermore, most Yakuza ‘minions’ were originated from the ‘ghetto’ – burakumin – and they’re making up a high figure for the biggest Yakuza gang in Japan, Yamaguchi-gumi.
The character: I love the way Améziane describes Saburo Yoshitoshi, Shi and Eiko. For the young and handsome Saburo, he might be a junior in the Yakuza’s world, but the way he describes how Yakuza dominates the economic structures makes him ‘someone to look at’. He’s quite skilful and determined to take ‘oyabun’ Kodama’s ‘minions’ and himself down. For the blind old man, Shi, who’s finally being released from a maximum security prison for 30 years, paving his way to finish Kodama off and find his wife back. He’s quite skilful and calm in sensing the rivalry movements. Eiko, Shi’s wife and Saburo’s mother, was a beautiful woman and works in her own small bar in a secretly dark and dirty alleyway. I felt bad for her, as she has to bear such pain in a ‘nonsensical’ turmoil made by them, targeting Kodama at the same time with a same reason.
June 29, 2020
Further proof, if proof were needed, that mafia/yakuza stories are just boring. The design here is better than the norm, I suppose, but with several wide-screen double-page spreads it's not ideal as a digital-only release. One star for the story, as it is, three for the art.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews