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子連れ狼 [Kozure Ookami] #12
Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 12: Shattered Stones
A woman driven to insanity by the murder of her child, and the horribly burned husband seeking revenge; unseen samurai under the thumb of a power-hungry woman; a beggar ronin seeking the downfall of his greedily ambitious wife; a good-for-nothing beggar willing to use a child to make easy money; a lady magician threatened by swindling all of these people have something in common — the need to regain their honor, and this quest almost always means death. Ogami Itto, a wandering ronin on a road to vengeance, has been paid to put these folks back on that path, at any cost. For this grim samurai and his infant son, there is nothing left in this world except honor, vengeance, death, and blood. Fortunately, there's plenty of each to go around...
This volume contains the following
Nameless, Penniless, Lifeless
Body Check
Shattered Stones
A Promise of Potatoes
Wife Killer
This volume contains the following
Nameless, Penniless, Lifeless
Body Check
Shattered Stones
A Promise of Potatoes
Wife Killer
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2001
15 people are currently reading
303 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 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 21, 2021
The silhouette of a man in a long robe pushing a wooden pram up and down the byways of medieval Japan has become an iconic representation for the whole series. Loneliness and determination push father and son forward, mercilessly focused on only one thing : revenge at all costs against their sworn enemy. Volume 12 is one of those that don’t advance the main quest, marking a timely breather after the high stakes direct confrontation earlier in the series, a battle that left both Ogami Itto and Retsudo Yagyu bloodied, in need of recovery. We are offered instead several stories that flesh out both the portrait of the country and the endless variations on the themes of duty, honour and self-sacrifice that are the foundation of the samurai code. As usual, Ogami Itto is more than just an assassin for hire. He is the embodiment of the true bushido spirit, punishing sinners and explaining the finer points of this rigid code.
I’ve come back to giving the series 5 stars instead of four, mostly because of the artwork, which seems to be improving again after a couple of less convincing collections.
Nameless, Penniless, Lifeless
Why would a husband choose to prostitute his beautiful but absent-minded wife in cheap sideshows for strangers? The man is in obvious pain at her plight, and tenderly cares for her wounds after she is raped. The path of the drifting couple crosses with that of Ogami Itto, as the Lone Wolf visits a gambling house, and Itto recognizes something in the wild look of the husband, a sinister purpose that overrides all other considerations in life.
Nameless, penniless, lifeless,
Seeking nothing more than death...
Nothing more than we seek for ourselves.
Body Check
The shogun maintained control of his domain by asking all powerful lords to spend time in his capital Edo and by building heavily guarded checkpoints along the main roads. Ogami Itto is arrested at one such gate after he presents a fake passport, but there is apparently more to this issue than meets the eye. A powerful lady who bleeds her land dry is scheduled to pass through the gate in one of three covered palanquins, each protected by famous samurai in her employ. Itto must find a way to finish the assassination contract he took on that lady, and his best bet is to rely on his resourceful young cub, Daigoro.
Shattered Stones
Back on the icy roads in winter, Ogami and Daigoro are attacked by a lone hot-stone seller. Instead of killing the impudent man, the Lone Wolf listens to his story: another honourable samurai that was brought down by Fate, this time in the guise of his unfaithful wife who betrayed him and left to live in the house of his former lord. The ronin has a special request that instead of a simple assassination, Ogami Itto must reveal the woman’s treachery and force her to punish herself. Tricky, but not beyond Ogami’s inflexible adherence to honourable action. There’s a little more talking than swinging katanas in this story, but the end result is just as bloody as usual.
The ox-headed, horse-headed demons of Meifumado cut short the lives of men and drag them down to hell! They say their wages are living blood!
A Promise of Potatoes
A story focused on Daigoro, as the small boy refuses to bow down to bullying from ruffians older and bigger than him. Saved from the beating by a passing beggar, impressed by the boy’s fighting spirit against impossible odds, Daigoro is then put by the man to beg by the side of the road. A mix of venality, unlikely friendship as they share a fireside meal and candid concern about the fate of the boy is brought to an abrupt closure as the beggar witnesses the return of Lone Wolf, engaged in one of his duels to the death right in front of the boy.
Wife Killer
Daigoro is attracted by a magic spectacle in a tent. The young lady who performs for the villagers asks the boy to help her with her magic tricks, and the father watches from the shadows as the boy finds a rare smile coming to his lips. The peaceful scene is threatened by a drunk old heckler who demands a heavy bribe for not revealing the secrets for the magic tricks. The lady magician would rather die than accede to his demands, and Ogami Itto with his sword is looming over the heads of the two antagonists. The title of the story is a bit unfortunate, as it reveals early the secret connection between the two, but this is not a major issue to readers who are already familiar with the sort of problems a life spend in Meifumado entails.
The years pass. Our tomorrows become our yesterdays...
When will our quest end?
May 31, 2017
Wow, I gotta say that some of the stories in this volume are doozies that take us in some interesting directions. Certainly one complaint that can be lodged at some of the volumes/stories of Lone Wolf & Cub (if not this one) is that they can sometimes be a bit same-y, with one set-piece assassination story following another with only the unique modes of combat delineating them very much. That is certainly not always the case however, and for a series whose heart revolves around a path of brutal vengeance that appears to be superficially concerned with depicting epic violence the number of ways in which Koike and Kojima interject character, humanity, and emotion is perhaps surprising. In terms of narrative progression you could perhaps liken Lone Wolf and Cub to a TV series like the X-Files, Babylon 5, or (shudder) Lost all of which have long story arcs that provide narrative cohesion to the overall story (I’m not looking at you Lost), but that are often interspersed with ‘one-shot’ episodes that may not drive the main storyline forward, but instead give further glimpses into the world depicted and the lives of the characters. In this volume the overall story arc of Itto’s vengeance against the Yagyu by means of the secret letter does not advance significantly, but the individual stories really shine.
‘Nameless, Penniless, Lifeless’ tells the story of a husband and wife team who put on erotic shows for the public. When they come face-to-face with local Yakuza enforcers, angry at not being given a kick-back while the group was in their territory, things go from bad to worse and the gangsters demand more than just a cut of the entrance fees. When they must then put on a special show for the Yakuza bosses and their guests the macabre performance that follows shakes the audience to the core…and what strange contract has the assassin Lone Wolf & Cub taken on for this itinerant group? Vengeance and heartbreak are definitely at the core of this story and Itto’s targets are not the obvious ones.
‘Body Check’: when Itto and Daigoro come to the Hakone Sekisho checkpoint that controls access across a mountain pass, Itto is taken by the authorities who were warned of the assassin that would be travelling with fake papers of transit. Could the wily assassin really have been so deluded as to choose a plan that was so easily subverted? If not, then why would he choose to be captured in such a secure location? I thought Itto’s plan in this tale was great and showed how he uses his intellect as much as his strength and swordsmanship when carrying out his assassinations. We also see how father and son work together as Daigoro proves to be a key element to Itto’s strategy for success.
‘Shattered Stones’: like the first story in the collection this one has Itto taking up an unusual contract the ends of which are not exactly standard to his usual modus operandi. Lone Wolf and Cub come across a samurai fallen to the level of a beggar who tests their resolve and sense of honour. Satisfied, he requests that they bring to its conclusion the family drama of betrayal, lost love, and deceit that had brought him so low. Travelling to the home of a local lord they confront him along with his concubine and her son and present them with an impossible quandry that only death can resolve.
‘A Promise of Potatoes’: left to his own devices, Daigoro is set upon by a group of bullies who are driven off by an apparent good Samaritan. Apparently this help was not altogether altruistic, as the stranger proves to be a con-man who sees Daigoro as a possible useful ally in his efforts to keep living the good life. When Itto returns to the scene the grifter realizes that he may have gotten more than he bargained for when he recruited the young boy and re-examines the life he has been living up to this point.
‘Wife Killer’ comes back again to the themes of family betrayal and vengeance. A drunken old man flanked by two hoodlums has been filling the world of itinerant magicians with terror. He is known only as Kappa Masa (or ‘wife killer’ since magic is known as the ‘wife of the hands’ of magicians) and he exposes the magician’s trade secrets in the midst of their performances unless they agree to pay for his silence. There seems to be no trick he cannot see through and the guild of magicians has come to Lone Wolf and Cub in the hopes that they can help. When Kappa Masa comes face-to-face with a young magician who refuses to bow before his demands, however, he will face a retribution more terrible than any punishment that Lone Wolf and Cub could mete out at the end of their sword.
This was definitely a very strong volume in an exceedingly strong series. Great stories and, as is always the case though I don’t always mention it, the art is fantastic throughout. Goseki Kojima is expert at depicting action, landscape, and character in vividly cinematic ways and the union of his art with Kazuo Koike’s thought-provoking stories is a winning combination.
‘Nameless, Penniless, Lifeless’ tells the story of a husband and wife team who put on erotic shows for the public. When they come face-to-face with local Yakuza enforcers, angry at not being given a kick-back while the group was in their territory, things go from bad to worse and the gangsters demand more than just a cut of the entrance fees. When they must then put on a special show for the Yakuza bosses and their guests the macabre performance that follows shakes the audience to the core…and what strange contract has the assassin Lone Wolf & Cub taken on for this itinerant group? Vengeance and heartbreak are definitely at the core of this story and Itto’s targets are not the obvious ones.
‘Body Check’: when Itto and Daigoro come to the Hakone Sekisho checkpoint that controls access across a mountain pass, Itto is taken by the authorities who were warned of the assassin that would be travelling with fake papers of transit. Could the wily assassin really have been so deluded as to choose a plan that was so easily subverted? If not, then why would he choose to be captured in such a secure location? I thought Itto’s plan in this tale was great and showed how he uses his intellect as much as his strength and swordsmanship when carrying out his assassinations. We also see how father and son work together as Daigoro proves to be a key element to Itto’s strategy for success.
‘Shattered Stones’: like the first story in the collection this one has Itto taking up an unusual contract the ends of which are not exactly standard to his usual modus operandi. Lone Wolf and Cub come across a samurai fallen to the level of a beggar who tests their resolve and sense of honour. Satisfied, he requests that they bring to its conclusion the family drama of betrayal, lost love, and deceit that had brought him so low. Travelling to the home of a local lord they confront him along with his concubine and her son and present them with an impossible quandry that only death can resolve.
‘A Promise of Potatoes’: left to his own devices, Daigoro is set upon by a group of bullies who are driven off by an apparent good Samaritan. Apparently this help was not altogether altruistic, as the stranger proves to be a con-man who sees Daigoro as a possible useful ally in his efforts to keep living the good life. When Itto returns to the scene the grifter realizes that he may have gotten more than he bargained for when he recruited the young boy and re-examines the life he has been living up to this point.
‘Wife Killer’ comes back again to the themes of family betrayal and vengeance. A drunken old man flanked by two hoodlums has been filling the world of itinerant magicians with terror. He is known only as Kappa Masa (or ‘wife killer’ since magic is known as the ‘wife of the hands’ of magicians) and he exposes the magician’s trade secrets in the midst of their performances unless they agree to pay for his silence. There seems to be no trick he cannot see through and the guild of magicians has come to Lone Wolf and Cub in the hopes that they can help. When Kappa Masa comes face-to-face with a young magician who refuses to bow before his demands, however, he will face a retribution more terrible than any punishment that Lone Wolf and Cub could mete out at the end of their sword.
This was definitely a very strong volume in an exceedingly strong series. Great stories and, as is always the case though I don’t always mention it, the art is fantastic throughout. Goseki Kojima is expert at depicting action, landscape, and character in vividly cinematic ways and the union of his art with Kazuo Koike’s thought-provoking stories is a winning combination.
January 20, 2019
Returning to the endless road approach of before, we’re treated with more inter-tales scooped up from the overall arc. While never contributing to the main strand of narrative, the results are generally well executed. Again, with a strong eye placed on the subaltern, the original content of Koike and Co.’s Ronin is well meshed with the average life of peasant and middle class folk alike.
August 17, 2020
This volume has four or even five (depending how you count) prominent female characters, only one of whom got sexually abused and exploited. From this comic, that's a real accomplishment!
Historical Japan was not kind to women.
Historical Japan was not kind to women.
December 21, 2021
İsimsiz, Meteliksiz, Ruhsuz isimli hikaye çok acıklıydı bence. Dönem Japonya'sını sosyal ve sınıfsal açıdan mükemmel anlatmışlar. Spoiler olmasın ama Feodal Japonya'da o "nesneyi" gördüğüme çok şaşırdım :)
Çizimlere ve hep söylediğim gibi yüz ifadelerine hayran olmamak elde değil. Bazı kareleri yeterince inceleyemiyor gibiyim. Festival gibi kalabalık sahneleri teker teker incelemek lazım.
Ve Üst Araması hikayesinde Daigoro'm büyümüş de babasını hapisten kaçırıyor. Hamferim sana.
Herkese keyifli okumalar
Çizimlere ve hep söylediğim gibi yüz ifadelerine hayran olmamak elde değil. Bazı kareleri yeterince inceleyemiyor gibiyim. Festival gibi kalabalık sahneleri teker teker incelemek lazım.
Ve Üst Araması hikayesinde Daigoro'm büyümüş de babasını hapisten kaçırıyor. Hamferim sana.
Herkese keyifli okumalar
December 1, 2017
Yalnız Kurt ve Yavrusu'nu ilk keşfettiğimde çok sevinmiş heyecanla okumuştum, ancak zamanla seride ilerledikçe seri aynı düz çizgide seyretti ve bu da seriye olan ilgimi azalttı. Seride bir çok bağımsız olay var, hepsi Japon kültürü ile farklı bir noktaya değiniyor ancak her olay benzer şekilde ilerlediği için bir süre sonra okurken beni sıkmaya başladı tekdüzelik.
Seriyi hala sevsem de bir süre ara vermeye karar verdim. Serinin genel hikayesinin canlanması ve biraz daha aksiyon içermesi iyi olabilirdi.
Seriyi hala sevsem de bir süre ara vermeye karar verdim. Serinin genel hikayesinin canlanması ve biraz daha aksiyon içermesi iyi olabilirdi.
April 27, 2021
Tras reunirse con Daigoro de nuevo, pues regresamos al formato anterior, donde vagan mientras Ito Ogami cumple encargos de asesino.
Interesante la historia de la pareja que va dando espectáculo, y la del encargo en la puerta de revisión.
3.5 star
Interesante la historia de la pareja que va dando espectáculo, y la del encargo en la puerta de revisión.
3.5 star
April 10, 2016
Another one of those filler chapters, this volume of Lone Wolf and Cub distances from the main Yagyu storyline and instead tells self-contained stories which are loosely related with family-themed revenge and subtle mysteries with how each chapter ends.
This is a missable volume. By that I mean you can skip reading it altogether and you have missed nothing plot-wise (but don't do it!) Writing and art are still top-notch.
This is a missable volume. By that I mean you can skip reading it altogether and you have missed nothing plot-wise (but don't do it!) Writing and art are still top-notch.
January 2, 2022
I like the Shattered Stones chapter because if you imagine it in a modern context Wakida essentially had to go become a small business owner and say,
"Yes, no, YES, all I want to do with my life savings and expertise is sell HOT ROCKS, what can't you understand about that???"
"Yes, no, YES, all I want to do with my life savings and expertise is sell HOT ROCKS, what can't you understand about that???"
March 11, 2015
As always with this series it's plus several million for the artwork, themes and atmosphere and minus several million for the ridiculous translation. It's ok if Dana Lewis wants the Samurai to use American slang but if he/she(?) could just pick a city and a time period - one minute there all 'dang tootin' and the next it's 'the boys gotta make money, see?' I didn't know whether to imagine Bogart or Green Acres.
The stars are for Koike and Kojima, I wish I could read Japanese because I'm sure these stories are transcendent in the original language, just as the artwork is here.
EDIT: Two notes. One I was glad to finally pick up this series again. Vol. 12 has been out of print for some time and even my local comic store was no help. Second, thinking about the translation issues again, the character of the older boy who uses Daigoro in the chapter 'A Promise of Potatoes' reads just like an evil version of Shaggy from Scooby Doo - read it in his voice, it's him!
The stars are for Koike and Kojima, I wish I could read Japanese because I'm sure these stories are transcendent in the original language, just as the artwork is here.
EDIT: Two notes. One I was glad to finally pick up this series again. Vol. 12 has been out of print for some time and even my local comic store was no help. Second, thinking about the translation issues again, the character of the older boy who uses Daigoro in the chapter 'A Promise of Potatoes' reads just like an evil version of Shaggy from Scooby Doo - read it in his voice, it's him!
January 4, 2018
Tomo doce de Lobo Solitario y su Cachorro, un tomo que parece encarar la trama hacia un inevitable final, y si no supiera que me quedan ocho tomos más diría que en un par lo tenemos liquidado.
El motivo de pensar que estamos cerca del final es que los protagonistas descubren el misterioso secreto de la carta de los Yagyu (nosotros no), lo que les hace encaminarse hacia Edo para tener una confrontación directa con su líder.
Pero lo que el tomo nos ofrece de verdad es ver cómo se ha puesto precio por la cabeza del lobo y de su cachorro. Algo que en principio no debería afectarles demasiado (están acostumbrados a ser perseguidos), acaba por dar la sensación al lector de que están acorralados, de que en cualquier momento acabarán con ellos. Y es que hasta los campesinos se alían en grupos para intentar matarles y cobrar la recompensa!
En fin, como podéis imaginar el tomo me ha gustado mucho, buenas historias (siguen siendo capítulos autoconclusivos relacionados) narradas con una maestría que muchísimos narradores actuales envidiarían. Una pasada en lo que a narración secuencial se refiere, quizás el mejor tomo al respecto de ésta obra hasta el momento.
Bueno, pues ocho tomos más y se acabó! A ver si mantienen el nivel, aunque sospecho que lo harán.
El motivo de pensar que estamos cerca del final es que los protagonistas descubren el misterioso secreto de la carta de los Yagyu (nosotros no), lo que les hace encaminarse hacia Edo para tener una confrontación directa con su líder.
Pero lo que el tomo nos ofrece de verdad es ver cómo se ha puesto precio por la cabeza del lobo y de su cachorro. Algo que en principio no debería afectarles demasiado (están acostumbrados a ser perseguidos), acaba por dar la sensación al lector de que están acorralados, de que en cualquier momento acabarán con ellos. Y es que hasta los campesinos se alían en grupos para intentar matarles y cobrar la recompensa!
En fin, como podéis imaginar el tomo me ha gustado mucho, buenas historias (siguen siendo capítulos autoconclusivos relacionados) narradas con una maestría que muchísimos narradores actuales envidiarían. Una pasada en lo que a narración secuencial se refiere, quizás el mejor tomo al respecto de ésta obra hasta el momento.
Bueno, pues ocho tomos más y se acabó! A ver si mantienen el nivel, aunque sospecho que lo harán.
January 4, 2020
Este manga me sigue sorprendiendo. Regresamos a la fórmula de cada capítulo una aventura de asesinato diferente, pero las de este tomo se sienten muy diferentes a otras y me dejaron con un nudo en la garganta.
Mi favorita fue la primera, la segunda y la última. Las de en medio son buenas y se sienten diferentes también pero nada como el arranque y el final del tomo, es realmente increíble como este autor, después de 60 capítulos, sigue encontrando historias y anécdotas que contar de manera importante.
La venganza del clan Ogami contra los Yagyu tendrá que esperar todavía pero vemos a Ogami seguir sin detenerse su travesía hacia Edo, no creo que nos falten muchos tomos para que retome su conflicto directo con Yagyu.
Daigoro sigue siendo mi personaje favorito de esta historia, lo que el autor ha hecho con el crecimiento del personaje es muy sutil pero muy significativo a momentos. En este tomo tenemos dos aventuras protagonizadas por Daigoro y aunque no son las que más me gustaron del tomo, lo que es raro, el personaje sigue mostrándonos nuevas facetas y podemos empezar a ver lo que significa que ambos, padre e hijo, estén en el camino del asesino.
El arte sigue siendo el mejor arte de cualquier manga que he leído, completamente inmersivo y profundo.
Mi favorita fue la primera, la segunda y la última. Las de en medio son buenas y se sienten diferentes también pero nada como el arranque y el final del tomo, es realmente increíble como este autor, después de 60 capítulos, sigue encontrando historias y anécdotas que contar de manera importante.
La venganza del clan Ogami contra los Yagyu tendrá que esperar todavía pero vemos a Ogami seguir sin detenerse su travesía hacia Edo, no creo que nos falten muchos tomos para que retome su conflicto directo con Yagyu.
Daigoro sigue siendo mi personaje favorito de esta historia, lo que el autor ha hecho con el crecimiento del personaje es muy sutil pero muy significativo a momentos. En este tomo tenemos dos aventuras protagonizadas por Daigoro y aunque no son las que más me gustaron del tomo, lo que es raro, el personaje sigue mostrándonos nuevas facetas y podemos empezar a ver lo que significa que ambos, padre e hijo, estén en el camino del asesino.
El arte sigue siendo el mejor arte de cualquier manga que he leído, completamente inmersivo y profundo.
April 14, 2019
Vol 12 of Lone Wolf and Cub still isn't progressing the main plot line, but they are more involved in their various stories than the last volume. If you've been reading along since the beginning, the stories that don't progress the main plot line can be kind of a bummer.
That's not to say that the one off aren't enjoyable. They are, and are often told very cleverly. On top of that the stories that don't serve the main plot line can almost be viewed with a historian's eyes.
Hyper historically accurate, Lone Wolf and Cub can be a pretty accessible slice of feudal Japan life. Again, since this volume has no bearing on the main story line, this can be a pretty good intro to Lone Wolf and Cub series, while simultaneously being skipped by those who only care about the main plot.
That's not to say that the one off aren't enjoyable. They are, and are often told very cleverly. On top of that the stories that don't serve the main plot line can almost be viewed with a historian's eyes.
Hyper historically accurate, Lone Wolf and Cub can be a pretty accessible slice of feudal Japan life. Again, since this volume has no bearing on the main story line, this can be a pretty good intro to Lone Wolf and Cub series, while simultaneously being skipped by those who only care about the main plot.
February 17, 2025
Read as part of Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus 5
Nameless, Penniless, Lifeless - An ugly story showing more honor. And more nakedness. And rape. And Lone Wolf and Cub watch until the end and does what's asked.
Body Check - A bit of a complicated plot. Basically a city guards a path. And Lone Wolf uses there procedures against them. And a reminder that Cub is with Lone Wolf by choice. Not in continuity.
Shattered Stones - A more typical Lone Wolf story. Fine. And with slightly less killing. Not in continuity.
A Promise of Potatoes - Simple short story mostly of Cub. Another showcase of Cub's weird sense of honor.
Wife Killer - another short out of continuity. In this case wife killer means to reveal a magician's secrets. Dark.
Nameless, Penniless, Lifeless - An ugly story showing more honor. And more nakedness. And rape. And Lone Wolf and Cub watch until the end and does what's asked.
Body Check - A bit of a complicated plot. Basically a city guards a path. And Lone Wolf uses there procedures against them. And a reminder that Cub is with Lone Wolf by choice. Not in continuity.
Shattered Stones - A more typical Lone Wolf story. Fine. And with slightly less killing. Not in continuity.
A Promise of Potatoes - Simple short story mostly of Cub. Another showcase of Cub's weird sense of honor.
Wife Killer - another short out of continuity. In this case wife killer means to reveal a magician's secrets. Dark.
March 11, 2022
The 12th collection of Lone Wolf and Cub. These stories have the titular pair taking a background role to the character of Tokugawa Japan. There is no major plot development, though the stories are interesting. Nameless, Penniless, Lifeless stood out to me as an ugly revenge story involving a husband and wife pair of erotic performers and the Yakuza. Wife Killer is a fun story about traveling magicians who are being shaken down by another magician. Body Check is the most complex assassination Ogami has attempted so far in the series, and has a fun action sequence.
3/5 because while I enjoyed these stories, I'm not sure I'd read this collection again.
3/5 because while I enjoyed these stories, I'm not sure I'd read this collection again.
January 22, 2021
I really appreciate the occasional afterwords contained in these volumes.
Wth is up with the cover illustration tho? Did Frank add some eyebrow height for every man Ogami Itto-dono's killed?
The title is more fitting than the others have been, though that might be the fact that it's fairly ambiguous in the first place.
Wth is up with the cover illustration tho? Did Frank add some eyebrow height for every man Ogami Itto-dono's killed?
The title is more fitting than the others have been, though that might be the fact that it's fairly ambiguous in the first place.
February 12, 2023
Another superb entry in the series that takes a detour from the main plot as Ogami and Diagoro go on a series of mission, dealing with everyone from a lady magician to a brutal feudal lord. Koike keeps up his brilliant depiction of feudal Japan, matched with Goseki Kojima's gorgeous art. One of the best manga series ever.
August 14, 2019
THREE-AND-A-HALF. One of the more frivolous volumes of this series but anything is going to seem like a let-down after the fight with Retsudo and the separation of Lone Wolf & Cub. Still, some really well-told stories in this volume. Just not a standout at this point in the series.
May 29, 2019
This volume mostly stays away from the main storyline and presents a series of one-of stories, still very good.
February 2, 2020
Sick and sad.
April 24, 2020
Another stellar installment of LW&C. Kojima’s art is steady and true and Koike can weave a story like no other.
September 2, 2020
Great as usual. No stories that really standout but, overall solid. Volume 13 next!
April 9, 2021
Same as the first. Fantastic art, engaging action stories, not much to the characters.
July 5, 2021
3 stars against its predecessors, 4 stars against the medium. A great explanation of the Dotanuki sword in the afterword.
February 2, 2022
Impressed at how it is still manages to be this good at 12 volumes in.
September 15, 2024
Ogami Itto And Daigoro are back together after multiple volumes apart. These mostly feel kind of generic, like the creators didn't want to work as hard on story content. The art is still good.
June 18, 2025
This volume was decent and had some cool historical information but was a bit of a step-off-the-pedal compared to previous volumes. Likewise, the first story was a bit much and creepy for my taste.
January 15, 2018
primer libro del reto listo. No puedo decir mucho, ya que parece que entre está entrega y la pasada pues todo el asunto del clan rival se perdió hasta nuevo aviso
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