Lone Wolf and Cub. Omnibus. Vol. 12

Lone Wolf & Cub #12

by Kazuo Koike

L'emozionante ultimo volume del manga... Per Ogami Itto e Yagyu Retsudo è giunto il momento di riprendere le proprie armi e lanciarsi nel duello finale, ma chi sarà a vincere?

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

720 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 2016

About the author

Kazuo 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.

Reviews

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

And that's gentle folk is how you finish a series. Good lawd. 🙌

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end. It ended about the only way it could. The entire remnants of the Yagyu clan are pitted against the Lone Wolf to soften him up before the final battle with Restudo Yagyu. Also, the poisoner finally gets what he's had coming for a long time. The ending was a little abrupt but overall what a great series. Sorry to see it end, but there is a "New Lone Wolf and Cub" series I'll be checking out as well.

I can't recommend this series high enough. Any graphic novel fans and/or anyone who likes samurai stories or has any interest in feudal Japan. Entertaining and informative, there just aren't many (any?) graphic novels series out there like this one.

[The Lion's Share · Rating 5 out of 5]

28 volumes and 12 omnibuses, what an incredible journey. Truly a masterpiece.

I bought all 12 omnibuses over 8 years ago. I began to read and I stopped at the 3rd omnibus.

I stopped because it was so good and I wanted to be in a place where I could savour each one and enjoy them thoroughly, and today 8 years later I finish the journey of the lone wolf. The journey for me and Itto.

Today is a leap year the 29th of February and 4 years ago today I took a good step to change my life in ways that most people could not comprehend and today in the name of the wolf I free myself from the shackles of compliance, they free myself from the war on nature, the war of man.

Aho!

[Laurent De Maertelaer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sublieme epiloog van de 'Lone Wolf & Cub'- saga uit de jaren 1970, nu verzameld in 12 omnibussen uitgegeven door Dark Horse. Na meer dan 8.500 pagina's meesterlijke stripkunst, na tientallen uren ongebreideld leesplezier, nagelbijtende spanning, actie en emoties zeg ik u met de hand op het hart: lees deze reeks, het is van het beste dat ik ooit gelezen heb!
Ōgami Ittō is mijn nieuw idool, Daigoro mijn nieuwe voorbeeld, bushidō mijn nieuwe religie.
Nu even afkicken...

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This morning I finished the 12th and final volume of the Lone Wolf and Cub saga. For the uninitiated, Lone Wolf and Cub follows the darkly heroic journey of the Shogun's Executioner as he walks the path of vengeance through feudal Japan. Framed for treason against the Shogun on the same morning his wife is murdered, Ogami Itto walks the path of Meifumado (Buddhist Hell) with his infant son Daigoro as they commit assassination after assassination each one bringing them a step closer to the ultimate confrontation with the hated Retsudo Yagyu.
No review can do justice to this thoroughly unique and brilliant masterpiece. It stands alone.

[Yun Rou · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're wondering what a comic book is doing on a Daoist monk's reading list, live and learn. This is a gorgeous piece of work, an example of high Japanese literature. The storytelling is stunning, the graphics are powerful, and the message and compelling feel of this masterpiece of graphic fiction will keep you turning the pages and earn the whole omnibus an honored spot in your library, too.

[Nicholas Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, now I have a new favorite story ever.

[Ruth Covington · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-deserved, epic conclusion to an amazing series! Glad I discovered this. Well worth the four months I spent reading it. The art, story, characters... all top notch.

[Ewan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Six stars if I could.

I've struggled to explain to people in the past why I think Lone Wolf & Cub is such a masterpiece, and it is still hard to put in to words what is so great about it. There is the fascination with the period and historical details that the story shows us, especially with regard to the way of Samurai and the feudal society of Edo-period Japan, but also a big part of it comes down to characters. Koike can write characters that are so well portrayed that they make the sometimes bizarre things that happen in the stories believable. Furthermore, he is such a skilled writer that even when character's motivations aren't clear, we still feel that they have a reason behind their actions, even if we don't know for sure what it is. It is often the mystery this creates that makes the series so enduring and thought-provoking.

The last third of the series is incredibly carefully plotted, without feeling contrived or forcing the characters to behave differently to get from point A to point B. The writing is masterful, and although I've expressed dislike for the character of Abe-No-Kai (who thankfully isn't in this volume for long), the plot and the dialogue pretty much never put a foot wrong throughout the whole series (part of the credit for the latter must go to the excellent translation). The moments of profundity are very much earned in this final volume, and as always the treatment of Bushido and samurai codes of honour are handled in a nuanced and cliché-free way.

I can't think of a long-running series in any medium that has such a pitch-perfect ending as Lone Wolf and Cub.

I first read this about fifteen years ago, and re-read it as a lead up to finally getting on to New Lone Wolf and Cub. I wondered if I would feel the same way about it now as I did back then, but nothing has changed in that regard. I'm only now a little apprehensive about the sequel.

[Zedsdead · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an ending.


Plot points:
--For allowing the palace kitchen to catch fire (actually arson, the work of Yagyu agents), Abe is sentenced to commit seppuku.
--The poisoner is terrified and cannot cut himself. In panic he fights the group of samurai overseeing his execution. He is cut to ribbons but injures several of them and still stands.
--Itto, hearing the commotion, speaks to Abe and calms him. Abe finds his courage and lets Itto take his head.
--Itto finds Yagyu in the palace. They reaffirm their duel upon Yagyu's release.
--Daigoro protects the swords so fiercely that several men are moved by his determination and stand with him, arms outstretched.
--Yagyu and his ninjas perform an elaborate deception that convinces the shogun of his loyalty. He is freed.
--A Yagyu agent secretly tampers with Itto's sword. The last of the Yagyu clan attack until the sword breaks. Itto is mortally wounded.
--Yagyu at last arrives to fight the unarmed, dying Itto.
--The whole of Edo turns out to watch; political tensions are sky high.
--After a long battle to a standstill, Itto simply drops dead.
--A shattered Daigoro charges with a broken spear. Yagyu allows the 4yo tot to impale him, then embraces the boy. Lone Wolf and Cub ends with them standing like that. The shogun and numerous daimyos and their armies look on, tears on their faces.

[Dionyshs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A year and a half ago, I start reading this amazing series called Lone Wolf and Cub. The original plan was to read one of its 12 volumes every quarter or so, as with each one being more than 700 pages,no matter how much I loved the previous volume, picking up the next one felt a bit overwhelming.

This year I decided to fasten my pace, cause I rarely found other in-between books to be as good as Lone Wolf. Earlier in December, I had to choose if its last volume would be my last read for the year, or the 500th book I mark as read on GoodReads. The choice was easy. Also, I just couldn't find myself halting reading time so close to the end.

Lone Wolf and Cub, at least its first half, consists of short stories in old Japan (1700s). Every volume has a couple of chapters that move along the plot, but its brilliance lays in those short stories, where 9/10 are a crystal clear 10 in my books. Toward the latest volumes the plot moves faster as the final confrontation comes closer, and the finale is just magical. Brutal, epic, uncovering many layers at once, but still magical.

I've never found myself motivated enough to write down thoughts in here for anything else, but Lone Wold and Cub, oh boy...

what.a.fucking.masterpiece.

[Alexander Engel-Hodgkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.9/5

This is it. Ground zero. Everything is brought to a satisfying close in this final volume! Retsudo proves his cunning makes him a formidable opponent even off the battlefield once again, and the final showdown is fantastically realized in the second half of this volume. After many twists, turns, deaths, and showdowns, this is what it all comes down to. There is so much emotional turmoil and strife that even the stoic Itto cries a few times.

I've been reading manga for the majority of my life, and I gotta say, this just may be the greatest manga I've ever read. Not even Miura's Berserk matches this, though admittedly the art in Berserk is superior to Kojima's scratchier, messier lines. Still, Kojima and Koike were a creative duo to be reckoned with; Koike wraps it all up to a riveting conclusion, and Kojima renders it in master strokes of ink. I'll be rereading this series again, and I'll also be putting greater effort into tracking down Koike's other work...

[Ian Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this was it--the epic conclusion to this body of work. I save my review for the final omnibus work, but this has been a 5-star work through out. I don't use the term "masterpiece" often, but this is that. The art, the narrative and historical background just provide rich experience for the reader. Moreover, the relationships between father and son, sworn enemies, the two protagonists and, well, all of Japanese society, touched me in a way I did not think possible. The ending left me in tears and that never happens.

Yagyu says in the final act that Daigoro is the "grandson of his heart" and truly Daigoro was the son and grandson of all of our hearts. This young man was the foil to his father's ambitions of disavowing his humanity, and kept him grounded to who he was as a man. Their relationship is one for the ages and Itto's final words to his son will echo with me forever. I totally gave my daughter a hug after putting this down.

This is a must read.

[John Racioppi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long before Alan Moore, Frank Miller, and others broke ground this series was years ahead of them. Atmospheric environments with gorgeous illustrations, a fascinating historical background, insightful and intelligent thematic storytelling, and amazing characters that do both the greatest goods and worst of evils.
What makes it stand out even more is how Koike gives us many different perspectives. From the poorest farmer to the wealthiest ruler. Men, women, and children from all walks of life are affected one way or another in this extremely bloody fued.
Many artists over the years have borrowed abundantly from this series, most notably Frank Miller and Samurai Jack. This comic has had more impact on pop culture than it gets credit for, and with good reason.

[WIZE FOoL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now my new addiction!!!
A beautifully told story with hand drawn animation!
Where you learn about Japanese historical culture and lots of martial arts and political intrigue.
This is perfect for me and I am devouring them!
It's based on a samurai who is politically outplayed and loses his station and family. Just him and his boy are out to seek revenge!
I don't throw 5 stars around much. but this is totally a 10 stars!!! a 100 stars!!!!! a 1000 stars...... it's just great! Don't consider it, just read it!!!!
ENJOY!!!

[Mike Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

After so much violence and murder across twelve volumes, the best move in the whole series was in this volume where he tosses the poisoner over his shoulder. I laughed out loud when I saw the page. Most satisfying move in the whole series.

I should also mention that I was surprised how emotional I got from the final few pages.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ending, really, the only way this could, the story's blood soaked finally ends up creating a more complicated and nuanced pro- and antagonists than we started with 8000 pages ago. I seem to have a different interpretation of the end then other people seem too but I don't want to include a spoiler. Very glad I finally got around to reading this entire series.

[Andrew H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, glorious adventure that deserves the highest of praise.

[Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very intense ending to a masterpiece.

[Sarun Choompuchanapai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best ending ever

[I.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s the finale and Itto fights a hundred ninjas with grenades. If that doesn’t make you interested then maybe nothing will. What a great series!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am sobbing, but there was no other way that this could have ended.

[Temba Jennings]

finished on sept. 19th

[Newly Wardell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew this was the end but I was not prepared for it. Its difficult for me to review this one without looking at the series as a whole. I mean its a hard knock life for some and none more that Lil Diagoro. But dont blame this lunacy on the stars because his Dad jacked him up before he could even talk. I mean lil homie was covered in blood most of the time or left lost or abandoned. Itto is alot things but father of the year aint one of them. that aside this is an excellent tale of honor revenge and perseverance.

[brian annan · Rating 5 out of 5]

the greatest accomplishment in manga.
unsurpassed.

[Alessandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un manga impressionante, spettacolare, il migliore sui samurai e sicuramente uno dei migliori manga in assoluto.
Le nostre vite sono proprio come le onde. Nasciamo, moriamo, e nasciamo nuovamente.