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首斬り朝 [Kubikiri Asa] #10
Samurai Executioner, Vol. 10: A Couple of Jitte
It's the final volume of Samurai Executioner and, like the previous nine volumes, the last is a combination of life's varying tides of good fortune and ill circumstance. The woman who once stole the weapons of samurai cops is becoming a cop herself. It's a story of gender struggles in a time long past. All the while criminals keep losing their heads to Asa the decapitator. But one criminal might leave something behind that could hurt our favorite protagonist.
304 pages, Paperback
First published March 29, 2006
2 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Kazuo Koike
562 books295 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 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 7, 2015
I'm reviewing this last chapter alone, since I would have rated the whole series with a glorious five stars. Volume 9's end promised a vague foreboding of what is to come, that for those who knew Asaemon in The Lone Wolf and Cub, would certainly feel that at least things will wrap up in the tenth volume.
I may have interpreted it mistakenly because nothing big really happened in volume ten. Even references to what will become of him in the future are not found anywhere. It is just, like the previous ones, a compilation of standalone stories that require only a light backstory knowledge to appreciate them. For someone like me who have been emotionally invested in the story, this is a big letdown.
My rating bears much more on my personal expectations than the material quality itself (though I can argue that writer and artist fatigue is apparent in the last two volumes). The cultural and historical details are accurately depicted in the whole series. The characters are depicted as deep and not shallow, thanks to Koike's impeccable writing and Kojima's absurdly fantastic art.
Another gripe that I have on this volume is the extended screen time of Kasajiro and Shinko the Kappa because they felt as filler issues, especially with this being the last volume.
I may have interpreted it mistakenly because nothing big really happened in volume ten. Even references to what will become of him in the future are not found anywhere. It is just, like the previous ones, a compilation of standalone stories that require only a light backstory knowledge to appreciate them. For someone like me who have been emotionally invested in the story, this is a big letdown.
My rating bears much more on my personal expectations than the material quality itself (though I can argue that writer and artist fatigue is apparent in the last two volumes). The cultural and historical details are accurately depicted in the whole series. The characters are depicted as deep and not shallow, thanks to Koike's impeccable writing and Kojima's absurdly fantastic art.
Another gripe that I have on this volume is the extended screen time of Kasajiro and Shinko the Kappa because they felt as filler issues, especially with this being the last volume.
March 2, 2014
The series finishes here, although there is no clear "end", as befits the other volumes - there is no real over-arching story here, each chapter stands almost alone as it's own morality tale. There's plenty here to enjoy, although little to get one's teeth into due to a slight lack of development; the author's clearly introduced other characters to provide the individual development lacking in Asaemon.
As a character, he's a solid archetype - almost flawless, stoic, philosophical, and hard as nails. He barely shows emotion, but has a compassionate core, and one can almost feel him straining at the constraints of his position, his rank and his job.
The artwork is superb - it takes some getting used to, it sometimes has a lack of clarity, but makes up for it with a sense of kinesis and action. I suspect that this is deliberate, as the artist is clearly not lacking in talent, and some of the widescreen work in here is utterly gorgeous.
Recommended cautiously; it is very good, but is lacking an overall story. May serve best as an introduction, to immerse oneself in Edo-period Japan before diving into Lone Wolf And Cub.
(Which I'm now about to do for the second time)
As a character, he's a solid archetype - almost flawless, stoic, philosophical, and hard as nails. He barely shows emotion, but has a compassionate core, and one can almost feel him straining at the constraints of his position, his rank and his job.
The artwork is superb - it takes some getting used to, it sometimes has a lack of clarity, but makes up for it with a sense of kinesis and action. I suspect that this is deliberate, as the artist is clearly not lacking in talent, and some of the widescreen work in here is utterly gorgeous.
Recommended cautiously; it is very good, but is lacking an overall story. May serve best as an introduction, to immerse oneself in Edo-period Japan before diving into Lone Wolf And Cub.
(Which I'm now about to do for the second time)
November 16, 2010
I made it to the end of the series, and as I finish it, I already feel that I will miss the executioner and some of the other characters. This last volume focused a bit more on Shinko the Kappa and her husband as she becomes a female jitte (patrolman) at a time when it was mostly a profession of men. The volume had a couple of nice poignant stories as well, as the series usually does, and I think the ending did wrap things nicely. This is a series I will revisit down the road.
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July 19, 2020Where Lone Wolf & Cub went out in a blaze of glory (for a certain bleak, existential value of the phrase), its spin-off instead quietly peters out. Apart from anything else, at this point the series has more or less been overtaken by its subplot. The eponymous Asaemon does still appear, in three brief, oblique stories, but the creators have clearly reached that point all case-of-the-week set-ups must, where there are only so many special interests of the soon to be executed in which he can really be expected to take an interest. Instead, the focus is firmly on patrolman Kasajiro and his wife the Kappa who, having made the transition from crook to cop's helpmeet, now joins the force herself.
Strange, incidentally, to read a volume of this digitally. For Western comics my tablet is smaller than a physical copy, but compared to the Dark Horse manga digests (of which I've read 40-odd by these creators), suddenly I'm seeing this maybe 50% larger, and on a background of clear white rather than ageing not-top-quality paper. Which might sound like an improvement, but reminds me of first hearing on CD the sort of band who benefitted from a little tape or vinyl hiss.
Strange, incidentally, to read a volume of this digitally. For Western comics my tablet is smaller than a physical copy, but compared to the Dark Horse manga digests (of which I've read 40-odd by these creators), suddenly I'm seeing this maybe 50% larger, and on a background of clear white rather than ageing not-top-quality paper. Which might sound like an improvement, but reminds me of first hearing on CD the sort of band who benefitted from a little tape or vinyl hiss.
August 30, 2024
Growing flowers is hard work... Again, a parallel is made between caring for a flower and caring for people. Once you poured your heart and soul into getting the flower to grow properly, it hurts your soul to watch it destroyed needlessly. The volume ends with coughing. No, really. This was overall the least entertaining volume, but the good parts of it were still fun.
October 5, 2020
I find myself somewhat conflicted in my opinions. I did enjoy the series as a whole. The art work remains stunning. The historical details fascinating. The culture at times baffling. There are quite a few unpleasant things and it's not always clear if they are all do to historical societal attitudes or the author's prurient streak.
There is no overarching story here. No grand finale. Just more incidents in a life lived with care, everything done to very best of the protagonist's ability. Small joys, much pain. His end in Line Wolf and Club quite possibly comes as a relief.
"All things are impermanent
This is the law of life and extinction
When both life and extinction perish
Nirvana will be bliss. "
There is no overarching story here. No grand finale. Just more incidents in a life lived with care, everything done to very best of the protagonist's ability. Small joys, much pain. His end in Line Wolf and Club quite possibly comes as a relief.
"All things are impermanent
This is the law of life and extinction
When both life and extinction perish
Nirvana will be bliss. "
March 22, 2018
The final, terrific volume - most insights into feudal Japanese life - growing chrysanthemums, life as a female cop, the bonds of matrimony, the cost of love and the honor of the executioner when faced with the suicidal prisoner.
Plus, the grand finale, a look at the fine line between the executioner and the executed. Nice insights in an bygone era, gorgeously cinematic art, lush settings and terrific stories. I'll miss this series.
Plus, the grand finale, a look at the fine line between the executioner and the executed. Nice insights in an bygone era, gorgeously cinematic art, lush settings and terrific stories. I'll miss this series.
December 19, 2022
I feel emotionally violated.
The first short story is about a woman who committed su*cide by lying about killing a man so she could be executed. Her goal was to die so that her hair could be sent to her ex-fiancée and unrequited love, because he promised when she died that he’d use her hair to keep his oar attached to his boat so they’d never part. 😭
Then the next short story was straight sex. 😭
Like dude my asexual ass needs time to recover!
Anyways, it’s a good manga & I suggest it.
The first short story is about a woman who committed su*cide by lying about killing a man so she could be executed. Her goal was to die so that her hair could be sent to her ex-fiancée and unrequited love, because he promised when she died that he’d use her hair to keep his oar attached to his boat so they’d never part. 😭
Then the next short story was straight sex. 😭
Like dude my asexual ass needs time to recover!
Anyways, it’s a good manga & I suggest it.
July 28, 2023
3.5 stars
By the end of this series, Asaemon is relegated to second tier status and the Jitte couple take centre stage. These are enjoyable episodes that should have their own spin-off series instead of being placed under the SAMURAI EXECUTIONER label.
My main regret is that the series ends abruptly without any closure for Asaemon. I was begging for a final episode that presented his showdown with Ogami Itto from his perspective.
By the end of this series, Asaemon is relegated to second tier status and the Jitte couple take centre stage. These are enjoyable episodes that should have their own spin-off series instead of being placed under the SAMURAI EXECUTIONER label.
My main regret is that the series ends abruptly without any closure for Asaemon. I was begging for a final episode that presented his showdown with Ogami Itto from his perspective.
May 20, 2022
I really enjoyed this series. I wasn’t expecting it to be on par with lone wolf and cub but I think it is. The introspective views it gave on human nature in keeping with the period it is told was insightful.
December 20, 2022
Pocos comics son tan capaces de sobrecoger y emocionar de forma delicada, casi lírica. Asa no solo es poético y cruel al mismo tiempo, sino que, de paso, te muestra, de forma natural y delicada, una época y un tiempo lejanos. Fascinante
January 15, 2022
Esto se debiese llamar Asa el probador de Katanas del Shogun, es una recreación de época increíble.
February 8, 2024
“One day, we’ll be able to make a ring where everyone’s equal. This life…
THIS ring is a step toward that goal…”
THIS ring is a step toward that goal…”
February 18, 2010
Series of stories from work and life of Edo´s main executioner. He is samurai origin and can fight very well, also he helps sometimes by police actions (this reminds on authors´s more famous "samurai" series Lone wolf and cub). And he is friend of young policeman of samurai origin, who fell in love with young, pretty and witty female deliquent who tries avenge her father. She is captured and punished, but he rescues her by marrying her and she becomes his wife. But she is very independent and he hates it, also they fight very badly (he beats her and without help of his coworkers they would be divorced), but they learn to respect each other at last. Later she becomes the first Edo policewoman because she is very clever and brave and other policemen admire her. Also, there are many feminist issues. :o)
But main hero is executioner of commoners and most of this series are stories of his victims, both real evil men/women or victims of time who accidentaly broke laws or tried to avenge themselves or their family(there is many women executed). Detailed rape of women is constantly here (certainly for joy of male readers, but for pain of female ones), both as crime of later executed men and as reason for revenge of women who were later executed because commoners were not allowed to avenge themselves... Very cruel stories. I wept by reading it. An more demogratical, too: victims before their death often ask why they are punished when if they would be of samurai origin, their actions would be O. K. And the other thing, policemen often fight with poor samurais who did their crimes from their extreme poverty. They were alloved "better" death than execution, they can commit suicide "seppuku", but their fates were similar cruel and painful (some of them were good men and friends of main hero). There is many about work of old policemen, too, and in one case about abuse of their power (about using terrible torture on innocent people who was belived to be murders or thieves and so on). And some interesting things about function of old japanese city (Edo) - about cleaners of streets or guys who works with human urine and made it useful and themselves very rich - their work stinks, but their money not. :o) I mean Terry Pratchett must know it because in his Discworld novels are very many similarity in work of Ank Mopork policemen, cleaners of streets, workers with human urine and so on... :o)
I was deeply moved a tale about sunflower. Executioner must to execute a gardener because he kills a man who broke his sunflower. (All people were shocked that he kill only because a mere flower.) This gardener ask him for two things: at first, to "execute" now a sunflower, at second, for one year to plant well another sunflower and "execute" it after that. Hero did the first thing easily and the second tries to do, too. He plants the second sunflower whit great tenderness and beginns to love this flower. And at last, he can´t to kill it. He finally understands the pain of executed gardener...
A lot of this stories were very interesting. But I very suffer by reading because cruelty of these tales. And they were not so poetical or "noble" as in Lone wolf and cub which I love much more. This is still worthy of reading but not so great for me as the first "samurai" series which I very adore and admire.
But main hero is executioner of commoners and most of this series are stories of his victims, both real evil men/women or victims of time who accidentaly broke laws or tried to avenge themselves or their family(there is many women executed). Detailed rape of women is constantly here (certainly for joy of male readers, but for pain of female ones), both as crime of later executed men and as reason for revenge of women who were later executed because commoners were not allowed to avenge themselves... Very cruel stories. I wept by reading it. An more demogratical, too: victims before their death often ask why they are punished when if they would be of samurai origin, their actions would be O. K. And the other thing, policemen often fight with poor samurais who did their crimes from their extreme poverty. They were alloved "better" death than execution, they can commit suicide "seppuku", but their fates were similar cruel and painful (some of them were good men and friends of main hero). There is many about work of old policemen, too, and in one case about abuse of their power (about using terrible torture on innocent people who was belived to be murders or thieves and so on). And some interesting things about function of old japanese city (Edo) - about cleaners of streets or guys who works with human urine and made it useful and themselves very rich - their work stinks, but their money not. :o) I mean Terry Pratchett must know it because in his Discworld novels are very many similarity in work of Ank Mopork policemen, cleaners of streets, workers with human urine and so on... :o)
I was deeply moved a tale about sunflower. Executioner must to execute a gardener because he kills a man who broke his sunflower. (All people were shocked that he kill only because a mere flower.) This gardener ask him for two things: at first, to "execute" now a sunflower, at second, for one year to plant well another sunflower and "execute" it after that. Hero did the first thing easily and the second tries to do, too. He plants the second sunflower whit great tenderness and beginns to love this flower. And at last, he can´t to kill it. He finally understands the pain of executed gardener...
A lot of this stories were very interesting. But I very suffer by reading because cruelty of these tales. And they were not so poetical or "noble" as in Lone wolf and cub which I love much more. This is still worthy of reading but not so great for me as the first "samurai" series which I very adore and admire.
June 22, 2015
I'm reviewing all 10 volumes at once here. I came to this series last - after Lone Wolf and Cub and Path of the Assassin. This one felt like the deepest glimpse into life in Edo-era Edo - its mores, approach to crime, and day to day life. It's actually one of the highlights of the series. It's not about Shoguns and Emperors. It's about police constables and executioners and the people the arrest and dispatch.
Like the best of manga there's so much more than a comic here. Instead you have some 40 odd morality plays and a history lesson. Well worth a read.
Like the best of manga there's so much more than a comic here. Instead you have some 40 odd morality plays and a history lesson. Well worth a read.
February 7, 2011
They get bored with the main characters and the story sort of drifts over to this husband-wife team of cops. I particularly liked this volume, for some reason. I guess I'm going to read the whole series now, I've come this far.
May 14, 2016
An amazing set of Manga books about the life of an Executioner. It showed a glimpse of how the law worked, the major issues of the time, and great life lessons that are still applicable today. Highly recommended.
January 24, 2016
Aaaah... habis deh...
Actually I like it much better than Lone Wolf & Cub.
Actually I like it much better than Lone Wolf & Cub.
June 3, 2015
excelente tomo final y no me dejó un mal sabor
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews