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Legend of the Scarlet Blades #1
La Légende des Nuées écarlates, Tome 1: La ville qui parle au ciel
Au Japon, dans une lointaine époque où règnent encore les esprits de la nature, Raido, le ronin amnésique, erre sans but. Des voix mystérieuses parlant de mort hantent son esprit et elles le conduiront tôt ou tard à la folie. Dans son voyage en quête de son passé, il parvient à la ville qui parle au ciel, ultime rempart contre la glace qui avance inexorablement dans ces terres oubliées.
Les marionnettes de bois du bunraku, mues par les mains habiles de la jeune Meiki, content la sombre histoire des nuées écarlates. Après la rencontre de la marionnettiste avec le ronin, les fables semblent devenir de plus en plus réelles aux yeux de Meiki. Des loups venimeux, d'hostiles divinités, d'anciens guerriers samuraïs qui suivent la voie de l'épée... Le monde est renversé, les marionnettistes deviennent des marionnettes dont les fils sont tirés par d'antiques divinités vindicatives. La shogunaï de la ville cherche à dissimuler tout cela alors que la blanche étendue de glace avance comme pour submerger et purifier ses crimes.
Les marionnettes de bois du bunraku, mues par les mains habiles de la jeune Meiki, content la sombre histoire des nuées écarlates. Après la rencontre de la marionnettiste avec le ronin, les fables semblent devenir de plus en plus réelles aux yeux de Meiki. Des loups venimeux, d'hostiles divinités, d'anciens guerriers samuraïs qui suivent la voie de l'épée... Le monde est renversé, les marionnettistes deviennent des marionnettes dont les fils sont tirés par d'antiques divinités vindicatives. La shogunaï de la ville cherche à dissimuler tout cela alors que la blanche étendue de glace avance comme pour submerger et purifier ses crimes.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published September 27, 2006
12 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Saverio Tenuta
28 books11 followersDopo aver conseguito il diploma all'accademia di Belle Arti di Roma in pittura, iniziò a lavorare come grafico pubblicitario e incisore. Esordì come autore di fumetti nel 1992, collaborando con diversi editori, fra i quali Cierre per Arthur King, Casa Editrice Universo per Intrepido, RCS, Phoenix e altri. Con Phoenix pubblicò Cold Graze - risvegli di ghiaccio e Gli Incubi tecnologici di Saverio Tenuta. Lavorò anche negli Stati Uniti con Dolls per la Sirius, su testi di Lorenzo Bartoli, pubblicato successivamente anche in Italia, tratto dal libro Bambole edito da Fanucci. Collaborò poi anche con la Event Comics. Dal 2003 lavorò sia per il mercato italiano (ad esempio con uno speciale di Morrigan) che USA, per la DC Comics e con la rivista Heavy Metal. Nel 2006 iniziò la collaborazione con l'editore francese Les Homanoïdes Associés, per il quale pubblicò La Légende des Nuées Écarlates, in quattro volumi, e che verrà poi tradotta in italiano (La leggenda delle nubi scarlatte), in tedesco, in spagnolo e in inglese. Nel 2007 una sua storia venne pubblicata sulla rivista giapponese Mandala, edita da Kōdansha. Nel 1995 iniziò a insegnare fumetto e tecniche di disegno in scuole di settore e nel 2010 costituì il Daishō Studio, un atelier dove seguì i suoi allievi e sviluppò nuovi progetti di fumetto e illustrazione.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 9, 2017
Storyline: 3
Artworks: 5
Storyline is a few confusing, but it introduces main characters and villains for good.
Artworks are just awesome.
A very good read if you are a fan of ancient japan themed fantasy and brutal anime like MadHouse Studios amazing "Ninja Scroll".
February 17, 2019
Cuánto he echao de menos a las Izunas!
Aunque aquí pasa algo raro...
Aunque aquí pasa algo raro...
March 14, 2016
Really great art.
The story is initially very confusing but it gets better.
The story is initially very confusing but it gets better.
June 22, 2022
Das GCT-Exemplar gelesen:
Faszinierende Comic-Erzählung aus dem fantastsich erhöhten mittelalterlichen Japan, der Auftakt einer längeren Geschichte, die sich über mehrere Alben erstreckt. Zu Beginn rettet ein einarmige Unbekannter eine Puppenspielerin vor den Häschern der Herrscherin. Dann greifen übergroße weiße Wolfskreaturen die eingeschneite Welt an, auch hier kann der Unbekannte, der sich als einarmige Ronin Raid Caym herausstellt, das Mädchen schützen. Er schützt sie, weil in ihrer Nähe die Stimmen in seinem Kopf verstummen. Einst ist er ausgezogen um auf Befehl des Shogun gegen die Eiswölfe zu kämpfen, was einer Selbstmordaktion gleichkommt. Und er hat einen Gegenspieler im dreiäugigen Samurai Nobu Fudo.
Eine düstere, verwickelte Geschichte voller Magie und finsterer Pläne, in Rückblenden erzählt. Die Erzählweise ist sehr dynamisch und der Stil ist europäisch trotz des Sujets. Tenuta hat einen eigenen Stil, der mir gefällt.
Faszinierende Comic-Erzählung aus dem fantastsich erhöhten mittelalterlichen Japan, der Auftakt einer längeren Geschichte, die sich über mehrere Alben erstreckt. Zu Beginn rettet ein einarmige Unbekannter eine Puppenspielerin vor den Häschern der Herrscherin. Dann greifen übergroße weiße Wolfskreaturen die eingeschneite Welt an, auch hier kann der Unbekannte, der sich als einarmige Ronin Raid Caym herausstellt, das Mädchen schützen. Er schützt sie, weil in ihrer Nähe die Stimmen in seinem Kopf verstummen. Einst ist er ausgezogen um auf Befehl des Shogun gegen die Eiswölfe zu kämpfen, was einer Selbstmordaktion gleichkommt. Und er hat einen Gegenspieler im dreiäugigen Samurai Nobu Fudo.
Eine düstere, verwickelte Geschichte voller Magie und finsterer Pläne, in Rückblenden erzählt. Die Erzählweise ist sehr dynamisch und der Stil ist europäisch trotz des Sujets. Tenuta hat einen eigenen Stil, der mir gefällt.
September 23, 2025
Another stylish fantasy story told in the style of a fable from ancient Asian folklore - there is a lot you could easily take away from this - from the story telling inside a story to the flashbacks of heroes and lost pasts
Though for me it was the artwork - it was a strange mixture of styles that reminded me of so many other stories from so many other artists and writers and for me that feeling of déjà vu and familiarity even when I know I reading this story for the first time gave it such gravity I really took to it
This was an ebook version of part 1 - I know there are collected versions and I will say more often than not I prefer them (for nothing else you get additional material more often than not) but this time I actually enjoyed episodic presentation (who can remember the Water Margin)
Though for me it was the artwork - it was a strange mixture of styles that reminded me of so many other stories from so many other artists and writers and for me that feeling of déjà vu and familiarity even when I know I reading this story for the first time gave it such gravity I really took to it
This was an ebook version of part 1 - I know there are collected versions and I will say more often than not I prefer them (for nothing else you get additional material more often than not) but this time I actually enjoyed episodic presentation (who can remember the Water Margin)
May 8, 2025
I recognize the goodness of the special art and the colors, I like the main character but the whole thing is kind of messy and difficult to follow. Plus I don't like creepy things
November 23, 2022
The art is striking, but the story is... well, it's a lot in a little bit of space. We've got an amnesiac one-armed swordsman who hears voices that lead him to rescue a girl from an attacking sentient (?) wolf clan, and it all ties back into his mysterious past and something about puppets? I don't know, I think I got a bit lost in the story. It didn't really connect for me, but the art is stylish, if sometimes hard to comprehend. It's like a lot of Humanoid titles, where the translation doesn't seem to have quite hit the sweet spot for readability and comprehensibility.
May 28, 2015
Gorgeous to look at, but, because it's so short, it's hard to get a real sense of what the story is about.
August 30, 2020
My Asian-inspired fantasy binge is just warming up. I’m not ready to go back to western-based books just yet, so naturally, my graphic novel pick for the month had to be something eastern-based.
I found this book on Kindle for cheap and figured it was worth a go. It’s only very short for a graphic novel, and I read it in one sitting. I found it a very enjoyable read and immediately bought volume 2 to read as next month’s graphic novel, so I’ll probably be diving in sooner rather than later.
Though mostly shrouded in mystery, the characters are interesting because of their ambiguity. This volume feels like a taster of what’s to come. It’s the set up for the rest of the story. We have the one-armed Ronin who’s lost his memory, and we have girl on the run from the Shogunai. In this volume, we simply see circumstance bringing these two characters together. Where the story will take them next is anyone’s guess, but I’m here for the ride.
The artwork is quite gorgeous. Very detailed and perfectly suits the Japanese style of the world it’s set in. The use of colour feels cleverly done too. Mostly painted in whites, and greys, and browns due to the winter setting, there are striking uses of red throughout, be it falling leaves or splashes of blood. Red is very much used for dramatic effect and the effect is perfect.
I’ve noticed some reviewers commenting on the confusing storyline but, personally, I didn’t find it hard to follow. The only thing I think the story lacked was a proper grounding within the world early on by mentioning place names, like the city or country it’s set in. Initially, I wasn’t sure if this was historical Japan, an alternative historical Japan, or a fantasy world based on Japan. Several pages in, I realised it was the latter, which I’m totally fine with, cause I love me some fantasy. But I think the book could have done with grounding us within the world a little sooner.
Overall, I really liked this and I’m quite excited to start volume 2.
I found this book on Kindle for cheap and figured it was worth a go. It’s only very short for a graphic novel, and I read it in one sitting. I found it a very enjoyable read and immediately bought volume 2 to read as next month’s graphic novel, so I’ll probably be diving in sooner rather than later.
Though mostly shrouded in mystery, the characters are interesting because of their ambiguity. This volume feels like a taster of what’s to come. It’s the set up for the rest of the story. We have the one-armed Ronin who’s lost his memory, and we have girl on the run from the Shogunai. In this volume, we simply see circumstance bringing these two characters together. Where the story will take them next is anyone’s guess, but I’m here for the ride.
The artwork is quite gorgeous. Very detailed and perfectly suits the Japanese style of the world it’s set in. The use of colour feels cleverly done too. Mostly painted in whites, and greys, and browns due to the winter setting, there are striking uses of red throughout, be it falling leaves or splashes of blood. Red is very much used for dramatic effect and the effect is perfect.
I’ve noticed some reviewers commenting on the confusing storyline but, personally, I didn’t find it hard to follow. The only thing I think the story lacked was a proper grounding within the world early on by mentioning place names, like the city or country it’s set in. Initially, I wasn’t sure if this was historical Japan, an alternative historical Japan, or a fantasy world based on Japan. Several pages in, I realised it was the latter, which I’m totally fine with, cause I love me some fantasy. But I think the book could have done with grounding us within the world a little sooner.
Overall, I really liked this and I’m quite excited to start volume 2.
May 17, 2021
I picked up this series on sale a few years ago and finally got around to reading it now. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm always up for a good samurai story, so I took the plunge.
While things start a little slow and at the same time a little confusing, once all the pieces are in place, you can see how intriguing this whole series promises to be. We have the trope of the amnesiac hero (or in this case ronin) and a deep betrayal that led him to his present state. But his instincts carry him through until he regains more of his memories, all of which direct him to retrieve the titular scarlet blades.
This is just the beginning of a deeper tale. but it does present a very strong start to things. I'm eager to see where this will go. The storytelling and art style is very dramatic and has the measured pace that one would expect from this sort of story, and I appreciate how they tried to embrace the genre in terms of how the book was crafted.
While things start a little slow and at the same time a little confusing, once all the pieces are in place, you can see how intriguing this whole series promises to be. We have the trope of the amnesiac hero (or in this case ronin) and a deep betrayal that led him to his present state. But his instincts carry him through until he regains more of his memories, all of which direct him to retrieve the titular scarlet blades.
This is just the beginning of a deeper tale. but it does present a very strong start to things. I'm eager to see where this will go. The storytelling and art style is very dramatic and has the measured pace that one would expect from this sort of story, and I appreciate how they tried to embrace the genre in terms of how the book was crafted.
February 1, 2022
Currently available on Kindle Unlimited, this is the first chapter of the US edition of a French graphic novel series by an Italian artist, inspired by feudal Japan and Japanese mythology.
The artwork is simply awesome. Each panel is a beautiful illustration rather than a mere cartoon. Very stylised, but poised and elegant. The narrative quality of the panels suffers sometimes, however, when visual beauty overtakes storytelling. Nevertheless, the cinematography (as it were) carries the story onwards.
The plot is somewhat unclear, but following episodes will probably address the unanswered questions, of which there are a great many. There is a lot of magical lore to absorb. The dialogue and voiceover panels are at times suspect. I think this definitely has to be read en “version originale” to be properly appreciated.
Overall, this is an impressive piece of work, to savour time and again, and I will gladly follow the series.
The artwork is simply awesome. Each panel is a beautiful illustration rather than a mere cartoon. Very stylised, but poised and elegant. The narrative quality of the panels suffers sometimes, however, when visual beauty overtakes storytelling. Nevertheless, the cinematography (as it were) carries the story onwards.
The plot is somewhat unclear, but following episodes will probably address the unanswered questions, of which there are a great many. There is a lot of magical lore to absorb. The dialogue and voiceover panels are at times suspect. I think this definitely has to be read en “version originale” to be properly appreciated.
Overall, this is an impressive piece of work, to savour time and again, and I will gladly follow the series.
December 8, 2022
I got this as part of a Hoopla Bonus Borrow. I couldn't make heads or tails of what has happening. It's a translated fantasy manga taking place in a snowy era. There's a one-armed guy protecting a girl from a giant wolf for some reason and then some other people fighting back and forth. I'm not even sure who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist. The translation is terrible. Most of it just sounds like nonsense. I did really like the art though. It's stylized but I grew to dig it.
February 23, 2022
The artwork is glorious.
December 5, 2023
FormGrand ¦ A.I. 07/2006 ¦ D.L. 09/2006 = eo(noté)
November 29, 2022
I do enjoy Asian-based fantasy. This is set in a Japanese culture. The story is tense and intense. I am going to go on to the next book in the series to see where the author takes it.
March 22, 2015
1) Deutsche Rezension
2) English Review
1) Deutsche Rezension
Das war ein recht anständiger Start der Series, Figuren werden eingefügt, die Welt gebaut und manche Fragen über Leute und Elemente gestellt.
Der erste Akt war schon recht annehmbar, auch wenn die Izunas als Izuna-Wölfe zu bezeichnen etwas dämlich ist, da die Definition von Izuna miteinschließt, dass es Wölfe sind und die Geschichte hat ein paar nette eklige Elemente.
Der Zeichenstil war etwas zu comicartig für meinen Geschmack aber die Farben sind herrlich, ich mochte besonders wie es mit einem Bunraku-Spiel begann und bisher wurde mein Interesse geregt.
2) English Review
This was a pretty decent start of a series, setting up the characters, doing some world-building and stating some questions about the people and elements.
The first act already was pretty decent, even though I think referring to the Izunas as Izuna-wolves when the term is defined by them being wolves, is a bit silly and the story has some nice gruesome elements.
The drawing style is a tad too comic like for my taste but the coloring is gorgeous, I especially liked how they started with the Bunraku play and so far my interest was sparked.
2) English Review
1) Deutsche Rezension
Das war ein recht anständiger Start der Series, Figuren werden eingefügt, die Welt gebaut und manche Fragen über Leute und Elemente gestellt.
Der erste Akt war schon recht annehmbar, auch wenn die Izunas als Izuna-Wölfe zu bezeichnen etwas dämlich ist, da die Definition von Izuna miteinschließt, dass es Wölfe sind und die Geschichte hat ein paar nette eklige Elemente.
Der Zeichenstil war etwas zu comicartig für meinen Geschmack aber die Farben sind herrlich, ich mochte besonders wie es mit einem Bunraku-Spiel begann und bisher wurde mein Interesse geregt.
2) English Review
This was a pretty decent start of a series, setting up the characters, doing some world-building and stating some questions about the people and elements.
The first act already was pretty decent, even though I think referring to the Izunas as Izuna-wolves when the term is defined by them being wolves, is a bit silly and the story has some nice gruesome elements.
The drawing style is a tad too comic like for my taste but the coloring is gorgeous, I especially liked how they started with the Bunraku play and so far my interest was sparked.
November 9, 2016
Sehr schön, fast wasserfarben-artig gestalter Comic. Die Geschichte ist recht konventionell um Ehre, Verrat und Rache angelegt, was natürlich super in ein mythisch-phantastisches Japan passt. Dieses Setting führt dann doch auch ein paar Elemente ein, die unberechenbarer sind, wie die riesigen Wölfe, ein geheimnisvolles Mädchen und generell die Bestimmung der Protagonisten, so dass man ruhig den nächsten band zur Hand nehmen darf, um zu erfahren, wie es weitergeht. Mehr als eine gute Exposition - aber eben auch nciht weniger! - ist dieser erste Band nämlich nicht.
August 31, 2016
L'univers est poétique, le dessin souvent saisissant. On se laisse prendre par l'histoire même si elle est sombre et parfois inutilement sanglante...
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews