Rating: 
Summary: Complex characters married to breathtaking artwork
Review: This book was the first that I read in this series. I saw it at the store and I couldn't put it down. The characters are truly three dimensional. The "good guys" are not flawless, and the "bad guys" are not senselessly evil. Every character has some motivation for thier actions. Besides a rich storyline, Samura creates artwork that is simply beautiful. Many times Samura uses the pictures to explain the emotions of the characters and uses sparse, even cryptic, dialogue. I *highly* recomend this manga.
Rating:
Summary: Why there are no six stars on this page?
Review: This is the best of all the stories so far, i have to recognize that Mr. Samura is a great storyteller, he manages to create an interesting antagonist who is tied to the conflict of Manji versus Anotsu by reasons of the heart, as the story progresses we go from the "Ahs" to the "Wows". Maki is a great character who i hope will show up again on the series. She is a woman who happens to be a born assassin, she has to struggle and come to terms with both parts of her soul. She has lost all she has ever cared on her life and now she loves Anotsu and bows to kill Manji to prove her love to him. Obviously when both confont the outcome is incredible, you have to see it to believe it.
Rating:
Summary: Samura at his best
Review: This volume of Blade of the Immortal was great! While it might be confusing the first read, the story of Makie and Anotsu was extremely engaging while tying in Rin and Manji to the story.I think that I would find myself going on and on about how wonderful everything Hiroaki Samura creates is, so I'll spare this audience the rambling. To put my opinions into one sentence, let me state this: If you love quality and can handle some harsher storytelling, buy Blade of the Immortal books!
Rating:
Summary: How is Love from This to Rise Again...
Review: Volume three in the 'Blade of the Immortal' series is unusual on several accounts. While most of the series focuses entirely on the adventures of Rin and Manji, her immortal bodyguard, 'Dreamsong' shifts the focus onto several of their opponents. Especially Makie Otono-Tachibana, a brilliant geisha, the mistress of Kagehisa Anotsu, and possibly, Japan's greatest master of the sword. As part of this, we will also lean further into the personality of Kagehisa himself, the leader of the weaponry school that killed Rin's parents. Manji, perhaps frustrated by traveling with a beautiful young woman, allows himself to be picked up by a street prostitute and suddenly finds himself confronted with a deadly swordswoman. It is Makie, send by Anotsu to stop the immortal swordsman. Unexpectedly, Makie seems unable to make a fatal strike. Manji, disgusted leaves her alive and defeated, even though he knows there will be a rematch. The story of why Makie failed that attempt is a complex weaving of her own life as a child, growing up to become a prostitute and then a geisha, and her experiences with Kagehisa Anotsu, whom she has known from childhood. Makie, daughter of a swordswoman, and the cause of her brother's death, is torn between her talents and her dreams. Anotsu owes her his life, but has taken control of hers in a twisted form of repayment. Making a graceful singer and poet into a killer. Of course, Makie's struggle reflects that of Rin, who has sworn to revenge her parents. Young Rin, no match for Makie's beauty or sword skills is jealous, but in the end, it is her own inner struggle with fate that brings home the truth to Makie. For all the violence that is part of this tale, Hiroaki Samura gives is a grace of word and imagery that recall some of the greatest of Japanese writing. If you read no other in this series, read 'Dreamsong.'
Rating:
Summary: How is Love from This to Rise Again...
Review: Volume three in the 'Blade of the Immortal' series is unusual on several accounts. While most of the series focuses entirely on the adventures of Rin and Manji, her immortal bodyguard, 'Dreamsong' shifts the focus onto several of their opponents. Especially Makie Otono-Tachibana, a brilliant geisha, the mistress of Kagehisa Anotsu, and possibly, Japan's greatest master of the sword. As part of this, we will also lean further into the personality of Kagehisa himself, the leader of the weaponry school that killed Rin's parents. Manji, perhaps frustrated by traveling with a beautiful young woman, allows himself to be picked up by a street prostitute and suddenly finds himself confronted with a deadly swordswoman. It is Makie, send by Anotsu to stop the immortal swordsman. Unexpectedly, Makie seems unable to make a fatal strike. Manji, disgusted leaves her alive and defeated, even though he knows there will be a rematch. The story of why Makie failed that attempt is a complex weaving of her own life as a child, growing up to become a prostitute and then a geisha, and her experiences with Kagehisa Anotsu, whom she has known from childhood. Makie, daughter of a swordswoman, and the cause of her brother's death, is torn between her talents and her dreams. Anotsu owes her his life, but has taken control of hers in a twisted form of repayment. Making a graceful singer and poet into a killer. Of course, Makie's struggle reflects that of Rin, who has sworn to revenge her parents. Young Rin, no match for Makie's beauty or sword skills is jealous, but in the end, it is her own inner struggle with fate that brings home the truth to Makie. For all the violence that is part of this tale, Hiroaki Samura gives is a grace of word and imagery that recall some of the greatest of Japanese writing. If you read no other in this series, read 'Dreamsong.'
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