Blade of the Immortal: Heart of Darkness

Rating:
Summary: A Great Buy!!!
Review: Blade of the Immortal is the only comic book that I bother to read nowadays. The manga has always been intensely emotional and well crafted. As the owner of all 7 trade paperbacks, I have to say that Heart of Darkness is one of the most gripping story arcs in the series. I suggest this book to anyone who was even remotely interested in the Blade of the Immortal series. You won't regret it

Rating:
Summary: A Great Buy!!!
Review: Blade of the Immortal is the only comic book that I bother to read nowadays. The manga has always been intensely emotional and well crafted. As the owner of all 7 trade paperbacks, I have to say that Heart of Darkness is one of the most gripping story arcs in the series. I suggest this book to anyone who was even remotely interested in the Blade of the Immortal series. You won't regret it

Rating:
Summary: A MASTERPIECE
Review: Blade of the Immortal. Over the past several years this award-winning translation of a fairly-obscure Japanese manga has slowly gained in popularity on these shores, due to well-crafted storylines, believable and multi-dimensional characters, and breathtaking art of cinematic scope. Going far beyond the standard genre archetypes, BotI details the human struggle with honor, morality, society, history, personal choice and the individual's need for freedom vs. security. Sound intimidating? Actually, herein lies Hiroaki Samura's real genius: disguising these universal themes in smart, funny, tragic, insightful, and very often violent episodes that most anyone can read and enjoy. BotI is simply brilliant, a staggering work of art.

I'm not going to go into the foundations, the "what's gone on before" summery. If you are new to BotI, seek out _Blood of a Thousand_ and start there.

In this, the seventh volume published so far, Rin and Manji join forces with the mysterious Mugai-ryu, a group of self-confessed "bums" aggressively hunting the rebellious Itto-ryu. The first half of this long story-arc contains further development of the new characters introduced in _Dark Shadows_, along with several humorous episodes (the initial "showdown" between Manji and the Mugai-ryu; Rin cleaning Manji's ears), all while enacting a slow, steady build-up of tension. Then comes the second half...a graphic but not (I stress this) gratuitous scene of extreme violence that totally subsumes anything that has come before in this manga. It may be difficult to endure this particular succession of scenes upon the first read, even despite the sinister comic overtones (Shira's macho banter); yet I implore the reader to continue on to the last three pages, when everything falls into place, every drop of blood becomes part of a disturbing yet essential mosaic. Samura shows us the darkest side of passion, and the horrific images from before hammer Giichi's final point into the casual reader with gut wrenching precision. Stark, stunning genius.

Rating:
Summary: Grim Masterpiece
Review: Blade of the Immortal. Over the past several years this award-winning translation of a fairly-obscure Japanese manga has slowly gained in popularity on these shores, due to well-crafted storylines, believable and multi-dimensional characters, and breathtaking art of cinematic scope. Going far beyond the standard genre archetypes, BotI details the human struggle with honor, morality, society, history, personal choice and the individual's need for freedom vs. security. Sound intimidating? Actually, herein lies Hiroaki Samura's real genius: disguising these universal themes in smart, funny, tragic, insightful, and very often violent episodes that most anyone can read and enjoy. BotI is simply brilliant, a staggering work of art.

I'm not going to go into the foundations, the "what's gone on before" summery. If you are new to BotI, seek out _Blood of a Thousand_ and start there.

In this, the seventh volume published so far, Rin and Manji join forces with the mysterious Mugai-ryu, a group of self-confessed "bums" aggressively hunting the rebellious Itto-ryu. The first half of this long story-arc contains further development of the new characters introduced in _Dark Shadows_, along with several humorous episodes (the initial "showdown" between Manji and the Mugai-ryu; Rin cleaning Manji's ears), all while enacting a slow, steady build-up of tension. Then comes the second half...a graphic but not (I stress this) gratuitous scene of extreme violence that totally subsumes anything that has come before in this manga. It may be difficult to endure this particular succession of scenes upon the first read, even despite the sinister comic overtones (Shira's macho banter); yet I implore the reader to continue on to the last three pages, when everything falls into place, every drop of blood becomes part of a disturbing yet essential mosaic. Samura shows us the darkest side of passion, and the horrific images from before hammer Giichi's final point into the casual reader with gut wrenching precision. Stark, stunning genius.

Rating:
Summary: "Those who gain power must pay a price"
Review: Manji and Rin have found that there are others who seek the life of Anotsu Kagehisa. The deadly leader of the Itto-ryu has left a grand trail of death behind him - Rin's parents are only a few of the victims. Now the two wanderers have met up with six Mugai-ryu assassins with whom they seem to share cause. In a bathhouse in Edo, they hash out the arrangement. Manji agrees to help the assassins in return for information about the Itto-ryu.

For a time they wait. Rin finds she has some things in common with the blonde Hyakurin, and unusual woman who is the head of the assassins. Of course, Manji does what he always does during periods of boredom - he sleeps. However, for a short period there is something that resembles peace. Then word comes that Anotsu is planning to leave Edo for Kaga, disguised as a woman. Tensions mount almost unbearably as the team waits for the killer to try to sneak by.

Suddenly everything happens at once. The disarming pace of the opening stanzas is abandoned, and suddenly the reader is in the midst of not one, but four violent confrontations. Weapons and parts fly in an utterly psychotic display of unsuppressed anger. To be honest, even the fine artwork does little to mask the horror of the fight scenes. I found this all a bit too chaotic - it took me several readings to put together who is killing who for what reason.

Hiroaki Samura clearly has a message other than the glorification of fancy sword work. Because of the amount of violence used to make his point it is a bit too easy to miss the fact that this series really is not about the thrills of wholesale murder and revenge. The question is whether there will be any survivors to benefit from their individual epiphanies.

Rating:
Summary: "Those who gain power must pay a price"
Review: Manji and Rin have found that there are others who seek the life of Anotsu Kagehisa. The deadly leader of the Itto-ryu has left a grand trail of death behind him - Rin's parents are only a few of the victims. Now the two wanderers have met up with six Mugai-ryu assassins with whom they seem to share cause. In a bathhouse in Edo, they hash out the arrangement. Manji agrees to help the assassins in return for information about the Itto-ryu.

For a time they wait. Rin finds she has some things in common with the blonde Hyakurin, and unusual woman who is the head of the assassins. Of course, Manji does what he always does during periods of boredom - he sleeps. However, for a short period there is something that resembles peace. Then word comes that Anotsu is planning to leave Edo for Kaga, disguised as a woman. Tensions mount almost unbearably as the team waits for the killer to try to sneak by.

Suddenly everything happens at once. The disarming pace of the opening stanzas is abandoned, and suddenly the reader is in the midst of not one, but four violent confrontations. Weapons and parts fly in an utterly psychotic display of unsuppressed anger. To be honest, even the fine artwork does little to mask the horror of the fight scenes. I found this all a bit too chaotic - it took me several readings to put together who is killing who for what reason.

Hiroaki Samura clearly has a message other than the glorification of fancy sword work. Because of the amount of violence used to make his point it is a bit too easy to miss the fact that this series really is not about the thrills of wholesale murder and revenge. The question is whether there will be any survivors to benefit from their individual epiphanies.

Rating:
Summary: That's Pretty Disturbing Stuff...
Review: Ok, kids. Let's start by saying that Blade of the Immortal is just about my favorite comic book ever (the whole series gets a big ol' kudos), but this has got to be (thus far) the best volume released. Samura's artwork has progressed quite a bit since his early days on the book; it's cleaner, meaner, and more fluid than ever before, and he seems to have grown as a writer, as well. I've read comics for a long time, and cannot remember the last time a book's pacing was brilliant enough to literally make me forget to breath for a few pages. Additionally, this compendium contains brilliant characterization, leading to one of the most loathesome characters I've ever viewed in any graphic medium. It's not just the things Samura has his characters do, it's the attitudes they have, and the subtle nuances of body language he gives them that really make this book shine. All in all, a remarkably well-rounded series, balancing lush art with break-neck pacing and three-dimensional characters, Blade of the Immortal will suck you in, beat you senseless, and then demand you come back for seconds.

Rating:
Summary: That's Pretty Disturbing Stuff...
Review: Ok, kids. Let's start by saying that Blade of the Immortal is just about my favorite comic book ever (the whole series gets a big ol' kudos), but this has got to be (thus far) the best volume released. Samura's artwork has progressed quite a bit since his early days on the book; it's cleaner, meaner, and more fluid than ever before, and he seems to have grown as a writer, as well. I've read comics for a long time, and cannot remember the last time a book's pacing was brilliant enough to literally make me forget to breath for a few pages. Additionally, this compendium contains brilliant characterization, leading to one of the most loathesome characters I've ever viewed in any graphic medium. It's not just the things Samura has his characters do, it's the attitudes they have, and the subtle nuances of body language he gives them that really make this book shine. All in all, a remarkably well-rounded series, balancing lush art with break-neck pacing and three-dimensional characters, Blade of the Immortal will suck you in, beat you senseless, and then demand you come back for seconds.

Rating:
Summary: A MASTERPIECE
Review: Samura has done it, forget any other books, this one tops them all. I won't give away the story to newcomers of this type of book, but rest assured that it is great work and the artwork is stunning. If you have never read manga, this is a good place to start.