Lone Wolf and Cub, Volume 16: The Gateway into Winter

Rating:
Summary: Retsudo Yagyu orders an open assault on Ogami Itto
Review: "Gateway Into Winter," Volume 16 of the Lone Wolf and Cub epic manga by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima marks a major turning in the saga. Of the five episodes collected in this volume, three of them constitute major developments in the blood feud between Ogami Itto and Retsudo Yagyu. The fact that these three stories run consecutively only heightens the cumulative impact and make it very clear that we are entering a significant new stage in the epic:

(78) "Umbrella" is the quiet before the story, a tale of Daigoro left to fend for himself in a city. In addition to spending his time drawing on the wall, each day he witnesses the plight of a young girl, who must carry an umbrella to keep the sun out of the eyes of her mistress. Daigoro tries to lend a helping hand, but this only makes things worst for the young girl. As is often the case with stories focusing on Daigoro, the ending is simple and poignant.

(79) "Sayaka" is the last remaining child of Retsudo Yagyu and Ogami Itto's nemesis is training her carefully, sacrificing retainers so that she may hone her skills. Sayaka's strategy is simple: while attacking with her sword she throws a whirling o-teduma dagger into the air, forcing her opponent to make a choice: block her stroke and the dagger will strike. After she works out new attacks to all possible responses, her father sends Sayaka forth to slay Lone Wolf & Cub. But he also makes her a promise: if she, his last child should fall, then he will launch a frontal assault on their foes. Either way, there will be serious consequences for our hero.

(80) "Clouds of Silk" is one of the stories will have been waiting to read for a long time. I have engaged in speculation as to what the content of the Yagyu Letter might be, but I have given up on trying to guess the secret way that hides the message. I had no clue as to what it might be, but I did suspect that it would be something good. This episode proves I was right. I have been reading these stories one at night before going to bed and if this story had stopped sooner than it did I do not think I would have had the will power not to continue on to the next story. Fortunately, "Clouds of Silk" provides a better stopping place.

(81) "Demon Hide, Demon Seek" finds Ogami Itto and Daigoro in a whole new world where every city and village in the land has a poster with their pictures: 50 pieces of gold for the pair dead, 30 pieces of silver for information on their location. This story involves the first of what we have to assume will be many encounters with bounty hunters as the assassin becomes the target.

(82) "Gateway Into Winter" almost offers something of a respite from the high drama of the previous stories. Ogami Itto is persuaded to stay the night at the house of a woodcutter, who is tempted to try for the offered reward. But what can a poor woodcutter and his family do against the former executioner of the Shogun? One of the nice touches in this story are Kojima's drawings of Daigoro asleep.

I know I have said this before and I have little doubt I will offer up the same opinion again, but this is the best collection of Lone Wolf & Cub stories to date. Certainly it is has more pivotal stories than anything we have read previously. This might not be the final act in the saga (I certainly do not think that it is), but this is a whole new ballgame for our hero. Of all of the legendary comic series that come to mind, none of them were this good for this long. Most of the time the best of the best are limited series, ala "The Dark Knight Returns" or "The Watchmen," but there is no comparison to what Koike and Kojima have wrought.

Rating:
Summary: Retsudo Yagyu orders an open assault on Ogami Itto
Review: "Gateway Into Winter," Volume 16 of the Lone Wolf and Cub epic manga by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima marks a major turning in the saga. Of the five episodes collected in this volume, three of them constitute major developments in the blood feud between Ogami Itto and Retsudo Yagyu. The fact that these three stories run consecutively only heightens the cumulative impact and make it very clear that we are entering a significant new stage in the epic:

(78) "Umbrella" is the quiet before the story, a tale of Daigoro left to fend for himself in a city. In addition to spending his time drawing on the wall, each day he witnesses the plight of a young girl, who must carry an umbrella to keep the sun out of the eyes of her mistress. Daigoro tries to lend a helping hand, but this only makes things worst for the young girl. As is often the case with stories focusing on Daigoro, the ending is simple and poignant.

(79) "Sayaka" is the last remaining child of Retsudo Yagyu and Ogami Itto's nemesis is training her carefully, sacrificing retainers so that she may hone her skills. Sayaka's strategy is simple: while attacking with her sword she throws a whirling o-teduma dagger into the air, forcing her opponent to make a choice: block her stroke and the dagger will strike. After she works out new attacks to all possible responses, her father sends Sayaka forth to slay Lone Wolf & Cub. But he also makes her a promise: if she, his last child should fall, then he will launch a frontal assault on their foes. Either way, there will be serious consequences for our hero.

(80) "Clouds of Silk" is one of the stories will have been waiting to read for a long time. I have engaged in speculation as to what the content of the Yagyu Letter might be, but I have given up on trying to guess the secret way that hides the message. I had no clue as to what it might be, but I did suspect that it would be something good. This episode proves I was right. I have been reading these stories one at night before going to bed and if this story had stopped sooner than it did I do not think I would have had the will power not to continue on to the next story. Fortunately, "Clouds of Silk" provides a better stopping place.

(81) "Demon Hide, Demon Seek" finds Ogami Itto and Daigoro in a whole new world where every city and village in the land has a poster with their pictures: 50 pieces of gold for the pair dead, 30 pieces of silver for information on their location. This story involves the first of what we have to assume will be many encounters with bounty hunters as the assassin becomes the target.

(82) "Gateway Into Winter" almost offers something of a respite from the high drama of the previous stories. Ogami Itto is persuaded to stay the night at the house of a woodcutter, who is tempted to try for the offered reward. But what can a poor woodcutter and his family do against the former executioner of the Shogun? One of the nice touches in this story are Kojima's drawings of Daigoro asleep.

I know I have said this before and I have little doubt I will offer up the same opinion again, but this is the best collection of Lone Wolf & Cub stories to date. Certainly it is has more pivotal stories than anything we have read previously. This might not be the final act in the saga (I certainly do not think that it is), but this is a whole new ballgame for our hero. Of all of the legendary comic series that come to mind, none of them were this good for this long. Most of the time the best of the best are limited series, ala "The Dark Knight Returns" or "The Watchmen," but there is no comparison to what Koike and Kojima have wrought.