Samurai Executioner Volume 2

Rating:
Summary: Excellent work from the creators of Lone Wolf and Cub
Review: Ok, sanitized Sailor Moon for the American market this is not.

This is a look into the world that existed over 300 years ago in feudal Japan. A world where one's rank in society determined the likelihood of summary execution right in the street for seeming minor offenses such as bumping into the wrong person. Applying our modern day sense of values to this world is senseless and one must appreciate this work for what it is. Whereas in Lone Wolf and Cub we viewed the travels of the Shogun's former executioner of samurai, now we view the life of the Shogun's sword tester; a man who's a ronin. Sword testing was performed on the bodies of the criminals and low-life scum condemned to death for their heinous crimes and this is why Samuai Executioner is more violent and may upset some people. The art, dynamic story telling and the world of 17th century Japan is the same but just viewed from a different perspective. If you enjoyed Lone Wolf and Cub you WON'T be dissapointed in Samurai Executioner - just be aware that you'll see the seedier side of 17th century Japan.

Rating:
Summary: A huge disappointment
Review: While at times violent and disturbing, there was nothing in volume one of "Samurai Executioner" that led me to believe it would be anything less than an amazing companion to Koike and Kojima's 28-volume manga masterpiece, "Lone Wolf and Cub." With volume two, I must regrettably revise my opinion.

Originally scheduled for October, I can't help but wonder if the two-month delay had anything to do with the revulsion the English translators must have felt at having to work with such violent and sadistic material. Of the three stories, or "cuts" offered, the worst offender is the first, "O-Tsuya's Broom," an intensely disturbing tale of a geisha's sexual fascination with setting fires. When her actions lead to her arrest for arson, what follows is a sickening multi-page sequence of torture, degradation, and imprisonment, the latter featuring a gratuitous helping of nudity and lesbian sex included only to titillate.

"Two Bodies, One Mind" deals with the aftermath of a brutal rape on a Buddhist nun, depicted in disturbing detail over ten pages. The final cut, "A Takadaimono for an Irezomotsu," does little to redeem the collection, as we watch Kubikiri Asa deal with a sister's attempts to avenge her brother's execution which initially involve throwing buckets of her excrement around his front door.

There's a good reason why Dark Horse had this volume shrink-wrapped with a parental advisory sticker on the cover: THIS MATERIAL IS DEFINITELY NOT APPROPRIATE FOR ANYONE UNDER 18. I would extend that warning to include anyone who appreciates good manga. If this is any indicator of where the next eight volumes in this series are headed, I for one have no intention of finishing it.