Rating: 
Summary: Excellent manga! Don't pass it up!
Review: I ordered this manga a loooong time ago and the series has me hooked. This is the first one, I've also read the second (Cry of the Worm) and third (Dreamsong) anthologies. Hiroaki Samura does a really great job of blending a lot of disparate elements in this series; the cynical modern attitude of the hero Manji, the intense personal drama of Rin, the stark world of feudal Japan, and the punkish attitude of some of the villains amalgamate seamlessly into a story that defies genres with its uniqueness. The only thing I didn't like was the reversing of the pages; in Japanese, books are read from right to left, the reverse of what we do in English. Usually, therefore, when manga are translated the pages are all reversed. With Blade, however, some pages are reversed, some panels are cut up and posted in a different order, some are redrawn, and so on. Sometimes this makes things a little confusing, especially in the battle sequences. But all in all, it's a really great book that shouldn't be passed up. I recommend it to anyone who likes a story with a lot of action and drama, and who enjoys utterly incredible (and really graphic) artwork. Definitely worth it!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent manga! Don't pass it up!
Review: I ordered this manga a loooong time ago and the series has me hooked. This is the first one, I've also read the second (Cry of the Worm) and third (Dreamsong) anthologies. Hiroaki Samura does a really great job of blending a lot of disparate elements in this series; the cynical modern attitude of the hero Manji, the intense personal drama of Rin, the stark world of feudal Japan, and the punkish attitude of some of the villains amalgamate seamlessly into a story that defies genres with its uniqueness. The only thing I didn't like was the reversing of the pages; in Japanese, books are read from right to left, the reverse of what we do in English. Usually, therefore, when manga are translated the pages are all reversed. With Blade, however, some pages are reversed, some panels are cut up and posted in a different order, some are redrawn, and so on. Sometimes this makes things a little confusing, especially in the battle sequences. But all in all, it's a really great book that shouldn't be passed up. I recommend it to anyone who likes a story with a lot of action and drama, and who enjoys utterly incredible (and really graphic) artwork. Definitely worth it!
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic story! (and the art is great too! :-)
Review: I picked up this book on a whim and I'll
never regret getting it. The art is detailed,
the story is well thought out, the characters
are complex and three-dimensional, and it
still makes room for alot of kick-a** action!
I don't suggest this for the weak of stomach
though, (the death scenes can get a bit too
graphic ;-).
Rating:
Summary: The best japanese import currently on the stands.
Review: I stumbled onto "Blade of the Immortal" translations in comic book format. Attracted by the art, and the unusally deep dialogue between the opponents (as dramatic as Kazou Kioke's "Lone Wolf and Cub", but much more up-to-date in sensibility and subject matter) I immediately began looking for back issues, which was difficult. Many retailers don't seem to order many issues of this book. Fortunately the trade paperbacks started coming out soon after."Blade of the Immortal" starts off as a fairly typical samurai revenge story, with some unusual horror movie twists. We meet Manji, a guilt-ridden outlaw and expert swordsman, who is cursed with an odd form of immortality. No matter how grievously he is injured, he cannot die. Manji makes a deal with a magical buddhist nun. He will gain the release of death, if he slays 1000 evil men. Soon we meet Rin, a young girl, the daughter of a swordsmanship teacher who witnessed the horrific murder of her parents at the hands of the Itto-Ryu, a renegade sword school. Tortured by nightmares, she seeks revenge, but realizing she has no hope of surviving a direct confrontation with even one Itto-Ryu swordsman, she convinces Manji to serve as her bodyguard and stand in. Taking up Rin's quest seems a perfect confluence of both of their desires: her need to put her parents memory to rest, his to earn his redemption. The stories take you through dramatic encounters with various members of the sword school. All are dangerous swordsmen with unique styles of combat. Some are quite literally monsters. Each has a unique story, an unique reason for having become a renegade, and this becomes the source of much thought provoking drama before, during and after the battles. All are memorable characters, in particular Shimuzu (Book Two: "Cry of the Worm"), a fellow immortal and Maki, a swordswoman forced into prostitution who fights like the wind (Book 3: "Dreamsong"). Harioki Samura has great timing, the panel layouts make the fight scenes breathtaking and exciting. Also wonderful is the developing relationship between Manji and Rin, a kind of older brother, little sister dynamic that lends the book much humor and necessary warmth (given the bloodiness of the battles). Beginning with "Rins Bane" (Book 4) Rin's internal debate about the morality and human costs of her quest, takes center stage, and make this one of the deepest and most interesting books to cross the Pacific in years. There's still plenty of action, and the relationship between Rin and Manji continues to deepen, but it's the debates about the sanity of the bushido code, about memory, about filial duty, and hints of political intrigue to come, that make this book an thought provoking and engrossing read. If you have any taste for the high drama and action, as well as the deeper issues running through comic books like "The Authority: Relentless", you have to give "Blade" a try. This is the best dramatic manga translation I've read, and it compares favorably with "Lone Wolf & Cub" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion". I really don't think you will be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Good artwork, spotty translation, mildly interesting plot.
Review: I wouldn't call myself a huge fan of Manga, but I did greatly enjoy some of the english paperback versions of Nausicaa and Akira. I figured Blade of the Immortal would be an interesting and similar journey as these. Not so. The best thing about this graphic novel is the artwork. The worst thing is probably the prototypical hyper-violent imagery. Very reminiscent of the (much, much worse) Ninja Scroll film and other similar works. The translation is very spotty at times, and the story tends to jump around in transitions that are not exactly smooth. To me, it resembles the sort of fare you would expect from pulp fiction (the genre, not the film). There are some interesting stories, though, which save it somewhat.
Rating:
Summary: Good artwork, spotty translation, mildly interesting plot.
Review: I wouldn't call myself a huge fan of Manga, but I did greatly enjoy some of the english paperback versions of Nausicaa and Akira. I figured Blade of the Immortal would be an interesting and similar journey as these. Not so. The best thing about this graphic novel is the artwork. The worst thing is probably the prototypical hyper-violent imagery. Very reminiscent of the (much, much worse) Ninja Scroll film and other similar works. The translation is very spotty at times, and the story tends to jump around in transitions that are not exactly smooth. To me, it resembles the sort of fare you would expect from pulp fiction (the genre, not the film). There are some interesting stories, though, which save it somewhat.
Rating:
Summary: I LIKE IT GOOD
Review: it is great, i have never seen something that could capture this much action on paper wooo hooo yayayay good times
Rating:
Summary: A grim story, beautifully drawn and written
Review: It's hard to believe that Hiroaki Samura is just beginning his career with Blade of the Immortal. His artwork yields first place to no one. He can make his characters seem to move on the page, and yet also create still, gorgeous, disturbing, mandala-like conclusions to the battles. His writing more than holds up its end of the bargain with tight plots and strong characterization. Though the book appears to be about Manji, the former samurai now cursed with immortality, really it is about Rin, an innocent girl seeking revenge for the murder of her parents, who seeks Manji to gain his aid. This is a grim story, with death and rape and much other suffering, but there is no exploitation of these themes. They exist to trace the path Rin must walk, between her innocent past and the future of vengeance she thinks she desires. This is not a book for children, but not because it is of the mold of "adult" comics; the serious themes are the story, not a pretext for depictions of sex. One final note: read the introductory notes on the translation. Later volumes also have glossaries, which should be read unless you are familiar with Japanese terms and history. You'll be able to understand the story without doing so, but not appreciate its richness.
Rating: 
Summary: A great beginning for a great history
Review: Manji cannot die, he is cursed with the bloodworms, he first has to make ammends by killing a thousand evil guys to find peace. Rin's family was killed by an ambitious swordman who wants to destroy all fencing schools in Japan as proof that his style is the best. Rin wants vengeance and Manji helps her. Sounds easy, right? Well i thought the same at first, but as i proceeded reading this wonderful story i found that things are not as easy as they seem. Mr Samura weaves a great story about the real nature of evil; eventhought this manga would have been great with just Manji killing villains left and right we get to see glimpses of real personality development since the first volume. I give it four stars because after reading the other four books i really could not give it five, it deserves five, but then Dreamsong and On Silent Wings should got six. And i already have reviewed On Silent Wings. There is just a small detail that i noticed wrong with the printing, on several ocasions the text makes reference to the glossary which is never seen. On the next books the error is corrected so i don't complain. This is the kind of book that makes reading manga worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Muugen No Jyuunin is HEAPS better than rurouni kenshin!
Review: Minna-san, this is a great book and i really reccomended it to everyone. Also, if u r learnin japanese, i reccomend the japanese version, muugen no jyuunin, for ye. The language isn't that hard and complicated. I praise Samura-sensei for his work which is awfully good and i really feel sorry for australian ppl cos they only get old stuff for their comics like Kenshin. The way Hiroaki Samura did the art is so wonderful that i have to admit it's really original and hard to trace/copy, unlike some of other comics with normal drawings. The story plot that hiroaki made is really good too. It's based in feudal Japan, and it has some sort of strange element like the immortality that comes from the worms. The idea of the story is really original and good. <oh, yeah...You'll also notice that the artwork get better from book to book> Hiroaki Samura just rulezzz! For those of you who's buying this book, make sure you're quite comfy w/ seeing guts spilled everywhere and a person still alive after being stabbed... Anyway, try to also get the japanese version.. <it's really amazing..with good artwork style and glossy cover and nice smelling paper....> That's about it... PS: if anyone ever manage to meet Mr. Samura, say my best regardsfor him and ASK for his autograph and signature...
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