The characters were itched in my brain even when I took a long break. There is no denying that it is an exceptional manga.
While the series stagnates towards the final third of the story. I will never forget Shigurui and will come back to it from time to time.more The style, the vibe, the language, the drawings, the translation, everything was top notch. I had watched the anime first and I was exhilarated to find out the manga was so "long" and there was much more to the story. Shigurui is probably not for everyone, but for me it was perfection. It was one of the literary works I've enjoyed the most in my life (manga, book or otherwise). The style, the vibe, the language, the drawings, the translation, everything was top Okay I finished all 15 volumes but didn't want to crowd my friends' timelines so I'm only putting the beginning and the ending.
Okay I finished all 15 volumes but didn't want to crowd my friends' timelines so I'm only putting the beginning and the ending. If you can stomach depictions of graphic violence & sexuality, I highly recommend this manga series. Their final battle is an artistry of violence where none is more beautiful than the kill. The climax is a bloody and gruesome samurai tournament arranged to satisfy the blood lust of a tyrant overlord. Eventually they both end up crippled and disfigured. They become bitter rivals for the secrets of their master’s sword style. Their final battle is an artistry of violence where none is more beauti Shigurui is the tale of two swordsmen-Gennosuke Fujiki, the loyal and stoic star pupil of the Kogan Ryuu dojo, and Seigen Irako a charming and naturally talented outsider who challenges him.
Shigurui is the tale of two swordsmen-Gennosuke Fujiki, the loyal and stoic star pupil of the Kogan Ryuu dojo, and Seigen Irako a charming and naturally talented outsider who challenges him. All in all, a must-read for manga lovers! The main story is narrated expertly, there are plenty of exciting sword-fights, violent confrontations and brutal scenes of torture but there are also some unnecessary sub-plots that have not even been followed through but instead just left to hang in the air. The story revolves around the rivalry between two swordsmen, both exceptional individuals but with opposing ideologies, and them being fated to fight each other to the death in a whirlwind of social intrigue where both are ultimately victims. And I just can't express enough how strongly I sympathize with Yamaguchi's intentions in creating something like this. The whole moral of people dying needlessly at the whims of bored and/or crazy rulers and figures of authority is hammered through so relentlessly here that it's sickening at times.
Remember how the samurai caste with its bushido code was often portrayed in a romanticized fashion in works of art? Well you can forget about that here, and expect a sobering dissection of the famous 'virtues' of humility, obedience and respect towards authority. Shigurui is essentially a brutal and venomous critique of the hierarchical feudal society of Japan during the Tokugawa era but for that matter it is also a condemnation of any unjust, patriarchal I might add, society that is based on exploitation and manipulation of a large number of subjects based on corrupt authority and downright force. Remember how the samurai caste with its bushido code was ofte Now that I've finished the final volume of this exquisite manga, I can write down my impressions. Now that I've finished the final volume of this exquisite manga, I can write down my impressions.