Blade of the Immortal (Mugen no Juunin)

[Katharine Faith]

I am curious: has anyone here read the manga Blade of the Immortal (Mugen no Juunin), by Hiroaki Samura?

If you haven't, I must inform you that it is an extremely well-crafted series, and ranks among my absolute favorites. The artwork is edgy and detailed, the story is unpredictable and engrossing, the characters are dynamic and developed, the historical background is accurate and interesting, and the various philosophies presented are fascinating to consider.

Regarding the characters, I have to say that I appreciate the way the author avoids applying a "good" or "evil" label to anyone. Each character has his/her own agenda, with his/her own history and reasonings, and they're all constantly evolving. With one notable exception (that freak Shira--*shudder*), none of the characters are portrayed as strictly "wrong" or "right" in their endeavors.

One of the downsides, I suppose, is that this series is clearly intended for mature audiences. It contains language, violence, blood, adult themes, torture, implied rape, and a small collection of other items that I'm sure conscientious parents wouldn't want their little 'uns exposed to.

Again, I must stress that this is a strictly 18-and-up title. If it were a movie, it would be rated a hard "R."

If you're over 18 and not bothered by the mature content, though, give it a try! It's an excellent find, one worth sampling!

[Mave]

I love Blade of Immortal!

But yes, I agree. Blade of Immortal is definitely 18+ and should be rated 'R' if made into a movie.

I love the art, story-plot, fight scenes and mostly, the characters themselves despite the gore and brutality in it. I can't really elaborate on how much I like this title but yeah I do find it interesting that there is no clear definition of who's bad and who's good. (well, I make an exception on Shira....grrrrrrr that [insert unladylike word]). My fav. characters are Anotsu, Giichi and Hyakurin! XD

[Maledicte]

I read the first volume...It WAS pretty interesting, with bloody battles and funny dialogue, but it didn't really capture me all too much. Perhaps the main reason was the format they published it in... Instead of just presenting it flipped or unflipped they cut the panels and rearranged them on the page, and sometimes flipped separate panels. This the main character's scar jumps from one side of his face to the other...*laughs* I know that's a pretty weak reason not to read a book, but again I wasn't all too fascinated. I may pick it up again one day.

Oh, and that artist at the end of the first book?

[Knives]

18+?? I think thats more of a matter of opinion, I read the first volume when I was 13, It didnt bother me. The art is really great a bit like vagabond.