This is a samurai manga licensed by Dark Horse.  While I still have much of their catalog to get through, I’m rather happy to have discovered this title.

The story begins with a mostly silent thirty pages in which two teams of Samurai chase a handcuffed prisoner on horseback to see who can retrieve his liver first.  For sport.

What happens from there is an interesting, if somewhat meandering, story about a samurai who finds himself in very hard times, but whose morals and upstanding nature aren’t shaken.  It doesn’t sound like the most unique story, but what really sets this manga apart is the time it takes to illustrate the political and social dynamics which have ultimately shaped our samurai’s fate.  The author doesn’t hesitate to stop the story for 5,6, or 26 pages as you are soundly educated on historical background material, which I must admit was somewhat disorienting at first.  I did learn to go with it, since even those explanatory sections are well-depicted and interesting.

The only exception is the last two chapters, which seem like a departure from the rest of the volume, as the story shifts focus to the plight of an entire province.  I think it may have been a bad idea to end the volume at this point.  It feels abrupt, even after I had gotten used to the author’s penchant for asides.

Regardless, the overall tone and style is fantastic.  This is a manga less about character interaction, and more about hotblooded proselytizing between men.  Our protagonist has an almost clairvoyant amount of insight into the crises facing his era, and doesn’t hesitate to do verbal battle with the other powerful men who disagree with him.

The illustrations are beautiful, composed of a sketchy line quality that gets incredibly detailed at times.  It’s very easy on the eyes.  I didn’t know this was a manga from the 70s until a friend pointed it out to me, which doesn’t only speak to its greatness, but to the care and detail put into printing it by Dark Horse.

I suggest checking out Satsuma Gishiden.  If you’re a sucker for fantastic art, it might even win you over by the end of the Amazon preview.

Sources:
http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/13-541/Satsuma-Gishiden-Vol-1-TPB
http://www.amazon.com/Satsuma-Gishiden-1-v/dp/1593075170

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