Anime-Beta TNG

I'm a samurai junkie and I love historical Japan stories, so it's no surprise that 'BoI' would be my favorite manga!

Hiroaki Samura does an excellent job in his research of feudal Japan, and you can clearly see many 'traditional' elements when reading his work. What really captivates me is the rawness of the character that blends in beauty in a seductive way that you can almost feel. Sometimes I can hear swords clanging and characters grunting in pain as they fight to the death. You can especially see this when his art takes up a full two pages in some volumes.

Rin, my favorite character, is not your typical heroin, she's a clutz and cries easily. But she has a steely strength and a strong sense of honor that I admire. Even facing her mortal enemy who was responsible for her parents' murders, she still has her honor and listens to her heart even when she wants to kill.

I realize after reading all the available manga thus far, that there really isn't a 'bad' guy. True, there are those like Anotsu who kills for his purposes and feels no remorse. But after learning more about him, I can't help but feel pity for him and I can see why he does the things he does.

This manga is definately not for the faint of heart. There are bloody scenes, decpaitations, and severed appendages. But if you want a great story with complex characters, and like historical Japan, then this is for you.

Oh, and there are some kick-ass weapons used by many characters. A main reason for Anotsu's rampage and killing of dojo leaders is because of his contempt of 'traditional' Japanese teachings of the sword. So you'll see plenty of his followers using oddball weapons and tactics. My favorite is Makie's spear-like blades that she HIDES in a shamisen!!

In many ways I wish that there was an anime to match this manga, but it would be an exhaustive endeavor.

I loved this manga as well. It was one of the first manga I started to collect many years ago. I never finished collecting though when I had to move back home where anime and manga was such a rarity to aquire. It would be so awesome if an anime was created for this manga series!

I read the earlier issues when they came out through Viz but quickly stopped when I learned it was too long a story to keep collecting.

It's too late for me. I'm at the 14th volume, so there's no turning back. They only publish 2-3 volumes a year, so I can at least afford to keep up.

Elfstalker wrote:It's too late for me.

. Oh the drama of it all.

I haven't read much manga, maybe a dozen series, but Blade is definatley a stunning work of art as far as the scripting, characterisation and images go. Oh yeah- I remember I used to use a Blade avatar when I first joined this forum ^__^

Like you say, Elfstalker, you can really get a feel for the action although I sometimes find the action panels hard to understand and that's just bad direction (the only downside to this manga).

What makes a good manga, in my opinion, is something I can visualize in a realistic/filmic setting. The panels used in Blade could work in a live-action movie, even anime, because the backgrounds and angles tell us a lot about the environment and characters. Many mangas are made SO fast that there isn't time to add details like backgrounds and that's a real shame.

You mention the array of fighting styles and weapons that each of the characters use, this is a huge pull for me because I've always been fascinated by all martial arts ever since I bought 'Ninja' magazine when I was 7 years old, heh. I like to see our heroes pit themselves against a broard selection of skilled opponents- much like Lone Wolf & Cub which is my other favourite manga.

This reminds me that I need to catch up on this series. I've got 12 collected volumes and am only halfway through... why am I wasting my time on here then?! j/k

I read a few volumes of that about ten years ago. I really loved what I had read. Maybe I should pick it up again some time.

I'm eagerly awaiting volume #17! The last one left at such a cliff hanger that's driving me nuts.