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brambresseleers's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
2.0
This volume is likely the worst volume in the series thus far. One thing that I really dislike about the series is Hiroaki Samura's fight scenes.
I have complained about this many times, which is frustrating because you can't have a series about swordsmen without proper sword fights. Samura's style of illustration is really poor when it comes to scenes with swordplay. To depict movement on the page, Samura relies way too much on broad lines, making the action, characters and movements too murky to make out what in the world is going on. Furthermore, it almost feels like Samura is aware of his shortcomings as an action artist, so he chooses a lot of close-ups for his action sequences. The result is that you get the beginning of a fight — usually depicting with the good and bad guys standing about in a circle — and that's it. The rest of the fight is a series of tight close-ups jumbled together on the page. You seldom know what is happening.
And this volume is basically 90% fights, and all of them are pretty bad in terms of the art. The only fight that I can make out what is going on is the final one between Manji and Giichi, but the problem with that fight is that it ultimately means next to nothing. Manji admits as much on the page when he tells Giichi that he wanted to fight only because 'he was bored'. It almost feels as if Samura himself was bored when writing this section of the series, and wanted to insert a fight just for the sake of it. In fact, many of the fights in this volume tend to feel unnecessary and pointless. It is also made worse by the fact that past characters show up out of nowhere, because the story requires them to coincidentally meet by the side of a river.
Rin's character continues to frustrate me even further. I vaguely understand why she has chosen to tag along with Anotsu. Maybe she wants to wait for the sickness to truly set in before she can finally overcome her sworn enemy. However, when confronted with a group of men who are trying to kill Anotsu, she decides to aid Anotsu instead — wait, what? Even if they don't stand a chance against a weakened Anotsu, it still doesn't make sense for Rin to suddenly be on his side, even going as far as tossing Anotsu his axe halfway through battle.
Maybe this problem is temporary, and we will finally get back on track with the subsequent volumes, but it feels like the writer has lost track of his characters in favour of boring, repetitive fights.
I have complained about this many times, which is frustrating because you can't have a series about swordsmen without proper sword fights. Samura's style of illustration is really poor when it comes to scenes with swordplay. To depict movement on the page, Samura relies way too much on broad lines, making the action, characters and movements too murky to make out what in the world is going on. Furthermore, it almost feels like Samura is aware of his shortcomings as an action artist, so he chooses a lot of close-ups for his action sequences. The result is that you get the beginning of a fight — usually depicting with the good and bad guys standing about in a circle — and that's it. The rest of the fight is a series of tight close-ups jumbled together on the page. You seldom know what is happening.
And this volume is basically 90% fights, and all of them are pretty bad in terms of the art. The only fight that I can make out what is going on is the final one between Manji and Giichi, but the problem with that fight is that it ultimately means next to nothing. Manji admits as much on the page when he tells Giichi that he wanted to fight only because 'he was bored'. It almost feels as if Samura himself was bored when writing this section of the series, and wanted to insert a fight just for the sake of it. In fact, many of the fights in this volume tend to feel unnecessary and pointless. It is also made worse by the fact that past characters show up out of nowhere, because the story requires them to coincidentally meet by the side of a river.
Rin's character continues to frustrate me even further. I vaguely understand why she has chosen to tag along with Anotsu. Maybe she wants to wait for the sickness to truly set in before she can finally overcome her sworn enemy. However, when confronted with a group of men who are trying to kill Anotsu, she decides to aid Anotsu instead — wait, what? Even if they don't stand a chance against a weakened Anotsu, it still doesn't make sense for Rin to suddenly be on his side, even going as far as tossing Anotsu his axe halfway through battle.
Maybe this problem is temporary, and we will finally get back on track with the subsequent volumes, but it feels like the writer has lost track of his characters in favour of boring, repetitive fights.
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
3.0
A very noticable dip in quality from the last volume, as we go from extreme character development and cool plot developments to OMG look which character shows up at a pivotal moment in a fight between an injured main character and a bunch of redshirts. It might be interesting in a TV show where absent and missed stars return, but it felt really shallow in this book and did nothing for the story or for the characters.
The massive fight over the course of the volume was completely forgettable.
And at the end, we were sort of back to the status quo of volume nine or ten, I'm hoping that the story doesn't return to the earlier tropes.
The massive fight over the course of the volume was completely forgettable.
And at the end, we were sort of back to the status quo of volume nine or ten, I'm hoping that the story doesn't return to the earlier tropes.
jokoloyo's review against another edition
5.0
At beginning, I was entertained with the swordsmanship of Makie. What do you expect from this dazzlingly quick and skillful Geisha fighter? Of course she won easily. :D
Surprisingly, at the end of the book, there are fighting scene between Manji and Giichi. Giichi weapon is super cool, a cutting handcuff.
5 Star, for many fighting scenes in one book.
Surprisingly, at the end of the book, there are fighting scene between Manji and Giichi. Giichi weapon is super cool, a cutting handcuff.
5 Star, for many fighting scenes in one book.
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