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A review by thisotherbookaccount
Blade of the Immortal Volume 2: Cry of the Worm by Hiroaki Samura
3.0
My journey with Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal continues with volume 2, titled Cry of the Worm.
I want to start with the positives on this one. In the last review, I mentioned that Dark Horse seems to have done a subpar job at scanning the original manga pages, with some frames looking like rough drafts inserted into the comic book — complete with pixelation. This problem seems to have gone away for the most part in volume 2, which leads me to believe that it was, in fact, a production issue with the first volume of the series.
The art here is also a significant step up from the previous volume. It is strange to talk about 'cinematography' in the context of a manga or comic book. However, I feel that the framing has improved tremendously in volume 2 as well. It feels like the artist now takes more care of how a frame should look like, and there are several standout moments, including a beautiful 'shot', if you will, of the morning light falling on Ren as she awakens alone in a bedroom. The pencil work has also improved, with more disciplined lines that define the characters and settings better.
Another marked improvement is the translation, which, again, I think Dark Horse did a poor job before. One thing that I did not mention in the last review was how characters would say seemingly nonsensical things, and I suspect that to be the result of bad translations. This problem has been largely eradicated by volume 2, and characters actually talk more like human beings now — which is great.
Now, to the not-so-great aspects of the book. The action sequences and fight scenes continue to be poor on the visual front. There are two main sword fights in this book, and both of them remind me of Michael Bay's Transformers movies. Even though you know that two people are duelling it out on the page, you don't quite know who is doing what. It feels like the artist failed to map out the action-reaction on the page, so the reader is left to guess what is happening. I cannot tell you how a stroke lands a hit on Manji's shoulder, for example. All I can say is that Manji is not injured in one frame, then injured in the other. Everything in between is a blur. For a series called Blade of the Immortal, where sword fighting should happen frequently, I do hope that the action visuals improve as we go along.
One major plot point in this book is how Manji is poisoned and, as a result, the worms in his body are not quite able to mend his injuries. This turn of events is supposed to be crucial, akin to Superman coming in contact with Kryptonite for the first time. Yet, within three pages, his sickness is cured because Rin so happens to have some antidote with her. It does feel a little contrived and convenient, unless this plot point is addressed again in later volumes.
Speaking of unanswered questions, Manji apparently has some contacts with Magatsu? What's up with that? Maybe that will be answered later also.
I want to start with the positives on this one. In the last review, I mentioned that Dark Horse seems to have done a subpar job at scanning the original manga pages, with some frames looking like rough drafts inserted into the comic book — complete with pixelation. This problem seems to have gone away for the most part in volume 2, which leads me to believe that it was, in fact, a production issue with the first volume of the series.
The art here is also a significant step up from the previous volume. It is strange to talk about 'cinematography' in the context of a manga or comic book. However, I feel that the framing has improved tremendously in volume 2 as well. It feels like the artist now takes more care of how a frame should look like, and there are several standout moments, including a beautiful 'shot', if you will, of the morning light falling on Ren as she awakens alone in a bedroom. The pencil work has also improved, with more disciplined lines that define the characters and settings better.
Another marked improvement is the translation, which, again, I think Dark Horse did a poor job before. One thing that I did not mention in the last review was how characters would say seemingly nonsensical things, and I suspect that to be the result of bad translations. This problem has been largely eradicated by volume 2, and characters actually talk more like human beings now — which is great.
Now, to the not-so-great aspects of the book. The action sequences and fight scenes continue to be poor on the visual front. There are two main sword fights in this book, and both of them remind me of Michael Bay's Transformers movies. Even though you know that two people are duelling it out on the page, you don't quite know who is doing what. It feels like the artist failed to map out the action-reaction on the page, so the reader is left to guess what is happening. I cannot tell you how a stroke lands a hit on Manji's shoulder, for example. All I can say is that Manji is not injured in one frame, then injured in the other. Everything in between is a blur. For a series called Blade of the Immortal, where sword fighting should happen frequently, I do hope that the action visuals improve as we go along.
One major plot point in this book is how Manji is poisoned and, as a result, the worms in his body are not quite able to mend his injuries. This turn of events is supposed to be crucial, akin to Superman coming in contact with Kryptonite for the first time. Yet, within three pages, his sickness is cured because Rin so happens to have some antidote with her. It does feel a little contrived and convenient, unless this plot point is addressed again in later volumes.
Speaking of unanswered questions, Manji apparently has some contacts with Magatsu? What's up with that? Maybe that will be answered later also.