The
path to revenge starts here.
Genre - Action, Drama,
Historical, Samurai, Shounen
Length – 5 Volumes: 29
Chapters
Author - Nanae Chrono
Run - May 1999 to Sep 2001
Serialization - Shounen Gangan
I'm very hesitant to read/watch
anything samurai related. It ends up as a bore fest for me. But Peacemaker
however, was an awesome exception. For those wondering about "Peacemaker
Kurogane", it's the name for the anime adaptation (awful) and the direct
sequel to this series set some months later.
Like your typical samurai series,
this series deals with revenge. Our main character Tetsunosuke Ichimura seeks
revenge for the death of his parents. He has not forgotten the face of the man
who killed them and wishes to acquire the strength to defeat him. Like everyone
in their teens, he is rebellious and outgoing, though somewhat of a numbskull.
From here on out he and his brother seek to join the Shinsengumi, they are like
the unofficial police in the area. The Shinsengumi hold strong warriors, and
their leader Toshizo Hijikata is known as the Shinsengumi's Demon and is
revered. Let me just say that this guy has to be one of the most bad ass
characters I've seen in a manga and to top it all off, he's got a sense of
humor that will produce laughs.
Upon making his "entrance" into the Shinsengumi, Tetsunosuke fights
Souji Okita, a captain. Souji is fabulous. He's a rather feminine
looking guy who sometimes acts like a girl. Unlike Hijikata, he's always
in a cheerful mood and makes jokes. Some of these jokes however, do
make you question his sexuality. Do not be fooled by his behavior
though, along with Hijikata, Souji is also knows as a demon, and his
fighting skills are not to be reckoned with. Tetsu loses his first fight
with Souji but he manages to impress everyone with his tenacity.
Afterwards he becomes Hijikata's page. It is here where the events that
lead to Tetsu's growth as a samurai start. Tetsu's brother Tatsunosuke,
disagrees with his brother's need for revenge. Tatsu is the older
brother and hence feels responsible for Tetsu's well being. Thought at
first he is very overprotecting of Tetsu, he begins to waver and allows
Tetsu to do as he wishes.
The one thing that stood out for me while reading this series was that
it was historically accurate. The story is set in the Edo era and the
beginning of the Meiji restoration. The events that happen in the manga
actually happened in Japans past. Most of the characters in the story
are based on real characters in that era. It goes without saying Nanae
Chrono did his homework. Also, you're technically getting free lessons
on Japan's historical past. Now then, who says reading manga is a waste
of time?
Like "Bleach" there's not much attention to background detail, more
focus is put on characters, buildings, etc. Your going to see some
gray/blank patches of sky and such. It's not a bad thing, it works well
for this manga as it makes up for it in the action scenes. The action
scenes are very detailed, and very bloody. It would make it harder for
the mangaka and harder to follow what's going if EVERYTHING was
detailed. Let's be honest too much detail can confuse people. Character
development is excellent. The characters thoughts are always present;
you start to feel a connection to them and their personalities. For
example, the transition Tetsu makes as a rebellious outgoing whiny
little punk into a more mature character was portrayed with great care
and detail by the mangaka.
I enjoyed this series. It was funny, bloody, action packed, filled with
historical facts and goodies, what more can you ask for?
Art - (8/10) Plot - (8/10) Enjoyment - (8/10)
Overall
8.5/10
Overall
8.5/10
Note: Souji <3
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