▪	RELEASED BY:		DEL REY
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		FUTARO YAMADA / FUTARO  SEGAWA
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / B&W / COLOR
		▪	PAGES:		288
		▪	RATING:		M
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		10/30/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		10/18/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		HOLLY ELLINGWOOD

In the year 1642, the fall of the Hori clan will lead to an atrocity that will begin a path to vengeance that can only end in blood, tears, and brutal deaths. When Aizu’s Seven Spears slaughter the nuns and innocent women of a sacred convent and then lead the brave samurai of the Hori Clan to a ghastly execution, the remaining survivors – seven beautiful young women, vow to give up their lives for love, for honor, for revenge. To do so they will need help, and it comes in the unexpected form of a lone fighter of legendary skill – Yagyu Jyubei!

From the creators who brought us the merciless tale of ninjas in Basilisk: Tale of the Kouga Ninja Scrolls, now comes an all new gripping tale of the ruthlessness of those with swords, and the sacrifice of those with honor. It has just as layered a political backbone with what is happening in the young rule of the forming Shogunate and the down in the mud and blood brutal fight scenes Basilisk fans have come to expect. What happens at the convent is atrocious and the execution of the men is horrific. But the plan of the seven surviving women to go after the lethal and cruel Seven Spears, all fighters of great powers, nefarious skills, and utterly evil, is the stuff that legends are made of. How can seven pure girls hope to defeat the most vile and dangerous of fighters? Here lies the heart of the story and the first steps towards the fate of the seven survivors and the Seven Spears.

Like Basilisk, this manga pulls no punches and takes no prisoners. The grueling undertaking these girls and some few women have committed to is a suicide pact in order to avenge the honor of them all. So in a way, these women aren’t survivors, but are those left behind to be the tools of vengeance required to strike the evil in the nation down –surely at the cost of their lives. In other words, they are on borrowed time. What they will have to undergo has yet to be revealed, but Jyubei’s words offer little comfort, yet the women, all seven, remain resolute. To them their path is clear. Yet to go up against these vile and misogynistic brutal killers may well prove to be a fate worse than death, but surely not worse than the fate the Seven Spears had planned for them initially. This volume ends with Jyubei antagonizing the Spears, testing them, and preparing himself for what he needs to do with the women intent on righting the wrongs done to them and those the Spears had murdered without honor or conscience.

The art work is comparable to the excellently textured designs found in the Kouga Ninja Scrolls. The dark shading and expressive body language is captivating. The violence in it is not a vicarious thrill, it is steeped in emotional and political subtext that is enthralling.  The gorgeous shading of the manga adds a rich and absorbing feel to the piece. It looks more like images from an anime. 

Manga extras include six full color pages in the original Japanese, translation notes including historical and cultural information, and a preview of the next volume translated in English.

IN SUMMARY:
The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls is an all new feat of brutal storytelling about love, honor and revenge.