 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | TAKEHIKO INOUE | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 632 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | M | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 12/16/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 07/01/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Takehiko Inoue's Vagabond is loosely based on the novel Musashi, Eiji Yoshikawa's fictional account of the life of Miyamoto Musashi. This classic samurai tale has been adapted into numerous television series and films, including an Academy Award-winning movie. In his own version, Inoue approaches the pinnacle of manga artistry with richly detailed line art and a lyrical, fast-paced narrative. An international bestseller, this must-read manga is now available in a VIZBIG Edition: three of the original graphic novel releases collected into one volume, featuring color artwork, updated text and bonus content. Striving for enlightenment by way of the sword, Miyamoto Musashi is prepared to cut down anyone who stands in his way. Vagabond is an action-packed portrayal of the life and times of the quintessential warrior-philosopher, and the most celebrated samurai of all time! Musashi authored A Book of Five Rings, a theoretical guide to military strategy still used today. But the path to enlightenment is an endless journey, and to get there through violent means - by way of the sword - makes mere survival an even greater challenge. In volume 2 of this fantastic Viz Big Edition title, Musashi sets out for Nara intent on challenging the warrior monks of legendary Hôzôin Temple. But will Musashi's growing feelings for his childhood friend Otsû prove to be a fatal distraction in his match against In'ei, the austere master of Hôzôin's deadly spear technique? Vagabond is both exciting and engrossing – it’s one of those samurai series that “does it right” and stays way above many other series that don’t provide the same level of entertainment that this fine series manages. The story is exceptional and follows the lives of various characters in a semi-realistic feudal Japan in a fairly engrossing manner. The art is just as amazing, and looks fantastic in this Viz Big Edition with its enlarged size and text. If you’re going to read a great manga, you might as well have it printed in an appropriate and enjoyable size such as this one is – it really improves the reading experience. It’s neat being about to see some colour art work for vagabond for the first time in these new editions – nothing like this was available in the older printings of this story. The black and white art is still just as good as it ever was, and Takehiko Inoue sure can draw. This is all-out samurai action with a heavy dose of reality (ie: loss of limbs and bloody violence) that mature readers will savour. Matched by an excellent story to go along side the action and you’ve got yourself a book more than work reading. That is Vagabond in a nutshell. Takehiko Inoue is the creator of one of the most popular manga of all time, Slam Dunk, which has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. He followed that series up with two titles lauded by critics and fans alike - Vagabond, a fictional account of the life of Miyamoto Musashi, and Real, a manga about wheelchair basketball. Inoue is the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Tezuka Osamu Culture award and the Media Arts Festival Award. In addition to his work on manga, Inoue has worked on television commercials, character designs for video games, and is the founder of a scholarship to foster Japanese basketball talent.
IN SUMMARY:
Vagabond is one of the great Samurai manga epics – it’s “Samurai” done right in many entertaining ways. Plus it’s in an oversized edition format within the Viz Big line, so you know this is a worthwhile classic. Check it out! |
