Creative Staff:
Writer/Artist: Futaro Yamada / Masaki Segawa
Translated by: David Ury
What They Say
The titanic battle between the clans rages on. Akeginu and the blinded Oboro of the Iga clan encounter a powerful aristocrat named Ofuku, who will do whatever it takes to make her godson, Takechiyo, the next Shogun. If Ofuku and her troops join forces with the Iga, will the Kouga still have a chance at victory?
Meanwhile, the Kouga leader Gennosuke, also blinded, and his comrades “including the shapeshifter Saemon and the deadly seductress Kagerou “embark on a long journey to Sunpu to find out exactly why the truce was dissolved. They will face the fury of the calculating Tenzen and the whirlwind-wielding Koshirou. In the end, who will survive this bloody game of deception and politics?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It is really coming down to the wire with this volume. Only four ninjas remain on both the Iga and Kouga side as they race towards Sunpu to meet with Ieyasu. This volume starts with a good flashback showing how Gennosuke and Oboro first met and how their romance began. From there, the story jumps right into a battle between Tenzen and Koshirou as they try to ambush the other four Kouga ninja on a lonely country road. The Kouga escape any injuries as Koshirou runs away and Tenzen goes down. Why won’t someone just cut that guy’s head completely off?
Eventually, Koshirou doubles back and battles one on one with Hyouma. Koshirou should be an easy mark because he’s blind after his first battle with Gennosuke. The only problem is Hyouma’s technique relies on his opponent seeing his eyes. This battle rages on as Koshirou has the advantage of using his technique but the disadvantage of being blind, whereas Hyouma can see but can’t use his technique. This is definitely an interesting match that could easily go either way.
I’m not going to ruin the outcome of the battle for you, but what happens next took me completely by surprise. As Oboro and Akeginu travel towards the Kouga ninjas, a large retinue of armed soldiers and a palanquin carrying someone of importance intercepts the Iga girls. The woman inside the palanquin turns out to be the grandmother of Ieyasu’s son that the Iga are fighting for. When she learns Oboro and Akeginu belong to the Iga clan, she takes them into her protection virtually making it impossible for the Kouga to attack.
In Summary:
This volume definitely has my favorite cover so far. The light reddish and black colors add to the amazing intensity in Gennosuke’s eyes, which are a yellowish color highlighted by the green title. Then the fourth color page in the book has the whole picture of Gennosuke from the cover. Unfortunately, this volume has a problem with the solid black tones being a little on the faded side, not as bad as I’ve seen in other problem books but enough to be a little annoying.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: 18+
Released By: Del Rey Manga
Release Date: Febuary 28th, 2007
MSRP: $13.95