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112th out of 554 books
—
1,747 voters
Blade of the Immortal, Volume 1: Blood of a Thousand (Blade of the Immortal (US) #1)
To end his eternal suffering, he must slay one thousand enemies! Manji, a ronin warrior of feudal Japan, has been cursed with immortality. To rid himself of this curse and end his life of misery, he must slay one thousand evil men! His quest begins when a young girl seeks his help in taking revenge on her parents' killers...and his quest won't end until the blood of a thou...more
Paperback, 136 pages
Published
March 16th 2010
by Dark Horse Comics
(first published 1994)
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This review is for the series as a whole and contains some mild spoilers in relation to the first volume
It is hard to go past this series when recommending manga to people. The artwork is amazing, each panel, no matter how tiny, could be considered it's own amazing piece of art. I love the artwork so much I have even bought the art book.
The story starts off seeming like a classic edo era samurai revenge tale, but the depth of the characters and a few crazy twists make it impossible to say classi...more
It is hard to go past this series when recommending manga to people. The artwork is amazing, each panel, no matter how tiny, could be considered it's own amazing piece of art. I love the artwork so much I have even bought the art book.
The story starts off seeming like a classic edo era samurai revenge tale, but the depth of the characters and a few crazy twists make it impossible to say classi...more
Blade of the Immortal seems to be the classic rollicking samurai tale - lots of blood, guts, and sword action. But underneath all of that, we get gorgeous art and a solid start. Manji has been cursed to live eternally, suffering for days on out while reliving the nightmares of his past actions and kills - the shame of hurting his sister's husband, the guilt at seeing his sister's present state, and the loneliness that living forever brings. However, if Manji can kill 1000 evil men, he will be ab...more
Beautiful: Instantly, the art dragged me into this manga. Now, since it was the art that attracted me, I was kind of skeptical of the story line. But when I opened the book and started reading, the story line was dramatically flowing. Hiroaki Samura really knows what people look for in a tradiational Japanese manga, and that is why it is so popular.
I was also kind of skeptical since it was translated. But the translation for this manga was very well planned and thought out, and the story flowed...more
I was also kind of skeptical since it was translated. But the translation for this manga was very well planned and thought out, and the story flowed...more
Jun 06, 2010
Karin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
samurai,
manga,
adult-fiction,
graphic-novel,
violence,
japan,
supernatural,
borrowed-from-the-library
This is the first in the Blade of the Immortal series. It’s a samurai manga about Manji, the samurai, who was apparently too blood thirsty for his own good. An 800 year old woman puts blood worms in him and they heal him now whenever he’s injured. Manji’s already tired of being immortal, though, and he decides to vow to kill 1000 bad guys, and hopefully then he can rest. He meets a girl, Rin, whose family was killed by other samurai who only want their style of fighting taught. She has vowed to...more
Its about a guy named Manji who is immortal because of some special worms that an old woman gave him. He still feels pain, but he can reattach his body and heal. A girl named Rin is looking to avenge her family, so she hires Manji to take the killers on.
Although, I don't feel like adding the rest of the volumes onto my book list, that's kinda tedious because, there's 30 plus... But basically, I enjoyed the story for its uniqueness. There is something always very violent about seinen graphic nove...more
Although, I don't feel like adding the rest of the volumes onto my book list, that's kinda tedious because, there's 30 plus... But basically, I enjoyed the story for its uniqueness. There is something always very violent about seinen graphic nove...more
Lots of pulpy ultra-violence in this and as far as that goes its really good. The translation from Japanese to English however is terrible and for multiple reasons.
The originals used different dialects for certain characters. The "hero" being more modern with lots of slang and his antagonist using older proper Japanese. There is no attempt to translate this.
They were originally thin magazine form which made the center two-page spread, he does one for each story, easily visible. The collected b...more
The originals used different dialects for certain characters. The "hero" being more modern with lots of slang and his antagonist using older proper Japanese. There is no attempt to translate this.
They were originally thin magazine form which made the center two-page spread, he does one for each story, easily visible. The collected b...more
I was very impressed with Blade of the Immortal.
While the tale of immortality is nothing new and how the main character uses the curse is questionable - he's most definately considered an anti-hero with all the killing he does and he doesn't seem to care much for the welfare of a young girl who requests his services to avenge her parents (he might change though). He attempts to the break the curse by killing a thousand bad men [that he considers to be] rather than just saving people.
In a way, Bl...more
While the tale of immortality is nothing new and how the main character uses the curse is questionable - he's most definately considered an anti-hero with all the killing he does and he doesn't seem to care much for the welfare of a young girl who requests his services to avenge her parents (he might change though). He attempts to the break the curse by killing a thousand bad men [that he considers to be] rather than just saving people.
In a way, Bl...more
One of the greatest manga series ever.
Ever.
There is a reason this series is so renowned, and it's not just for it's beautiful art. The story line is fantastic and the characters incredibly rich. I prefer to review this series as a whole, but it truly develops into a masterpiece.
The author manages to make you gain sympathy even for the main antagonist, despite the gruesome acts he's done. Nothing is black and white in Blade of the Immortal, and this includes no man or woman.
And again, I'll stress...more
Ever.
There is a reason this series is so renowned, and it's not just for it's beautiful art. The story line is fantastic and the characters incredibly rich. I prefer to review this series as a whole, but it truly develops into a masterpiece.
The author manages to make you gain sympathy even for the main antagonist, despite the gruesome acts he's done. Nothing is black and white in Blade of the Immortal, and this includes no man or woman.
And again, I'll stress...more
The art to Blade of the Immortal is beautiful, but the story does not back it up well. The Revenge tale meanders and idles and melodramas when it is displayed front and center. The swordplay is entirely over the top and incredibly entertaining. Manji is awesome but I have no sympathy for anybody else in the cast, no matter how many people that they have lost.
The Itto Ryo makes sense ideologically to me as a martial artist, but I have not kept up with the series very well, because when I do, I a...more
The Itto Ryo makes sense ideologically to me as a martial artist, but I have not kept up with the series very well, because when I do, I a...more
I'm glad to say I took the time to re-read this series...it made me realize I've been collecting it for like 15 years (no wonder the old stuff seemed fuzzy in my head as I read each newer released volume!) now. As opposed to the way the comic is now...you can tell that the earlier stories were all looser and shorter story-arcs, as if anticipating a possible cancellation--the manga definitely grows up over the course of the volumes, however, I do miss the painting/illustration style he used to do...more
I like this comic book, mainly because of it's drawing style. Definitely not an ordinary comic drawing. It's like a compilation of sktetch masterpieces.
The story is unique, with the backround of Post-Samurai era in Japan. Manji, the main character of the story, got infected by some magical worm, causing him to be an immortal person. To get his mortality back, he must kill a 1000 of bad guys. Some price for a mortalty huh? :-)
I've never know that our mortality could have that much prize.
In fact,...more
The story is unique, with the backround of Post-Samurai era in Japan. Manji, the main character of the story, got infected by some magical worm, causing him to be an immortal person. To get his mortality back, he must kill a 1000 of bad guys. Some price for a mortalty huh? :-)
I've never know that our mortality could have that much prize.
In fact,...more
One of my all-time favorites. Outstanding artwork, possibly the best pencil art and movement illustration that I have ever seen. Complex plot and characters that became more complex from from one volume to the next. Shades of gray abound. Crazy is the new black. Samurai with modern disposition, not unlike the street punks, roughnecks, criminals or adventurers you can find on the streets of any contemporary city. It's dark, it's violent, but also touching. Not for the faint of heart. Its only com...more
Apr 21, 2011
momokaachan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those who like manga, especially samurai-ronin type
Outstanding illustration and (to me at least) an absorbing story line. Very interesting that this series of graphic novels, although written and inked by a Japanese mangaka very familiar with manga style, was deliberately done in "western" style (reading left to right, and pages also done in western style) so as to make the manga more enjoyable to the western reader (as the author explains in volume 1)
The 13-episode TV series is worth watching as it presents a good overview of the series (for wh...more
The 13-episode TV series is worth watching as it presents a good overview of the series (for wh...more
This is the ultra-violent but superbly drawn first part of a multiple samurai manga series which first appeared from 1994 in Japan and then was reproduced by Dark Horse Manga in the West from 1997.
The introduction in the Western Edition provides useful background on why Hiroaki Samura's graphic novel of a ronin who must kill a thousand evil men to regain his mortality is important - because of the use of street language within the conventions of the samurai traditions.
The introduction, natural...more
The introduction in the Western Edition provides useful background on why Hiroaki Samura's graphic novel of a ronin who must kill a thousand evil men to regain his mortality is important - because of the use of street language within the conventions of the samurai traditions.
The introduction, natural...more
The story is wonderfully written and illustrated. His characters are incredible and their motivations are real. The artwork is a work of art; sometimes it hurts to read because it is too brutal or too painful. The situations he puts his characters in can be oddly strange, but familiar feeling too. The relationships between his people are real, imperfect, honest, and you connect to each one, even when you don't want to. The story is gritty, warm, yet painful, just like the ones I want to be able...more
Aug 09, 2007
John Wiswell
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fantasy readers, comics readers, people interested in other cultures
Blade of the Immortal is the saga of Manji, a masterless samurai who is cursed with immortality, and the people in whose lives he becomes entangled. Unlike American or European visions of immortality like Highlander, in Blade of the Immortal immortality is something to escape. This volume explains how Manji fell under the curse and began his hunt of a thousand killers, to regain his own mortality. The story is translated into street punk English, the closest thing to what was written in the orig...more
I cannot recommend a book on artwork alone. While Blade of the Immortal is very nice to look at, the story ruins any appeal it had for me. The entire first volume is unnecessary. The later volumes have much better characterization and plot, and the same level of artwork.
My recommendation, if you want to read Blade of the Immortal, is SKIP THE FIRST VOLUME.
My recommendation, if you want to read Blade of the Immortal, is SKIP THE FIRST VOLUME.
A story of revenge and vengeance. Set in the historical period around the Meiji restoration, this Manga presents on one hand the social and philosophical turmoil lived by Japans military elite between modernization and the loss of the true fighting spirit of the samurai. While in the other hand the clash of personal desires against modern day ethical values.
Well done, I guess, but not really my thing. The details of the cynical antihero's curse of immortality are sort of novel (body parts made out of "blood worms", and the requirement that he find and kill exactly one thousand bad guys) but the fight scenes fall into a predictable pattern: bad guy chops off hero's arms/legs/liver, not realizing he's immortal; bad guy chuckles and turns to go; hero gets up and kills him. Also, samurai intrigue for its own sake (renegades from Sword School X form Swo...more
Gorgeous art and perfect storyline with the right amount of humor. Manji must slay one thousand men to be free of the curse of immortality, in which worms inhabit his body and repair it every time he is injured or killed. He finds the perfect opportunity in teenager Rin, who is determined to kill the man responsible for the deaths of her parents.
I read these back in high school but I had forgotten how beautifully they are drawn. This is the story of Manji an immortal ronin warrior in feudal Japan. He used to work for the bad guys but now he has switched sides and to repay his debt for killing one hundred officers of the law he has vowed to kill one thousand villians.
SERIOUSLY. KUROI SABATO YOU ARE A MAD MAN.
I feel disgusted oh dear lord. That has got to be one of the weirdest things I have seen/read. But nevertheless, it was freaking awesome.
The last line - actually the entire last page - is so good, I was chocking with laughter.
Very good indeed.
Plus, beautiful artwork.
I feel disgusted oh dear lord. That has got to be one of the weirdest things I have seen/read. But nevertheless, it was freaking awesome.
The last line - actually the entire last page - is so good, I was chocking with laughter.
Very good indeed.
Plus, beautiful artwork.
Pretty sweet comic/manga. I saw the series before and it was so-so and ruined some of the twists for me, but I prefer the book, which has better pacing and leaves enough out to keep the reader engaged and thinking. Hard-hitting story and friggin great illustrations that seem to come alive (I distinctly remember seeing a page of confusion, following the path of his chain/scythe, and seeing the action unfold in a single panel). Awesome that there are more chapters left to read
It would take too much time to add every single book in this series - but that doesn't mean I don't HIGHLY recommend each one. These are just pure art: a beautiful combination of artwork, history, popular culture, samurai fights, blood and good writing.
A good manga that just isn't for me. I don't think I've read a samurai manga yet that I've loved, so I should probably give the genre a rest for now. Still, I can acknowledge that the art here is uncommonly good, often highly detailed and with a unique flavor. The story seems, from this volume at least, to be pretty solid. It just isn't in my wheelhouse, though I'm glad I gave it a try.
This particular translation was published in the U.S. in 1997. This is worth remembering when reading Dark Hors...more
This particular translation was published in the U.S. in 1997. This is worth remembering when reading Dark Hors...more
Picked this up back in high school when I was looking to read something with a little edge. "An immortal warrior contracted to help a young girl avenge her parents death". The artwork is beautiful and amazing. The action is beautifully drawn. Hiroaki Samura knows how to draw and tell a story to the fullest.
Muito bem impressionado. Tirando o pormenor da imortalidade é aquilo que se espera (e quer), um conjunto de boas histórias de samurais, à moda antiga, com a visceral mistura de beleza com morte. Espero que a série continue a este nível.
The main hero being immortal sounds like a gigantic character shield, but there's enough drama in here to make it interesting. I had forgotten how fun the books started out before I lost track of all the characters.
May 14, 2009
G.
added it
I think what drew me to this book is the art style... I really like the weight of his lines and his overall style. Story is interesting...too early in the series for me to tell where he is going/trying to take me...
Com uma arte de cortar a respiração e uma história interessante, este manga deixará poucos indiferentes. Mas atenção! Não há censura! Muita violência e cenas sexuais incluídas.
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Japanese Name (沙村広明)
Hiroaki Samura (沙村 広明) is a Japanese writer/illustrator and creator of Blade of the Immortal, as well as several other short works. He has also done various illustrations for magazines and ero guro work. He has an ero guro book out that is mostly a compilation of some of the work he has created.
His favourite bands are Queen, Black Sabbath and Jittarin Jin. He likes Black Sabbat...more
More about Hiroaki Samura...
Hiroaki Samura (沙村 広明) is a Japanese writer/illustrator and creator of Blade of the Immortal, as well as several other short works. He has also done various illustrations for magazines and ero guro work. He has an ero guro book out that is mostly a compilation of some of the work he has created.
His favourite bands are Queen, Black Sabbath and Jittarin Jin. He likes Black Sabbat...more
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“Such beauty... Your face in subtle moonlight bared, glows like an angel come from Heaven...!”
—
4 people liked it
“Kuroi Sabato! I shall kill you! I shall kill you if I have to sell my very soul to the Devil!”
—
4 people liked it
More quotes…
