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The 47 Ronin: A Graphic Novel
A graphic novel version of the most dramatic example of bushido—the samurai code—in Japanese history.
In the eighteenth century, forty-seven samurai avenged the death of their master in a plot that would take over two years to complete. After succeeding in their mission, the masterless samurai—known as ronin—all committed ritual suicide. The story, which is a national legend, remains the most potent example of Japan's deeply rooted cultural imperative of honor, persistence, loyalty, and sacrifice.
The historical event has inspired many writers and artists over the years and numerous fictionalized versions and adaptations have emerged. In The 47 Ronin, Sean Michael Wilson has created a historically factual portrait, enhanced by evocative and often lyrical drawings by Akiko Shimojima. While there are other depictions of the story in manga form, this version stands out as being the most accurate and most compelling. Wilson and Shimojima have made the characters nuanced and relatable.
In the eighteenth century, forty-seven samurai avenged the death of their master in a plot that would take over two years to complete. After succeeding in their mission, the masterless samurai—known as ronin—all committed ritual suicide. The story, which is a national legend, remains the most potent example of Japan's deeply rooted cultural imperative of honor, persistence, loyalty, and sacrifice.
The historical event has inspired many writers and artists over the years and numerous fictionalized versions and adaptations have emerged. In The 47 Ronin, Sean Michael Wilson has created a historically factual portrait, enhanced by evocative and often lyrical drawings by Akiko Shimojima. While there are other depictions of the story in manga form, this version stands out as being the most accurate and most compelling. Wilson and Shimojima have made the characters nuanced and relatable.
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2013
8 people are currently reading
339 people want to read
About the author
Sean Michael Wilson
79 books85 followersSean Michael Wilson is a comic book writer from Scotland. He has had around 30 books published with a variety of US, UK and Japanese publishers, including: a comic book version of A Christmas Carol ('Best of 2008’, Sunday Times), AX:alternative manga ( 'Best ten books of 2010’, Publishers Weekly), Parecomic (with an introduction by Noam Chomsky, his first contribution to a book in graphic form). He is currently writing books for big Japanese publisher Kodansha, being the only British writer to do so. In fact, he is the only pro manga writer from Britain who lives in Japan. He is also the editor of the critically acclaimed collection 'AX:alternative manga' (Publishers Weekly's 'Best ten books of 2010' and nominated for a Harvey award).
Working with various Japanese artists he has written a unique line of Japanese history/martial arts/Samurai books, including The Book of Five Rings, Secrets of the Ninja, The 47 Ronin, and Cold Mountain (winner of China Comic and Animation Competition 2015 ‘Best Overseas Comic’ award). In 2016 his book 'The Faceless Ghost' was nominated for an Eisner Award. In 2017 he became the first British person to receive an International Manga Award from the Japanese Government. In 2019 his book 'The Many Not the Few' was launched by the Labour Party leader in an event in the Houses of Parliament. In 2020 he received the Scottish Samurai Award from an association promoting connections between Japan and Scotland.
He does comic books outside the normal superhero/fantasy brands, going into areas such as history, biography, drama, and social issues, often in collaboration with universities, charities and book publishers. He often gives lectures and talks about comics in schools and colleges, and writes articles for such places as The Japan Times, The London Economic and The Herald Scotland.
Working with various Japanese artists he has written a unique line of Japanese history/martial arts/Samurai books, including The Book of Five Rings, Secrets of the Ninja, The 47 Ronin, and Cold Mountain (winner of China Comic and Animation Competition 2015 ‘Best Overseas Comic’ award). In 2016 his book 'The Faceless Ghost' was nominated for an Eisner Award. In 2017 he became the first British person to receive an International Manga Award from the Japanese Government. In 2019 his book 'The Many Not the Few' was launched by the Labour Party leader in an event in the Houses of Parliament. In 2020 he received the Scottish Samurai Award from an association promoting connections between Japan and Scotland.
He does comic books outside the normal superhero/fantasy brands, going into areas such as history, biography, drama, and social issues, often in collaboration with universities, charities and book publishers. He often gives lectures and talks about comics in schools and colleges, and writes articles for such places as The Japan Times, The London Economic and The Herald Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
October 26, 2013
Where do I start with this book? I want to love it. It feels like a really old manga comic with all the artistic trappings of that style; movement lines, over exaggerated faces, badly translated languages, oversized text boxes where the English takes up less space than the Japanese. But wait, this is a brand new graphic novel released this year. The artist is Japanese, but the writer is Scottish? Actually, I had to do some research on this one, although by birth he is from the UK, he lives and works in Japan and this is actually a translated book as I first suspected.
The problem is that Sean appears to have forgotten how to write in English since his move. This is so pronounced that even after reading the first third of this book, I still do not know for certain if I am supposed to be reading the page from right to left as you would in a traditional Manga book, or if it has been mirrored and it now reads left to right. I like Manga, I have read a fair amount of it, and I have a relative who is fluent in Japanese and actually translates these books as a hobby. She would be utterly mortified if a book she translated read like this.
I already knew the story before I read this comic, but the beginning was so hard going that I thought I was reading another book entirely. The end of this book is also stilted, as it switches from a story in the past, to a retelling in the present day, which makes the entire book feel less relevant. When there is so much death you feel for the loss, but when you then suddenly drag the story three hundred years into the future it completely dents that loss as everyone you had been reading about who had not died in the story, was also dead of old age anyway.
Over all, I am afraid to say, I do not like this book. The middle to end is solid, but the entire first third and the closing pages, utterly crush the story coming and going. The art is however perfect for the story, exactly what you would expect in a black and while Manga of this style. I had high hopes for this, but even if my bar had been set much lower, I do not think I would have been anything except disappointed.
http://cmro.travis-starnes.com/blog/2013/10/the-47-ronin-review/
The problem is that Sean appears to have forgotten how to write in English since his move. This is so pronounced that even after reading the first third of this book, I still do not know for certain if I am supposed to be reading the page from right to left as you would in a traditional Manga book, or if it has been mirrored and it now reads left to right. I like Manga, I have read a fair amount of it, and I have a relative who is fluent in Japanese and actually translates these books as a hobby. She would be utterly mortified if a book she translated read like this.
I already knew the story before I read this comic, but the beginning was so hard going that I thought I was reading another book entirely. The end of this book is also stilted, as it switches from a story in the past, to a retelling in the present day, which makes the entire book feel less relevant. When there is so much death you feel for the loss, but when you then suddenly drag the story three hundred years into the future it completely dents that loss as everyone you had been reading about who had not died in the story, was also dead of old age anyway.
Over all, I am afraid to say, I do not like this book. The middle to end is solid, but the entire first third and the closing pages, utterly crush the story coming and going. The art is however perfect for the story, exactly what you would expect in a black and while Manga of this style. I had high hopes for this, but even if my bar had been set much lower, I do not think I would have been anything except disappointed.
http://cmro.travis-starnes.com/blog/2013/10/the-47-ronin-review/
December 26, 2013
I was provided a copy of this graphic novel by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I had never heard of the 47 Ronin before, and the release of the graphic novel is timely with the movie releasing theaters now starring Keanu Reeves.
The beginning sucked. I couldn't tell who was who and had to keep going back and rereading parts and trying to figure the story out. It seriously needed a prologue for people like me who didn't know the story and couldn't keep track of the similarly named and looking characters. And it's as especially that the characters were drawn similarly that added to my overall confusion. The language was also unclear.
Then about halfway through the ruse and what they're (the samurai) are trying to do starts to make sense. It gets interesting partway through and I definitely felt hooked to continue.
I loved the ending; it was beautiful. The artwork was spot on, and it's definitely a great story.
Overall there's a lot of room for improvement. I liked the graphic novel portrayal but wish it would've had a prologue. If more was explained early on, it would've caused less confusion because I had to keep flipping back pages and rereading and trying to see what characters were who and what side.
I had never heard of the 47 Ronin before, and the release of the graphic novel is timely with the movie releasing theaters now starring Keanu Reeves.
The beginning sucked. I couldn't tell who was who and had to keep going back and rereading parts and trying to figure the story out. It seriously needed a prologue for people like me who didn't know the story and couldn't keep track of the similarly named and looking characters. And it's as especially that the characters were drawn similarly that added to my overall confusion. The language was also unclear.
Then about halfway through the ruse and what they're (the samurai) are trying to do starts to make sense. It gets interesting partway through and I definitely felt hooked to continue.
I loved the ending; it was beautiful. The artwork was spot on, and it's definitely a great story.
Overall there's a lot of room for improvement. I liked the graphic novel portrayal but wish it would've had a prologue. If more was explained early on, it would've caused less confusion because I had to keep flipping back pages and rereading and trying to see what characters were who and what side.
September 16, 2013
This is a successful attempt to accurately depict a legendary historical event. Someone as fascinated by Japanese culture as I am will love this graphic novel for that fact, but anyone expecting it to be similar to the upcoming movie where Keanu Reeves literally sword fights with dragons will be seriously disappointed.
The beautiful artwork and sparse text made it a fast read and gave the revenge tale an ethereal feel, and while I would have liked to see the revenge plot fleshed out in greater detail, I appreciate that may not have been possible given how closely this story seems to be taken from historical record.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
The beautiful artwork and sparse text made it a fast read and gave the revenge tale an ethereal feel, and while I would have liked to see the revenge plot fleshed out in greater detail, I appreciate that may not have been possible given how closely this story seems to be taken from historical record.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
January 20, 2014
Relata muy bien lo hechos ded la historia de los 47 ronin, lo que en occidente diríamos fue su venganza, pero para los japoneses es una por demás admirable muestra de apego y lealtad la espíritu del Bushido. El arte y las gráficas son un poco básicas y más que relatar la histia, sirven para ilustrarla; pero cumple admirablemente su cometido de contar una historia lineal fluida y con buen sentido del ritmo literario.
Una característica adicional que la hace más atractiva: la mayoría de los gringos ni la entienden ni les gusta, a lo mejor se esperaban una aventurita de gritos y sombrerazos como "300" y no les cabe en la cabeza que haya perspectivas diferentes. Es interesante, muy buena para conocer los hechos d una forma clara y directa.
Una característica adicional que la hace más atractiva: la mayoría de los gringos ni la entienden ni les gusta, a lo mejor se esperaban una aventurita de gritos y sombrerazos como "300" y no les cabe en la cabeza que haya perspectivas diferentes. Es interesante, muy buena para conocer los hechos d una forma clara y directa.
March 17, 2017
Really difficult to distinguish between many characters when their lineage patches (???) are tiny and all clothing is in various greys. I was unfamiliar with the history and feel like this adaptation requires some working knowledge of the era and the social and cultural mores. I really would have liked a short glossary with information about what a samurai versus ronin is.
January 4, 2019
The artwork is clean and expressive, however, the intricacies of politics in medieval Japan are difficult to follow, even in full text, so I feel like I did not fully understand everything that was portrayed in the graphics. It was also challenging to distinguish some of the characters. But overall, still enjoyable, with beautiful artwork.
November 27, 2023
Another book for my EALC class. This short comic was really an insight to seppuko and Japanese samurai values. Although the ideas sound absurd right now, the comic does good in trying to provide a perspective that’s very different from mine. And I liked the debate about honor and social critique. The pacing was a bit weird and some parts of the story I did not fully understand.
February 28, 2021
Une bien piètre adaptation. On est bien loin de la version de Mizoguchi.
Le dessein n'a rien de japonais ou de manga. Les multiples mentions 'manga' sur la couverture sont du pur merchandising.
Très creux.
Le dessein n'a rien de japonais ou de manga. Les multiples mentions 'manga' sur la couverture sont du pur merchandising.
Très creux.
June 17, 2022
The art was nice but the story was hard to follow. I couldn't tell who was who or what was going on in the first part. I had to stop reading the manga and go to wikipedia to read up about the 47 ronin lore before continuing the story.
Read
October 17, 2023This was incredibly good. The power and depths achieved in this short text are deeply enjoyable. I had previously only known fictionalized versions, so reading a historical account was fun. The historical is definitely better than the fictional - in this instance.
February 16, 2017
One of my favorite stories.
March 25, 2020
Περήφανο, ηρωικό και όπως γίνετε συνήθως...αιματοβαμμένο!
Η ιστορία των 47 Ρονιν είναι epic και αυτό το graphic novel την αποδίδει επάξια!
Η ιστορία των 47 Ρονιν είναι epic και αυτό το graphic novel την αποδίδει επάξια!
September 16, 2020
A manga-style adaptation of the classic Japanese tale of honor and and revenge.
January 5, 2021
Great story but would would have been much more effective and powerful if done in color.
February 21, 2022
Excellent story, beautifully illustrated, bit my usual issue with graphic novels is that they always feel too short.
June 19, 2022
quite the info dump, wish the art was a bit more detailed to help breathe life into it - i wouldn’t recommend
November 27, 2022
read for an east asian literature class at my university. Honestly, I’m not a fan of graphic novels so I didn’t enjoy reading this much.
February 6, 2023
Felt like a good primer before I dive into Allyn's book.
Read
November 9, 2023i only read this for a class and i’m trying to hit my reading goal
September 3, 2024
Had to read for my Modern Japan class. Not horrible, I don’t enjoy graphic novels but it’s an intriguing story based off true events.
January 17, 2025
The story of the 47 Ronin in whatever form, it is an exquisite story that has many virtues to teach. Nice black and white design.
February 23, 2017
Decent art, but overall a very slow story. The history itself is interesting, but for a graphic novel this did a lot more telling than showing. The end result is rather dry and hardly as exciting I'd hoped.
February 20, 2018
Hi all, I am the writer of this visual version, thank you all for your reviews.
Some reviews I've notice include:
"The 47 Ronin is a dignified telling of a dignified story. It’s violent when it needs to be, precise and calm when it’s called for and never once loses focus. This is a tightly focused, perfectly pitched retelling of the story and a perfect entry point for anyone coming to the story for the first time. The Keanu Reeves version may have all the spectacle, but this version has all the heart." - Alasdair Stuart, BleedingCool.com
" In stark contrast to the upcoming Keanu Reeves film of the same title and very, very, loosely based on the same incident, this book promises to be more historically accurate. Where Reeves’ film features fantastical elements such as witches and giants, the manga focuses on historical drama, and the humanity of the characters, rather than spectacle fantasy...readers interested in accurate Japanese history rather than Hollywood embellishment will enjoy this well-done retelling of this legendary event..." - The Japan Times
"Wilson uses exactly the right scenes to tell this famous story, creating a quick, engaging read...Spare and understated, the script sticks close to historical events and elegantly recounts the legend’s central elements." - School Library Journal.
" I think that they did a superb job capturing more than just the basics, and fleshing out some of the characters, most notably Ōishi Yoshio, the leader of the gang... Given the page count and the limitations imposed on the story... Wilson did an excellent job detailing the historical facts, writing sympathetic characters, and keeping readers unfamiliar with the incident interested in what will happen next. I'd happily recommend this for anybody interested in the period." - The Hipster Dads Bookshelf
Please check out some of our other adaptions of Japanese classics and history - we have done 13 now! Such as the book about to come out in March 2018, ’The Satsuma Rebellion’
You can see more pages from the book on my web site:
https://seanmichaelwilson.weebly.com/...
Thanks, Sean
Some reviews I've notice include:
"The 47 Ronin is a dignified telling of a dignified story. It’s violent when it needs to be, precise and calm when it’s called for and never once loses focus. This is a tightly focused, perfectly pitched retelling of the story and a perfect entry point for anyone coming to the story for the first time. The Keanu Reeves version may have all the spectacle, but this version has all the heart." - Alasdair Stuart, BleedingCool.com
" In stark contrast to the upcoming Keanu Reeves film of the same title and very, very, loosely based on the same incident, this book promises to be more historically accurate. Where Reeves’ film features fantastical elements such as witches and giants, the manga focuses on historical drama, and the humanity of the characters, rather than spectacle fantasy...readers interested in accurate Japanese history rather than Hollywood embellishment will enjoy this well-done retelling of this legendary event..." - The Japan Times
"Wilson uses exactly the right scenes to tell this famous story, creating a quick, engaging read...Spare and understated, the script sticks close to historical events and elegantly recounts the legend’s central elements." - School Library Journal.
" I think that they did a superb job capturing more than just the basics, and fleshing out some of the characters, most notably Ōishi Yoshio, the leader of the gang... Given the page count and the limitations imposed on the story... Wilson did an excellent job detailing the historical facts, writing sympathetic characters, and keeping readers unfamiliar with the incident interested in what will happen next. I'd happily recommend this for anybody interested in the period." - The Hipster Dads Bookshelf
Please check out some of our other adaptions of Japanese classics and history - we have done 13 now! Such as the book about to come out in March 2018, ’The Satsuma Rebellion’
You can see more pages from the book on my web site:
https://seanmichaelwilson.weebly.com/...
Thanks, Sean
November 27, 2025
Starting up my reviewing for Library Journal again. This is the story of feudal lord Asano in 18th century Japan who's insulted by another lord, Kira, and is ordered to commit ritual suicide after attempting to kill Kira in the shogun's residence. Asano's samurai, rendered masterless ronin, take revenge for their master's death, and are consequently also ordered to kill themselves honorably.
It sounds like this is an extremely famous story in Japan, consisting of historical fact that has been embellished as legend over time. I'm going to Japan next March, so I hope maybe I can visit Sengakuji where Asano and the 47 ronin are buried.
The Japanese culture of honor earlier in their history continues to blow my mind. One guy insulted another, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of people. Wow. Reading more about the context, though, I can understand the ronins' actions a little better. Although Asano is pretty thoughtless for attacking Kira while knowing what it would mean for his entire family and followers, it sounds unusual that Kira wasn't punished for his role in driving Asano to attack him. Flipping back through the book, I see that the author made it pretty clear that the ronin were outraged by this.
It bugged me that the author misspelled "sake" as "saki," although it's a minor error and represents a common mispronunciation in English speakers. Overall, I disagree with other reviewers who didn't like the pacing of the book--I felt that the author provided the right scenes to tell the story, and that more would have been too much.
Since I didn't know the story before reading this version, I was confused about what was happening in the beginning, though, and I thought that Shimojima drew Kamei and Asano's faces too similarly. I had to look at some of the pages in the first chapter three or four times to understand which of them was whom when I couldn't see much of their clothing.
It sounds like this is an extremely famous story in Japan, consisting of historical fact that has been embellished as legend over time. I'm going to Japan next March, so I hope maybe I can visit Sengakuji where Asano and the 47 ronin are buried.
The Japanese culture of honor earlier in their history continues to blow my mind. One guy insulted another, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of people. Wow. Reading more about the context, though, I can understand the ronins' actions a little better. Although Asano is pretty thoughtless for attacking Kira while knowing what it would mean for his entire family and followers, it sounds unusual that Kira wasn't punished for his role in driving Asano to attack him. Flipping back through the book, I see that the author made it pretty clear that the ronin were outraged by this.
It bugged me that the author misspelled "sake" as "saki," although it's a minor error and represents a common mispronunciation in English speakers. Overall, I disagree with other reviewers who didn't like the pacing of the book--I felt that the author provided the right scenes to tell the story, and that more would have been too much.
Since I didn't know the story before reading this version, I was confused about what was happening in the beginning, though, and I thought that Shimojima drew Kamei and Asano's faces too similarly. I had to look at some of the pages in the first chapter three or four times to understand which of them was whom when I couldn't see much of their clothing.
July 11, 2013
Many thanks to Shambhala Publications, Inc. for approving my request for this title on NetGalley. It was a bit difficult to rate The 47 Ronin, I have to say, because while I did like the artwork, which felt quite fresh and original, I had trouble distinguishing between the different characters most of the time, and that certainly affected my rating. As to what could have been done to avoid this issue, though, I can honestly say that I don't know. It is difficult, especially when they are dressed in very similar outfits, and there's also the fact that to us Westerners Japanese could look quite similar to each other, AND there's also the fact that as it is historically accurate they couldn't very well give someone the distinction of blond hair, or any other hair style but the top knot, really, but I feel that maybe the faces could have been developed more and being made more distinctive.
On the plus side, apparently this version of the story of the 47 ronin is among the most accurate retellings, and it did indeed have a very authentic look and feel to it. Even if so far it may sound like I didn't like it very much, I must say that I did enjoy it a lot, apart from the problem with distinguishing the characters. Another thing which prevented me from giving more starts was that I felt it could have been developed just that little bit more - I know it's only a graphic novel, but it still felt somewhat bare-boned. That could have been just an extremely personal perception, though, as I'm used to manga who can afford to spend quite some time on detail due to the amount of volumes they get. I would definitely recommend this graphic novel to anyone who wants to get acquainted with an enjoyable yet accurate adaptation of the legendary story.
On the plus side, apparently this version of the story of the 47 ronin is among the most accurate retellings, and it did indeed have a very authentic look and feel to it. Even if so far it may sound like I didn't like it very much, I must say that I did enjoy it a lot, apart from the problem with distinguishing the characters. Another thing which prevented me from giving more starts was that I felt it could have been developed just that little bit more - I know it's only a graphic novel, but it still felt somewhat bare-boned. That could have been just an extremely personal perception, though, as I'm used to manga who can afford to spend quite some time on detail due to the amount of volumes they get. I would definitely recommend this graphic novel to anyone who wants to get acquainted with an enjoyable yet accurate adaptation of the legendary story.
July 11, 2013
The 47 Ronin adapts a classic Japanese story of Bushido, the Samurai code of honor. This particular adaptation is in graphic novel form, having been written by Sean Michael Wilson and Akiko Shimojima handling the art duties. It follows the tale of a group of samurai, disgraced and left leaderless after their lord had assaulted a court official in Edo castle and committed seppuku. The samurai, believing that their lord had borne great offense from this official, set out on a plan for revenge.
The art and writing are both spare, perhaps too much so. It seems less like a smoothly-flowing story and more of a series of standalone panels. It doesn't flow, to my eye. The emotion shifts from one panel to the next are jarring. On one hand it will feel like true Japanese writing, but then the next panel will feel like a somewhat rough translation. I'll actually be quite curious to see the movie version that Keanu Reeves is starring in (I know, I know) this winter. It's due out around Christmas, and other than Keanu, has a solid cast of Japanese actors, including Rinko Kikuchi of Pacific Rim, Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai), and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat, Pearl Harbor, many others). I mean, it's hard to beat the look of samurai on the big screen, and an adaptation with a bit more energy could be epic.
The art and writing are both spare, perhaps too much so. It seems less like a smoothly-flowing story and more of a series of standalone panels. It doesn't flow, to my eye. The emotion shifts from one panel to the next are jarring. On one hand it will feel like true Japanese writing, but then the next panel will feel like a somewhat rough translation. I'll actually be quite curious to see the movie version that Keanu Reeves is starring in (I know, I know) this winter. It's due out around Christmas, and other than Keanu, has a solid cast of Japanese actors, including Rinko Kikuchi of Pacific Rim, Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai), and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat, Pearl Harbor, many others). I mean, it's hard to beat the look of samurai on the big screen, and an adaptation with a bit more energy could be epic.
January 7, 2014
In feudal Japan there is a famous story of 47 ronin who avenge their master. There is a recent Keanu Reeves movie that tells the story, but adds supernatural elements. This graphic novel tells the story without these sort of elements and it's a pretty compelling story on it's own.
A cruel shogun pushes a young lord Asano to the point where Asano attempts to kill the shogun. The shogun demands the young man's death. This shocks and outrages Asano's samurai, but rather than take immediate revenge, they enact a subtle plan that will take years to fulfill. There is a reason that this is a famous story in Japan, and it's one that I wasn't familiar with.
The art by Akiko Shimojima is black and white and very good. At times, it's a bit hard to follow the action. For Western readers, there could have been an introduction or appendix to explain some of the things happening in the story, but overall, it's a great story.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Shambhala Publications, Inc. and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this graphic novel.
A cruel shogun pushes a young lord Asano to the point where Asano attempts to kill the shogun. The shogun demands the young man's death. This shocks and outrages Asano's samurai, but rather than take immediate revenge, they enact a subtle plan that will take years to fulfill. There is a reason that this is a famous story in Japan, and it's one that I wasn't familiar with.
The art by Akiko Shimojima is black and white and very good. At times, it's a bit hard to follow the action. For Western readers, there could have been an introduction or appendix to explain some of the things happening in the story, but overall, it's a great story.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Shambhala Publications, Inc. and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this graphic novel.
October 11, 2013
I saw previews for the movie before I heard of the book. I enjoy watching films like "The Last Samurai," or reading books with samurai in them like Ghost in the Tokaido Inn. For modern Americans, it may be hard to imagine that all the samurai loyal to a lord who has been disgraced would also share that dishonor, or that the shogun would disband the domain rather than appointing someone else to rule it. The strict adherence to their code of honor set the samurai apart from other professions, even other warriors. The story of Lord Asano's death and the revenge planned by his samurai has survived since the actual events in 18th century Japan.
There are many wordless panels where the action in the illustrations is all that is needed to tell the story. The black and white graphics prevent the violence from being overly gory in presentation, although the severed heads are quite dramatic. I would recommend this for ages 12 and up due to the violence and a word that most elementary school families would consider inappropriate.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
There are many wordless panels where the action in the illustrations is all that is needed to tell the story. The black and white graphics prevent the violence from being overly gory in presentation, although the severed heads are quite dramatic. I would recommend this for ages 12 and up due to the violence and a word that most elementary school families would consider inappropriate.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
December 6, 2013
Overall this is a good introduction to the story of the 47 Ronin and I will be buying it for my library. I have no doubt that Americans who've never heard of this event in Japanese history will find it interesting. The art is particularly well done and I found the story compelling. My teens will probably really enjoy it.
Yet in my opinion there is something about this that just doesn't quite hit. It doesn't really explain the Bushido codes or why the actions of the Ronin are seen as honorable and not just petty vengeance. It seems to be missing cultural context or some kind of spark that would make the characters more than just 1 dimensional figures. I didn't feel like I got to know any of the characters as people and I would ultimately have liked to see the ending fleshed out more with more about the shogun's deliberations leading to their deaths not just a 'btw the shogun kinda respected them but thats the way the cookie crumbles'.
Like I said, I think it will be an interesting read for those who want a basic introduction to the Ronin but it's ultimately unexceptional.
Yet in my opinion there is something about this that just doesn't quite hit. It doesn't really explain the Bushido codes or why the actions of the Ronin are seen as honorable and not just petty vengeance. It seems to be missing cultural context or some kind of spark that would make the characters more than just 1 dimensional figures. I didn't feel like I got to know any of the characters as people and I would ultimately have liked to see the ending fleshed out more with more about the shogun's deliberations leading to their deaths not just a 'btw the shogun kinda respected them but thats the way the cookie crumbles'.
Like I said, I think it will be an interesting read for those who want a basic introduction to the Ronin but it's ultimately unexceptional.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews