Color of Rage

by Kazuo Koike, Seisaku Kano (Artist)

Two slaves free themselves from a slave ship, one a Japanese man, the other an African American. After escaping they find themselves on the shore of Edo-era Japan, a society with a strong caste system, isolated from the world. How will the Japanese people perceive this giant black man, how will they survive? But first things first, how will they get these shackles off their feet? Fans of Kazuo Koike know how he loves to turn out a sensational samurai-era yarn with a certain sense of chauvinist violence and pulpy sexiness, and Color of Rage is by no means a slacker in these categories. Drafted by pin-up artist and mangaka Seisaku Kano, Color of Rage features plenty of action, fighting, blood, sexiness, and more fighting.

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novels Manga, Action

416 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2008

About the author

Kazuo Koike (小池一夫, Koike Kazuo) was a prolific Japanese manga writer, novelist and entrepreneur.

Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series.

Koike, along with artist Goseki Kojima, made the manga Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub), and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famous Japanese actor Tomisaburo Wakayama. Koike and Kojima became known as the "Golden Duo" because of the success of Lone Wolf and Cub.

Another series written by Koike, Crying Freeman, which was illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami, was adapted into a 1995 live-action film by French director Christophe Gans.

Kazuo Koike started the Gekika Sonjuku, a college course meant to teach people how to be mangaka.

In addition to his more violent, action-oriented manga, Koike, an avid golfer, has also written golf manga.

Reviews

[Laura (ローラ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one expecting it to be a thriller. It wasn't. But, it was a brilliant read and I can't wait to get a chance to pick this up again.

This is about George, a Japanese man and King, an African man who've escaped from a slave ship and are now in a "historical" 18th century Japan trying to find a place to live in peace. Don't expect an accurate depiction of history, this is more of a backdrop to a discussion on the ideas of slavery.

Through the story by Kazuo Koike attempts to illustrate the confinement of Japanese society through comparison of slavery in America. In it George is often explaining to King how they should act to get along in society. This basically requires them to humble themselves, prostrate themselves, and degrade themselves in a subservient manner to people who may be less than worthy. And, King making pointed observations about the problems with this.

There were a few moments which were pretty cringey, but there were also moments that were so beautiful and poignant...let's just say, it gave me some significant "feels".

This is the first time I've read a manga illustrated by Kano, who is a brilliant artist. There were so many gorgeous scenes, human figures, background scenes that I kept stopping just to absorb the art.

Highly recommended. (mature readers)

[Lateef Amodu · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is centred around two men: one Japanese, the other African American. They both managed escape slavery, from aboard a ship carrying slaves and land on a Japanese island. Set in Edo era Japan, they must both navigate through the island overcoming various obstacles they encounter, in the hopes of finding a safe haven. There’s a lot of violence in this, but I feel the author makes a point to it, with the aftermath dialogue between the characters and this things that lead to the situation. The combination of the Asian and Black characters is interesting; it’s not a combination I’ve come across in a lot of books. They both work well together in the story. I thought the African American male character is a bit stereotypical; he’s portrayed as this big muscular guy, with super strength, who reacts to predicaments with anger and not much thought. However, I should keep in mind he is in a foreign country and can’t speak the language, while the Japanese male can, giving him more of a “street smarts”. Overall, Kazuo Koize produced a decent story here, though it does end with me wanting to know more about both characters endeavours. The black and white coloured illustration by Seisako Kano is quite good. There’s detail to characters, plus scenery and the battles are depicted well.

[Jody Mena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure how historically accurate this book was, but it was certainly a unique story with a lot of great action and emotion. The artwork was gritty and visceral, very appropriate to the theme and setting. If you like Edo-period historical fiction, you'd probably really like this. I like that it was sort of told in episodes, but my only complaint is that it ended rather abruptly with the last episode, and gave no real closure to the story; there wasn't even a kiss-off 'we'll continue our journey' frame at the end, and a couple of plot points were left completely unresolved. It almost seems like there is supposed to be another volume of the story, but there's no indication that it will be continued. I think that's unfortunate, because this plot is really pretty unique as wandering samurai stories go, I'd have liked to read more about George and King's journey to find a place to live in peace.

[Trevor Oakley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding historical manga - two honorable yakuza, one an escaped African slave, the other an enslaved Japanese man, travel Japan to reach the man's hometown. The pairing draws much unwanted attention, and many unfortunate conflicts arise. Koike brings much of the brutality and corruption of feudal Japan to the surface in his manga and juxtaposes this with emotionally engaging anti-heroes.

An aside: The only manga series that ever made me tear up was during the final few pages of Lone Wolf and Cub. I never knew until the end how invested I was in the books' characters, and the ending was truly heartbreaking. After that, I had to read anything I could get my hands on by Koike.

[Joshua Fialkov · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a big fan of Lone Wolf and Cub, when I read the back of this book, I knew I had to give it a try. Essentially, it's the Defiant Ones, set in feudal Japan. A somewhat graceful look at race, freedom, and morality, through the eyes of an African American man trapped in Japan.

I'm not sure if this is the sole volume, as it feels fairly open ended at the end. In any event, it's beautiful story telling and very compelling action from one of the fathers of manga. Highly recommended.

[Mati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two men escaped from slavery and their lucky jump from the ship brought them to Edo era Japan, which was fine for Japanese man but slightly problematic for an African American man. Their exploits brought them on to journey filled with blood and gore peppered with good deeds.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bizarre yakuza story reminding me of cheesy 70's martial art films, not surprising since his manga were adapted for the screen.

[47Time · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rarely do I get to see a writing that is so dry even my mouth feels drained. The two main characters are put in some spectacularly difficult situations, from being slaves, to escapees, to saviors. At no point do I feel their humanity. Maybe it's the sketchy artwork or the lack of dialogue. There was great potential here, but the two are just challenged for the sake of succeeding. It's like they are no more than puppets, checking off a list. Ok, they're good guys, they have survival skills, they work well together. And they are completely devoid of life.

In 1783 two slaves are the only survivors from a sinking ship. Far from safe, they hide among the peasants of Japan who are either fleeing the land or revolting against their rulers because of a particularly bad harvest. They will soon make a name for themselves and not in a good way. Basically, the story is about two good men who must survive by any means. Don't expect a proper ending, though.

King, a black man, successfully protects a woman from being assaulted, only to see her throw herself off a cliff because she is afraid of him - few people have seen black men in Japan.

In a deserted village the two find a group of children and a woman. Their fathers and husband have gone to rebel against the daikan, a local administrator for the shogun's lands. Though it's a risky fight, the duo decide to free the men.

While most people are afraid of King because of his dark skin, a rich woman is intrigued (read 'turned on') by his strength. He plays along until her retinue becomes abusive. Then the two are forced to fight, though they risk becoming wanted men.

A Yakuza owned casino treats their big winners with a swift death. The duo stop it, but draw the attention of the authorities. They get framed for the murder of a family, so they must escape through any means. Though they manage it, King decides to find the real murderers and forces George to stay away.

King causes havoc by attacking everyone in his path and setting many buildings on fire. George sees King's deed from afar and rejoins him. The two need to hide with a Yakuza family. George knows effective protocols for this purpose. They have yet to find about a survivor from King's massacre. He kills the hosts and stages it to look like the duo did it. This turns the Yakuza against them.

They pass by a police officer who has two prisoners in his custody. He has already fought men who tried to set the prisoners free and who have killed his squadmates, but he doesn't want to desert his post. Our duo initially ignore his request for help, but King reconsiders. King wants to save the policeman's life, though it means he must kill again. Even with the duo's help, the officer is killed during the following attack. With his dying breath he wonders why the duo returned to help him.

[B · Rating 1 out of 5]

Aside from the habitual sexual abuse of women, and the very brief social commentary on feudal Japan and American slavery I found this manga to be overall forgettable. Fans of lone wolf and cub might find it interesting though. It follows the same formula of a traveling pair+ sex and violence = no character development to a T. I picked this up because I was interested in reading what Koike had to say about slavery and civil rights for the era considering his main character was a self freed African American or at least some backstory on how his Japanese character ended up on a slave ship as a slave.(The answer is the story set up demanded it so it happened) Instead I got a 1 panel flash back to a slave revolt and 374 pages of an African American man acting like an impulsive dimwitt on steroids when he's not being told what to do by a Japanese guy. It's not completely awful though. There are brief moments when the characters have 5 seconds to talk about society and justice before they just hack slash everyone to death. Not only that but nearly every female that isn't being raped, mutilated, or murdered is steadily at work being the helpless victim 😒. So there's something for everyone to hate.

[Ilia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a rather tedious Koike yarn – a picaresque tale like Lone Wolf & Cub but the individual episodes lack the drama and tension of his best work. The idea should be interesting – two escaped slaves dole out justice in Edo-era Japan. The black character's experience of racism at the hands of Japanese society is treated with sympathy, although the depiction of the rage this induces is a little crass. The artwork uninspiring and frequently too unclear to make out what was going on. Koike's work with Ikegami and Kojima is just so much better than this.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Color of Rage is an interesting story set in Japan about a two escaped slaves: a Japanese man and a Black man, and their (adventures?) journey through Japan. The commentary is interesting in that it compares American Southern slavery to Feudal Lord Peasantry, but the action is difficult to follow and the characterizations are somewhat non-existent. It's a good read as an intro to Kazuo Koike's work without signing up for his longer tales for sure.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting tale of escaped slaves, one Japanese and one African-American, as they wander across feudal Japan in search of a place to settle in peace. Although they are forced to commit a lot of violence in their travels, at its core, the story is about the strong friendship between two men from two different cultures trying to survive in a brutal world.

[Niche · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Japan in 1783, the story primarily follows two men (one a Japanese native and one a Black American) who escape a slave ship. They begin to wander, encountering misfortune and injustices as they seek freedom. A bromantic samurai tale of hardship, violence, and honor.

It's a typical period piece, but the devotion of the protagonists was the main appeal to me.

[Ramon Tovar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good action, but the story was a bit repudiative. However, the idea was very creative.

[Brandon Donnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story. Fast paced and well illustrated.

[Miguel Arsénio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fabulous art and good storyline, but the conclusion is a bit frustrating for a stand-alone book.

[Peter Krevenets · Rating 1 out of 5]

посредственно во всех отношениях

[Ian Root · Rating 2 out of 5]

i love kazuo koike. path of the assassin and lone wolf and cub are both classics. but the writing in this just awful, and a lot of it is hard to make sense of visually too. huge letdown

[Avery · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A black slave crash lands in feudal Japan and has many violent encounters. I didn't find this very memorable.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Koike's best work, but even the contrived premise of this story is buffed away by Koike's storytelling ability. This collection of 9 stories follows two escaped slaves, one African and one Japanese, as they try to carve out a life for themselves in 18th century Japan.

It's interesting, the parallels that Koike draws between the treatment of the Japanese peasantry and the African slaves of the Americas. At one point, the African character King feels pity for the Japanese people.

I liked this book. I wouldn't recommend it to someone just getting into Manga because there is a lot of nuance lost if you're not familiar with the style of storytelling. Still, this book is another perfect English translation from Dark Horse.

[Tess · Rating 3 out of 5]

two former slaves, one Japanese and one Black, wash up on the shores of Edo Japan. Together they search for a place they can be accepted, where people treat each other decently. There's not a lot of that in Edo Japan.
Pretty battle-intense. Lots of blood. Not much sex. Interesting artwork, but not my favorite style.

[Ruz El · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved some of the authors other work, but this one was kinda crap. They try to be brave with the race issue, but it's never really explored, and it just sort of ends. A bit bullshit really, there's much better Samurai manga out there.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about foreign fugitives in feudal Japan.