Blade of the Immortal Volume 4: On Silent Wings

The first time I looked at the Blade of the Immortal series, I seriously thought "Oh wonderful, another cheesy, gore ridden series with no plot and ... artwork." However, upon reading it I was taken aback by how wrong I truly was. The art is beautiful in its own way, unique and sketchy looking with no possible way it could be turned into an anime and still look as gorgeous. The story is also very nice, there is blood, but there is a good intellectual plot with the occasional twist of witty humor. It is an interesting mix of fact and fantasy, real and surreal all mixed in a historical setting. This series is set apart from others and I don't believe that I have any others quite like it. It never gets old. I highly recommend that, no matter what you're interested in, you should at least give this stunning series a try.

I stumbled onto "Blade of the Immortal" translations in comic book format. Attracted by the art, and the unusually deep dialogue between the opponents (as dramatic as Kazou Kioke's "Lone Wolf and Cub", but much more up-to-date in sensibility and subject matter) I immediately began looking for back issues, which was difficult. Many retailers don't seem to order many issues of this book. Fortunately the trade paperbacks started coming out soon after."Blade of the Immortal" starts off as a fairly typical samurai revenge story, with some unusual horror movie twists. We meet Manji, a guilt-ridden outlaw and expert swordsman, who is cursed with an odd form of immortality. No matter how grievously he is injured, he cannot die. Manji makes a deal with a magical buddhist nun. He will gain the release of death, if he slays 1000 evil men. Soon we meet Rin, a young girl, the daughter of a swordsmanship teacher who witnessed the horrific murder of her parents at the hands of the Itto-Ryu, a renegade sword school. Tortured by nightmares, she seeks revenge, but realizing she has no hope of surviving a direct confrontation with even one Itto-Ryu swordsman, she convinces Manji to serve as her bodyguard and stand in. Taking up Rin's quest seems a perfect confluence of both of their desires: her need to put her parents memory to rest, his to earn his redemption.The stories take you through dramatic encounters with various members of the sword school. All are dangerous swordsmen with unique styles of combat. Some are quite literally monsters. Each has a unique story, an unique reason for having become a renegade, and this becomes the source of much thought provoking drama before, during and after the battles. All are memorable characters, in particular Shimuzu (Book Two: "Cry of the Worm"), a fellow immortal and Maki, a swordswoman forced into prostitution who fights like the wind (Book 3: "Dreamsong").Harioki Samura has great timing, the panel layouts make the fight scenes breathtaking and exciting. Also wonderful is the developing relationship between Manji and Rin, a kind of older brother, little sister dynamic that lends the book much humor and necessary warmth (given the bloodiness of the battles).Beginning with "Rins Bane" (Book 4) Rin's internal debate about the morality and human costs of her quest, takes center stage, and make this one of the deepest and most interesting books to cross the Pacific in years. There's still plenty of action, and the relationship between Rin and Manji continues to deepen, but it's the debates about the sanity of the bushido code, about memory, about filial duty, and hints of political intrigue to come, that make this book an thought provoking and engrossing read.If you have any taste for the high drama and action, as well as the deeper issues running through comic books like "the Authority", you have to give "Blade" a try. This is the best dramatic manga translation I've read, and it

I am really impressed by the capacity of Mr. Samura to change pace on a story. If you have read already the first three books of Sword of the Inmortal then you would be surprised too when you read this one. The first two books centered on conflict, Rin wants revenge and she gets it with the help of Manji, an inmortal samurai who has to kill a thousand evil men in order to rest. This two books are full of blood and flashy fighting scenes i really liked. But in the end you just got your classical story of the good guy versus the evil guys. That's until Dreamsong, the third of the books in the series, here you find a girl who is an "evil" minion of the "evil" master sent to kill Manji, the surprise is that she is not so "evil" as we would like to believe and in the end you cannot stay on Manji's side when they duel. Then it comes "On Silent Wings" and you start wondering if you really need another duel or gross decapitation to buy the following books. At first i only saw the conflict, but after reading OSW i began noticing that Mr. Samura is more concerned for the moral dilema than the physical one. This book tells us a story where Rin is the central character; no more Manji stealing the scene, we get to know her best and really love her, she meets face to face the man she has sworn to kill and discovers that he is not so wrong in doing what he did and does to this day, she is suddenly thrown in a conflict where she cannot find the righteous anger she had so far. Throw in the story a mask maker who wants to leave his past behind, a past that involves the reason of Rin to claim vengeance and you are just left wanting for more. Definitively a must buy, i want to show this book to anyone who thinks that comic books or manga books are not well thought; just a word of caution, buy this together with the second part On Silent Wings 2 or you will be running to the computer to order it after reading the first.

'On Silent Wings' is the fourth graphic novel in Hiroaki Samura's violent tale of immortality and the wages of revenge. This book starts out with Rin finally meeting her advesary, Anotsu, after two long years. Foolishly, Rin tries to face Anotsu alone and for a moment she faces death. This episode gives us the most insight into Anotsu's character to date. Rin's image of Anotus as a monster begins to dissolve. Anotsu is not a faceless, unfeeling entity; he's a human being, who may have better justification for his quest that Rin has for her's. The second story arc involves one Kawakama Araya, another member of the Itto-Ryu. Apparently, Rin has some special reason for hating Araya, but she's not forthcoming with the information. Rin's gut reaction is to kill him but. . . does she? This story ends in a clifhanger, which will be concluded in 'On Silent Wings, II.'This novel marks a turning point in the series. Up to now, Rin and Manji have traveled around, meeting the Itto-Ryu kenshi and killing them. From this point on, it is far more complex and difficult. The line between 'enemy' and 'friend' becomes profoundly blurred.I highly reccomend this novel to anyone. You'll have to look a long time before you find such masterful storytelling, such rich characters, and such breathtaking artwork.

First, I want to say that "Blade of The Immortal" is a masterpiece. If you haven't bought book one yet, stop reading my clumsy review and buy it already. It's like nothing you've ever seen before. If you buy it and don't like it, you have my permission to send me a nasty e-mail ^_~.That said, on to my review of "On Silent Wings." This paperback holds the first half of the "On Silent Wings" story arc. The book pretty much starts out with Rin finally meeting her adversary after two years of searching. Unfortunately, Rin's hurt pride over a bad training session with Manji leads her to try and fight him alone. This confrontation reveals a lot about Anotsu's character. I found myself really warming up to him. Also, due to Samura's attention to detail in facial expressions, you can see Rin's awakening admiration and respect for her hated enemy as well.This episode, culminated with Makie's admonition in "Dreamsong" add to Rin's growing difficulty with her chosen path. Is she really justified in seeking revenge? This story line marks a turning point for Rin as a person; she's begining to question her own motives. Unfortuately, I think part of her problem is that, without revenge, what has she got in life? It's tearing her apart inside. While Rin's spiritual battle is going on, we are introduced to yet another kenshi from the Itto-ryu, Kawakama Araya. Apparently, Rin has some special reason for hating Araya, but she's not forthcoming with the information. This story ends in a cliffhanger, to be concluded in "On Silent Wings, part 2."So how do I rate this book? Very highly. If this were a volume of Samura's artwork alone, it would be cheap at twice the price. But with Samura's intricate and twisting storyline, I'd have to say it's priceless.