Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 3: The Flute of the Fallen Tiger

These elegant short stories are deceptive. On the surface hardly anything seems to "happen" in each "episode" other than a sword fight or two. Actually there is a LOT going on. Koike is in touch with humanity in ways many of us never will be. Lone Wolf & Cub artwork is anything but simple. These stories are CARRIED by the masterful drawings. I am constantly amazed. The main storyline continues to build from volumes 1 & 2. I highly recommend ALL THREE books, and I also suggest you read them in order.

With Flute of the Fallen Tiger, Volume 3 in the epic Lone Wolf and Cub saga, creators Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima take the series from mere greatness to a whole new level of perfection. Assassin-for-hire Ogami Itto and his infant son Daigoro continue to travel the assassin's road, meeting new friends and foes, most of whom wind up dead in short order. My favorite tale in this volume was "Half Mat, One Mat, A Fistful of Rice", where Father and Son meet a mysterious street beggar who implores Itto to spare Daigoro from a life of killing and hatred; He's so determined to save Daigoro that he's willing to gamble his own life. Another story, "The White Path Between the Rivers", tells of the birth of Daigoro and the events that led Father and Son to travel the assassin's road. There are some really memorable stories here, and somehow the creators manage to make each installment better than the last; It's tough to believe that there are 25 more volumes left; I for one can't wait to see what comes next. I highly recommend Lone Wolf and Cub; Not just for a good read, but also for it's fascinating insights into Japanese history and culture.

I am working my way through the manga epic Lone Wolf & Cub one chapter at a day and have now completed Volume 3, "The Flute of the Fallen Tiger." Through these five stories writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima slowly expand the breadth an depth of their story: (15) "The Flute of the Fallen Tiger"would not have been my choice for the volume's titular story (I would definitely have gone with #17), but it does look at some very different ways of fighting for Ogami Itto to deal with in this episode. (16) "Half Mat, One Mat, A Fistful of Rice" is not the most significant story in this volume, but definitely the most interesting as Lone Wolf & Cub encounter Shino Sakon, a Mijin school master who has become a beggar ronin and who tries to talk Ogami Itto out of walking the Assassin's Road. The climatic and bloody swordfights that usually constitute the climax of these stories are never my favorite part, but in this one we have the novel approach of Lone Wolf thinking through a series of attacks, looking for one that can end with him winning. I found this a very interesting approach, more so than the usual hacking off of limbs and such. (17) "The White Path Between the Rivers" provides a rare but tantalizing look at the backstory of Lone Wolf and Cub, wherein we find out the grim details of Daigoro's birth and learn how Ogami Itto became the target of political intrigue. In helps answer why, in part, he refuses to stop walking the Assassin's Road. Koike and Kojima had been stingy with this look at the ronin's motivation, which is what makes these stories all the more special. (18) "The Virgin and the Whore" plays off the standard formula of these Assassin's Road stories as Ogami takes up the cause of a young prostitute. Of course, appearances are almost always deceiving in this stories. This is also one of those stories where the attention to historical detail is impressive, this time with regards to the practice of prostitution during Japan's Edo Period. (19) "Close Quarters" provides an assignment for the assassin that hinges on the economics of a han controlling a forest and presents another clever use of Diagoro by his father. The back of the volume includes the next installment of "The Ronin Report" by Tim Ervin-Gore looking at "bushido," the code of the warrior by which Lone Wolf lives his life.

I love this series and have started collecting the books as I find them. The artwork is incredible and the format is great for just taking with you if you know you're gonna need a quick read somewhere. Something to keep in mind - asian books are read right to left. To preserve the flow, the art was flipped during the conversion to english. In feudal Japan, there were few if any left-handed samurai, but in the series everyone seems to be left handed. Took me a bit to figure out why that was happening.

If you're considering this book, then you have probably already been captivated by the cinematic style of the series, by its faithfulness to the characters' viewpoints and the raw power portrayed in the fight scenes. The first book I read and enjoyed, but only really became a fan of this series with the second; the third continues to give insights into the main character, his backstory, family and purpose in life. The story of a virtually superhuman remorseless killer could get boring without these revelations and the presentation of ethical as well as tactical quandries. Not to say that the individual stories have weaker plots; their plots are as strong as in the previous books and the artwork looks good too. I have studied a little iaido in the Hontain Yoshin Ryu school and I have to admit to a big kick when I can see the correct forms and techniques graphically displayed.Character + Plot + Spectacle + Art = Worth reading