Peace Maker, Volume 2

I purchased the Peace Maker DVD's a few years ago before I read the first series of manga, which picked up where the anime left off. This new collection of manga contains the story told in the anime, which is one of my all time favorites, so of course I had to get them for my collection. Not only is the story based on real historical figures, it has classic elements: revenge, adventure, growing pains, and love. Our hero, 15 year old Tetsu, goes through so much in his attempt to avenge his parents' deaths. Fortunately, he has his overly protective big brother and members of the Shinsengumi to nudge him in the right direction. The art is clean. The words are powerful. There is a lot of humor within these pages, but there is also fear, loss, and terror for little Tetsu and his new family. If you want to learn a little about Japan's past and be drawn into a wonderful story, this is a manga not to be missed. Hopefully the sequel (which has been put on hiatis after only 3 excellent issues) will pick up where it left off.