The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls 1: Revenge of the Hori Clan

This has got to be the greatest vengeance story since The Count of Monte Cristo. It's very intense: The Hori Clan rebels against the Brutal lord Kato Akinari, but the revolt is crushed. Kato sends his seven elite soldiers -- The Seven Spears of Aizu -- to hunt down and kill the survivors. The Spears track the survivors to a convent, where women from the Hori clan are hiding among the nuns. They kill most of the nuns, but seven of the Hori women elude death. Trained by the master swordsman Yagyu Jyubei Mitsuyoshi, they resolve to kill the Seven Spears one by one, and then elliminate Kato himself to end his brutal reign. So we have seven women who are completely unskilled in the art of combat versus the Seven Spears, trained and hardened killers who have never known defeat. They obviously cannot defeat the Spears through skill, so they will need all their cleverness and guile in order to win. Lord Kato and the Seven Spears are truly the most despicable villains I have ever come across, and Yagyu Jyubei is just so awesome it's rediculous. This manga is full of memorable characters, intense battles, and a rapidly twisting plot. It has something for everyone, and Segawa's art, as always, is of higher quality than the art of 99 percent of manga artists out there. Well, everyone over 18 years old. The MATURE label is there for good reason.

When I first read this volume, I thought it wasn't going to be as good as the Basilisk: Kouga Ninpouchou (Kouga Ninja Scrolls) series but I all of this series' volumes so far and I must say that it's a very awesome series and being a samurai and ninja enthusiast and study dork, I must say that Masaki Segawa hasn't let me down. This series is full of action, suspense and quite a lot of nudity. Yagyu Jubei is a awesome Samurai and the above-all hero of this series so if you've read Basilisk, are a Yamada Futaro fan, or just an average dork like me, buy this series. I don't think you'll be disappointed!