"Blade of the Immortal" anyone?

[Totoro Man]

somebody started an "underhyped anime and manga thread" and I feel like this was one of them.

I just had all these folks I knew who said, "yeah, but it's nothing compared to Lone Wolf and Cub". and well, sure, if you want to try and compare it to stories that at least TRY to get some historical accuracy... then sure, it's not as "good" so far as the samurai genre is concerned.

but the themes that are dealt with in the first 10-15 volumes were really cool. and nicely dealt with, too.

granted some of the fights are patently ridiculous and anatomically impossible. but the same could be said of nearly every samurai/ninja classic.

I instantly loved the character of Magatsu Taito--the peasant swordsman who's declared a one man war against the elitism of the samurai and everything they stand for. I'm sure he's not the most original character out there--but dang it, he's cool.

Manji, himself, is a wonderfully executed character. sure he could be considered fairly derivative for Western audiences... but who knows, maybe he's kinda weird in Japan. either way, I like him too.

for anybody that likes "Samurai Champloo" I'd recommend "Blade of the Immortal" as a fun read.

although (spoilers ahead)... the prison story arc went on for too damned long! :evilangry

anybody else have thoughts on this manga? feel free to share.

I -THINK- it's still being translated and published in the U.S but I haven't collected it in ages.

[Inkthinker]

The monthly comic just folded.

I am SO depressed... it was pretty much the last import manga to still be published in the monthly, 32-48 page format. I loved my monthly shot of BotI, and now I gotta start collecting the trades. Ultimately I'll probably sell off my complete run of the DH issues on eBay and buy the whole set as trades, but the ultimate result of that is to leave me feeling like a chump for supporting the monthly format over the last 10 years.

I'm hoping that they might just start reprinting the trades in the original right-left format, maybe in heavier volumes than the original sets (a la Gunsmith Cats, which I've been happily snapping up in their new reprints), but I haven't heard any indication that this will be the case.

Love that comic, though, even if it has slowed waaaaaayyyyy down in the past few years. I miss the days when every arc was wrapped around a new, crazy and unique freakshow opponent. This whole thing with Manji in the pit being expirimented on is a big deal in terms of plot and all, but for the action fan it's weak, weak, weak.

[Nik Hasta]

Love this series, I'm only on Book 6 but I consider this one of my all time favourite manga ever.

[The Xenos]

I picked up the first volume on sale to check it out. Sitll haven't gotten around to reading it. A roomate has a bunch of volumes too. So I'll get around to it eventually. We even got one of those Dark Horse giveaway posters in the bathroom.

A friend of a friend was thinking of cosplaying as the main character. Of course the giant swastika / manji (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika#Buddhism) on his back might bring trouble, especially outside the con. Well, there's always having a cape / jacket.

[Black Atom]

"Blade" is awesome, I didn't realize it was underrated. I'd recommend getting the volumes, though. The monthlies move too slowly to be enjoyable, in my opinion (plus, they're rather costly).

[Totoro Man]

I'm actually gonna hold on to my "monthly' issues. there are some comics where I like them SO much, that I just kept the monthly issues.

'Maison Ikkoku' and 'Blade of the Immortal' were the two manga I collected every month--the were pretty much my introduction to manga, and as such, there's a lot of 'sentimental' value there as well.

besides, if I ever want to go back and study the page breakdowns to learn what "works" and how they got their story telling accomplished--it's MUCH easier to do that with the monthly issues. the binding on TPBs makes it very hard to do that.

I recognize that some of the fight sequences started off a little confusing--and oddly blocked out. but from a pacing and a dramatic standpoint it was nearly flawless.

[Slappy san]

I have the first 13 volumes and loved them. Honestly the gap between trades has left me lost. I'll have to reread the first 13 so I can catch up.

[Inkthinker]

I'm actually gonna hold on to my "monthly' issues... if I ever want to go back and study the page breakdowns to learn what "works" and how they got their story telling accomplished--it's MUCH easier to do that with the monthly issues. the binding on TPBs makes it very hard to do that.

I recognize that some of the fight sequences started off a little confusing--and oddly blocked out. but from a pacing and a dramatic standpoint it was nearly flawless.

That's a very good point, and maybe you're right... perhaps I should hold onto my singles.

I haven't gone through the archives in a very long time anyhow, so I have no idea what condition they're all in or even if I still have a truly complete run... I bought ever issue, but it's possible that a few of them are damaged or lost and I haven't noticed. I've always been more of a reader-type than an archivist-type of comics fan.

If I don't have a truly complete set, then it's not worth as much on eBay anyhow, I should think, and I could very well use them for reference.

Still stings, tho, buying 130+ issues of a comic only to have the format fizzle. Do we know yet when the first trade with new (english) content will be hitting the shelves, then? Seems like we were pretty close caught up with the Japanese releases.