Jiro is a student of the KoZu Sword School, an underground training camp in midtown Manhattan that takes in orphans and twists and transforms them into Bushido warriors. The Yakuza use these kids in death matches staged across the city rooftops where Japanese businessmen gamble heavily on the always-fatal outcome. This killing life is all Jiro has ever known. But a rendezvous with fate is about to change all of that. In one moment Jiro realizes that everything he has lived for is a lie.The Samurai live by the Bushido code, one of which is RECTITUDE: the righting of wrongs. Now with the only ally he has-his sword--Jiro is forced to make the hardest decision of his life.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Celebrating the triumph of style over substance, these authors succeed in making something out of almost nothing. An underground sword school raised Jiro as a martial warrior and now uses the young man in death matches staged on Manhattan rooftops for the entertainment of visiting Japanese businessmen. Jiro is utterly focused on perfecting his combat skills until one night he realizes the opponent he just beheaded was his brother. Suddenly convinced he's been misled, Jiro takes up his sword to hack the whole rotten samurai system apart. Much slashing ensues, and that's about it for plot. Keeping the story simple isn't a bad idea since, especially in the many combat scenes, the art's vigorous stylization makes it difficult to know exactly what's happening. This collection of the comic's first three issues finishes a brief story loop, including three associated short stories, without any unfinished business or many survivors. Still, despite the lack of human interest, it's an attractive book. The overall design is streamlined, like Batman Beyond, with bursts of Frank Miller's jittery energy and Dave McKean's adventurous color, but the creators have fused all those influences into a fairly distinctive style. The story compels, even when it's not doing much readers haven't seen before. During his first battle, Jiro comments on the foolishness of clinging to one's past or relying on future expectations; instead, he says, samurai strive to concentrate themselves on the ima, the now of immediate sensory experience. This book may be the perfect expression of that attitude.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
When is the movie coming out?,
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This review is from: Bastard Samurai Volume 1 (Paperback)
Wow what a ride...get this book if you can and for the price not a bad deal!!!!!!!
4.0 out of 5 stars
when's the movie coming out?,
By
This review is from: Bastard Samurai Volume 1 (Paperback)
Okay... ok,i was thinking out loud but man this is a great find especially for the price.the story is so cinematic that the writer must of spent years doing the research.And i must say it shows!do your self a favor and get this book/Graphic novel/ tradepaperback. .
4.0 out of 5 stars
Oeming proves he's the 'Bastard',
By Ampersand (New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bastard Samurai Volume 1 (Paperback)
This is a great little comic. I didn't care for it much at first, but the more I got into it the better it became. It was originally touted as a samurai-Fight Club, but it's a lot more. High octane action, wove around a gripping tale of a lone samurai's quest. In this story, Oeming proved himself as a more than competent writer in my eyes. And the artwork by Gunter is just really amazing and fitting for the tone. The only problem I have with it is that it's much too short.
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