From Publishers Weekly
Kurimoto's fantasy adventure novel series
The Guin Saga sells millions of copies in Japan, and while Yanagisawa's manga adaptation isn't going to quite echo that success in the U.S., the original appeal does flicker through. This final installment of a three-volume side project to the main
Guin Saga story line follows the warrior-king of Cheironia, Guin, as he does battle with a palpitating, plague-spreading mass of evil that threatens his realm. Guin—a massively muscled hero with a leopard-mask permanently affixed to his face—takes on the assembled villainous sorcerers (the magi of the title) lurking inside the sinister growth, while his sidekicks try to puzzle out the danger's deeper magical meaning. Although Guin seems more the strong and silent type, he does evince a certain Conan-like weakness for the feminine, evidenced in the seductive thrall he's held in by the strongest of the magi, the Black Witch Thamia. While the Kurimoto story line is byzantine in the extreme (there's clearly backstory upon backstory beyond the reach of all but the initiated), Yanagisawa's illustrations cut cleanly through much of the exposition, yielding a surprisingly graceful action-adventure series with a handful of darker adult themes.
(Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“This sword and sorcery tale has lightning fast pacing, and is gorgeously illustrated.” –
Manga Maniac Café
“The flow of the art is easy for Western eyes to follow. Add that to the very familiar epic fantasy plot, and this is a fine series for a lot of American readers (fans of Forgotten Realms novels, for example) to dip into the manga world.” –
ComicMix“The book is all black-and-white pen-and-ink work, and it's fantastic. I was very taken with it; very impressed by it.” –
SFSCOPE“Kazuaki Yanagisawa’s muscular character designs, richly detailed backgrounds, and expertly executed fight scenes breathe life into Kurimoto’s story.” –
PopcultureShock"The Seven Magi, is an example of fantasy at its best. This title is a must for fantasy and/or action/adventure fans." –
Comics Village
