Lady Snowblood, Vol. 2: The Deep-Seated Grudge (v. 2) [Paperback]

Kazuo Koike (Author), Kazuo Kamimura (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2006

The path of revenge can have many twisted turns, and Lady Snowblood's is no exception. Born in a prison, a product of her mother's grudge, Yuki is a child of hell. What will she do for revenge? Pose as a nun? Become another woman's lover? Possibly. In this volume we learn about Yuki's training and youth, see her woo some allies, and embark on the first steps of her angry path. Written by Kazuo Koike of Lone Wolf & Cub fame, Lady Snowblood is a tale of a woman's path in hell.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Acclaimed manga master Koike's historical series look enough alike to suggest that his relationship to his artist collaborators is like that of a film director to a cinematographer. He probably constructs scenarios detailed right down to angles of vision and charges the artists to realize them with differing degrees of realism. The revenge-cum---sword-for-hire saga Lady Snowblood is as violent as Koike's Samurai Executioner but set some 200 years later, in the 1890s. Perhaps because the protagonist's physical allure--she is most lethal when distractingly naked--is essential to the action, Lady Snowblood has a more romantic and fanciful appearance: imaginary lines of force abound, and a character's mental imagery may appear as a backdrop. Athletic Yuki (Lady Snowblood) adds to the fantasy in the fight scenes, tumbling and flying like a martial-arts film star. In this collection, she extends mercy (?) to a dying young woman by making love to her and dispatches one of the targets of her vengeance before getting herself in a pickle while pursuing her trade as a dazzling hit woman. A flashback acquaints us with her early training in lethal skills. Like everything Koike has a hand in, it seems, it all looks marvelous. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (January 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593074433
• ISBN-13: 978-1593074432
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #460,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terriblygood, January 26, 2006

By 

Stefan Bauer "Steff" (Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lady Snowblood, Vol. 2: The Deep-Seated Grudge (v. 2) (Paperback)

Readers be warned: The exploits of Yuki in this second volume borders on the pornographic and sadistic. What unsettles me most is the fact how good it is in spite of it...or because of it? This is pulp fiction in its purest sense...the mix of sex, violence and action is not for the weak-stomached ones. And the ending of Volume 2...well...the shadow of a big penis looms over Yuki, and i do not mean it in a figuratively sense. How will she get out of this situation? Will she get out?

What strikes me most is how erotic this volume is. How...harsh and yet full of meaning and emotion. Make no mistake this is no teenager's shojo or shonen...this is Gekiga. Be warned!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comics not for kids, November 23, 2007

By 

Gabe "Just a couchless potato" (Singapore) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Lady Snowblood, Vol. 2: The Deep-Seated Grudge (v. 2) (Paperback)

There is also a DVD set Lady Snowblood (Collector's Boxed Set) which is two movies inspired by this Manga, but the DVD pales in comparison to the more adult scenes and story complexity in the Manga.

The art as is typical of Manga, is in black and white, so if you are used to the colored panels of DC and Marvel type comics, you may be disappointed. The stories are complex and you pick up some glimpses of history as well as culture and then wonder (at least I did) if the author might have exaggerated or twisted facts to fit his story.

But like all good stories, there is internal consistency, and the twists at the end of each story makes it a satisfying read.

If you're going to try out Manga for the first time, try Vol 1 Lady Snowblood Volume 1 (Lady Snowblood) of this title. That provides a good idea of the set of 4 volumes. Then if you like it, get the next 3 volumes including this one. This one ends on a cliffhanger, and you really want to get started on the next volume, believe me.

The compassion and ruthlessness of Lady Snowblood in this series of manga comes across much better than in the DVD.

This is definitely not for kids so if you see your kid with this, confiscate it for his own good, and for your own reading pleasure.

Return it when he's 18.