Customer Reviews

Okko: The Cycle of Water

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okko tells the story of a disparate band of friends in a feodal Japanesque setting. The leader - Okko - is a ronin, a masterless samurai who travels the countryside with his mottly crew slaying demons. He's in many ways a reluctant hero and the under-dog and both his swordsmanship and his cunning serves him well. His travelling companions are equally interesting and have their part to play in the things to come.

It is a beuatiful comic and should appeal to both mature comic readers as well as gamers of L5R. The story is intriguing and the characters are likeable, especially the saké-drinking monk. There is magic and mystical creatures though not in abundance as it clearly is a world formost inhabited by humans.


The comic has been released in France (you can find it on French Amazon) and hopefully all parts will be translated into English. [...]I can't recommend it enough!

I picked this up randomly at the local comic book store for one reason, the cover. It immediatley caught my eye. The artwork is simply amazing. I will say this though, buy the Trade paper back version of this comic. I checked out the single issues of this and and they are quite dull. The glossy prints of the TPB bring out the many rich vibrant colors of this comic.

The story centers around a wondering ronin, a masterless samurai who fails to kill themselves upon dishonor or thier masters death, named Okko. Noburo, a giant who is the brute force of the group and who looks like a ancient Oni or demon. Noshin, the boozehound monk with the ability to summon ancient elemental spirits. And finally Tikku who becomes becomes life-endebted to Okko. Tikku's older sister, Little Carp, is kidnapped while with Noburo by a gang of attacking bandits along with many other young girls. Not having anyway to go after his sister Tikku begs Okku and his gang to help him, in return Tikku will give his life over to Okku. thus begins a fantasic tale that was translated very well from French into English. The group travels from island to island, gambling houses, island shrines, ogre infested islands and deal with a multitude of foes, ranging from giant mechanical wooden puppets, samurai thugs, and some really ugly floating head vampires.

Like i posted a the beginning the art work is just top notch. It is super detailed and the color is rich, lush and bright. I don't have much information on the Artist/writer Hub, as I said I picked this up on a whim. I am not going to babble on about this part because it speaks for itself.

One thing that also stands out is the realm, the world of the story, itself. I have been reading the Tales of the Otori and like those books the creator has envisioned a mystic medieval Japan full of depth and character. This comic is very easy to get into and it's great to kow that there is a new volume out in the end of December. I highly recommend this someone who ejoys Japanese fantasy and beautiful artwork.

Really fun fantasy graphic novels that hold up on the adult level, set in an alternate medieval Japan. You have your ronin hero, and some occasional snotty samurai to look down their noses at said ronin hero (until comeuppance time ^_^). You have your kami, and your itinerant monk to summon said kami. You have your mysterious warrior sidekick, your everykid narrator, your cool concepts ("combat bunraku", hmm...) and a colourful landscape of journey and intrigue populated also by less desirable supernatural elements.

The first volume packs an emotional punch in its strange quest, and might be my favourite still, although only by a hair. The second loses some time in the beginning, has less bite, and the villain when discovered is a little unrealistic even for a fantasy. The third is right back on track with a return to the kinds of setting in the first (noble courts with mysterious goings-on) plus the introduction of a truly excellent villain, since we must have them, and force of feeling.

The art is exquisite, colourful and flowing with character. Research went into this. Anyone with a fantasy bent will enjoy, but if you've a little interest in Japanese martial arts like me, or an initiation into a real meditation system featuring the 'go dai' or four elements plus void system (see such volumes as these two for more if interested) you will feel very at home, appreciate the folkloric accuracy, and have a grand old time. The elemental symbolism has been well used, although sadly might limit Okko's adventures to 4 or 5 volumes, unless they start some different scheme later. I'm hoping the idea might have more legs than that, considering there's already a miniatures-based boardgame out, but we'll see.

I'm pasting this review for all three volumes; I'll update when we get more. Meantime, enjoy.

If you're a comic book fan interested in a non-superhero story (for mature audiences; the book has nudity and violence), or someone who enjoys fantasy fiction set in a feudal Japan-esque setting, this book is for you.

I bought Okko for the great artwork of French artist, Hub, but the story is just as good. Some of the dialog is overwrought, but after all, it's a comic book.

The story tells of how a young boy ends up in the service of the ronin, Okko, and his companions, a mysterious masked giant and a monk wielding mystical powers. The boy narrates the saga, explaining how his kidnapped sister was the impetus for a strange journey that unearths an even stranger mystery. The story takes place in the fictional island nation of Pajan (Japan with a couple of letters reversed; this naming technique is used often; for example, Okko runs into a warrior named Kanata, derived from the Japanese word for sword, katana).

Hub pulls in many themes and myths from Japanese culture, like the idea of kamis, spirits that inhabit nature. It's the monk's use of water kami and the ragtag band's sea journey across a southern archipelago of Pajan that makes this book aptly named the Cycle of Water.

Hub's art is detailed, imaginative, and does a great job of bringing a feudal Japan-esque setting to life. By detailed, I mean nothing is left to chance. You'll see items in the background of a panel that have significance later in the story. That kind of tight storytelling, where events in the story and details in the art are carefully planned out, is one of the appeals of the book.

And the book itself is of high quality. Glossy pages make the color and art pop. In the back of the book, there's a map of Pajan (marked with where events in the story take place) along with brief background material to help readers understand this mythical realm.

If you have some knowledge of Japanese culture, you'll get even more out of the story. But that's not necessary to enjoy a well-crafted fantasy saga with its share of action and suspense.

From a French comic book artist and series imported into the US this is a fun and sexy samurai story.

It was a good enough read, and the art work was nice but it didn't hold my interest enough to make me continue buying the rest of the story.

Not one of my favorites by a long shot. Art was okay, story was okay.