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Path of the Assassin, Vol. 9 (v. 9)

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Volume 9 of "Path of the Assassin" is entitled "Battle for Power: Part One," and you should be forewarned that this particular story carries off through not just the next volume but the one after that, so it will probably not be until the end of this year that we finally get to the end of this particular story. Part 1 was originally scheduled to be released in October 2007 but has not shown up until March of 2008, which is when Part 2 was supposed to be published with Part 3 slatted for April. Obviously that is not going to happen, but I am getting used to the delays and am accepting the strong probability that this 15-volume series will not be finished until 2010. So each time the next volume finally shows up, it is to be savored.

It turns out that the title for this volume is something of a misnomer in that most of this magna is devoted to the chapter on "Haja Kensho," begun in Volume 8 (managing to put all of it in one volume proved to be a mathematical impossibility apparently). No. 1: "Ihoro Kikko (Part 2)" begins with the fall of Mino, as a necessary step for Nobunaga's effort to rise up, serve the emperor, and declare his supremacy. Hanzo requests Nobunaga's sash, tied, which he accepts on his master's behalf, the next step in the giant chess game being played for the Shogunate. No. 2: "A Wish to Be Alone," finds Hanzo becoming a father and his wife puzzled by his remark "I wish...I was alone." The meaning of such a remark must be explained, as must the meaning of Nobunaga's tied sash. No. 3: "Kyoyu," introduces us to a strange samurai coming up from the west. After interrupting a violent rape, the samurai makes his way to the Mori Motonair, where he demonstrates his proficiency with a gun and his prescience towards the favor that will be asked him. Meanwhile, Hanzo is making the Shinobi power of virility for Ieyasu, yet another interesting step in the game that is bringing Nobunaga and Ieyasu closer to power and therefore closer to conflict.

Almost the last 100 pages of the manga are devoted to the beginning of the Chapter on "Tenka Fubu," with No. 1: "Battle for Power (Part 1)." Apparently this will be a very complex story, because we begin with a bloody battle, followed by Hanzo giving Ieyasu a massage as they discuss the political situation. Then things get interesting when Oyakata has an audience with a dubious "suppa" of great ability, named Hachiya Sekiun. Or rather I should say the audience is with a doll. Once again there are twists within twists as another assassination is dispatched to try and stop Tokugawa Ieyasu from becoming the shogun who unifies Japan and makes it a great modern nation.

"Path of the Assassin" ("Hanzo no Mon") was originally published in Japan back in 1972 by the legendary manga team of writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. Intended for mature readers and carrying a parental advisory label that warns of explicit content, this series is rather astounding in its ability to entwine sex and politics, and by "sex" I do not mean simply arranged marriages for the purposes of alliances or the importance of producing children. With Koike and Kojima, an orgasm can literally be an important step on the road to power. Yes, this is a peculiar approach to history, and I must admit that the current installments are not as compelling as the early ones when Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hattori Hanzo become "Lifelong Friends, with the Same Dreams, Striving to Grow into a Rising River." Other characters are starting to dominate the stories more and more, which may be necessary given the scope of the tale, but remains a source of regret for those of us who loved the intimacy of the earlier tales. Still, with Koike and Kojima in terms of graphic storytelling, this is as good as it gets.

Like the other two series "Lone Wolf and Cub" and "Samurai Executioner", "Path of the Assasin" is a very pleasant book for one to read. But unlike the other two series, there is a focus on the geopolitical events of that era in japan and much less battles. Also it is almost impossible to remember all the different names and charactes that take part on the plot.