4.0 out of 5 stars
A blood red mirage, July 25, 2009
This review is from: Samurai Deeper Kyo, Book 3 (Paperback)
Some drastic changes are in store in the third volume of "Samurai Deeper Kyo" -- including a drastic change for Kyo and Kyoshiro, the two men inhabiting one body, and the addition of a pair of new allies for their little team. Akimine Kamijyo keeps things shooting ahead at supersonic speed, even as he weaves in some political intrigue and half-hidden backstory for the main characters -- its good stuff, despite a forgotten plot thread.
Kyoshiro barely manages to prevail in the fight against Benitora, mainly because Benitora accidentally steps out of bounds -- and as if that wasn't stressful enough, the jocular "red tiger" decides to join up with Kyoshiro's little gang. But when Genma shows up to fight with Demon Eyes Kyo, Okuni unexpectedly helps him out -- uttering a name that forces Kyoshiro's spirit into sleep, and allows Kyo to emerge without opposition.
And there's a brilliant opponent waiting for him: White Crow, who draws Kyo into a cherry-blossom mirage where he cannot find his foe. Well, not at first, of course. And before disappearing, Okuni reveals a bit of info about "the one" that Kyo wants to find.
On the way to Edo, the little trio encounters a drunken young lech at some roadside tea house, but he's obviously more than he appears -- not only is he able to stop Kyo drawing his sword, but he appears in the same brothel in Edo with a shocking request for Kyo. And Edo holds plenty of new enemies for the newly arrived trio -- in particular, a vengeful horde of ninjas.
I have to say this about "Samurai Deeper Kyo" -- rather than letting the storyline lapse into a series of one-off battles against Villain Of The Week, Akimine Kamijyo shakes it up quickly into a much more intense story. Suddenly Kyoshiro is out of the picture, the crude, bloodthirsty Kyo is ruling the roost, and the new opposition is nothing less than Ieyasu Tokugawa, the ruling shogun of the time.
It also introduces two very fun additions to the cast, both of whom are deadly, jocular and very flirtatious. Benitora is a fun guy with a thirst for fighting, and his major-league crush on Yuya leads to some comic relief (including when she ties him up and interrogates him, and he LOVES it). And then there's Yukimora Sanada, who seems like a gentle, friendly, harmless lecher and drunk -- and has wild sword skills comparable to Kyo's, and a clever mind.
And for the first time, Kyo comes out for more than ten minutes at a time -- and frankly he makes me miss Kyoshiro. He's rude, demanding, wants booze and hookers, and threatens people who don't provide it.
And the action becomes far more fantastical in this volume, with vast mirages of shape-changing cherry blossoms, sword strikes that cause INTERNAL bleeding, and a creepy-looking ninja lady whose hair defies gravity. Lots of splattered blood, sword strikes, and more hints about Kyo and Kyoshiro's pasts. The one problem with the plot is that Kamijyo actually forgets about one minor plot thread (the old lady and her murdered son) and just leaves it hanging. Just what happened there?
"Samurai Deeper Kyo Volume 3" introduces a pair of new allies and an unexpected change for Kyo and Kyoshiro -- and things promise to get a LOT more interesting soon.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Renewing my faith in the series, November 20, 2003
This review is from: Samurai Deeper Kyo, Book 3 (Paperback)
After reading volume 3 of Samurai Deeper Kyo, my faith in the series has grown. The art is wonderful, and while the lettering is very small, the dialogue is snappy and I think it's pretty well translated.
In this volume the reader finally gets an idea of where the plot is going, and frankly, it's a very exciting turn of events. Violence! History! Supernatural demons! Sword techniques with long names! Fanservice for the guys! This manga has everything.
And don't you dare compare it to Rurouni Kenshin. Let's be honest now, if you've read this far into the series, you know they are nothing alike. So I say, read this manga. If you're just venturing outside of the darling Adult Swim line-up ("d00d! Inu-yasha is leik the BEST anime ever. EVER, I SAY!") Then this is a nice introduction to manga, and if you're just looking for the plain old plot and violence line, well, this is for you also.
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