4.0 out of 5 stars
The most gripping manga I have ever read., August 6, 2009
This review is from: The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls 6: Revenge of the Hori Clan (Paperback)
I love this series with every ounce of my being. In fact, I loved it so much that I couldn't wait for the rest of the series to come out in English -- shortly after Volume 5 was released in America, I ordered the remaining six volumes from Japan. I can only read a very tiny bit of Japanese, but I enjoyed them immensely nonetheless. Just to tell you guys -- when volumes 7-11 are released in English, you are in for one memorable ride. From volume 7 onward, character and stoy developement increase dramatically. By the time the series is finished, you will recognize it as a masterpeice. (It is, after all, based on a classic novel.)
Now, about VOlume 6.
In my opinion, this was the weakest volume of the series, though now having read in in English I have a better appreciation for it. Don't get me wrong -- It's good, but it doesn't quite meet the standards set by previous volumes (Hence the four stars). However it is a very important volume because it is the divider between the first five volumes and the last five volumes. It's kind of a transition volume as the story's setting shifts from the capital city of Edo to the enemy territory in Aizu.
Still, a lot of good stuff is in here. This volume sets up for the introduction of a character whose name has been mentioned several times in previous volumes, who has been a dark presence haunting the background of the manga.
Meanwhile, the Seven Spears are as despicable as ever, and the reader can only anticipate their defeat. Akinari and the Seven Spears are the most vile, twisted, loathesome villains I have ever encountered. For me, the sweetness of the Hori women's revenge is not the actual defeating of the Seven Spears -- instead, it is the effect each Spear's death has on his comrades. Each time one of them dies the survivors become more and more paranoid, fearful, and desperate, each knowing that if they don't kill the Hori women soo, they could be next.
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