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32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enter Meifumado: Nine Steps on the Road to Hell, January 10, 2005
The concept of Lone Wolf and Cub is, in a word, fascinating. A stoic Ronin wanders the countryside of ancient Japan, carting his small child in a vessel that more than meets the eye, with a banner to advertise: `son for hire, sword for hire.' Over mountains and through cities he travels, offering his unique services to those needy - and to those who can pay. The legend of Ogami Itto and his precocious son Daigoro spreads far and wide; he gives hope to the desperate, vengeance for the bereft, a chance of rogue justice in an unbalanced society. And more: LW&C walk the path of meifumado, the Buddhist hell of demons and damnation, to achieve a private vendetta: to lay rest to the tragedy that has set father and son upon the assassin's road - a dastardly deed only hinted at in this first volume.
Until Dark Horse decided to publish the entire series in 2000, Lone Wolf and Cub had existed beforehand as a manga-mythos of the Far-East - extremely popular in its Nippon homeland, where it begun serialization in 1970 and continued for many years, spawning six films and critical acclaim in its wake; but published sporadically and incomplete on western shores. Dark Horse's commitment to the series was an audacious one - the story spanned some 28 volumes, an expensive investment for publisher and readership alike - but the end result was, to me and other scholars of Eastern culture, invaluable. For LW&C not only entertains with its blend of samurai-noir and vicious sword-play, it educates on the finer points of Japanese culture, as it existed in the Tokugawa era, and displays vividly the struggle of existence, from lowly peasants to the most upright nobility. LW&C is an Epic, and one of the finest I've chanced to read.
`The Assassin's Road' sets the tone of the series: small self-contained vignettes concerning the adventures of Ogami Itto and Daigoro, usually-but not always-concerning the grisly reality of their occupation. Intertwined are digressions into matters of Bushido, Buddhism and other aspects of Japanese society; and, sprinkled throughout, the larger and eventually more encompassing storyarc of LW&C's feud with the shadow-family of the Yagyu, `official' assassins of the Shogun. I have to admit that, structurally, the Ogami vs. Yagtu storyline is the most compelling aspect to the series, at least initially: and it comes in such rare intervals early on in the series that one continually hungers for more information, more contact with the central conflict...and yet, the minor storytelling is just as potent, if not more so - for here we are given insight into Ogami Itto's character, and that of his son; here we are exposed to the personalities, petty conflicts and personal struggle of Japanese history - and Japanese character.
This volume contains nine stories, nine steps for Ogami Itto and his son on their thousand-mile journey to meifumado...and beyond.
1) Son for Hire, Sword for Hire - the opening tale for the entire epic. Ogami Itto enters the *shima* (death-zone) to take down a scheming politician. A fitting, if mysterious, introduction to the characters and overall style of the manga.
2) A Father knows his Child's Heart, as only a Child can know his Father's: The relationship between father and son is explored in this short tale of deception and retribution; the concept of meifumado is given, and a deeper framework to LW&C's actions hinted at. Contains sexual content - gratuitous to western eyes; but not, I think, to those of the east, considering how *some* manga are...different cultures, different standards.
3) From North to South, from West to East - LW&C are hired to assassinate a vassal before he is taken to Edo for torture and confession. A decent story made valuable for its explanation of Shogun politics.
4) Baby Cart on the River Styx - the corruption of small town officials, and what lengths they will go to protect their malifecience, is at the heart of this tale. One begins to perceive Ogami Itto as not just a scruffy assassin, but a man concerned with honor and justice.
5) Suio School Zanbato - Daigoro `accidentally' urinates upon the head of a passing nobleman, who subsequently challenges the Lone Wolf to single combat. Like most of vol. 1, this story serves the purpose of exploring who and what LW&C are: Ogami's sword-style - and the lengths in which he will use his son as accomplice.
6) Waiting for the Rains - Daigoro meets a sick woman at a shrine; it is revealed that she was used by a shinobi (ninja) to help discredit her family house. Ogami Itto waits in the shadows, confident that the guilty ninja will return for his abandoned lover...
7) Eight Gates of Deceit - LW&C travel to a remote mountain village, only to find the inhabitants slaughtered, his contract void, and eight female warriors hunting for wolf's blood. A rousing action tale with a philosophic conclusion.
8) Wings to the Bird, Fangs to the Beast - my second favorite in this compilation. LW&C travel to a hot springs for rest and relaxation. A gang of bandits has occupied the town, however, and they take Ogami Itto prisoner. At the end of this story, we are given a vital clue into the history of LW&C, which leads directly into...
9) The Assassin's Road - a flashback sequence shows us (some) of the events that led LW&C onto the assassin's road. The evolution of Daigoro throughout the series is its emotional keystone, at once riveting and heartbreaking.
LW&C vol. 1 - `The Assassin's Road' does an admirable job of setting forward the characters and conflicts that shall dominate the Epic as a whole, but on its own, it is perhaps the least of the twenty-eight volumes. The art, storytelling, and language translation all improve with successive volumes. The last two stories alone make this compilation worth the price, however, and I whole-heartedly recommend Lone Wolf and Cub to both manga-enthusiasts and those curious about Japanese history.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A compelling historical drama set in graphic novel form, December 4, 2000
(Note: For reader convenience, Western nomenclature is used - given name first, family name last.)The Western world's exposure to the Samurai culture has been rather limited - the most popular venues to the mass public have been the movies *Shogun Assassin* and *The Seven Samurai*. Both are fine examples of the film genre, but because the nature of film, neither really delves into the bushido mindset as deeply as I would like. It is in the arena of the comic book that the best explorations of the samurai legend have been achieved. Two titles come to mind - Stan Sakai's *Usagi Yojimbo* and Kazuo Koike's *Lone Wolf and Cub* (*Shogun Assassin* was based on the latter's film adaptation). The title reflects the content manner - Itto Ogami, the protagonist, is a highly-skilled ronin who travels with his toddler son, taking assassin's work whenever it comes but always assuring (sometimes indirectly) that the job upholds his strict sense of bushido. Some might say that the idea of an assassin with bushido is self-contradictory. However, under the skillful pen of Koike, Ogami's methods allow him to follow his chosen path and hold on to his honor simultaneously. His requirements regarding his assignments are simple - cash money and complete disclosure about the nature of the assignment, including the often compromising details. In this first volume (~300 pages of more than 8000), we are treated to tales of Ogami's skill and prowess as a swordsman and strategist. His is an unorthodox approach to the samurai arts, and he is absolutely merciless to his victims. His son often collaborates in the assignments, usually as a set-up ploy. While ruthless to his opponents, he is also capable of great compassion and does have a very human side; one chapter, in particular, explores the reasons he left the prestigious post of the Shogun's personal executioner (the one chosen to assist in ritual suicide by decapitation) in order to journey down `the path to Hell.' Those familiar with manga will no doubt find the ink stylings of Goseki Kojima familiar; it is similar to that of Sanpei Shirato's *The Legend of Kamui,* but Kojima's work is more articulate. Eschewing typical manga character design and expanding on traditional concepts of sequential movement, Kojima draws sensitive and articulate portraits while simultaneously transporting us directly into the middle of dramatic battle. Horror; amusement, contempt, compassion; anger; longing - none are beyond the reach of his pen. I recommend *Lone Wolf and Cub* to any who wish a good read. With much to offer a diverse audience - drama, mystery, action, plot, and character development - it is a series that reads and presents itself well. You need not be a comics enthusiast or a Japanophile to enjoy this work - its execution is that well wrought. Drawing on historical fact, East Asian military classics, an eye for detail, and an innate sense of drama, Koike and Kojima give us something that will surely become a great classic.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A timeless classic, December 2, 2000
By A Customer
After purchasing this volume out of curiosity, I have decided that the Lone Wolf and Cub stories by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima are among the very best comic books ever created. Their mix of action, drama and history make each episode unforgettable. Each page has iconic imagery, heroism, cinematic silences, and breathtaking layouts that immediately bring Akira Kurosawa to mind. While every volume in this collection is a must own, I would suggest reading this volume first. This way, you will understand who the lead characters are-- the world weary samaurai and his son in the wooden stroller loaded with the samaurai's secret weapons. You'll also witness unforgettable moments in their lives (such as when the father realizes he must run from his fellow warriors and wordlessly demands that his son choose between a ball or a gleaming sword). The stories in this volume are well-drawn, dramatic, and timeless. This is why the they have served as the basis for a popular television series during the late 1970s, the Hollywood classic Shogun Assassin, and Frank Miller's groundbreaking graphic novel, Ronin. Once you read this first volume, you'll want to own them all.
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