Broken Frontier

Manga, in its many varied forms, has never been at such a peak as it currently sits. Whether it is a fad, a passing phase, or here to stay, there is no denying that it has landed on our shores. Whilst comics struggle to emerge out of the comic shop and into the mainstream, manga has managed to overcome that gap. It’s available in a format that is friendly to both bookshop and reader and carrying an affordable price tag, and as a result, most book retailers carry some manga titles, if not a whole shelf load of the stuff.

Often cited as being a girl’s choice of comic, this is a rather narrow view of the wealth of titles and genres available for western consumption. Whilst our growing market will never rival Japan’s - and there are those fans who moan and wail at the tiny amount that does trickle through - for those willing to take the plunge and experiment, there are some truly exciting and captivating titles to engage the reader in complex mythos, invariably from the pen of a single man or woman.

With the above in mind, I have decided to take a look at some of these men and women, whose art has crossed even the language barrier, to draw in readers from diverse backgrounds, who normally would probably have never stepped foot in a comic shop.

My first encounter with Blade of the Immortal (and the manga genre at all) was completely by luck. My grandmother wanted to get me an Easter present; I opted for a book, thinking I would like to pick up a manga title. I had watched a number of anime, and thought it was time to extend those feelers. It came down to a choice, between Blade and some other title whose name I have forgotten now (this was some time ago after all). Unable to choose between the two, I asked my grandmother which she preferred. She picked Blade – “Cry of the Worm,” because she liked the front cover. Probably the best decision ever!

It wasn’t till I started reading it that I realised it wasn’t even the first volume (“Blood of a Thousand” being the first instalment, the one I got was the second), but I didn’t care. I was hooked. The loose, dynamic and energetic art of Samura is truly fantastic. Self confessed as preferring pencil over paint, the lines in this epic series are economical but brilliant. You can’t help but come away from the series with a heady rush.

Not wishing to offend period fanatics (as this is a series set in Feudal Japan), Samura invented his own school of sword skill, the Itto-Ryu, and the fantastic swords that Manji, the main character wields are again the product of a fertile imagination.  Just as his art has you hanging on every panel, he has you hanging on every word and nuance that he takes you through in his scripts. From a generation of mangaka (artists) who were all heavily influenced by such greats as Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), Samura has managed to create a universe that is distinctly his own, and in my opinion far more accessible to the interested reader than the dense and often confusing plots of Akira.

The imagination and verve of the artist has translated into success.  From the humble beginnings as an entry for a competition run in Afternoon, (one of those big fat books that we wish we could have over here, the size of telephone directories and oozing stories from the seams) to selling over 2.5 million copies, and being translated into several languages, the appeal of Blade is universal.

Manji is the ideal hero in a flawed world, appearing unassailable, but as the story progresses, you realise that he is not all-powerful, but a real human being. Rin (often described as resembling Samura’s younger sister) is the human element that provides the empathic connection to these characters.  Everyone can relate to her troubles, the murder of her parents, the despair she swings between in wanting to avenge their deaths, and being unable to achieve that goal on her own, the internal struggles that she has to deal with when she does catch up to the killers and the perpetuation of violence.

What makes Blade such a complex series is that it isn’t just the main characters that are important, the supporting cast play such an integral part, and the lines that you thought were clearly drawn suddenly become blurred and hazy, as you are no longer assured that you know what is right any more.  This makes each new issue an exciting event to look forward to.

Samura has dedicated much of his professional career to Blade of the Immortal, achieving his goal of wanting to become a mangaka, whilst occasionally escaping from the universe of Blade under the pseudonym Takei Teashi, to write a short romantic comedy serial called Ohikkoshi and the award winning Homeless Shoujo Mangaka - Luncheon Diary of Tears (both of which remain untranslated). Yet he still seeks to broaden his horizons, exploring the more erotic side of his drawings. Throughout all his works though, this nervous passion remains upper most, and is what makes his artwork and story telling so intellectually interesting and exciting.

- Immelda Alty