I have actually began reading the manga version of Blade of the Immortal, after hearing that the mangaka's art style is quite something. After the first volume, which comprises of Chapters 1-3, I must agree: the mangaka has an extensive knowledge of human anatomy that he translates into glorious panels of mayhem and gore.
Think, the disturbing graphic depictions of Basilisk stripped of its grotesque elements. Although that said, Blade of the Immortal is not without some rather revolting images.
More Screencaps from Blade of the Immortal
OP: Akai Usagi (Makura no Soushi) [4shared]
ED: Wants (Grapevine) [4shared]
The series begins with a flashback. Our hero, Manji, is a samurai tasked to perform summary executions for his lord. In one of his missions, a little kid who sees him slaughter several people, calls him a murderer.
Fast-forward to the present, Manji, now blind in one eye with a scar across his face, is confessing his sins to a priest. It turns out that some time in the past, Manji killed his lord after realizing that it was his lord who was the real villain and that those people he killed were but mere innocent farmers.
However, it turns out the priest is a fake. Recognizing Manji as the notorious "Killer of 100," he shoots him right in the head. Normally, a bullet to the head would kill anyone. But not so with Manji, who, thanks to the presence of "sacred blood worms" in his body, cannot die, except through a special kind of poison. Manji ends up killing the priest.
Meanwhile, in another part of town, a girl is visiting her parents grave. While kneeling before the gravestones, she remembers how a group of samurai, led by Anotsu, was responsible for the brutal murder of her parents.
At that exact moment, Anotsu is meeting with Habaki, a dojo master who nevertheless wishes to leave the charge of his dojo to Anotsu and his Itto-ryu.
When he comes home from his encounter with the fake priest, Manji confronts Yaobikuni, an 800-year old nun, about the blood worms that she implanted in his body. He demands to know how long he has to put with his body. Yaobikuni only tells him that she herself has blood worms in her body and she has lived for 800 years.
Manji doesn't seem too fond of the idea of immortality. He seeks redemption but he can't seem to find it. For a samurai like him, the obvious solution would be to commit harakiri, but he can't do even that, not only because he literally can't die but also because he has his sister to worry about. It turns out that Manji's sister, Machi, has lost her right reason after witnessing her husband's gruesome death at the hands of Manji, her own brother.
That night, Machi is abducted by a group of thugs, the leader of whom turns out to be the brother of the fake priest that Manji killed earlier. The leader wants to take revenge against Manji. However, Manji, acting on an earlier advice from Yaobikuni about putting down his sword, doesn't accept the thugs' challenge and instead demands that they return Machi to him.
At first, the thugs seem compliant. Their leader releases Machi. But as she is running towards Manji, the leader takes out his sword and slashes Machi from the back. She falls right into Manji's arms and dies. Without waiting for Machi to recover from his shock, the leader then leaps up and stabs Manji on the back.
Manji, being immortal, does not die. Instead, the blood worms start to work, pushing out the sword, still embedded in his body. Manji then slowly stands up, much to the thug leader's shock and newfound fear. Manji then draws the two-bladed sword that once belonged to Machi's husband and uses it in slaying the thug leader and every last one of his friends.
Afterwards, Manji buries Machi's body and prays for her forgiveness.
Meanwhile, a blond woman stumbles upon the bodies of the slain thugs and suspects that the culprit is none other than the "Killer of 100."
Manji then goes to see Yaobikuni, carrying his left foot in his arms. Upon seeing his bloodied form, Yaobikuni comments that Manji can never put down his sword. Manji then makes a proposal: to make for the 100 good men he has slain, he will kill 1,000 evil men. If he succeeds, he wants Yaobikuni to remove the blood worms from his body and grant his desire to die. Yaobikuni accepts. Thereafter, Manji faints.
Meanwhile, back in the graveyard, the girl from earlier makes a resolution of exacting vengeance against the Itto-ryu.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
Excellent first episode. The art, animation, story, and music delivered. Like I said, I picked up the manga because of this anime, and that's only after watching the first episode.
The series is animated by BeeTrain, the guys behind Madlax and all those other girls-with-guns shows, but the style is quite different. For one, Blade of the Immortal uses mostly blacks and earth pallet. The colors suit the mood of the story perfectly. For another, this series is rather graphic but the depiction of blood is stylistic -- i.e. when Manji murders his lord and the fake priest, lots of shadows, using only the red of blood as a highlight.
The OP and ED clip are very interesting, and the accompanying songs are haunting. Then again, BeeTrain is no stranger to excellent soundtracks.
The portrayal of the swastika, however... I'm not offended, but it did make me pause and go "hmm."
In sum, great first episode. It also ended with just enough titillation: two possible characters to be introduced in Episode 2. I understand that the girl whose parents were murdered is going to become Manji's companion of sorts, while the other woman, the blonde, is voiced by Toyoguchi Megumi, which is enough to make me like said character.
MORE INFO:
OFFICIAL SITE (Japanese)
OFFICIAL BLOG (Japanese)
Anime News Network
Wikipedia
Watch Promo Video
Watch Trailer Video
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2 comments:
It's a Manji, a Buddhist symbol, not the kind of swastika you were thinking of ;)
Oh, then it figures. I'm no Buddhist. ^.^
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