>I’m not the biggest fan of manga. Don’t get me wrong, I have quite a few that I like a lot, but that’s because not every manga is for everyone. My only complaint about manga is that the visual design style looks most times that the same artist does 60% of the books available. This is certainly not always the case, there are some very exceptional exceptions to the rule.

One such title that grabs my interest is Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue. This is a series that is collected in 30 volumes, or 5 big omnibus editions (so far) that follows a legendary sword-wielding samurai named Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi is a pretty big deal in Japan, sort of a Johnny Appleseed, but instead of planting apple trees and wearing a cooking pot on his head, Musashi was constantly being challenged to duels, and carried a freakin’ sword. It is said that Musashi was a real person who perfected the art of kendo, and could never be defeated, at one point defeating his opponents with little more than a wooden sword, known as a bokken. He has been immortalized in a best-selling novel by Eiji Yoshikawa, as well as being portrayed in film by the incomparable Toshiro Mifune. The manga series Vagabond takes the legend of Miyamoto Musashi and turns it into a visual epic. I would venture to say that it’s one of my favorite mangas. Then again, I’m partial to fuedal Japanese samurai stories, and Musashi is perhaps the most important figure in samurai history.

If you’re a fan of some good old fashioned sword swingin’ action, Vagabond ranks up there as the best not just as a manga, but a graphic novel series.

-Jim

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