VAGABOND VIZBIG ED GN VOL 02 (MR) (C: 1-0-0): Enlightenment VIZBIG Edition: Volume 2 (Vagabond (VIZBIG Edition))

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VAGABOND VIZBIG ED GN VOL 02 (MR) (C: 1-0-0): Enlightenment VIZBIG Edition: Volume 2 (Vagabond (VIZBIG Edition))

VAGABOND VIZBIG ED GN VOL 02 (MR) (C: 1-0-0): Enlightenment VIZBIG Edition: Volume 2 (Vagabond (VIZBIG Edition))

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I do appreciate seeing where Matahachi is going, his journey and his growth I think will be great. However, I...was kind of spoiled by the author admiting that he was a historical figure and the archenemy of Miyamoto. Which like, fair. This is a historical figure, and this is based on a popular Japanese movie. Soooooo, I'm thinking this is less of a spoiler and more a part of history. Matahachi isn't given much time in this omnibus but when he is, he steals the identity of a famous swordsman, that of Sasaki. Overall, I enjoyed the character development in Musashi, he seems to be more of a human and less of a demon, especially since the mountains were his only mentors, and that was a nice touch. He finds a new sensei to train under and now his goal is apparently to defeat Inshun. Miyamoto's heart did grow softer especially after he defeated the Yoshioka clan. I'm not even sure who set it on fire yet. Volume 6, The first half way great, I didn't love the end as much as I did the first half only because I despise Matahachi as a character but I believe that is the authors incentive. So I appreciate what Inoue has done to create conflict and drama in the plot. Nevertheless I loved it ! Miyamoto Musashi is better at learning from his mistakes; while he is not the sharpest katana in the armory, he’s partially grasped the concept of critical thinking and examining his own mindset. Still has a long way to go before being the best swordsman in Japan though. Musashi is distracted by thoughts of his other childhood friend, the lovely Otsu. She’s now the servant of a master of the Yagyu style of swordsmanship, who Yoshioka Denshichiro has come to train with in preparation for his next duel with Musashi.

Matahatchi's journey is less noble, it seems no matter how hard he tries he always ends up screwing things up, although he gets points for rescuing Musashi early on. But can you do the same with novels and comic books? As someone who labeled a shelf action even I would struggle with singling out a significant number of fight scenes from books as capital-G Great. There are several authors I've read and admired who when the time came in their story for an action setpiece it came across as merely serviceable more often than not. And I don't think any less of them for it because it's damn hard to create the visuals and motion that is necessary to a good fight scene with mere words. The closest literary equivalent would be every time an author describes the current location of their characters, but when it comes to scenery the author doesn't have to worry about the flow and pacing of their writing nearly as much they need to when it comes to describing a sword fight, or a shootout, or a wizard duel, or a battle between two armies.It's not so much a dislike but I did clarify in my last review. I am having a real challenge trying to overcome the idea that this is just a retelling/rehashing of a popular novel. Yes, there is definitely more attention to detail and a lot more progression and character moments. However, I really just have a hard time giving that series that seal of "amazing creativity and ingenuity" when it is in fact a retelling. Many others probably are better men then me for finding it in themselves to overcome this. I just don't have it in me....yet! Real-life figure Miyamoto Musashi was the most celebrated samurai of all time. The quintessential warrior-philosopher, Musashi authored A Book of Five Rings, a classic treatise in the canon of world philosophy and military strategy. But the path to enlightenment is an endless journey, and to get there through violent means—by way of the sword—makes mere survival an even greater challenge. The art is stellar, but much of the credit for the plot and characterization must go to Eiji Yoshikawa, author of the novel this manga is an adaptation of. Although this has been marketed as a seinen manga, in which the demographic is young adult men, I feel like Vagabond has in common with shōnen manga as not only Musashi’s arc of being the strongest is not far off from Goku in Dragon Ball, but also the action plays a crucial part in both storytelling and characterisation. The major set-piece of this volume is when we arrive at the Hōzōin-ryū school of spearmanship, where Musashi fights Inshun Hōzōin, the second-generation master of the Hōzōin spear technique. Devoting seven chapters to this one fight, it is a masterclass of action, in that it’s not just a case of hitting one another, but also strategy and what the two fighters are feeling. The centerpiece of this second omnibus of Takehiko Inoue's critically acclaimed series is the duel between the young, brutish Miyamoto Musashi and the second generation master of the Hozoin Temple, the perpetually smiling Inshun.

I will admit that it initially took me a while to regain my footing in the ongoing narrative, and remember all the characters sufficiently, but once I got past that, the story seemed an improvement via accumulation in comparison to the previous volume. I would not say that the character of Miyamoto Musashi has yet gained any true depth – he still comes across as rather flat – but the character gallery around him is starting to make up for it. Also, while there is still a lot of violence (one fight seems to be going on for an near endless number of chapters) there is much less carnage in this volume. And perhaps it allows hints of character growth for Musashi as well.It's difficult to rate these incredible anthologies as individual volumes when they so clearly function in tandem with the other installments. It's one huge, epic story and to rate one over the other is like favoring a chapter of a novel over the others. They all work together evenly and effectively to create a stunning piece of art. As the first samurai manga I am currently reading, Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue has become an instant favourite based on reading the first volume, which has already done a lot in establishing the life-changing transition from Takezō Shinmen to Musashi Miyamoto, whose goal in life is to become invincible under the sun. That'd all be frustrating enough, but the very foundation of vagabond is flawed. When I heard it's a fantastical take on a real life master samurai, i was immediately hooked. I was looking forward to the historical, grounded setting, and maybe a political plot Mushashi gets swept up in. But nah. It's just Mushashi going from enemy to enemy trying to get "stronger." That's his sole goal. During their time together, the monk dissects Musashi’s biggest dilemma, which is his desire to be with his childhood friend Otsū, who is now off on her own journey. Considering that Musashi is the main character of this series, Inoue is also interested to give every character their own narrative, including faces who we thought we never see again, such as Matahachi’s horrid mother Osugi. Following Musashi’s numerous battles with other warriors, we even get to see their side in the larger narrative as they are preparing to take down the eponymous vagabond.

In the wake of his battle with the famed Yoshioka school in Kyoto from volume 1, Takezo (now known as Musashi) finds himself with a host of new enemies (not a new experience for the vagabond, nor one he is likely to shake) and reunited with the monk Takuan and a young boy named Jotaro...more troubling to Musashi’s peace of mind is the presence of Otsu, whose beauty and compassion cause him no little distraction.If I have to be honest, despite the cool action sequences and the fact that Inoue tries to make it historically accurate, it has started to become rather repetitive. Miyamoto Musashi is a marvellous character and reminds me of both Goku from Dragon Ball and Naruto from the Naruto series. In these volumes, the demon within him isn't as evident as in the first omnibus but this is because he is distracted romantically, Otsu can't seem to steer clear of the corridors of his mind. This impacts his fighting and his general awareness of his surroundings, his instinct itself, has, in fact, a different vibe to it.



  • Fruugo ID: 258392218-563234582
  • EAN: 764486781913
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