Blade of the Immortal 7
Posted: November 1, 2010 Filed under: Blade of the Immortal Leave a comment »Hiroaki Samura – Dark Horse – 2001 – 26+ volumes
The plot has… moved in a different direction, but is no less interesting. Manji and Rin are still paired with the rogue organization after Anotsu. Manji comes up with any number of excellent reasons not to trust them, but Rin seems to want to go along with them. They’ve got a plan and a grudge, which Rin is all right with.
There is another moral crisis towards the end of the book, when Rin sees one of the organization’s more ruthless assassins in action. It’s… less of a moral and more of a ruthless slaughter, actually, but while the intent of both parties is death, in this case it’s a question of mercy.
I’m still missing Manji a little, though his observations at the beginning of the book and the way he comes through at the end are pretty choice. And for over-the-top action, I can’t argue with that last sequence, though we have the assassin to thank for that, less than Manji. And by “thank,” I mean… wow. That scene was pretty brutal.
I also liked the cover that Anotsu threw up to cover his escape. He used decoys, and the decoy method was excellent. Very… unlike this series, if that’s even possible. And the hunt for the decoys was even better. Very intense.
I liked this volume a lot better than the last, but it still feels like it’s in a transitional period. I don’t mind, now, since there is much less talking, but I’m eager to see where it moves on from here.
