Review - Satsuma Gishiden 1-3

Satsuma Gishiden Vols 1-3

Created by Hiroshi Hirata

Dark Horse Comics

I wish I had time to read more manga. Usually there is 30 or 40 volumes to the story lines and it's hard enough to keep up with everything else. I don't know how some of the kids can read a manga book in about 15 minutes. But there is some manga I pick up because it looks interesting or I really liked the anime. And when there was a Dark Horse manga sale on, I picked up the 3 volumes of a period samurai saga called Satsuma Gishiden.

These amazing books tell the tale of a samurai clan who during peace time has to lower themselves and do common labor. Eventually, the clan called upon by the shogun to work on a huge undertaking of making levies on three rivers to protect the surrounding villages. However, the clan feels this is an indirect attack on them which will keep the warriors away for years and bankrupt their savings. But due to the samurai code, the must obey the shogun and go on the journey.

Instead of following a single character, Satsuma Gishiden tells stories which focus on the ethics and principles of samurai, usually with someone committing hara-kiri at the end. The tension in the books arises when samurai who live by a strict code of honor with the reality of lowering themselves to do the shoguns bidding. The main theme of the stories relate to how a highly rigid society has to deal with a forced change.

The art is for the most part is astonishing in these books. The black ink work looks like a storyboard for a good black and white samurai movie. The action is very strong and the blood and guts are all over. One interesting thing that I haven't seen before is that some of the dialog is written in a more artistic calligraphy, and the editors did not remove this. Instead they put the translations next to the balloon with the original calligraphy.

I'm not sure if this set is necessary for libraries to own. Though the themes of honor and change are certainly not a problem, the level of violence might be a concern for some readers. Dark Horse has rated these books for ages 18+, which I think that's a little too excessive. But having these manga volumes in the adult area shouldn't raise any issues.