The Gathering: 8 (Blade of the Immortal (Sagebrush)) [Library Binding]

In The Gathering, the seventh BoTI compilation released on western shores, Hiroaki Samura continues to experiment with his storytelling style and artwork presentation. The character interactions are slower and more involved, the artwork less showy though always superb. One can see a definite maturation of style between, say, _Blood of a Thousand_ and this graphic novel: the `death murals' are gone; the battles longer and more defined; the development of conflict more pronounced and, ultimately, more effective. But some things never change, Manji's smirk and Rin's determination among them.

This compilation contains the first half of `The Gathering' storyline, focusing mostly on Rin's hunt for Anotsu Kagehisa, leader of the Itto-Ryu. The action doesn't really start until the last third, when Manji must duke it out with three warriors in order to procure a travel pass from one prefecture to the next. This quickly evolves into one of the most violent and desperate battles so far, though the reader will have to wait for the next compilation for a climax and conclusion to the story elements presented here.

Five stars, as always.

Unlike novels in a series, which often feel the need to provide some background, these manga start right in. Without even knowing the characters' names, I was busy trying to pick up the details of the plot. Gradually I pieced together that Manji was an immortal swordsman who could not die until he killed 1000 villains. He travels with Rin, a young swordswoman, helping her track down the murderers of her parents.

'The Gathering' starts out in an inn where Manji and Rin are resting after a failed attempt on the life of Anotsu Kagehisa head of the Itto-ryu sword school. All they know is that Anotsu has left Edo for Kaga. Rin is determined to follow him, but there is a hitch. Travel in 18th Century Japan was severely restricted, and neither Manji nor Rin have the credentials to pass the checkpoints. Rin is so determined though that she ignores Manji's warnings and heads off on her own. Manji has no choice but to follow her. Their situation is complicated by the fact that they have been charged with murder and their sketches have been posted all over the path to Kaga.

This volume traces Manji and Rin's individual paths as they each try to acquire the coveted pass (tegata). True to their natures, Rin chooses the less violent path of subterfuge and Manji follows the swordsman's path. But neither finds progress easy. Without question, this is a two-volume problem.

The series is drawn with great elegance and style - much better than many of the manga I have seen. And once you figure out what exactly is going on, the story progresses smoothly. There is a great deal of depth to the characters coupled with a strong plot. The details of late 18th Century Japanese society are worth the price of admission on their own.

One thing I did find hard to follow was the depiction of fighting. With very little dialog other than sound effects these have a much different style from U.S. Comic violence. They are far more violent and have a disjointed style that takes more concentration to follow. However, this is just a matter of acclimatization. Taken as a whole, it is certainly no surprise that 'Blade of the Immortal' enjoys extensive popularity both in Japan and elsewhere.