I read this in one afternoon. Though a pretty thick book, it is a small volume, and it does read fast once you sit down to read it. This is the story of an executioner, a very important position in feudal Japan. In this first volume, he rises to the position, then finds himself in different situations that test his loyalty to his duty and conscience. The character development on this work is excellent. The stories move in a fast pace, and the plots are also well developed. I will note this is a story for adults. There is violence and sex, but it is not gratuitous, rather it is an integral part of the stories. Overall, this is one I recommend, and I will continue to look for the rest of the series. ( )

A Kurosawa movie in comic book form. That's basically what it is. ( )

Interesting. Compared to Lone Wolf and Cub there's a strange mix here. On one hand, there's less of the epic feel. On the other hand, although in Lone Wolf and Cub they tend to avoid showing any assassinations that are against innocent people (and Lone Wolf usually manages to trap those who set such situations up) there's a lot more amibuity here.

Many of the tales revolve around those being executed, with a few where the main character serves as a bit of a dective. This role is soon taken by another regular character. I'm hoping to get my hands on volume 10 soon.

A precursor to Lone Wolf and Cub, this follows the exploits of Decapitator Asaemon before his appearance in the latter series. Drawn and written with the same care and elegance, it plays less as an epic revenge story and more as a revealing sort of episodic procedural, with Asaemon intersecting with (and ending) the lives of a host of intriguing characters. ( )