Key takeaways from Manga Recommendation – Blade of the Immortal:
- Blade of the Immortal is a supernatural samurai manga with historical elements that was serialized in the Afternoon magazine from June 1993 to December 2012 and has 207 chapters or 30 volumes.
- The manga follows Manji, an infamous swordsman cursed with immortality, and Rin Asano, a 16-year-old girl seeking revenge against the people who killed her parents. Together, they embark on a journey filled with edgy and gritty action, emotional moments, and character development.
- Blade of the Immortal has a good plot, characters, and art, making it a must-read for those who enjoy samurai action and are looking for a manga that strikes a balance between edginess and emotional depth. While the anime adaptations don’t do justice to the manga, the Liden Films version is recommended over the other.
The name of this series sounds very edgy, right? Well, that is pretty much what I expected walking into this manga. I did not expect to be taken for a whole ride. Blade of the Immortal is edgy, don’t get me wrong, but, it is so much more than that too. I actually really like the balance this manga has achieved between edginess and an actual emotional story.
So welcome back to another edition of our manga recommendation series! This week we are talking about Blade of the Immortal. If you want edgy 90s samurai action, this is the right manga for ya. That is this manga’s main appeal. So let’s get started right away.
Introduction
Blade of the Immortal by Samura Hiroaki is a supernatural samurai manga with some historical elements mixed in. It was in the Afternoon magazine from June 1993 to December 2012. It is 207 chapters or 30 volumes long; which is quite substantial. The manga does have two versions of anime adaptations; I’d recommend watching the Liden Films one since the other one is pretty bad. Neither of the adaptations does the manga justice but the Liden Films one is decent at the very least.
Plot
The manga follows Manji, an infamous swordsman who once killed 100 innocent people. An 800-year-old nun puts a curse of immortality on him and agrees to break it once he has killed 1000 bad people to atone for his sins. Soon after this, Manji meets Rin Asano, a 16-year-old girl seeking revenge against the people who killed her parents. After some persuasion, Manji agrees to protect her for 4 years and they start off on their journey.
The plot reeks of 90s action films, right? As I said earlier, that is basically the main selling point of this manga. It is very edgy, very gritty, and gets emotional where it needs to. That is precisely what I was looking for when I picked this up and admittedly, it was much better than I expected it to be.
Characters
We mostly get to see Manji and Rin so of course they get the most character development. Rin probably gets a little more development than Manji but, Manji’s character really starts to grow on you as you start to understand his motivations. There are a lot of side characters but, they come and go as the manga progresses. Only a few side characters stick around for the long run.
Art
Check out the manga on Amazon!!
I promised you edgy samurai action, Blade of the Immortal is edgy samurai action and the art really reflects that philosophy. The art is dark, and gritty and can get really detailed in important scenes. The fight scenes and stuff like that are really well done. I really like this art style.
Why should you read Blade of the Immortal?
Quick pointers on why you should check out this manga:
- Good plot
- Good characters
- Awesome art
- Edgy af
Conclusion
That is all for now. Let me know what you guys think in the comments below. Blade of the Immortal is a pretty cool manga and if you’re looking for some samurai action, I will more than satisfy that itch. With that said, I will take my leave here. See ya!
