The Rendition Experience

This time I am to talk about Japanese manga books. I have been a fan of the Lone Wolf and Cub movies for a while and I started buying this manga for my fiancé. It has become a tradition with every celebration he gets one of these. It wasn’t till last month when I had a book break that I started reading these little manga books in between my regular books.

Yamada Asaemon is not really the Shogun’s executioner unlike what the name may suggest. Technically he is the sword tester. He is a Ronin but he works for the Shogunate on a regular basis. He is already a brilliant swordsmaster but in order to start his career as the sword tester, he needs to cut through a living body. This living body was his own father who ordered Asaemon to cut through him to get the feel for it and become the best. Only the first story and it already goes into extreme Japanese mental-ness.

The short stories happen in the period of feudal japan portraying tales that would not be seen in your average history book (not so graphically). All the comics I have read so far have an impressive consideration to the historical details. Asaemon is flawless in respect to code of conduct and honour despite the dodgy nature of his work that sometimes requires him to execute criminals. He is a fierce advocate who happens to have a sword.

I felt very surprised in book 2 where he gets harassed by a woman whose brother he executed. The man he killed happened to be innocent and Asaemon goes on a big mission to ensure that the police only send people to be executed if there is clear proof that they are guilty because he does his work based on trust and he needs to be confident that they are guilty when he executes them despite them screaming innocence upon their death hour.
I’ve only read three so far. The fantastic drawings and the history lessons make the comics worthwhile but Asaemon is the cherry of coolness on my triple chocolate sundae.
V.