Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue 5 Stars Worthy Action Manga

Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue 5 Stars Worthy Action Manga
Review by Teresita Blanco

A few weeks ago, a friend from Anime Kida suggested I read Vagabond. I must admit that it was a really good Samurai or sword fighting show. The story starts with two army deserters, Takezo and Matahachi. It was their first army battle and they survived. As it always happened, since they were trainees, they only had machetes and spears to protect themselves.

The army battle ended badly. With their unit wiped out, they decided to try to return home. Working together, they managed to escape the Refugee hunters. Along the way, they ran into two bandit ladies. The ladies decided to keep them since the mother wanted to marry her daughter.

A lot of gory things happen along the way. Takezo decides to become a Vagabond since he had no were to return to. Instead of returning home, his friend Matahachi decides to ditch his fiancee and runaway with the two bandit ladies.

Anyhow... the manga really gets started after Takezo meets a weird Buddhist Priest back in his hometown. Takezo wanted to return to inform Matahachi's fiance of the strange turn of events. In that chapter, we find out more about Takezo' traumatic childhood. Takezo was forced to leave home for killing a guy at the age of 13.

Matahachi was his only friend. The only person who did not fear Takezo. As a child, Takezo got whipped into shape by his infamous samurai dad. His mother also abandoned him. All those traumas combined made Takezo a pretty depressing wild kind of weirdo.

Long story short, Takezo's guru helped him realized that he deserved to live. How he went about it is a subject of much debate. Frankly, it was far too Machiavellian for a Buddhist monk. Then again, he might have been a Zen Buddhist monk. Zen Buddhist monks like to shock your senses, by bleating you to a bloody pulp. In doing so, you realize the ultimate truth (whatever that may be). His guru also renamed him, Miyamoto Musashi.

Anyhow... this manga has a lot of cool realistic battles. The goriness is a bit over the top for my taste. I found it hilarious how epical Takezo said he would become a Vagabond, like it was a good thing. Overall, the manga is about a guy who wants to become "Invincible Under the Sun".  This means that he wants to become the best sword fighter there ever was.

In a Samson kind of fashion, Takezo fights with a club like wooden sword. This represents the rawness and brutality of his sword fighting technique. Truly, if you are into amassing sword fighting, Vagabond is the manga for you. It deserves 5 stars rating.