Manga Review: Samurai Deeper Kyo

Each one of us has read that one manga that just went on for too damned long. The longer a story drags on, the more opportunity it has to falter and develop weak spots, and many people are too busy or just don’t have the attention span to keep up. So, could there possibly be a manga that defies this unfortunate pattern? Well, if you’re willing to buckle down for a long haul, then the answer is “yes,” and it comes to us in the form of Samurai Deeper Kyo.

Four years after the famous Battle of Sekigahara, a simple medicine man named Kyoshiro Mibu is wandering the land trying to find someone to heal so he can make enough money to eat. He comes upon a woman named Yuya Shiina, a bounty hunter who intends on turning Kyoshiro in for skipping out on a restaurant bill. When the two are attacked by a demon, Yuya discovers that within Kyoshiro lies the soul of a man famous for the slaughter of a thousand men, Demon Eyes Kyo. Kyo has lost his original body and blames Kyoshiro for hiding it away from him, and decides to take over Kyoshiro’s body until he finds his original one. Yuya insists on tagging along so she can turn Kyo in since he has the highest bounty in the area, but that will be the least of their problems as their journey delves into their pasts and into shocking events that threaten to tailspin the country into war once again.

The story of Samurai Deeper Kyo is grand and full of lush settings, characters, and incredible dialogue. It never falters or gets boring, which will come as a shock when you learn that this story clocks in at a hefty 38 volumes. Despite its size, it manages to stick to what’s necessary and create enough suspense and reveal enough secrets that you’ll constantly find yourself wanting to go back and read certain volumes over again.

The story takes place during the Tokugawa regime, and the story takes that fairly seriously. Many famous historical figures such as Yukimura Sanada (the head of a famous clan) and Izumo no Okuni (the inventor of Kabuki style entertainment) are main characters, but the manga puts a fun twist on them, making Yukimura an over-the-top ladies man and Okuni desperate to see Kyo shed blood wherever he goes. If you research the history behind these people you will find the story pulled a good amount from the history books, but still made everything unique. This mixed with the series’ original characters makes for one incredible cast, and despite its length, I can honestly say I remember a good deal about every single character because they are just that memorable.

As for the art, it’s fantastic. In addition to the attractiveness of the characters (and the fun and wackiness of some of their designs) and the splendor of the backgrounds, the fight scenes are presented in a fast-paced and exciting manner, featuring many two-page spreads for some of the more awe-inspiring techniques.

So we’ve got great visuals and memorable characters, but what about the story? It’s a downright perfect mix of action, suspense, horror, comedy, and a touch of romance, spiced with some incredible reveals of characters’ pasts, secret identities, hidden feelings, and so much more. The comedy in particular is enjoyable, and guys who like their serious adventures spiked with some fanservice will definitely get a kick out of this manga. In addition to all that, the story goes on for a little over 300 chapters and manages to never waver in quality, leave characters in the dust, or get off track.

If you’re worried about losing track yourself of where the story has gone however, each volume starts off with a summary, character relationship map, and a brief overview of where each character is at the moment, which can be extremely useful. There are also a HUGE amount of joke comic strips in the back of each volume that are hilarious, and each volume is also packed with fanart from both America and Japan, as well as notes and musings from Akimine Kamijyo, the creator of the manga. There is even a small mini-series in the later batch of books that feature the main characters in a modern-day high school setting, which also gives a lot of laughs.

The only gripe I have with this manga is a gripe you see me talk about a lot; the tiny text when people have flashbacks or when characters are speaking in the background of a scene. Kyo is very guilty of this; towards the end of the manga they have a few instances where an entire page is turned into a collage of past moments, and the more they jam into the page, the harder it becomes to read all of the text.

Despite that one qualm that I harp on oh-so often with manga, Samurai Deeper Kyo is an incredible masterpiece that will leave you breathless and begging for more. It may be long, but every bit of it is good, solid, quality stuff jam-packed with extras from the creator, who truly loves his creation and his fans. No matter what kind of manga fan you are, this is one title you should not miss out on!

ENJOYMENT
My favorite manga of all time, by far!

RECOMMENDATION VALUE
Yes. Just go and read it, right now!

REREAD VALUE
You’ll never get bored reading it over again, although it IS pretty long