MANGA REVIEW | "Yaiba: Samurai Legend" - Volume One
Before the character of Shinichi Kudo and his Conan Edogawa pseudonym came to be, Gosho Aoyama was already making waves in the manga realm. On top of winning the Shinjin Comic Taisho award for newcomers with Chotto Mattete, Aoyama became a household name thanks to his 1988 series Yaiba: Samurai Legend. Not only did it get an anime adaptation, but it also received a remake this past year (which you can watch on Netflix and Hulu each week). After nearly forty years since it first debuted in Japan, Yaiba and his friends have finally found their way into the English-speaking world with the release of the original manga.
But tell me if you’ve heard this one before: a spiky-haired kid who is also a master fighter. He’s never seen a girl in his entire life until just recently. The boy goes on a quest to find a mysterious power, one that will vanquish a great evil that now roams the planet. And as the journey goes on, the friend, ally, and enemy count rise like the temperatures of a hot Tokyo summer.
No doubt Aoyama was a tiny bit influenced by Akira Toriyama and his little Saiyan friend Goku, as his titular character shares a lot of similar traits. (Hell, he’s even got his appetite!) Thankfully, there are enough differences in Yaiba: Samurai Legend that make it stand out from Dragon Ball. For one thing, Yaiba is first thrust into the normal world, as he finds himself interested in going to school with his new friend Sayaka. And with him moving into her home after his dad runs off on another journey, Yaiba gets a taste of what modern society is like, since he spent most of his time in the jungles.
However, when tough student Onimaru appears, the manga goes right into adventure mode. After Onimaru becomes a demon and takes over all of Tokyo, Yaiba and a reluctant Sayaka head out to find Musashi Miyamoto, a master swordsman. Keeper of the legendary Fujinken, Miyamoto is shocked to find that Yaiba can grasp the sword. The question is, can Yaiba handle the godly powers from within?
A lot is covered in the first 23 chapters of Yaiba: Samurai Legend. What starts as a silly rival between a tough student and a wacky newcomer evolves into a good old-fashioned tale of saving humanity. The urge to beat Yaiba makes Onimaru transform into a demon, with a little help from a magic god-like sword. We also see our first mid-boss villain in the form of Geroda, a frog with insane tongue skills. (He’s also kind to the opposite sex, with manners that even Yaiba can learn a thing or two from.)
There are two aspects where this manga shines. For starters, the action sequences drawn by Aoyama are delightfully detailed. Whether it’s a kendo fight with a school captain, a battle in heavy traffic, or even a match between sword and frog tongue, these scenes are shown with a cinematic touch. Not only do they look like solid storyboards for epic fights, but they also manage to capture a strong level of excitement with every slash and kick thrown.
The other element is its sense of humor. There’s excellent comedic timing of its jokes, some old-school Showa-era physical humor, and a plethora of funny faces thrown by Yaiba towards his friends and enemies. This is a series that wants its readers to have a good time, as it throws smart, stupid, and perverted gags at a nearly flawless degree. Even if you’ve seen these silly bits before, they’re shown in a way that’ll still manage to get a laugh out of you.
Yaiba: Samurai Legend might not be original, but it does a lot of things right. There’s great action, a lot of likable characters, and even a solid dose of comedy. I have no idea why it took nearly 40 years for this manga to finally come to the West, but a late release is better than no release at all. So whether you’ve watched the recent remake or are going into it blindly, Yaiba: Samurai Legend will entertain your eyeballs, your funny bone, and your brain with many of its cutthroat traits.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
