Genre: Seinen
Age: 18+
Price: 14.95 US
The epic author of Lone Wolf and Cub and Lady Snowblood is back with a 414 page one shot that really showcases author Kazuo Koike as the master of manly manga.
Blood and boobies are mainstays in Koike titles, but what will make Color of Blood especially interesting for western readers is its basic plot.
Imagine "Of Mice and Men" but in this story George and Lennie find themselves in feudal Japan after escaping a slave ship, and George is a native Japanse, and Lennie is an very large and very African non-Japanese speaking man. It's probably no coincidence that the brains of the partnership is also named George. The black nail sticking out is named King.
The story starts with George and King's escape from their ship and arrival in Japan, but as perilous as slave life was, their new life on land isn't peaches and cream. King must bandage his face to hide his dark skin, and the odd couple find little peace in their journey, and this giant book showcases the discrimination and persecution the unlikely but likeable duo run into. George and Lennie, I mean George and King run into ignorance, intolerance and persecution everywhere they go, but this isn't To Kill a Mockinbird, it is Kazuo Koike, and resistance is met with a sharp sword or a heavy fist. Like all good Koike, the body count is high and no apologies are made. My biggest fear was how a seinen author would depict an huge and often angry African main character, but I feel that despite the brutality of the subject matter, Koike shows sensitivity in his character depictions.
Like Lone Wolf, George and King travel the war-torn land and end up righting wrongs and bringing true justice where there is nothing but corruption. Their Master-Blaster style of fighting is ham-fisted, but only slightly less satisfying as the mad skills of Lone Wolf or the Samurai Executioner.
Artist Seisaku Kano is not Goseki Kojima, but his style fits very well with Koike's plotlines, and it is nice seeing a Koike title in a full TPB size release.
Although issues of discrimination are touched upon, in the end this is a tale of two very different men in a very difficult situation. It could have gotten deep and political (and a little more of that wouldn't have been horrible), but in the end this is a Koike tale, where bloody battles rule the day. For my manga dollar, that policy goes a long way.
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