Samurai Deeper Kyo volume 1

Toady’s post is on Samurai Deeper Kyo volume 1 by  Akimine Kamijyo. It is the first in the series and is 208 pages long. It is published by Tokyopop.  The cover Kyoshiro on it with a shadow behind him of someone going to attack. The intended reader is someone who likes samurai stories, historical (sort of), and surprisingly romance; older teen and adult only. There is language, sexuality, and lots of violence in this manga. The story is told from third person god point of view with the characters thoughts being read by the reader. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- 1604 A.D. Four years after a devastating civil war, Yuya Shiina earns a living by hunting outlaws. When she captures Mibu Kyoshiro for a small bounty, she has no idea about the dark secret he carries within. Kyoshiro shares his body with the spirit of Onime-no-Kyo, a legendary assassin who has killed a thousand men.

Review- I love this manga so much. I read it 10 years ago when it was first brought here to the USA. The art is very good, the story is interesting, and the characters are intense. Yuya and Kyo are OTP to this day.  It is all about the characters to me. Yuya is a very determined young woman who wants revenge for her brother’s murder. Kyo is a jackass. He wants to be free of Kyoshiro again and be the most powerful warrior. The only reason he does not kill Yuya is she head-butts him and tells him that she will not beg for her life. If he is going to kill her then do it, otherwise get out of her way. The art plays a very big part of telling the story. Kyo’s eyes are very expressive. His face when Yuya heat-butts him is hilarious; pure disbelief. No one stands up to him like she did/does. At least no one that he thinks as weaker than himself. One thing Kyo/Kyoshiro are not the same person. They are different people from the same family. That is something that you have to remember as you are reading the series. Plus Kyo would kill anyone who thought he was anything like Kyoshiro. I do not think that Kyoshiro has an opinion about that at all.

I give this first volume a Five out of Five stars. I bought this manga with my own money many years ago and I am looking forward to rereading and falling back in love with Kyo.