Keiji at Mangetsu makes Japanese history bleed

engela · 2021-09-09 04:50:22

Through the first two volumes of Keiji, Mangetsu proposes to find the designer of the famous and bloody story Ken the survivor (Hokuto no Ken) but in the register of historical manga. Has Tetsuo Hana lost his bite by diving into the past?

At the birth of the samurai
Keiji happening in Japan of the XVI th century and tells us the life of the greatest kabuki-mono. These flamboyant warriors loved to don outfits far removed from the austerity that prevailed during those dark times. It is the one who will show his fortune the most through his outfits or during parties in geisha inns. With the same publisher, Chiruranrecounts the last outbursts of this warrior caste as Keiji shows this group in full power. Keiji is a horseman who fully participates in the war between rival lords. Maps and short texts before the chapters help the reader not to get lost in the different clans. In addition, the series begins with duels to present this society of warriors and its codes so particular before switching to major battles at the end of the first volume. We discover court intrigues but above all an often haughty caste with the peasants. Very susceptible to honor, these warriors fight and jealousy, including between soldiers from the same camp.

Tetsuo Hara is made for this story. True to his style, the designer multiplies the details in each box and does not hesitate to be excessive in the expressions of the characters. He also knows how to adapt to the times by transcribing the flamboyance of the armor where feathers are added to the many decorations. Even in black and white, the reader sees the opulence of the lords' interiors. To properly describe this period, the designer called on Keiichirô Ryû. Alas, very old, the screenwriter could only realize the first chapter before being replaced by Mio Asô.

A wild story
The hero of this series, Keiji Maeda, works for the Takigawa clan. He is one of the leaders of the seigneurial army, but he is a rebel. Rather than training, he organizes dog fights with the pets of his masters. He even refuses a mission. To illustrate this attitude, Tetsuo Hara spurts the blood from the first chapter. The sabers go through the heads and cut the bodies into slices. It highlights these muscular bodies but covered with scars in a very homoerotic atmosphere.

We find exuberance in Tetsuo Hara's representation of violence. Indeed, it does not have a clean style but fiery like the violence of the time. However, reading is not made for the youngest with quite gory scenes. A little girl cuts and collects ears for her master. Nature is also wild because a black horse escapes hunters by exploding their heads with its hooves.

Keiji's servant looks like a demon and shows that one leaves historical realism to approach the fantastic. Ninjas disappear in the mist or hide in impossible disguises. The drawing is not more realistic by impossible fights between giant adversaries.

The biography of an (anti-) hero
Keiji is not a hagiography because this warrior is not a saint. Arrogant, he does not listen to any advice when deciding to train a horse feared by everyone. A general kept the mark of a previous attempt on the face but Keiji will have the patience to be loved by this devil stallion. Indeed, the kabuki-mono is also a great charmer whose magnetism attracts animals but especially women and men. He is also a thief when he needs something. By his crazy outfits, he is very close to a glam rock singer. Further on, a clever visual camouflage conceals a tactic that is shocking to say the least to other fighters but adds grotesque humor to the series. A group of secondary characters gradually builds up around him and follows him in his many adventures:

With Keiji, the reader follows the fighting in a country in civil war dominated by warriors. This series is therefore much more than the biography of a flamboyant warrior because it offers a gallery of characters, each more original than the next. Also with The Mandala of Fire , Mangetsu launches deep into historical manga as the reader will soon have the chance to step into the world of women with an upcoming series on geishas.

To discover more about the history of Japan, you can follow our chronicles on the Fire Mandala and Chiruran .
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#1 2021-09-09 04:50:22

Keiji at Mangetsu makes Japanese history bleed

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