Kagurabachi vol. 1

To say that Chihiro Rokuhira’s dad, Kunishige, was something of a living legend is to still sell the man short.  He was, after all, the legendary swordsmith who forged six magical swords of such power that they were used to bring an end to the Seitei War.  Kunishige took ownership of the swords after the war and resumed his practice of swordsmithing while teaching Chihiro the ropes along the way.  Until he was brutally murdered by an unknown group of sorcerers and his swords were stolen.  Now Chihiro is out for revenge, and to ensure that his father’s swords are not used to cut down innocents.

“Kagurabachi” has been getting some buzz as a potential standard bearer for this current generation of Shonen Jump.  Which couldn’t come at a better time for the magazine as longtime hits like “My Hero Academia” and “Jujutsu Kaisen” both wrapped up last year.  Unfortunately it comes off as something that will be of primary interest to the magazine’s younger demographic, the kind of audience that is likely to be a lot less discriminating about their revenge stories.

Taciturn protagonist with a special sword and the skills to use it?  Check.  Quick-witted sidekick with his own special skills and history with his dad?  Check.  Adorable moppet that needs protecting due to her plot-critical knowledge and skills?  Check.  A bunch of bad-guy sorcerers with wicked powers and dispositions to match?  Checks for days based on this first volume.  What I’m saying here is that if you’ve been reading manga and comics (and consuming media of the “John Wick” variet) for as long as I have, you’re already familiar with everything this first volume has to offer.

I will say that mangaka Takeru Hokazono does execute this all well.  He has a decent eye for style and the action and storytelling cut a quick pace throughout this first volume.  There is also at least some minor novelty in setting a story featuring magical  swords and sorcerers in present-day Tokyo.  Except that if I’m in the mood for some cross-era pollination of sensibilities, there’s always “Blade of the Immortal.”  I realize it’s unfair to invoke the name of one of manga (and comics’) all-time greats in comparison here, but this first volume of “Kagurabach” just didn’t do anything for me.  If I ever come back to this series again, it’ll likely be because I really needed to write about some manga for this blog.