Akaboshi - Ibun Suikoden by AMANO Youichi

http://static.mangahelpers.com/manga-covers/2516.png
Akaboshi - Ibun Suikoden by AMANO Youichi
Use this link to search for raws, translations and scanlations easily!
Series begins in Weekly Shounen Jump 2009 #25 (release date 18 may 2009 )

About the series:
Based on the Chinese novel "Shui Hu Zhuan," about the trials and tribulations of a band of outlaws during the mid-Sung dynasty. It's 1112 and China is in turmoil due in part to the present government's inability to control its own provincial officials from preying on their people. But tales of a band of outlaws punishing these abusive officers called "Taiten Gyoudou" is spreading and their deeds are giving people hope. Suiren, a young village girl believing in the outlaws, happens to encounter one of the members of "Taiten Gyoudou" named "Falling Star" Tai Sou and thus begins their journey.

About the Author:
Not the newcomer, had some previous works before like the short running serie Over Time and several one shots like Cross Beat, Live Alive, Season Call, Usagi to Kame to Strike

Amano's color work and art in general looks great in this. It certainly looks interesting, hope to see it translated.

It seems interesting. I think I'll read when translated.

Well squirrellord's name is on the akaboshi main page. So I think he's going to pick it up as a project.

Anyway, it's definitely the manga you can't judge on its art. His (her?) art in over time was already very good. Looking at the raw made me indifferent because of that sole reason: I definitely need a story to know if I can taste this manga or not

Yeah, I was so blown away by the art that I felt compelled to do it :D
Plus, I mean, it's Suikoden. And I just love the number 108 in general >_>;

It's excessively long, so expect it tonight (I was up until 4 working on it last night as well lol).

I have high hopes for this series for many reasons.

First, I am in the mood for some wuxia.

Second, the author really impressed me with Over Time. If Over Time was launched last year, when WSJ looked for a new sports manga that will replace ES21, it certainly would have survived.

Third, I read some parts of the chinese novel, so it flatters my ego :D. Though I am not sure I want to read a series that sticks to what I read in the novel.

So, I read a litte more than half of the novel published in France (actually the first of the two volumes in La Pléïade). Even so, it is more than 1100 pages that I read. I should add that I read a French translation of the closest version to the original one written by Shi Naian and Luo Guanzhong. So, the story is uncut and more importantly uncensored. There are a lot of horrible things that happen in this version of the story and I don't know why actually I finished the first volume. Perhaps, because I like epicness with an emphatic style; Iliad by Homer was a good read.
This book is certainly the most immoral book that I have ever read (I don't say it negatively, it was interesting to see what exists at this period)
Among others, the author is very misogynous, all women acting in the novel are described as greedy creatures that cheat on their husband. There are some virtuous ones, but they are far from where the action takes place (it is just reported information given to the heroes) and only exist in the story to be arrested and killed by the civil servants that are all corrupt.
It is hard to understand why slaugthering people is an act of justice.
There are some cannibalism and my favorite scene is in an inn, where some of the heroes are drugged to be transformed into food for other customers, the inn keepers were ready to cut them into pieces when a friend arrived and told them to stop because he recognized the heroes. When the heroes woke up, the others said they were sorry and would have not done that in the first place if they had recognised them. Then, everyone became good buddies. Hmm, I laughed at this scene despite the horror of the actions of the inn keepers :eyeroll

Nice to know meromorphe, it seems you have a better insight of the story. I do wonder if it'll go along what is written in the novel. I really hope a scan comes out because it looked pretty interesting since this is definitely the manga that needs more than pictures to understand.

I read somewhere there isn't a true main character in the novel. Of course the mangake had to choose one but is that true he could have picked others too? or is that wrong?

Pretty sure that Sun Wukong wasn't the main character of Journey to the West, but he still made a pretty awesome main character in this little known manga called Dragonball ;D

---

Sorry for the double post. My friend gave up on the scan... so the translations are free for use

Ah I love the artwork,the coloring's delicious,makes me want more.I haven't read the novel of this story but it seems really good,as I like fictional historical stories~

By the way squirrelllord,isn't Son Goku the main chara in the manga Dragonball...?I think it's well known though...Or is there another version of it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Raichu

By the way squirrelllord,isn't Son Goku the main chara in the manga Dragonball...?I think it's well known though...Or is there another version of it?

---

It was a joke, a joke~
Sun Wukong (Son Goku in Japanese) was an important character in Journey to the West, but Xuánzàng is the main character. In Dragonball, based off Journey to the West, Goku was the main though.
So in this one, Dai Zong (Taisou) is the main character, but he wasn't the main in the original Suikoden (I don't think there was a main, but I'm not sure)

Chapter 1 was quite impressive. Hopefully the rest of the series leaves up to it, and lasts a long time.

I had a few problems, but most of them are things that a lot of series start off having trouble with and I can see this getting much better if it catches on and gets a chance to go anywhere.

Liking the protagonists so far.

It was pretty solid. Nothing mind blowing but eh it is the first chapter. It can get better.

I liked it, looking forward to further chapters.

Just read the scan and it seems really interesting.