Shounen Orient by Shinobu Ohtaka

[Ice]

Such an amazing cover....I really like the color mottif as well.

 

[Ryuusu]

Chapter 38

Spoiler

--- Double Post Merged, Mar 22, 2019, Original Post Date: Mar 15, 2019 ---

Chapter 39

Spoiler

 

[Ice]

Yaaaaaas bravo orient for selling so many copies!!!! I loooove this manga!

Is this DE I am witnessing?????

Any idea when will we get the manga in English?

 

[Ryuusu]

Yaaaaaas bravo orient for selling so many copies!!!! I loooove this manga!

Is this DE I am witnessing?????

Any idea when will we get the manga in English?

❃The Ironflower❃

Engineer English/Español/日本語 I like: Yu-Gi-Oh! DM, Magi&SNB, Naruto, Star Wars, AOT, and others Main OTPs: Revolutionshipping/Vanishshipping (YGO DM), SinSeren (Magi: SnB), Ulquihime (Bleach),...

itsdanystormborn.tumblr.com

This Tumblr user has been kind enough to translate the chapters since sense scans is a bit behind. Just check the #orient tag.

It is similar to DE isn't it? But it's more like the "Goddess" is temporarily possessing Musashi to allow him to use her power.

 

[Ice]

Thank you sooo much!!!
But ai also meant if there is any word about the manga getting listened and released in English?

It looks glorious! Musashi looks glorious

 

[Ryuusu]

Chapter 40

Spoiler

--- Double Post Merged, Mar 28, 2019, Original Post Date: Mar 28, 2019 ---

Thank you sooo much!!!
But ai also meant if there is any word about the manga getting listened and released in English?

It looks glorious! Musashi looks glorious

I'm not entirely sure when. Sorry :<

 

[cody]

Thank you sooo much!!!
But ai also meant if there is any word about the manga getting listened and released in English?

It looks glorious! Musashi looks glorious

I'm surprised it hasn't been licensed yet.

 

[Samurai Rider]

Chapter 37

Loving all these weird setpieces in this series, Samurai storming into Tatsuyama like a motorcycle gang, the Takeda swarming Engoku Tengu, the tsunami of Kodama on land and now these space time shenanigans. Ohtaka seems to be having fun drawing all this crazy stuff. This reality warping ability is quite reminiscent of King Solomon’s magic, it’s going to be interesting for an antagonist to have that kind of power. Damn that panel of Shirou smiling and waving at the Bushi falling to their deaths, what a douchebag.

Shirou seems to embody some of the philosophy of Nietzsche;
“To become the strongest Bushi… to hold the strongest Kitetsu sword with your own hands, and fight!!”
“You need nothing more than that”

Reminded me of this statement by Nietzsche “This world is the will to power and nothing besides! And you yourselves are also this will to power and nothing besides!”
The will to power being the belief that all life seeks to expand their influence through achievement, ambition and attaining the highest possible position in life.

Shirou also exhibits master morality, which values things like power, courage, pride as good and considers things like weakness and cowardice as bad. Which would explain why Shirou was pleased when Kojiro faced him down alone to save the others and lost interest in the other Bushi for running away. Master morality also weighs actions with a consequentialist mindset, similar to how Shirou said to Musashi he could become strong by becoming an Iron Oni Blade and that the form his strength takes doesn’t matter as long as he achieves it, in chapter 27.

Shirou also displays some slave morality, Nietchze didn’t care for Christianity, he believed many biblical principles were created by people who were too weak to fight for what they truly wanted and demonized what they couldn’t have/what people stronger than them possessed and glorified what they did have, becoming an inversion of master morality. So not being able to take revenge turned into forgiveness, submission became obedience etc

Though Shirou seems to be a Christian he doesn’t seem to have any problems lying and killing people so he doesn’t seem to be completely beholden to the doctrine, Nietchze did think it was possible for an individual to invoke both master and slave (herd) morality. Going off the naming scheme for Shirou and Nanao as well as this paper that came with volume 4 of Orient depicting them with what appears to be slave collars, it’s possible these two are slaves or were slaves previously.

Spoiler

Shirou also shares some similarities with Nietzche’s concepts of the higher man, an individual with a unifying project which for Shirou seems to be creating the strongest Iron Oni blade, consumed by the drive to actualize their goals the higher man requires solitude and relies upon himself unlike the herd who must cling to others to survive. This hyper individualism fits with Shirou’s way of being a Bushi.

A couple more quotes from Nietzsche, this one is in regards to art; “An enhancement of the feeling of life, a stimulant to it” Nietzsche thought of art as a way of revitalization. Similar to how in chapter 20 Shirou put all those Iron Oni swords on display to put himself in a good mood.

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster”
Not just how he carelessly kills his fellow humans and how strong he is, but also how he searches for “ingredients” similar to the way Kishin/Oni seek out metal to consume and grow stronger(at least Engoku Tengu) he’s even been liken to Kishin/Oni by other characters atleast twice now.

Chapter 38

The Obsidian Goddess’s appearance in this chapter has a halo similar to Engoku Tengu. That double spread with all the Bushi surrounding Musashi was quite reminiscence of the Divine Comedy's Empyrean, the highest Heaven where God is surrounded by angels. It’s also similar to an image of a Mandala, they are meant to symbolise unity and harmony. Unity also ties back to the first point.

Spoiler

“the empyrean domain where human will and God's will became as one”

That’s a big leap to go from not being able to use a Iron Oni Sword to seemingly being able to control every sword in the area, way too overpowered. But I guess I’ll wait and see how it transpires, Ohtaka could be invoking the “A Taste of Power” trope or something. Despite my problems with this development I’ve got to say that page where the Obsidian Goddess steals Shirou’s sword away was pretty damn cool. Would be nice if Musashi kept the long hair so he could get a more traditional Samurai hair cut.

Chapter 39

Been awhile since the last colour page, a shame it’s just reusing a volume cover again though. I guess Ohtaka’s colouring method must be pretty time consuming.

Musashi’s crystals are still black instead of red and we haven’t seen the rest of the flashback of Jisai’s death which was in the first trial. I guess when he first used an Iron Oni blade that was his own power which was why the crystals weren’t black but during his second trial the Goddess interfered or woke up. So after she falls sleep again his normal crystal colour should return. People with black crystals sound like a combination of the gravitational/magnetic powers of the Black Djinn and the ability to control the power source of the setting like the Magi. Also it does seem like this huge power spike is only temporary so that’s good.

The team attack here is pretty similar to the Hekiten Kakuyoku the Takeda used against Engoku Tengu, also that circuit board like effect with the circles connecting to each other is also seen on the scroll in chapter 7 next to page with the three Bushi.

Chapter 40

The Obsidian Goddess seems to be using a similar attack to the one Musashi used when he first used an Iron Oni Blade, I like the juxtaposition between Musashi doing that attack by himself in chapter 19 and the attack here in chapter 40. The overwhelming difference in power helps convey the idea that people are stronger when working together that was put forth by Naotora in chapter 4 as well as the Obsidian Goddess and Musashi recently. I just wish the Bushi were doing this by their own will instead of getting their bodies (or swords rather) hijacked.

Jisai was originally the vessel for the Obsidian Goddess and according to Nanao he’s “the scum of this world” putting aside the fact two aren’t exactly upstanding individuals themselves, it would be interesting if Jisai wasn’t exactly a righteous person despite being a positive influence in Musashi’s life. I can see how some people in universe would view him in a bad light since he had this great power that could be used to destroy the Kishin yet he seemingly went into hiding instead, the Obsidian Goddess did seem to imply he was planning on doing something though. Very intrigued, can’t wait to learn more about Jisai.

 

[Ice]

^Wow what an amazing post :3

I can't wait for the manga to be licensed in English.

I really like this manga!!! who is gonna be on vol.5?

 

[Samurai Rider]

^Wow what an amazing post :3

I can't wait for the manga to be licensed in English.

I really like this manga!!! who is gonna be on vol.5?

The volumes tend to have around nine to ten chapters excluding the first volume because the beginning chapters had longer page counts, so volume 5 might contain chapters 33 to 42. Obsidian Goddess seems to be the most likely candidate for the volume 5 cover given her importance in those chapters so either her regular form or her appearance while possessing Musashi. Jisai could also be a possibility since most of the actions taken by the characters here can be linked back to him even Shirou and Nanao as shown in chapter 40. Lastly in chapter 34 we have the main trio come together as a team (page 334) so Ohtaka could give us a cover with multiple characters like Magi volume 11, I doubt Nanao will get the cover having already appeared in the volume 4 back cover.

Spoiler

Really nice colour scheme btw.


Chapter 41

The memorial service for the Bushi here is similar to the gravesite for the fallen samurai in the influential movie Seven Samurai. It kind of retroactively makes Shirou’s first appearance quite sinister where he surrounded himself with the swords of people he has killed and is admiring them for how beautiful they are.

Spoiler

The girl Musashi is looking at on page 306 grieving in front of those two swords I wonder if that’s meant to be the child of the man and woman Shirou pushed out of the way next to Musashi in chapter 37 page 351. Nice detail if that’s the case. That same girl is seen carrying those swords later in the chapter similar to those two girls Kojiro saved in chapter 25, this explains why they were so protective of those swords they were carrying. Another link could be Musashi seeing himself in the girl, orphaned just like he was in chapter 29.

Glad it focused on the deaths here, a couple members of the Takeda died durning the battle with Engoku Tengu and apart from being a wake up call for Kojiro that being a Bush is dangerous, they weren’t shown again. I get it would have been too much of a downer to focus on deaths so early into the series and the Takeda probably took care of that off screen since it’s mentioned they stayed in Tatsuyama for awhile but maybe a little cut away to the fallen while that Oni follower was talking about how Bushi are just heading to an early grave.

Nice panel on page 306 of people grieving, one person sharing a drink with the decreased, another praying and a elderly person distraught while someone else is worrying about her. Would have been cool to add a couple broken swords there since I’m pretty sure Shirou did break some of them durning the fight. Being left with a destroyed memento would have been an even bigger gut punch.

Interesting how Tsugumi had a pretty pragmatic view on death, characters in shonen or similar media tend to have an idealistic view of these things, “the dead will live on in our hearts” or “the decreased are always watching over us”. Magi had something similar to the latter point worked into the setting. I like Musashi’s declamation on the dead living on through passing on their ideals to other people, legacy as a form of immortality.

Musashi looking like he came out of Kingdom Hearts in that double spread. Finally Musashi has his own sword though it doesn’t look like the one from the promo image unless that part with the flaming pattern is some elaborate sheath, but I guess it’s possible Ohtaka just decided to change it. It does look pretty similar to his old weapon so maybe she wanted to reincorporate some aspects of it and Ohtaka did change Shirou’s cross necklace and gave him that sword holder on his back that he didn’t have in his debut (chapter 20).

Spoiler

Like the Kishin Agyo-Ungyo meaning beginning and end, there’s seems to be some duality here with the memorial service for the fallen Bushi marking their end and Musashi’s trial of the blade marking his beginning as a proper Bushi. I guess it’s also worth noting that one of the instrument being played here is called a Shō, which is said to convey the call of a phoenix and the tubes are arranged symbolically in the form of folded phoenix wings. Dat smile, love that last panel.

 

[Ice]

Wow the back cover is amazing <3


It's been almost a year since Orient started publication!! <3

 

[Haya-san]

Spoilers for ch 44&45. I thought it was worth posting that who could be this manga’s Kougyoku finally made her entrance:

Spoiler

Spoiler

She’s a princess, a warrior, a shut-in, not good at starting a conversation and it seems Musashi is going to be her first friend. Her name is Michiru.

This manga’s Ka Koubun?

Spoiler

With her entrance and Nanao turning out to be a girl, Musashi’s harem has gotten bigger and Ohtaka might introduce more samurai girls in the future. I don’t ship him with anyone, but I wonder who he will end up with.

Ch 42 spoiler

Spoiler

On a side note, I’m disappointed that Musashi’s aura changed from black to red, which is supposed to be rare. The idea of him being a black sheep among the samurais and overcoming his weaknesses sounded more interesting to me.

 

[Ice]

Is there any word on when will the manga be licensed in English? Any news? suggestions?

 

[Haya-san]

Is there any word on when will the manga be licensed in English? Any news? suggestions?

Some months ago, the official twitter account responded to a question regarding that. They said there aren't any plans to release the Englisg version as of yet, but they plan to 'gradually expand overseas':


Orient is usually not in the Magazine top 10 and volume sales, while not bad, aren't remarkable. Last time I checked, an Orient volume is selling about 10-15% of what a Magi volume used to sell during the time of the final arc. An anime adaption might help boost the sales and encourage Kodansha to release it overseas.

 

[Laminariales]

The latest chapter was good, at last a chapter that feels like 20 page, I have high expectations for the next arc: kojiro's dad mystery with the uesugi bushidan + The first kishin + and the insignificant looking Inuda guy is coming

Michiru design is the best so far, although not a fan of the hair horns every girl seams to have for some reason

 

[Ice]

Thank you Haya-san for the response. From your experience, do you think that it will eventually be released?

I thought that sales were doing good? I remember reading smt about sales hitting the half million copies after the release of vol 4. Generally speaking how is Orient performing? Is it like Magi before the latter received its anime?
But yeah I guess the anime is always the solution to boost sales.

 

[Haya-san]

Thank you Haya-san for the response. From your experience, do you think that it will eventually be released?

IMHO, the chapters up to Musashi getting his sword might be enough for a 12 episode anime. If the the sales increased or continued to be average without dropping significantly, then Kodansha might consider an anime in an attempt to boost the sales.

I thought that sales were doing good? I remember reading smt about sales hitting the half million copies after the release of vol 4. Generally speaking how is Orient performing? Is it like Magi before the latter received its anime?
But yeah I guess the anime is always the solution to boost sales.

Volume 4 didn’t appear in the top 50 in the Oricon chart, which suggests it sold less than vol 1-3. I can imagine Kodansha had high hopes for Orient, due to the success of Magi, but the interest has decreased compared to when it was first published. I don’t know how the sales for Magi were like before the anime, so I can’t compare.

The problem with Orient is that it had a weak start and many people lost interest in it, even though the manga got more interesting as of late. It might take a while before it becomes a hit (assuming the sales won’t decrease to the point that gets it canceled)

 

[Ice]

Omg so there is a chance it gets cancelled?
Yeah that’s the thing. Animes always give the correct exposure.
I really hope sales pick up. It is such an interesting manga and knowing Ohtaka, we r in for more twists and turns. I guess this would also explain why volumes are 3 months apart now instead of two.

I want to remain hopeful. Around half a million copies sold in the first year of publication is nothing to laugh at.

 

[Haya-san]

The latest chapter was good, at last a chapter that feels like 20 page, I have high expectations for the next arc: kojiro's dad mystery with the uesugi bushidan + The first kishin + and the insignificant looking Inuda guy is coming

Michiru design is the best so far, although not a fan of the hair horns every girl seams to have for some reason

I wonder what’s up with the horns. So far, three characters have them.

Spoiler

I noticed from the silhouettes and the weapons held by each one of them that Naotora is probably not among the strongest five. In Sengoku, Uesugi and the Takeda clans were rivals.

Spoilers for ch 43. We also have this manga’s Althamen:

Spoiler

Are they ghosts? From their conversation, they seem to be family. Also, similar to the main members of Althamen, each one is named after a number. Here are the ones we know so far:

Four: Shirou Inukai (probably a homeage to Arba)
Six: Seiroku Inu?
Seven: Nanao Inusaka
Eight: Yatarou Inuda

It’s Eight’s turn to go after the main three:

Spoiler

 

[Laminariales]

I wonder what’s up with the horns. So far, three characters have them.

My guess is to make their silhouette distinguishable, the shounen rule. feels more efforts goes into the swords designs rather than the characters, they are gaudy rather than detailed, really what is with the thing on kojiro's back and what's its purpose

In my memory they were all named Inuda why,,,
from the page with numbers the guy with a hood is #1, although the leader-like is #2. Now I wonder if the numbers reflect any hierarchy within the group or they're just stray dogs gathered together.

Naotora is probably not among the strongest five

Naotora wins with the power of friendship and relying on his people. Seriously though he's excluded from the past 3-man silhouette page and now this one too. Why was he introduced? maybe the main trio will join the takedadan later on

Idk where this series is going but I hope the dogs people win