Shounen Orient by Shinobu Ohtaka

[Theforsakensoul]

http://sensescans.com/reader/read/orient/en/0/3/page/1

Heres the translated chapter

 

[Eastgrove]

http://sensescans.com/reader/read/orient/en/0/2/page/21

Ohtaka Lessons: Pine trees are useful for giving a sense of scale.

The second chapter is so weird. The boss oni's struggle with Kojiro over his sword is hilarious to look at. The boss barely seems to register what is happening, yet despite it's size manages to be downright gentle with him.

I'm a little confused. Bushi were regarded as villains in the previous chapter. In the 2nd chapter, they're literally forced to walk around with swords and made fun of. The oni boss didn't really act like it was threatened, but it gave a retreat order in the previous chapter. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the priests were the ones in charge, since the oni seem to lack any intelligence and don't communicate with people at all.

And suddenly hundreds of guys on motorcycles show up. I don't even know what's going on anymore. I thought Bushi would almost be downright mythical figures from the impression the first two chapters gave, and now there's literally an army of them popping up on the same day as the protagonist pair decide to go on their journey.

I wouldn't be surprised if they save the world in the next chapter and the series ends. What is Ohtaka thinking? I'd almost say she's making a parody, but this isn't a very humorous series. If something is funny, it's because it's accidental, and I just find that sad more than anything.

...It's almost like Ohtaka is trying to avoid things making sense. Avoid clear development and character/plot progression. I wonder if she'll try to keep things escalating forever with no breaks without really explaining things? Will the motorcycles turn into mecha in the next chapter? Will the mecha merge together to form an even bigger motorcycle that will then turn into a bigger mecha? Cuz why the heck not?

 

[Laminariales]

The second chapter is so weird. The boss oni's struggle with Kojiro over his sword is hilarious to look at. The boss barely seems to register what is happening, yet despite it's size manages to be downright gentle with him.

LOL I was like eat both! or are human yucky tasting just burn them

About the setting, yes it's still unclear on both humans and demons sides, but for now: Oni, literally demons, are the mythical beings, overwhelmed humans and now rule them, ironically priests like people worship them too (there could be classes for demons and more intelligent/articulate ones to show up)

The bushi/samurai are merely humans who rose in resistance, but since demons had already won and officially humans obey them they're nothing but rebels. Even other humans ridicule them, and we know nothing of their magic/technology. They aren't a villains in the story but outlaws on the eyes of the normal humans/miners people. Also I don't think there is only one bushidan/faction,

 

[Haya-san]

I've been thinking, what if it turned out that the oni didn't invade Japan, but were summoned by humans? Everyone is worshipping them and afraid of them, and those who are fighting against them are treated as outlaws by humans. Maybe whoever is ruling Japan right now summoned them by some ritual to get rid of their political rivals and enslave the people? Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I've seen similar twists to this one.

Also, what do you think of the Takeda clan and their leader? Ohtaka put a lot of effort into designing them. Being the leader of one of the bushidans indicates that Naotora could become a major character, but I wonder how he ranks among the others...

Magi spoilers:

Spoiler

or there's also the possibility that this bushidan is going to be like Layla and Sahsa, and we won't see them again until the final arc after the main duo part ways with them.

 

[Eastgrove]

Ohtaka's ability to design characters is well developed at this point, so the importance of a character can't be assumed based on how they look. I think it remains to be seen if she hasn't become jaded and won't treat her creations as disposable. Like some people were frustrated by her apparent unwillingness to kill characters off in Magi, even if it would have been really good for the story due to the set up she'd spent years on. She might grow out of that and go the opposite direction in response.

Speaking of Magi, I'll add that the Oni are harken back to the problems I had with the latter half of the series; big stupid monsters. They are not compelling opponents, lacking reason and stakes. When two people fight each other, there's actually something on the line, along with the clash of personalities.

 

[Laminariales]

I've been thinking, what if it turned out that the oni didn't invade Japan, but were summoned by humans? Everyone is worshipping them and afraid of them, and those who are fighting against them are treated as outlaws by humans. Maybe whoever is ruling Japan right now summoned them by some ritual to get rid of their political rivals and enslave the people? Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I've seen similar twists to this one.

That's very plausible and encompass the lateral definition of oni, but I l wonder if ohtaka take more than the superficial concept and run wild with it. Also if the demons were summoned long ago we'll have someone like an old mage deep in dark magic

Also, what do you think of the Takeda clan and their leader? Ohtaka put a lot of effort into designing them. Being the leader of one of the bushidans indicates that Naotora could become a major character, but I wonder how he ranks among the others...

Yup ohtaka is always flashy (enter: sche party) still I think they'll be constant characters, Next chapter: all burn to crisp

Speaking of Magi, I'll add that the Oni are harken back to the problems I had with the latter half of the series; big stupid monsters. They are not compelling opponents, lacking reason and stakes. When two people fight each other, there's actually something on the line, along with the clash of personalities.

I think it's better at this stage to have mob enemies though, if an actual character revealed themselves, regardless if the MCs win or lose the shounen power ups management would become tricky. I do hope that we at least see some shadows of the world leaders soon....

 

[crystalblade13]

I haven't really been around to talk about the chapters before this point, but here I am!

So...man. Where to start? The characters I suppose. We haven't really gotten the full scope at all yet, but they seem to be the "surface level simple" type characters, who most likely have more to them under the surface. Remember pre-balbad alibaba? I can definelty see a deeper dive with kojiro when we further establish his fathers history. Was he killed for being a bushi? I think there's a lot of room for interesting developments with him. We are only 3 chapters in you know. With musashi, I was thinking he was pretty typical, and he still is. But I do enjoy his tenacity, and crazed devotion to his ideals, could make for a good psycho-trigger lol. Still, it seems we have a long way to go before these characters start to really come into themselves. I'm interested in the new bushi introduced in chapter 3 from their designs alone.

Now the world. It's pretty damn limited right now, as we have been in one contained area for these first 3 chapters. Seems like some brainwashing has gone on in these locations to keep the workers from knowing the truth of the world. It has been handled a little sloppily, as I find it unlikely that the workers wouldn't have known SOMETHING about the demons being evil, since they seem to act pretty damn evil XD. I will say that there is a lot of potential here with full blown demon run societies and overthrowing a demon world order. If ohtaka wants to take it on a more serious route.

One thing I gotta commend is THE ART though. It's clear ohtaka is having a blast drawing this. The dynamic action scenes with the pickaxe, the super detailed double-page hogging demon, this has really been a feast for the eyes. I hope she keeps delivering here!

So far this is looking like a fun ride. It's not coming across as being as serous or thought provoking as magi. But it's got a lot of potential to just be a lot of fun. And ya never know, a twist could send it in a more serous direction. You never know. It's nice that it feels different from magi though as a story. Glad ohtaka is branching out.

As for negatives, it's just really oddly paced right now. we jumped straight into a colossal boss battle, there's already an insane scale, we have bikes coming in out of no where, and this is all before a proper reveal of the world. It's just a bit jarring. But I'm willing to bet ohtaka will slow down and let us get our bearings after this, so I'm not TOO worried right now.

So in conclusion, it's been a pretty darn fun manga so far. Nothing too deep, and there's room for improvement. But we are just 3 chapters in, so let's see where this goes!

 

[Demonspeed]

So Ohtaka changed the gender of one of the historical characters already .

Yeah, the action scenes are more fluid than in Magi so far. Chapter 3 was average, Musashi is a nutjob. I feel like there are more characters like this lately.

I wonder, would he accept to join the Takeda group or refuse to create his own along with Musashi?

 

[Haya-san]

Ch 4 spoiler images:

Spoiler

Spoiler

Short summary:

Spoiler

The girl of the Takeda clan captures Musashi with a whip-like magical weapon and brings him to their side. Naotora tells him to run away, but Musashi refuses, which earns him a scolding that he was no match for that kishin. Musashi overpowers his bindings, drawing blood, and runs away. Naotora tells the others to leave him be, since he won't make it before their technique that will destroy the kishin. The samurais bind the kishin by the legs, mentioning that they confirmed the kishin's weak point and begins the countdown until the secret technique is fired.

Musashi makes it to the cliff and strikes the ground with his pickaxe, creating an earthquake that casuses the kishin to fall and the Takeda's secret technique to miss. He then jumps to the kishin's stomach, but falters when he recalls Naotora's words and that the kishin revived last time when he thought he defeated it. Next, Kojirou, holding one of the priests that he beat up to a pulp, tells him to aim for the horn protruding from the kishin's stomach. That's his weak point. However, Musashi's pickaxe breaks when he hits it, and as he was about to be burned by the kishin's flames, Naotora arrives and slices through the horn. With the horn hauled over his shoulder, Naotora apologizes to Musashi that he's going to take his first trophy.

 

[Belserion]

Chapter 3 was pretty good. Takeda seems a bit like Musashi with his enthusiasm. His subordinate scolding him for wanting to save the villagers made me pause though. Is Takeda a special case? Do the Bushi groups in general only concern themselves with killing the Oni and not with actually saving people? Tbh I would understand why that would be the case since humanity seems to have turned on them and are worshiping the oni now, but it just seemed a bit callous.

As for Kojiro, this is what I didn't want.

Spoiler

I don't get how he keeps mentioning his "warrior blood" then in the next breath doesn't seem interested in doing much but having fun and killing some oni on their adventure. It seems like despite the gravity of the situation surrounding them with the reveal of the oni being monsters like Musashi has been saying, he still doesn't get how important it is to be Bushi. Then we have the father comparisons. I can see this being a source of insecurity for Kojirou if he doesn't somehow find his will to fight and really be the warrior he was meant to be. This is all technically one fight, and it seems it concludes in the next chapter, so it'll be interesting to see what happens. Takeda seems to admire Musashi, so he might invite them to join him. I'll wait to see what effect this fight has on Kojirou before judging him too harshly. Who knows, this might be a wake up call for him before they hit the road, because having a partner that's not as serious about the job as you are and encourages you to run away doesn't look good for the future, especially for someone as passionate as Musashi.

 

[Haya-san]

Summary by Eleore:

Spoiler

I like that Kojirou is more aware than Musashi of his own strengths and weaknesses and doesn't pick battles he can't win. As someone who won't hesitate to run to fight another day or look for another way to win, he can provide a good balance to Musashi's gung-ho personality. I wasn't impressed with Musashi's insistence to fight the kishin when he didn't understand its nature or how to stop him from regenerating, but I hope what happened at the end of ch 4 will be a good lesson for him. I'm getting Sinbad vibes from Naotora.

This chapter was 40 pages long, and now we have the entire first volume of this manga. Maybe we'll have the protagonist travel from one province to another with each arc culminating into meeting a bushidan and fighting a kishin, or at least, this is maybe what the first half of this manga is going to be about before a big reveal.

 

[Laminariales]

I was getting impatient, thank you unexpected long chapter for concluding the fight

Spoiler

What's with the horn as its weakness? I'm starting seeing this more and more in pixel art
I'm liking musashi way more then the first chapter, borderline over-line in need of intervention characters are my people, he's possessed at this point. We got to see more of the dan, but how about the good old days when the fall character is shown to the side when they appear :/, The whip like thing is from glasses lady sword, interesting. At last we have full bodied danshou, I like his clothes, but I'm feeling he wont be pivotal character for some reason.

Kojirou is getting a lot of emotional focus, I do empathy with his run to fight another day (according to all reason) and awe of musashi's gallant, He's a too cool looking character, the gap makes him likeable.

 

[Brandish μ]

Just read chapter 2 and 3.

Now we have some more bushi! It didn't take too long. The whole biker thing is pretty cool now, compared to the first chapter where it felt random. The only thing missing is the sound of engines xD (I do imagine it's there though). I'm pretty excited about the band.

I agree with what some have said about Kojiro. His characterisation could've been handled better, in the sense that I forced myself to empathise with him more than be orchestrated to do so. I feel he's said the same things several times already too. Is it a little weird that he's given up on his dream, at such a young age? Or being outcast because of his lineage (which relates to the dream) makes it plausible? I suppose that's okay. And it's only early stages.

Musashi has most of the usual shonen MC traits. I like these guys generally, and Musashi too. He doesn't particularly interest me, it's more that I enjoy watching him (so far), similar to what Naotora said "can't say I dislike... that kind of fool"

The art is incredible

 

[Haya-san]

Ch 5 spoiler images:

Spoiler

A quick summary:

Spoiler

The kishin is destroyed and all the Takeda warriors absorb its power. Musashi is upset at having his first trophy stolen, but the villagers are happy and grateful to the Takedas. To Musashi's shock, Kojirou too is happy. The sight of the Takeda clan defeating the kishin reminded him of the scroll from ch 1. He's now more certain than ever that his father was right and that the samurais are the good guys. Next, Naotora addresses the priests and decalres they'll take Japan back from the oni. The priests scoff that's what they have been hearing for the past 150 years and what's the current reality? The oni multiplied and prospered, while as the samurais died in vain. Naotora goes into a long speech about how it's possible to defeat the oni, and asks them to help them. Kojirou and the others are moved by Naotora's words, while as Musashi can't bring himself to admitting that they are such awesome people. He feels something is off and advanced toward Naotora to give him a piece if his mind.

So, Musashi not joining the Naotora fanclub could hint that there's something wrong with Naotora or the samurais in general. Also, the Takeda aquired the power of the fire Tengua, and this might introduce something like the djinn equips from Magi.

 

[Theforsakensoul]

Full raws
http://rawlh.com/read-orient-raw-chapter-5.html

 

[Laminariales]

Spoiler: Chapter 5

As expected...Naotara is an ikemen. I don't know if musashi is on to something or just being petty, the truth's probably somewhere in between, "I'll give him a piece of my mind" boy what are you ganna say please plan this out a little, glasses lady jump in and usher him to the complaints box or smth... Kojirou still as self-absorbed as ever, I'm glad your bedtime story turned real son, now find your drive! last page he's already by naotora, will he part of the discussion? Also I though so but glasses lady only have one breast, cool! japanese amazon (or an equivalent mythical worrier). The absorbing bit, can they all use fire magic? we'll see how it works but it does open possibilities.

P.S the priest guy looks like an overworked salaryman, the only person I'm curious who he is based on

Spoiler: You don't need to read this

P.S.2- personal corner -On bookwalker this magazine unlike others doesn't accept paypal, yet I finally stopped being lazy and got the credit card option, to find out 1) a really high quality raw are out. 2) fairy tail author new series started serializing this week on the same magazine, now if that thing got an anime before orient and I helped by boosting the sales at its launch I'll.....

 

[airmattress]

I hope these guys end up being just one big fraud group and the real samurai teach them a lesson or something lmao. I haven't read 4 or 5 in english yet but just by the panels and the translation I don't like them one bit lol. They seem too full of themselves for my liking. Also weren't the "bushi" supposed to be rare or all gone at this point? Why's this group here with sooo many people...

Idk.. Ohtaka put effort into making them look unique so I doubt she's gonna dump them out of the picture like I'm hoping, but regardless I don't like them I hope they get more interesting.

 

[Laminariales]

I'm still sceptical if they will be sinbad level constant characters or will fade away. I don't know what's making me mad about them, maybe the fact they have been here for 3 chapters without a proper introduction xD.

But for why they just showed up all of sudden it's because a kishin appeared, and the kishin appeared because Musashi killed the mine oni I think.

 

[airmattress]

Wasn't the kishin always there as the egg thing tho... tbh that whole part from the first chapter with the kishin showing up (or retreating???) made no sense I swear.

And yeah that's probably a big reason why. Usually when there's a multi chapter battle I'd like to at least be formally introduced to the participants either before or early on in said battle. These guys just came in took the crystal's power for themselves like it's nobody's business. The problem is they're using the same bikes as Kojirou's dad, and they're talking like what we all assume a "bushi" would (granted that speech was shonen as hell lmao), so it's rather unlikely that they're not actually bushi. That would be such a cool twist tho ughhh.

I think Musashi's skepticism won't amount to much, at least not anytime soon. Maybe the issue is that he's worried about what they're gonna do with that power, or if they're gonna abuse it, and they turn out to be not as noble as the bushi from the stories were.

... still hoping something's seriously messed up with these guys xD I can feel it in my gut

Edit: next poster gonna get that 100th post yo

 

[Arjuna]

The story is slowly getting up.

Spoiler

These characters aren't that memorable like Sinbad.

Yo the 100th post.