Shounen Orient by Shinobu Ohtaka

[Belserion]

There's definitely something lurking in Musashi's past that will be explored soon. There's a reason the blade rejected him (for now). Although in his dream (?) when the warrior offered to lend him one it didn't seem to be rejecting him then, in fact it looked similar to what Kojirou has just undergone. I agree that Musashi's color will turn out to be red if/when he's eventually accepted by the demon blade, and unfortunately it will be just another thing to fuel Kojirou's insecurity. It really does seem like the author is headed in that direction. Hopefully it plays out well.

 

[Ice]

This manga is on fire. Like I can't!!

Any chance that sense scans has not dropped this?

 

[Ryuusu]

Chapter 23 scans

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[airmattress]

This manga is on fire. Like I can't!!

Any chance that sense scans has not dropped this?

They have not. If they did they would say so on their site.

I really hope this doesnt turn into drama like with Magi's case when scans were late. We know how sense functions at this point, and they tend to be understaffed. Furthermore, this manga is probably not their priority right now because other stuff like Kingdom is more popular.

 

[Samurai Rider]

Chapter 23

I wonder if this Trial of the Blade thing is based on Jungian psychology, last chapter we had a shadowy silhouette of Musashi and this chapter a female entity appeared, so they might be the Shadow and the Anima respectively. Both of these are unconscious aspects of people so they’re said to appear in dreams and hallucinations, similar to how people in this series become unconscious when first obtaining their Iron Oni blades.

The Shadow and the Anima are said to appear in conjunction, though they embody different parts of the unconscious mind. The Shadow personifies all the repressed aspects like thoughts, memories, emotions, traits etc that someone doesn’t wish to acknowledge. Durning that flashback last chapter it was clear Musashi didn’t want to recall that memory and he wasn’t able to hear Jisai’s last words despite being very close to him, so maybe that has something to do with it. The Anima is the inner woman inside every man, it has many different stages, the first being that of a mother and the fourth stage acts as a sort of guide to the personal unconscious. Again Musashi wasn’t able to hear/understand it until it flipped out.

If this really is based on Jungian psychology then Musashi will have to accept whatever it is that he’s repressing, thus integrating the shadow into the consciousness and also come to terms with his Anima before he can properly use an Iron Oni Blade.

Love the shading on the “You, are not needed” panel. On the page with the huge eye panel where the female entity flips out, the way both the two bottom panels are set up makes it look like Musashi’s own hand is choking him, I wonder if that was done intentionally as a form of visual storytelling displaying the self destructive nature of repressing one’s Shadow/Anima or was it just a coincidence?

Red and White are prominent traditional colours in Japan, used for religion (Shinto shrines and Miko attire) or in clothing for important ceremonies and of course the colours of their flag. So them being more special than Blue, Green and Yellow fits, going by the promo image Musashi will have red and I guess the volume two cover did have blue crystals behind Kojiro.

Did something change in Musashi between him using No Name’s sword and this new one? Or maybe the reason the other sword broke when Musashi tried to absorb the Oni sand was because of this “Tragic Men” thing. Different swords might also react differently since Kojiro said his sword felt alive.

Since Musashi can’t use a Iron Oni Blade at the moment, Kojiro and Tsugumi are probably going to have more focus in the battle with the Kishin. Kojiro hasn’t gotten much of a fight yet so I’m looking forward to that. I figured the blue Kishin would be water elemental but seems to be lighting, so maybe it’s a Raiju since it appears to have rode in on that lighting bolt.

 

[Ice]

Is Tsugumi getting a special blade too? if so which color do you think it will be?

 

[Haya-san]

Is Tsugumi getting a special blade too? if so which color do you think it will be?

I think Tsugumi’s kunais are her demon blades. Judging by her reaction when Mitsuru explained that blue is a pretty common color for a samurai, it seems she’s blue like Kojirou.

I had a theory early on that Musashi in this story might have been raised by Omasa, the real Miyamoto Musashi’s adoptive mother. The mysterious woman that appeared in ch 23 might be her.

Ch 24 summary:

Musashi doesn’t give up and tries to wield six more swords, but is rejected by all of them. One of the villagers explains to him that those whose spirit color is black are hated by the rukh demon blades and it’s very difficult for them to draw out their powers. Musashi takes it that if he tries harder, he will be able to wield one one day, and at that, Mitsuru steps in with a troubled expression on her face. She explains that this is the first time she has seen a case like him, but she’s going to say this much: spirit color is something that you are born with and can never change. Blue will always be blue, green will always be green, and so on. It’s just like how humans can never breathe in water or survive in fire, that’s just how a human body is. Musashi then interprets her words that he should just give up on becoming a samurai.

The other samurais try to comfort Musashi that in a bushidan, those who can’t fight become farmers or take care of the horses, and those are also great ways of living. Musashi recalls the times Kojirou and he dreamed of becoming samurais and defeating onis, and Kojirou shows up, at a loss for words. Musashi notices his new sword and congratulates him, and then, he too falls silent. Tsugumi notices the tension between them and when she tries to cheer them up, a cow demon drops from the sky, shaking the ground beneath them, followed by the sky raining more onis. Musashi is standing before the cow oni and he notes the oni’s horn. It occurs to him that just like that time, he won’t be able to defeat it without a demon blade. As the oni is about to pierce him with its leg, Kojirou jumps between them amd slices the oni’s leg with his newly acquired sword.

Spoiler

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I would prefer if Musashi’s color remains black. Kojirou being considered average from the get-go and Musashi being seen as cursed with zero expectations sounds like an interesting start for them, but let’s see how this plays out.

 

[Ryuusu]

Chapter 24 scans

Spoiler

 

[Ice]

Thank you, Haya-san!! Yeah I def agree! It js more interesting if the main trio have average weapons ( or no weapons at all) xd

 

[Haya-san]

Ch 25:

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Summary:

The chapter starts with Kojirou saving two sisters, who are protecting a sword with a sentimental value to them from a cow oni. They thank him, and Kojirou, who’s used to people harassing and insulting him all his life in his home village, is taken aback. Thanks to the sword in his hands, he can now save people and they will express gratitude towards him, and he gets excited for this demon slaying business. On the other hand, Musashi watches the samurais quite helplessly. The scene shifts to Mitsuru, who slays an oni by firing energy from her weapon, and Musashi is reminded by that time he met the Jafar/Koumei lookalike and defeated an oni in the same manner. The extermination of the small fry oni ends, and the older samurais and Tsugumi gather around Kojirou and praise him for doing so well on his first battle. Musashi watches a happy Kojirou being showered with praise, and he too feels happy for him, but then, he feels even lonelier. He recalls the times they read the scroll together as kids, and next, Kojirou disappeares from his place next to him, and in the scroll they were reading, the scene that’s taking place in reality of Kojirou celebrating with the other samurais is shown on the scroll.

When everyone starts heading to the mountain summit to face the blue kishin, Tsugumi tells Kojirou they should accompany them as well, but Kojirou turns to Musashi, apparently not wanting to leave him behind. To Kojirou’s surprise and maybe even discomfort, Musashi encourages him with a big grin on his face to just go with them. Kojirou turns around silently to leave with the others., and Tsugumi asks him if they are just going to leave Musashi behind, and he tells her it may be better that way (for Musashi’s safety, not because he was being a jerk). When everyone leaves, Musashi is shown sitting there on the ground, quite frustrated at how things turned out. At this rate, he can’t fight, and he wonders what he must do, and the JafarMei lookalike appears and greets him.

Next week Orient is on break.

 

[Ryuusu]

Chapter 25 scans

Spoiler

 

[Valhalla]

Something i saw on tumblr thats actually pretty cool. Not sure if this was mentioned here but the JafarMei/Mihawk dude looks awfully similar to one of the three strongest bushi that Ohtaka forshadowed in chapter 7.

Spoiler

the freckles + christian cross

@airmattress Oh just saw that you pointed that out ages ago
Never mind then, its just interesting to me that we already have one of the strongest pretty early on. Really eager to see him in action.

 

[Ice]

I love how magi-esque everything about this manga is. Is that a female bushi in the scan? The one in the middle?

 

[Haya-san]

I had the impression that the three characters shown in ch 6 are ones that the main duo are going to meet soon rather than the strongest in the manga. The strongest samurai right now could be Tokugawa, since it seems he has followeres like Hideo and the Hattori clan who have their own flying fortresses.

It’s a shame that this manga had a weak start that could discourage people from reading further. Long battles in shounen are only tolerable if you care about the characters who are risking their lives in it. I too had mixed feelings and was contemplating whether to put it on hold. I’m glad that that it has gotten more interesting and that Musashi is starting to grow on me (a little). Also, I really like Mitsuru and her men (one of them kind of looks like Masrur). Let’s hope it maintains its current quality.

 

[Samurai Rider]

Chapter 24

Mitsuru says people can’t change their auras, but we know that’s not the case because of the promo image also when Musashi used No Name’s sword his crystals weren’t black. So can anyone change their aura or will it only be Musashi who can? Maybe people can only change between their standard aura and the black aura, similar to how people could change between black and white Rukh in Magi.

The five main colours of aura as well as Black, seem to be quite prominent in Buddhism. They’re know as the Pancha-varna, they symbolise various things and also have a Buddha associated with each colour. Since both the Kishin/Oni and Humans have these colours tide to them such as the Red Kishin Engoku and the Blue Oni Kodama, I’m thinking maybe this world has a reincarnation cycle like the one found in Buddhism called Saṃsāra.

In the first chapter we had this line, “Once Hi no Moto was a human world” the way that’s phrased is similar to how the normal world in Buddhism is referred to as the human realm. Also in chapter 5 one of the Oni followers mentions that the Kishin numbers seem to be increasing while the Bushi numbers are decreasing.

The power Musashi used in his fight with Engoku Tengu in chapter 2 it appeared to be something similar to Magoi manipulation (page 115) up until he used that ability (unknowingly it seems) he couldn’t do anything to the Kishin it was pretty much laughing in his face, but with it he was able to make the Kishin scream in pain so maybe that ability would be enough to destroy the true horn when he figures out how to use it.

Nice panel of Musashi alone (page 384), showing his despair and him being left behind physically and metaphorically. Quite the contrast to the previous chapters where this area was crowded with a bunch of people. Kojiro wearing two swords like a Samurai IRL very nice.

Couldn’t really tell what was happening in the second panel of the penultimate page, the last 2 pages of Kojiro using his new swords were a bit cluttered, but his sword appears to summon a bunch of crystals that float around Kojiro and slash in unison whenever he does, pretty cool also they seems to be cherry blossom floating around it as well.

Chapter 25

No name given for these new Oni, it seems to be a Gyukan which takes the shape of a cow, has sharp hooves and the lower part of their body is apparently red. Can’t tell the colour since it’s a manga but there is emphasis placed on its lower half since that’s where its star is located.

The art showcasing Kojiro’s new sword was much cleaner this chapter, the artwork relaying how Musashi feels about the current situation was also great.

Page 268 seems like a callback to the Takeda’s victory over Engoku Tengu in chapter 5 (pages 179 and 183), where as before both Musashi and Kojiro were outsiders looking in, now Kojiro has joined the ranks of those he admired while Musashi is still an outsider. Kojiro disappearing from Musashi’s side and reappearing on the scroll which represents their dream was also great imagery.

Reminds me of Musahi’s line in chapter 21 “As long as we chase our dream together” it must have been alluding towards this development. Kojiro seems to have forgotten that remark. Interestingly enough the Kishin here seems to be a pair representing duality.

Mitsuru’s bald companion is rather amusing I wasn’t expecting him to be so expressive. Musashi recalled he was able to use a Iron Oni Blade before coming to this place now that No name is back, we might get an explanation.

 

[Ice]

Mew cover is amazing.
Tsugumi looks fine!!!

 

[Valhalla]

Mew cover is amazing.
Tsugumi looks fine!!!

Ohtaka with dat art

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Like all Magi covers that were amazing, Orient volume covers will be a treat to the eyes as well.

 

[Ryuusu]

Chapter 26 scans

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So it looks like the man with the freckles has the same issue as Musashi, where he's incompatible with a kitetsu, but is able to use it anyway (why else would he be carrying it around?). Interesting. I'm assuming he'll end up teaching Musashi how to wield a kitetsu that rejects a Bushi.

 

[Eastgrove]

What chapter ends the arc where the girl first shows up?

 

[Haya-san]

What chapter ends the arc where the girl first shows up?

Chapter 17

Ch 26 summary:

-a tired Tsugumi tells Kojirou to slow down and Kojirou tells her that if they don’t hurry, others will beat them to the kishin. Tsugumi tells him that it’s a general rule for all bushidans to gather at the summit first and then charge at the kishsin. She then starts to interrogate him why he was so cold towards Musashi and why he thought leaving him behind was a good idea. Kojirou explains that if they remained with Musashi, what’s that going to accomplish? Did she want him to console Musashi with something like ‘I can fight with a demon blade now, but don’t worry, you too can one day’? That will just make Musashi feel worse. So, for Musashi’s sake, he will march forward, search for the kishin’s weakpoint and wait for Musashi to recover and join him.

-Tsugumi is surprised that Kojirou has been considerate of Musashi’s feelings all along and that he’s waiting for him until he’s ready. But then, she’s overcome with worry when she remembers what the grownups said about those who radiate a black aura and questions if Musashi can really use a demon blade one day. Someone like Musashi is not normal, and he, Kojirou, who has known him for a long time must know what she means. Moreover, she has noticed something (and her next statement is bolded in a panel of its own): Musashi is of a special lineage, isn’t it? Kojirou is shocked by her question, and she adds: he must be from a prestigious family whose members inherit some special powers, and his lineage must be kept a secret. She understands by the troubled look on Kojirou’s face that she guessed right and she urges him to tell her. They are friends, right? Kojirou invites her to sit and starts explaining Musashi’s origins. Musashi was born at the foot of a big mine in Tatsuyama village, in a field away from shops, schools and private houses... he was the son of two farmers...

-at the anticlimactic revelation, Tsugumi grabs Kojirou by his collar to not make fun of her, and Kojirou shrugs her off, saying that he’s telling the truth. Musashi is one of the most ‘normal’ boys in their village. On the other side of the village, he (Kojirou) was the last descendant of the only remaining samurai family in Tatsuyama. Samurais are looked down upon in their village, and no one dares to come close to their house, but Musashi was a strange one. We then get a flashback of a six year old Kojirou training and spotting Musashi watching him. He expected Musashi to bully him like everyone else in the village, but to his surprise, Musashi expressed admiration at the way he cut the leaf and asks Kojirou to teach him. This was the first time someone told Kojirou he was awesome, and they start training together. From that day, Musashi came to his house everyday and they practiced together. Unlike everyone else in the village who saw him as trash, Musashi treated him normally, and he was overcome with joy that they became friends. Thanks to this ‘weird’ friend, those dark days were behind him. Tsugumi is touched by his story and understands that Kojirou is grateful towards Musashi, but then asks for the reason why Musashi didn’t hate samurais like the others in the village. Kojirou answers it could be due to the influence of Musashi’s parents who were as ‘weird’ as their son. Musashi’s parents were always kind to him and his father and didn’t care what the villagers told them. Soon, they died from illness. They were good people.

-the more Tsugumi listens, the more puzzled she becomes. According to Kojirou, both Musashi and his parents were super normal, but then, why only Musashi was rejected by the demon blades? The reason is unknown to both of them, and so, they don’t know how and if Musashi can recover. She wonders if Musashi can really return to their side.

-the scene shifts to Musashi and the JafarKoumei lookalike, who tells Musashi that he watched the test and Musashi is troubled for radiating a black aura. Musashi tells him to not make fun of him, but the man reassures him that he only came to tell him they happen to be partners ‘nakamas’, and reveals the dark crystals protruding from his body. The chapter ends with the man telling Musashi that the place where he belongs is with them.

Editorial text: the same black crystals as Musashi! What’s his intentions for inviting Musashi?