Shounen Orient by Shinobu Ohtaka

[Samurai Rider]

Chapter 26

Tsugumi is more hesitant to leave Musashi behind fitting considering her fear of being alone, understandable she wouldn’t want to subject her friend to it. So Musashi is a low born like his lack of a family name suggests, Ohtaka didn’t even draw faces for his parents, I’m guessing it was to stress how unimportant they are as far as lineage is concerned.

Even the geography of Tatsuyama is used to illustrate how ostracized the Bushi are, I like how Ohtaka didn’t front load the beginning of the series with how horrible Kojiro and Jisai were treated in Tatsuyama and instead is slowly revealing more bits and pieces over time. I’m also curious to know why the people of Tatsuyama killed Jisai after leaving him alone for so long, I have my suspicions. Musashi and Kojiro made their promise to become Bushi five years ago, Kojiro mentions his father scolding him so Jisai is still alive at this time. It’s also stated in chapter 2 that it has been five years since Engoku Tengu showed his true form.

The friendship between Musashi and Kojiro continues to be great, pretty heartwarming moments especially the panel of them eating rice balls. I wonder if the technique Kojiro used to cut the leaves in mid air will be used again seems like a good attack to cap off a character moment since it’s what brought them together.

No name also has black crystals and since he mentioned how Musashi belongs with “us” that suggest that his Bushidan is filled with Taboo people. Maybe the Taboo people have something to do with a lack of special lineage, since that also appears to be the case with No name and the person with him wearing the Kitsune mask since they apparently don’t have family names or even given names. IRL in order to maintain the distinction between samurai and commoners, only the former were allowed to have weapons such as Katana.

 

[The Knight of War]

Ch 27

Spoiler

Scans by soreita.tumblr.com

 

[Haya-san]

Ch 27 summary:

Title: Finally, I met you

-Musashi asks the man if he too can't use a demon blade because of the dark crystals. He adds: 'you are the guy who lent me a demon blade this morning, aren't you?' And it occurs to him that he indeed was able to wield one that one moment. This man might be able to provide clues to how he can fight, and Musashi wonders who this man really is. He finds it suspicious that someone with a condition identical to his appeared before him so conveniently.

-the man smirks, as though he read Musashi's thoughts, and Musashi is taken aback when tears streams down his cheeks. When Musashi asks him what's wrong, the man reassures him that he was just happy that he met him. He had a suspicion they were the same when they met this morning and the test confirmed it. To Musashi's utter puzzlement, the man adds that he for the longest time wanted to meet him, snd Musashi tells him he doesn't know him. The man laughs and clarifies that he actually directed that statement at what's inside him, meaning the black crystals that came out of his body. He then goes over what happened in the test: that it turned out Musashi can't use a demon blade and now doesn't feel equal to his friends. Musashi says he was right, hesitantly, and the man goes on that he too was the same in the past: that the people he shared his dreams with suddenly became out of his reach, but he was powerless and so, couldn't say anything. He won't let it end like this, would he? He will get stronger and catch up with his friends, right? A warrior after all is aiming to become the strongest. Musashi is glad that he understands his situation, but he finds it a bit creepy how he's too nice to him.

-Musashi and the man laugh with Musashi still feeling something was off, and the latter asks if there's really a way for him to become stronger. After all, everyone told him after the test that he can't wield a demon blade. The man reassures him there is a way, all he has to do is to accept the black crystals in him. Musashi asks what he means, and the man explains that when he took the test, he was engulfed by a black mist and his mind went blank, right? If he surrdnders himself to it, he will become one with a great stream of power. If he did that, he too will become stronger. Musashi asks in what sense he will become stronger? And the man demonstrate with creating a big hole in the ground with one sweep of his sword. After expressing his utter shock at what just happened, Musashi starts to think that this man is dangerous and wonders how deep this hole goes. This is the power of a demon blade, isn't it?

-the man tosses a sword at Musashi and tells 'let's do a demon blade test, and you too can become a demon blade himself'. Musashi asks him what he means by him becoming a demon blade. Isn't it that he will become able to fight with one? The man tells him that he got him wrong and he really meant he will become the demon blade. That's how he will become stronger. The man goes on, talking about Musashi as though he was an object: that he was a black crystal-an ingredient for the strongest demon blade. Musashi starts to question the man's sanity and was he serious with him saying he can become the sword. The man counters with asking Musashi what is he saying, didn't he say he wanted to become stronger, and he can. It doesn't matter if that was in the form of a human or a sword.

-it becomes clear to Musashi that there's really something wrong with this man. He turns down his offer, saying what he wants is to fight with Kojirou and the others. The man then suggests how about his friends too become the materials for his sword, this way he won't feel lonely? Thd samurais are at the top of the mountain right now, right?

-alarmed bg what the crazy man is about to do, Musashi runs towards him to try to stop him, but is shoved down the abyss. The chapter ends with the man saying that the materials for the sword go down the hole.

Editorial text: what is waiting at the bottom of hell?

Next chapter: the Abyss

This week was a double issue and so, Orient will be on break next week.

 

[Samurai Rider]

Chapter 27

I like how savvy Musashi is being about the situation, noticing the convenient timing of someone appearing with the same rare ailment as him.

So he wants to turn Musashi into a sword similar to how the fragments of defeated Oni/Kishin are used to create the Iron Oni Blades? Wow that’s fucked up, wasn’t expecting this guy to be a villain, I guess him lending Musashi a sword was just to see if he could be used as material for his sword. Looks like the sinister way he grabbed Musashi from behind in chapter 25 wasn’t a fake out after all.

In chapter 20 after Musashi killed the Oni with that borrowed sword, No Name draws his sword for seemingly no reason. I figured Ohtaka did that to give the reader a better look at his cool sword and there was no in universe reason, but now it seems he was planning on doing what he did this chapter but for some reason Musashi didn’t show the qualities he needed for his sword then. He seems to want to use those with black crystals, but towards the end of this chapter he was open to using Musashi’s friends who don’t have black crystals.

Really cool page (260) of No name after displaying his prowess, notice when he used his sword it didn’t have any of the crystals or those rings of energy that Iron Oni blades normally have.

The end of the chapter is giving me the impression that Musashi will end up in Hell or Jigoku/Naraka as it’s called in Buddhism. Seems kind of early to go to a place of that magnitude, maybe Ohtaka is going for that metaphorical death and rebirth. Would coincide with the Kishin here, Agyou-Ungyou “The beginning and end of all things”

“What is waiting at the bottom of Hell” by itself this could just be seen as a figure of speech but there are quite a few things pointing towards this development. Such as the name of the next issue, Abyss can also be used to refer to Hell as well as a bottomless pit. Hell in Buddhism and many other cosmologies is located below the human realm. The “furnace” No Name referred to could be talking about the flames of Hell used to punish sinners. Also the first sword (Enma no Oodach) Musashi chose here was named after King Enma the King of Hell.

No name’s display of power was ok, but if he really just did open a gateway to Hell that display of power becomes infinitely more badass.

 

[The Knight of War]

ch 28

Spoiler

Scans by soreita.tumblr.com

--- Double Post Merged, Dec 27, 2018, Original Post Date: Dec 26, 2018 ---

Orient 28 Full Translation.

 

[Ice]

This manga is getting more and more amazing with each passing chapter <3

 

[Demonspeed]

It's been a while since I read this...

 

[The Knight of War]

ch 29

Spoiler

 

[Samurai Rider]

Chapter 28

So these two do have names, keeping the dog label while also adding a numbering system. Quite interested in what kind of person their leader is and also how their Bushidan works definitely doesn’t seem to have the family vibe that Tsugumi described Bushidan with, there’s also the fact that these two seen to be travelling separate from their other members.

Along with the dehumanising implications I wonder if their names being dog related have something to do with dogs being a popular symbol of devotion in Japan relating to their religious views. Similar to how the heroic members of the Kosameda Bushidan; Tsugumi, Tsubame, Hibari and Tobu are named after birds which often are symbols of freedom, this goes along with the members of the Takeda having the ability to fly which is also synonymous with freedom and liberation.

While Shirou seems to be a complete psychopath, Nanao seems to have a little empathy and remorse calling Shirou out speaking falsehoods and seemly a little upset at Musashi’s fate. Since Shirou is the fourth dog and Nanao is the seventh maybe he hasn’t been with the Bushidan as long him as Shirou and thus its influence on him is weaker?

While this doesn’t seem to be a trip to Hell, Musashi falling down the abyss is still pretty intense especially that brutal panel of him breaking his fingernails trying to slow himself down.

Chapter 29

Interesting film roll like effect used to start the flashback and it even has a timeline of these past events, the contents of this flashback seem to take place before Musashi and Kojiro deciding to become Bushi.

More similarities to Jungian psychology appearing in this Black Crystal trial, the appearance and role of the shadow depends on the living experience of the individual similar to how this Obsidian Goddess is reinforcing the notions said by the adults in Musashi’s past.

Which brings to mind the hallucinations Tsugumi had in chapter 13 which does the same, the illusion Hideo also starts off fairly docile and becomes more aggressive as the interaction went on, even how it grabs Tsugumi’s wrist is similar to how the entity in this chapter grabs Musashi’s wrist.

“let go of your consciousness that way! If you do that, you… will become the kitetsu sword itself!” This is quite similar to how Jung believed the launch of the individuation process also brings with it the danger of falling victim to the shadow.

Speaking of Jungian psychology, Shirou seems to have a very prevalent Persona that is at odds with how he really is, in chapter 27 where Musashi states Shirou is overly friendly (probably him overplaying his performance) and chapter 28 where Nanao see through his deceptions and Shirou states he’s the only one he can’t fool. Hideo had something similar where he would appear with his eyes closed when putting up a false friendly persona and open them when he was showing his true colours.

Not sure why Musashi didn’t just go and live with Kojiro and Jisai, did he overhear those citizens saying his father and mother died because they showed sympathy to a Bushi and believed them?

Considering how he was treated when he’s parents died and passed around from house to house, this further explains why he didn’t want to reveal his dream in front of his miner friends and why he values his relationships with other people so much. I wouldn’t be surprised if Musashi’s goal of becoming a Bushi is tied to his desire to feel needed and prove his worth.

I wonder if Musashi was somehow the cause of Jisai’s death? Kojiro seemingly wasn’t there at the execution yet he was, chapter 21 teased the fact that there were things Kojiro doesn’t know about Musashi and how after his father’s death they sort of drifted apart.

 

[Ryuusu]

Chatper 30

Spoiler

Chapter 31

Spoiler

 

[Samurai Rider]

Chapter 30

“You’ll do anything to be needed by someone, no matter what it is!”

This line makes a few lines in Chapter 1 and Chapter 7 more interesting.

“I, Musashi, swordsman of the Kanemaki style… will slay these Oni for you!!!”

“It’s a dream so big that nobody’s realised it in 150 years!!” “If the Kishin are too strong, if no one can defeat them… then I’ll defeat them for you!!”
“For you”

There’s quite a bit of emphasis on Musashi doing these things for others, probably seeking acknowledgement and approval. Which explains why he was so adamant on defeating Engoku Tengu and didn’t want the Takeda to steal his “glory” hence why an entire page was dedicated to that line (Chapter 3), emphasising its importance to his character. In fact he was rather disgruntled when everyone was treating the Oni like guardian deities since it would mean that Bushi aren’t needed, thus why he was so happy when it was revealed Oni were indeed monsters. I love the lines about Musashi feeling like a ghost/dead while living, really helps reconceptualize earlier scenes such as his reaction to his peers praising him being more than just pride. Really great introspection into Musashi this chapter.

The art of the Obsidian Goddess this chapter was great, really cool imagery of it attaching to Musashi’s feet like a shadow and encompassing Musashi with its hands, the former of which is similar to an image I found on the Jungian Shadow.

Spoiler

Chapter 31

Shirou doesn’t appear to use a normal Iron Oni Blade so maybe he can’t absorb Kitetsu of defeated Oni/Kishin like Bushi normally do. The Sword Hunt might be a way to bypass that since presumably even after the owner is killed the sword retains the Kitetsu collected beforehand. So all those swords we first saw Shirou with were most likely taken from killed Bushi, maybe that has something to do with why Musashi could use it?

Since this series does take place durning the Sengoku Jidai, I wonder how common fights between Bushi are, is there still fighting between different daimyo and clans or have they ceased in the face of a greater threat? In these earlier chapters the Bushi seemed pretty cooperative, trading and celebrating with each other also apparently having a rule where everyone must reach the summit before the Kishin can be fought. But as soon as Shirou killed those people the other Bushi were immediately ready to fight back no hesitation. Great action this chapter, Ohtaka’s fight scenes are still as violent as ever, always nice to see swords actually being depicted as swords in these shonen manga, cutting people in half, dismembering them and not just sending people flying away.

Shirou is pretty damn intimidating being able to take on multiple Bushi at once, basically Kishin levels of powerful. Even little things like the dismembered body parts of Bushi raining from the sky or that one panel of a Bushi helping his comrade not fall into the chasm left by the aftermath of Shirou’s attack really helps sell how powerful this guy is. Also he left to face the Kishin after the other Bushi but got there first and fought with it before they arrived. Well this situation is pretty dire Musashi is crystallised and submerged in magma, while Kojiro and Tsugumi face one of the strongest Bushi in the setting if I’m reading that page in chapter 7 right.

 

[cody]

Finally tried this out, here's my quick thoughts on it.(I also posted this in the Kodansha Mag News Thread)

I've finally read all the translated Orient chapters (26) and I read the raws after that. This manga might be a little bit overwhelming for some people, it starts off in a really crazy way and it just shoves everything in your face with a bang.

The artwork is stellar, I expect no less from such an experienced veteran, the spread pages are quite the spectacle, the color work (especially in the volume covers) is absolutely stunning. I love how well the art manages to portray the grand scale fights, the action scenes are very dynamic and intense and the character designs are beautiful, I love how expressive their faces can get.

In a way, this has a mixed appeal of Attack on Titan and One Piece. It reminds me of AoT because of how the fights against the gigantic monsters are handled and how there is a desire to free humanity from these mysterious beings. It reminds me of One Piece because of the hot blooded nature of the characters and how there are groups of people of the same kind which all go compete against each others in order to achieve one common goal, a goal that has been chased by humans for many years.

At the same time, this is very different from those two. The setting is weird but interesting and I always have fun with a grand scale adventure series. The main characters so far are all great and I want to see them achieve their dreams together.

This is not for everyone though, if over the top shonen protagonists & ideals are too much for you to handle, this probably won't be your thing.

I expect this to get an anime at some point in the future, but I will say this will be incredibly difficult to pull off in animation.

 

[Samurai Rider]

Chapter 32

This is the second time Musashi has fallen into liquid and shed parts of his miner uniform, the first time in chapter 2 and now this time his uniform is gone, completely replaced by clothing which has an aspect of Samurai armour (Sode), so I would imagine this is meant to reflect him coming to terms with his past and starting to become a Bushi in mind and body. Yet at the same time his lower half seems to be completely black, alluding to the fact that the Goddess still has a hold over him. Also the colour of his crystals are still black so he still should be unable to use a Iron Oni blade meaning he will have to do the trial once more.

Speaking of those crystals, Musashi left some behind, so can Shirou and Nanao use them or do they need the Obsidian Goddess itself? Nana also seems to be way less antagonistic than Shirou she (seems to be a girl based on how she was acting this chapter) didn’t even bother attacking Musahi after screwing up and Musashi even thanked her. Maybe she might become an ally at some point. Love the final panel of the chapter with Musashi racing towards that looming mountain.

Chapter 33

Great page of Shriou surrounded by dead bodies on page 322, the silhouettes of the swords in the background sort of resemble gravestone crosses, making the visual even more unsettling. Crosses are also synonymous with sacrifice, I’ve been trying to understand what Shriou meant when he said “Waste is most definitely the abundance of life.”

Hebrews 9:22 says that “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” which is the reason why Christians believe Jesus died as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity. He supposedly knew he was going to be killed but went along with it anyway. It would be pretty interesting if Shirou killing Bushi to strengthen his sword and not being interested in the people fleeing death is a corruption of that legacy.

Looking back on page 322 Shirou does appear to be doing a “Crucified Hero Shot”
Seeing Shirou’s sword next to Rekkuu Yaezakura really highlights how big the former is, it completely dwarfs the latter, Rekkuu Yaezakura is more comparable to the hilt than the actual blade. It’s also quite reminiscent to a crucifix, not only with its shape but also how it looks sheathed on his back with the handle and hilt being quite prominent. In Chapter 7 there are people that appear to be apart of Shirou’s Bushidan all seen carrying crosses, which means to mind the passage Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-26 - “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Shirou’s goat like eyes might also tie back to the Scapegoat mentioned in the Bible, which is ritually burdened with the sins of others similar to Jesus. Goats are also synonymous with the Devil, this contradictory symbology fits Shirou quite well.

Kojiro thinking not only of the Bushi accompanying him but also the people at the base of the mountain pretty noble of him. The Kishin keeps appearing in panels not focused on it, like the panel of Kojiro running away from Shirou. It could just be a way of establishing the geometry of the area, but it also seems like the Kishin might join the fray eventually.

 

[Ryuusu]

Chapter 32

Spoiler

Chapter 33

Spoiler

Chapter 34

Spoiler

 

[Samurai Rider]

Chapter 34

Musashi is halfway assimilated that explains why the lower half of his body is black, so the Goddess will probably accept Musashi during the fight which will cause Shirou to lose interest in him, I don’t see these three beating him, maybe Nanao. Hopefully the final trial will show the rest of the flashback involving Jisai’s death.

Nanao really changed her tune I guess she did screw up her task but Shirou was pretty chill about it considering how important it is to him. In the final panel she’s holding her Khakkhara in a unique way, seems like she’s going to wield it like a rapier. Spain is the origin of the rapier and fencing. It was also through people from Spain that Japan was introduced to Christianity, the primary one being Francis Xavier a founding member of the Society of Jesus (also known as the Jesuits). The Jesuits are a military like religious order their purpose is the propagation of the Catholic faith by any means possible.
Members are referred to as “soldiers of God” and are sent on missions across the globe in search of converts to Christianity. Unity under Heaven could be a way of achieving that since it has been established who ever defeats the strongest Kishin becomes the new ruler of Japan.

It seem like there might be additional meaning behind Shirou’s name, durning the Edo period several Japanese Catholics staged a rebellion against the Shogunate their leader was called Amakusa Shiro (天草 四郎) often romanized as Shirou. “He was said to be an angel who had come to lead the sixty-six provinces of Japan to Christianity” there was also a prophecy surrounding him saying he was a child of God here to save the people.

So the discord between the main trio has been resolved, interested to see how these three will fight along side each other, Musashi and Kojiro have known each other longer and trained together so their synergy should be greater than Tsugumi who just joined, but only Kojiro and Tsugumi can use their weapons and it might become a 2vs1 if Musashi under goes the trial durning the fight unless it goes faster this time around. Also the rest of the Bushi seem to be watching so maybe they will jump in eventually, would be pretty messed up if they left the kids to fend for themselves especially compared to how noble Kojiro has been.

Going off the title for the next chapter it seems her Kyuubi shichiseitou ability might be something akin to how Noctis fights in the initial Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailers, if so that should be pretty fun.

 

[Belserion]

Thinking more about it, it would have been cooler if Musashi's weapon resembled his pickaxe. Something unique for someone with unique powers, like Shirou and his long sword for eg. The little flashback makes me understand even more why Musashi acts more like Jisai's son than Kojiro does, there's a serious case of hero worship there. It seems Jisai was one of the few people who cared about chibi Musashi.

I can't help but like Shirou, but this is without the dialogue. I still think all this is just a test for Musashi and his friends, or maybe that's wishful thinking because I like both teams, either way I just hope no one ends up dead.

 

[Laminariales]

Cought up

umm I lika Nanao, the rest not so much as of yet, for me musashi is the most likable of the trio. I'm bothered things are so slow. Hope the story picks up speed after this fight. Shirou and nanao are interesting, I'm pretty sure they are going for the kill but I guess musashi and co are going to pull something

 

[Ryuusu]

Chapter 35

Spoiler

Chapter 36

Spoiler

 

[Samurai Rider]

Chapter 35

Now that we see Nanao’s ability it appears more similar to Renji’s Bankai from Bleach also he’s confirmed to be a guy, while his power is pretty strong though it seems he can’t exactly control all seven blades autonomously because of its whip like nature. It also leave his main body vulnerable without a weapon if someone can attack him directly like Musashi almost succeeded in doing. Glad to see the loss of his original weapon didn’t hamper his fighting style, it was cool seeing Sensen Retsuzan Ken again.

Chapter 36

The manoeuvre they pulled reminds me of some lines in the Art of War “Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.” and “When some are seen advancing and some retreating, it is a lure.” Which now that I think about it, this fits with Kojiro being a master at fishing, he even referred to it as a lure himself. The second visual metaphor is quite reminiscence of the many ambushes from an elevated positions used in the Romance of the Three Kingdom specifically the one used near the end of the Battle of Guandu (Cao Cao vs Yuan Shao)

I noticed beneath his clothing on Page 229 it shows that Nanao is wearing a metal collar just like Shirou. These two seem to be becoming foils to the main party, the lack of harmony between Shirou and Nanao contrasting with the main trio’s unity. Speaking of foils, on Page 230 there’s a panel of Musashi looking at Nanao without any speech bubbles or text, I’m guessing he empathises with Nanao, since he went though something similar and was reminded of that recently.

So Shirou’s sword does have an ability like other Iron Oni Blades, and he was already Kishin tier without even using it. Really curious to see how they will get out of this.

Volume 4 looks good, though I figured both Shirou and Nanao would share the cover like Sinbad, Jafar and Marsur did in volume 4 of Magi but going off this chapter I guess it makes sense why they don’t, I like Shirou’s colour scheme not too far off from how I envisioned it.

 

[Ryuusu]

Chapter 37

Spoiler

And here's Volume 4 cover art