Shounen Sahara the Flower Samurai by SHIBATA Yusaku

[ProGoddess]

Sahara the Flower Samurai (or Hana Samurai no Sahara) by SHIBATA Yusaku

A new series published in Shonen Jump GIGA by a former assistant of Eiichiro Oda, who is the creator of best-selling series, One Piece. The artwork has an Oda-esque but yet unique on its own which is reasonably good. The story also looks promising.

Synopsis / Summary

An unusual encounter between Sahara Sanjūrō and Yae Tokiro when Yae was trying to get across to the next town by an aircraft but was mistreated by the owner who refused to take him along.

Whilst at the other side of the platform, Sahara met some hungry kids and shared some of his food with them. When he saw Yae's predicament, he decided to help him. He used his sword - which was able to shape-shift to different forms of flowers or plant life - to get onto the aircraft while carrying Yae when the owner ditched him and flew off his ship. It was during this time when Sahara realised that he was grabbing on to a girl.

Unfortunately for the aircraft they got on, it was hijacked by a group of bandits. Yae was threatened by the leader of the bandits' group who took away her father's ashes and a precious live-flower which was left behind by her father.

A sudden sand storm hit the aircraft and Yae was thrown out of the ship where again, Sahara jumped out and saved her with his sword and landed safely on ground. Their encounter did not end there when they were attacked by an automated zombie warrior which was then defeated by Sahara.

The duo's journey continued as Yae made a contract with Sahara with the condition of Sahara's protection of her flower and her father's ashes until they reached her father's homeland, the Valley of the World Tree.

How will they reach their destination? What kind of trial and obstacle would they face? Who will they meet? Are they able to achieve their goal?

Let's dive into the story.


____________________________________________________________________________

The first two chapters have been out and scanlated. I strongly recommend this series. It is a good read.

 

[kira]

It is definitely a good read. The title is genius IMO it's pretty catchy.

I like the plot and the MC's design... just wished the MC was a girl. he looks like one and sahara seems feminine to me, and it would have been good IMO to differ from the norm.

I'll follow this one while I wait for the return of HxH and more chapters of Red Sprite. I just hope the number of pages per chapter don't decrease, and 1 chapter per week or more.

 

[Bigbootyjudy]

I'm getting a strong...TrigunxRurouniKenshin vibe from this manga. Everytime I read a panel, all I hear is the Trigun themesong in my head

Story is interesting so far, and the pacing is good. I just hope it doesn't become a cliche "atoning for my sin of releasing all these automated monsters onto the world sort of thing".

 

[kira]

I'm getting a strong...TrigunxRurouniKenshin vibe from this manga. Everytime I read a panel, all I hear is the Trigun themesong in my head

wow! you're absolutely right! that may be the reason why I'm drawn to this manga. it just remind me a lot of my favorite mangas. It also reminds me of Cowboy Bebop and Gundam wing.

and the World Tree reminds me of HxH

 

[Bigbootyjudy]

wow! you're absolutely right! that may be the reason why I'm drawn to this manga. it just remind me a lot of my favorite mangas. It also reminds me of Cowboy Bebop and Gundam wing.

and the World Tree reminds me of HxH

I know that HxH feel bro:catsadfeels

Yeah when I first saw the whole "wandering samurai" thing the first thing I thought of was RK. I was a big fan back in the day, so I was really interested in this manga (still waiting on that sequel Watsuki). I can definitely see Cowboy Bebop in this too. Maybe Sahara and Yae will get a ship and a crew?

I really love the idea of a desert planet like Trigun too. If this manga manages to pull together all the good parts from its predecessors, then it will be amazing.

 

[kira]

Yeah when I first saw the whole "wandering samurai" thing the first thing I thought of was RK. I was a big fan back in the day, so I was really interested in this manga (still waiting on that sequel Watsuki)

There's gonna be a sequel?! do you happen to know if it's still about Kenshin or about Kenji? maybe both?

Maybe Sahara and Yae will get a ship and a crew?

Highly likely.. but I hope not cause that would be just like OP.

I really love the idea of a desert planet like Trigun too. If this manga manages to pull together all the good parts from its predecessors, then it will be amazing.

*fingers cross*

 

[Bigbootyjudy]

There's gonna be a sequel?! do you happen to know if it's still about Kenshin or about Kenji? maybe both?


Highly likely.. but I hope not cause that would be just like OP.

Sorry to get your hopes up, but the sequel thing was a lllooonngg time ago. At the very end of the last volume Watsuki said that if he ever did a sequel it would be with Kenji vs yahikos son. But it never happened. I thought we would get something for the 25th anniversary, but all we got was a Shishio gaiden, a parallel universe sort of thing, and the live action movie (which was actually really good).

I'm still waiting for that sequel tho. I'll never stop waiting

True true lol. But he is Odas apprentice though. Lets just hope Saharas true goal isnt to find the "one seed" so that he can become the gardener king lol

 

[kira]

Sorry to get your hopes up, but the sequel thing was a lllooonngg time ago. At the very end of the last volume Watsuki said that if he ever did a sequel it would be with Kenji vs yahikos son. But it never happened. I thought we would get something for the 25th anniversary, but all we got was a Shishio gaiden, a parallel universe sort of thing, and the live action movie (which was actually really good).

I'm still waiting for that sequel tho. I'll never stop waiting

True true lol. But he is Odas apprentice though. Lets just hope Saharas true goal isnt to find the "one seed" so that he can become the gardener king lol

well I did a quick search earlier and I found this
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/dai...in-watsuki-working-on-secret-new-work/.103301
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/dai...in-watsuki-working-on-secret-new-work/.103301
"The Gardener King" ROFL! that would be hilarious! I'd still follow it after that
They could make a game out of it..
Harvest Moon: Sahara and The One Seed

 

[ProGoddess]

This series is published in Shonen Jump GIGA which is scheduled for a monthly release (at the moment). The magazine originates from a series of ancestors - Weekly Shonen Jump Special to Akamaru Jump to Shonen Jump NEXT and now Shonen Jump GIGA. The debut of Jump GIGA was in 20th July 2016 and the second issue came out last week. So we will expect the third to be released sometime in third week of September.

The new look of Jump GIGA features completely new serialised works from authors from Weekly Shonen Jump and serialised works from other authors.

Sadly, since this series is published in Jump GIGA, it will remain as a monthly series. Even then we still don't know if Shueisha (the publisher) will revert back to a bi-monthly (every other month) release, which is similar to Jump NEXT. But I hope it will not.

The story seems to go along the line of finding the Valley of the World Tree and the two featured characters, Sahara and Yae, start their journey seeking for the origin of plantation (seedlings and plant life) to fulfill the dream of Yae's father. I think it has set a good goal to start with, that leaves a lot of room to illustrate in details and the plot can go in many directions as the story moves along.

The demonstration of Sahara's sword-skill is impression and I particularly like the artwork and how the author, Shibata, uses creative effects to present it. What's more? The epithet of Sahara - Flower Samurai - though sounds feminine (since we usually associate "flowers" with a female person) - speaks clearly of who Sahara is and what it represents his sword. He also has flowery names for his skills too. I'm beginning to like them a lot. hehe!

The design of characters, background and general artwork are attractive. Though there are only two chapters at the moment, but I see a great potential in this author. With creativity in story-telling, he will be able to advance further and I hope to see him promoting to a weekly serialisation and hopefully anime adaptation as well.

As for the current story at hand, we have plentiful to explore. What will Shibata gonna show us?

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 29, 2016, Original Post Date: Aug 29, 2016 ---

"The Gardener King" ROFL! that would be hilarious! I'd still follow it after that
They could make a game out of it..
Harvest Moon: Sahara and The One Seed

Oh... so I see that...

We will have a "Gardener King" in seek of "One Seed" which is so Oda-ish with "Pirate King" in seek of "One Piece."

If the series is successful, a game franchise isn't a bad idea. We can have a new series of "Sahara Harvest Sun" since the story's setting is on a dry, hot, humid and isolated Sahara Desert. Oh! Did Shibata get all these ideas from? The character's name, Sahara; the desert, Sahara; desert aircrafts travelling in the dry land of desert like pirate ships journeying around grandline of oceans?

Spoiler: Sahara Desert

Deserts are barren lands that are dry and arid, with little precipitation occurrence which only allow certain kinds of animals and plants to be able to adapt themselves to survive under such environment. Perhaps our two characters may be able to discover environmental-adapted seedlings during their journey through the desert. The Automated warriors look like a given robotic-machineries which add the extra thrill to the story.

 

[Demonspeed]

Read it. Pretty good so far, the plot is nothing special so far but the common tropes are used well.

 

[kira]

chapter 3 is out on mangastream and mangalife.

http://mangastream.com/r/sahara/003/3691/1
http://mangastream.com/r/sahara/003/3691/1
color cover looks good and further enhances my thought that Sahara is a girl.

 

[ProGoddess]

Finally, we have a coloured chapter cover.

It looks very pretty with the flowers typifying the epithet for the Flower Samurai.

I have only read half the chapter which surprises me that Sahara has lived for that long and yet maintain his stature. It is like his spirit lives on and it's coming back to fulfill his wish.

Well, I will come back later to continue it.

--- Double Post Merged, Sep 25, 2016, Original Post Date: Sep 24, 2016 ---

Chapter 3 - The Colossal Pod

Oh yeah! I read the full 3rd chapter of this series.

I really like the Chapter Cover, it looks very pretty. I also like the way the author decorates the main character, Sahara, with a part of his face covered with different flowers.

I was just browsing around earlier and saw this picture filled with flowers, thought it reminded me of Sahara.

I wonder if the author likes flowers too, that he creates a manga which revolves around them. Or he may have his loved ones who like flowers and these flowers and the manga are a dedication to them. hehe ...

Now, let me dive into the chapter proper.

Sahara and Yae had an interesting and surprising encounter - Even I'm surprised too - that they would meet a talking-Automated Warrior (AW). It did not just speak, but asked them various questions that they wouldn't expect it to. Before they could even catch their breathe, the AW killed another AW that was coming after them.

Sahara seemed to know those AW very well that he reassured Yae that the one speaking to them wasn't one of them. It even invited them to its hideout. Little Yae's ignorant thought Sahara was smart, but in fact he was from a different league which she had yet to discover.

魔防 "To Defend Against Evil"​

I particularly would like to mention this page (as above) as I notice the signboard has an interesting name that says "魔防" which literally means "to defend against evil." As we continue the story, it does say what it says when we know later that the "automated warrior" wasn't "automated" though it was a warrior - an experienced one even!

The hideout 魔防 also had a special barrier to protect those living in it and more surprises coming up - a person who could operate a "piloted warrior" that was invented prior to the creation of the "automated warrior" was none other than Yae's granny, Kae Tokiro. This seemed like a nice reunion for which they must have not met each other before. But it was good for them that they finally met though under such unfortunate circumstances. For Kanichi to send his daughter back to his hometown was probably out of good intention as he might have known that his mother was a strong woman that she would live long enough to see the granddaughter.

It was sad that the "Valley of the World Tree" was taken over by a colossal pod which then absorbed all its energy, the magic stone fuel, that the World Tree obtained from the ground. So we know that the automated warriors were forced to to work for the colossal pod. It was quite a tragedy that the valley people were killed and those who survived decided to leave which left Kae to protect the relic, "Magic -Fueled Explosive" all by herself. This relic was quite intriguing that it was shocked to know that the explosive power was so great that it could blow off half the valley to smithereens if the seal was removed. It was also a great source of energy for the colossal pod, no wonder the automated warriors tried so hard to sneak into Kae's hideout and killed so many people, so that they could obtain the relic.

Sahara's real name was finally revealed and Kae who had lived long enough knew his story. After knowing his past, all came to realise why he was so knowledgeable about many things like the automated warriors, piloted warriors, the details of the armour and weapon and how he could kill them with precision. More importantly, he survived for a long time and I wonder how his young look was maintained. He even had a fast regenerative body. I suppose that was the reason that he could maintain his youth. If the body was capable of regenerating the body cells at a speedy manner, I reckon the rejuvenating attribute would be higher as well. I could even think of his metabolism rate that could be higher than any ordinary person. On the other hand, since he appeared out of nowhere during the "great war" and defeated all the armoured warriors on his own, it raised the question of where he came from. How did his body transform into flower petals? How did he come back alive?

More information was further revealed that Sahara was one of the two geniuses and their story had gone back to their life time of discovering the "magic stone fuel" which eventually led to the invention of aircraft and fully automated armour (called "automated warrior"). Unfortunately such geniuses were sought after for. Greed has always remained a sin in mankind till this present day that has caused many wars all over the world - so sad to talk about it.

It was kinda amazing that Sahara was 108 years old but with a youthful look. He did not mention anything to Yae till Granny Kae found out about his true identity. Since it was exposed, he revealed his true goal of coming to the valley. It appeared that it would be a good thing for him to be there to help to restore the valley back to its former glory. Moreover he was entrusted by a "very important person" to grow a seed. I wonder who the person he mentioned. Was it his former partner? It looks like there will be "life" in the land soon, as long as the colossal pod is defeated. Will Sahara be able to defeat it? He appeared to be a kind person whom wanted to let the "granny and granddaughter" live "happy ever after" and took the role of killing the pod by himself. Even in times of adversaries, he was still putting up a smiling face and told the two women to "have faith" in him. While executing his mission, he even had the time to worry about Yae's feelings. This seemed quite out of place but very funny. Well, he does care for people.

I think Yae coming after Sahara might have posed some positive effect on him, like boosting up his morale. If Kae comes along, it will be an extra strength since she has been surviving for so long. She may be able to pull through this fight with Sahara though this time, it is the main enemy, the boss, which may be the most dangerous task she ever encounter as compared to those automated warriors which were considered as the colossal pod's minions. Even so, these warriors were no ordinary warriors but were a bunch of skillful ones.

What will happen during their initial confrontation with the colossal pod? Will they win? Will they get hurt? If so, they may escape to a safe place first? But is there really a place that is safe enough for them?

Wow! I'm so intrigued following the story. This is definitely a good chapter, particularly the amount of information given - Sahara, Yae and Kae - and I'm so excited how the trio will get rid of the colossal pod and claim back the valley. I can imagine by the end of it, there will be lots of plants growing in the land and it will be a land of flowers. Haha! I'm getting ahead but I would anticipate it to happen.

The chapter should get a rating of 8/10. Thanks to Shibata for his good work and the Manga Editor for bringing the English version for us.

 

[kira]

chapter 4 is out.

http://mangastream.com/r/sahara/04 END/3752/1


and it's also the last chapter.

 

[ProGoddess]

A good closure for the story - the past is settled for Sahara with his partner and his feelings reconciled; his present with Yae and her grandmother with both being alive. Sahara has no more worries as the valley will be filled with people soon. It's time for him to rest as the world is overflowing with blooming flowers and seedlings of hope.

Thank you Shibata Yusaku for the interesting short series. It's a good read.