- Mangaka : Kishimoto, Massashi
- Publisher : Shonen Jump
- Genre : Action, Samurai, Sci-Fi, Shounen
- Published : May 12, 2019
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto still stands as one of the most renowned mangaka of all time. Naruto continues to be one of the best Shonen Jump franchises and even Boruto—the continuation of Naruto—has a large fan base that loves Kishimoto’s amazing writing skills. Finally though a new manga from the beloved creator has come forth in the form of Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den. The first chapter tells the story of a young boy named—you guessed it—Hachimaru, who isn’t what you’d call a samurai hopeful. Hachimaru seems to be suffering from a frail body and is unable to walk or move without the assistance of a machine crafted by his father. Though that doesn’t stop the young boy from wishing he was strong and able to do things without his father’s device.
Meanwhile, a strange event seems to be leading the galaxy towards its final days and thus keys must be found in order to open up a powerful relic—Pandora’s Box—to save the world. From here, a warrior spirit named Durama is sent out to find the keys but isn’t alone in his quest. Other warriors are aiming for the keys to and quickly you begin to realize that Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den aims to show that a grand quest is in order for good guys and bad guys alike.
The first chapter has our young boy being bestowed powers that change his form into a stronger one and allows Hachimaru to become a samurai as he wished. The first chapter of Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den was quite intriguing to say the least and shows a lot of potential for Kishimoto’s newest work. Yet, we did see some issues that we feel might possibly make the series a bit of a Naruto clone.
1. That Beautiful Art
Kishimoto’s Naruto is loved due to its amazing art style and Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den nails that concept to the letter. With manga artist Atsushi Okubo working with Kishimoto, Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den looks incredibly detailed with beautiful action sequences and special effects moments. Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den will no doubt push the duo’s manga skills, but we think it will stand up there as Kishimoto and Okubo’s best manga—in terms of art—yet.
2. Unique Samurai Tale
Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den is very strange out of the gate using a theme of sci-fi mixed with samurai. However, this hybrid genre style means Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den might come off as a rather unique manga overall. We can’t wait to see what Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den will pull off utilizing samurai fighters in possible space combat or using technology as their prime weapons.
1. Naruto = Hachimaru
As of right now, Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den’s main character seems to be a bit…familiar. We know we’re not alone in this train of thought seeing as how many readers of the first chapter of Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den have notice Hachimaru’s resemblance to Naruto in terms of personality. This might not be a big issue as of right now, but we hope Hachimaru changes to be more unique as the series progresses.
2. Out There In Space
Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den’s first chapter is…strange. While we enjoyed the different style, there’s also a fear of the series being just weird overall. Talking cat robots and space samurai seem cool, but if Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den tries to be serious, it might make for a funny story later on.
Final Thoughts
Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den is a good start for Kishimoto’s new series, but we have some worries as we described above. We love the art and we are intrigued by the story, but Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den could end up being just a sci-fi Naruto-like story if our main hero doesn’t change a bit. What are your thoughts on Samurai 8: Hachimaru Den? Comment below to let us know! If you loved this manga review, be sure to keep stuck to our hive here at Honey’s Anime! You can be sure we’ll be following Kishimoto’s new work for as long as we can!
Author: Aaron