- Mangaka : Ohtaka, Shinobu
- Publisher : Kodansha Comics
- Genre : Action, Fantasy, Shounen
- Published : January 2021 - Ongoing
Orient Introduction
In the land of Hinomoto, demons have taken over control to the human race and worshipped as gods. However, there is a group of humans who continued to fight against the Demon Gods to free the human race from their grasp and save the world. They were called “The band of Bushi.” This is the story of how Musashi and Kojiro started their journey to become the best Bushi in the world. So, are you brave enough to join their ranks, risk your life for humanity and save the world? Let us begin!
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
Ahh, you are here. Come, take a seat. Let us tell you a story of your ancestors. They travelled throughout the land of Hinomoto, hone their swordsmanship, all to slay Demon Gods throughout their lives. They are called the Band of Bushi, which is the bloodline you carried as well. Nowadays, Bushi was looked down upon by demons and humans, but don’t let that bother you. Why? Because we are proud warriors that serve to protect humans no matter how they see us. It is up to you which path you would take. Would you surrender to the demons and live in despair or take your katana and fight?
The story centres around Musashi and Kojiro. From a young age, they have a dream to form the strongest Band of Bushi. Day by day, they practised their skills through sword fighting until Kojiro decided to give up. But, Musashi isn’t the type of person to let go of their dream, which we will discuss that in the later sections. The story is somewhere along slow and average pacing. The character designs are done by the same person who draws for Magi. The action and implementation of weaponry, delicious.
1. This is Just the Beginning
Despite that this manga focuses on action-oriented… (hah, get it? Okay we will stop) the progression of the story is more catered to the character development and they slowly build up the momentum and hype to the last few pages of the volume. This isn’t some manga where you get into a battle scene without some context on the characters and their choice of actions. If you read this manga, you can feel there is a special bond manifested between you and the characters.
Musashi is quite stubborn in his way, but his determination to achieve his goal to kill the first Demon God is crazy. He may be crazy, but creative enough to wield a scythe as if it was a sword and his combat instinct is sharp. Kojiro was lost. He didn’t know what he should be doing with his life in the middle of the volume due to the experience he had gone through during his childhood. That is where his memory with his dad and Musashi comes in to help him understand his life’s purpose.
2. Anyone Heard of Magi?
If you recognize the illustration at the cover page, then you must have heard the OG manga series called Magi. Yes, this whole new series, both in terms of story and art, is done by that same mangaka. The main characters Musashi and Kojiro, reminded us of Aladdin and Alibaba. But of course, their personalities are different. The concept of art this time is samurai weaponry and armours based on the old era of Japan. There is one additional concept to add in the world of fiction: motorcycles, which the characters called it Demon Metal Horse. The history behind it might be explained in the future volume.
Back to the topic, for now, the main characters looked simple, but Shinobu went all out on the samurai armours, Takeda Band of Bushi and the battle scenes. There are a few pages drawn as if readers are positioned in a safe place to witness what seemed to be a war between a literal Demon God and hundreds of Bushi going at each other, and the intensity keeps going up! Seriously, look how much propane tanks that Demon God has with the power of magic! Note that no propane tanks are used in the making of this manga and in the story itself.
3. Battle Scenes
Initially, we find it strange as to why Musashi is wielding a ridiculously awesome-looking scythe and working in the mines for five years but turns out that it is a demon-killing sword. You read that right. That is a sword. Weird but somehow works. The main battle of this volume involves the main characters’ first Demon God encounter. Don’t expect a short fight, because they take quite a while to reach the end, which is a good thing as there are too many overpowered characters rinsed their enemies in one hit.
Final Thoughts
Orient’s volume 1 manga is like the first episode of any other anime where they introduce the characters’ backstories and resolved their determination to go out there and hunt demons like a picnic…maybe…but you get the idea. The characters’ movement during the battle is smooth and filled with emotions. There are many details drawn on the fight against Demon God. The characters’ personalities are exciting and unique, and most importantly, the slow pacing of the story that builds up the character development and story progression. If you are a fan of Magi and don’t mind the slow pace story, you can give this series a try. If you have read it, let us know in the comments below.
Author: Nobodies17