Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099503972 ISBN 13: 9780099503972

Publisher: TANOSHIMI, 2006

THE BATTLE BEGINS

The Iga clan and the Kouga clan have been sworn enemies for more than four hundred years. Only the Hanzo Hattori truce has kept the two families from all-out war. Now, under the order of Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, the truce has finally been dissolved. Ten ninja from each clan must fight to the death in order to determine who will be the next Tokugawa Shogun. The surviving clan will rule for the next thousand years.

But not all the clan members are in agreement. Oboro of the Iga clan and Gennosuke of the Kouga clan have fallen deeply in love. Now these star-crossed lovers have been pitted against each other. Can their romance conquer a centuries-old rivalry? Or is their love destined to end in death?

From School Library Journal:

Grade 11 Up–A bloody feud has raged between the warring Iga and Kouga clans for years. A scroll has been drawn stating that each clan will designate 10 ninjas in an attempt to end the fighting. The combatants will fight to the death, and the winning clan will reign for 1000 years. In the wake of this turmoil, Oboro, a comely young member of the Iga clan, has fallen in love with Gennosuke, a handsome Adonis from the Kouga clan. Though they care for one another, the infighting and betrayal between their groups threaten to destroy not only their love, but also the fine balance between the two rival sides. Based on a Japanese novel, this first volume of a projected four has also been released as an anime DVD. Segawa relies heavily on image and uses text sparsely. This action-packed manga has a clean panel layout and is cinematic in its action. A wide array of characters is introduced, but readers are aided by a chart with names and affiliations to help keep straight who is who, and where their loyalties lie. The nudity, violence, and adult language make this most appropriate for older teens.–Jennifer Feigelman, Goshen Public Library and Historical Society, NY
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From Publishers Weekly:

This mature readers manga follows a battle between rival ninja clans that doesn't shy away from blood, graphic violence or nudity. The Tokugawa clan is using ninjas for a 10-against-10 battle to determine who will be the next leader of the family. Of course, there's a star-crossed couple in love, with the boy from one clan, the girl from another, torn apart by the war between their families. But for most of the book, freakish characters with astounding abilities engage in one-on-one showdowns lovingly crafted with excruciating fascination. One ninja resembles a spider with a short, bulbous body, spindly limbs, and spit that sticks like the most powerful glue; several have rubberlike bodies that allow them to extend their limbs or squeeze from tight spaces; a third is limbless but can slither faster than a snake and hides a spear in his throat. Segawa is a rising artistic star in Japan, and his art is well rendered and highly detailed, with a great deal of attention to the grotesqueries of the ninja's powers. Based on a novel series popular in Japan, and with an anime series on its way, this should find a solid audience here. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.