Samura Hiroaki’s Mugen No Junin (Blade Of The Immortal) manga has finally ended after a run of almost 20 years with the concluding volume 30. The first issue was published way back in June 1993, when I was very much still a kid.
Folks who frequent this blog will know that I love the artist’s art immensely, and even though an art of book for Blade is already out there I’m hoping the publishers will compile another one, collecting all the fantastic monochrome illustrations used for the chapter dividers.
(above) Cover art for final tankobon volume 30. See cover art for other volumes here.
Just as the blooming Sakura flowers on the cover art symbolizes the ephemeral cycle of life, Samura-san has since embarked on his new manga, Beageruta. (see image below) The manga has actually been released by Nemesis comics for quite a while now, but the tankobon was only published recently to coincide with the concluding volume of Blade. (February 22th 2013)
I’ve yet to finish the first book but the story seem to revolve around the conflicts between 3 crime organizations from China, Germany and Japan, with the female enforcers taking center stage.
It’s a little strange seeing Samura’s characters from any era outside of feudal Japan but I’m sure I’ll get used to it in time.
Blade Of The Immortal – New Edition Manga Covers
Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Volume 2 Manga Review
Blade Of The Immortal Teaser – Takashi Miike
Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Volume 1 Manga Review
Blade Of The Immortal Manga Cover Art Volume 19-29
April 23rd, 2013 at 11:40 pm
i’ve read a bunch of his comics, and while i generally like them, Blade was his shining piece. there was no greater attention to detail as that which we saw in Blade and no real attention to scene either. i think that maybe since he is no longer bogged down with Blade of the Immortal as his main work, we might start seeing work of the same caliber, and for that i am very excited. i will have to order his new book and check it out myself.thanks for the heads up!
April 23rd, 2013 at 11:41 pm
also, thanks for not spoiling the ending. let’s please keep this page spoiler-free!
April 28th, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Zack – Definitely looking forward to more of his work, and art books too ! :]
May 3rd, 2013 at 7:08 am
I read Blade of the Immortal when I was in high school, and I haven’t been keeping up with it since college. Now I have to see how it ends, but I have to say I’m both amazed and annoyed by these manag series that span decades.
Amazed because I personally find it hard to work on one project for an extended period of time (I get bored), and annoyed because waiting for twenty years for a conclusion is a bit much. Again, I think I got bored waiting to read the next installment and then the series completely dropped off my radar….I guess boredom is my eternal enemy 🙂