VAGABOND VIZBIG ED GN VOL 01 (MR) (C: 1-1-0): Invincible Under the Sun VIZBIG Edition: Volume 1 (Vagabond (VIZBIG Edition))

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After unsuccessfully defeating the swordmasters of the Yoshioka School – which afterwards went on fire, due to the drunken mishaps of Musashi's former friend Matahachi – Musashi wakes up to be reunited with the "damn monk" Takuan, as well as meeting for the first time Jōtarō, a young orphaned boy who wishes to be Musashi's apprentice after hearing about his battle in the Yoshioka School. It is a delight seeing the return of Takuan whose brutally acute and honest attitude remains humorous, whilst he asks Musashi to give him a long overdue haircut. First, I noticed a severe decline in terms of dynamic and interesting characters this time around in Volume 2. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is what it is. Where in Volume 1 we had the aloof Takuan, the lazy, yet incrediblely gifted Seijuro, and his contrasting brother Denshichiro. This time around we were dealt Inshun and I'nei. Who...don't get me wrong are fine but they aren't anything to rave about. Inshun is Seijuro but with a spear/pole and I'nei is the most stereotypical 'sensei' character you could have. His motivations and character are fine. But I've seen it done a million times before. Although this has been marketed as a seinen manga, in which the demographic is young adult men, I feel like Vagabond has in common with shōnen manga as not only Musashi’s arc of being the strongest is not far off from Goku in Dragon Ball, but also the action plays a crucial part in both storytelling and characterisation. The major set-piece of this volume is when we arrive at the Hōzōin-ryū school of spearmanship, where Musashi fights Inshun Hōzōin, the second-generation master of the Hōzōin spear technique. Devoting seven chapters to this one fight, it is a masterclass of action, in that it’s not just a case of hitting one another, but also strategy and what the two fighters are feeling. Vagabond Vol. 13". Viz Media. Archived from the original on October 18, 2006 . Retrieved June 28, 2009. Vagabond Vol. 8". Viz Media. Archived from the original on October 18, 2006 . Retrieved June 28, 2009.

Vagabond Vol. 14] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009 . Retrieved June 28, 2009.Vagabond Vol. 22] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009 . Retrieved June 28, 2009.

But can you do the same with novels and comic books? As someone who labeled a shelf action even I would struggle with singling out a significant number of fight scenes from books as capital-G Great. There are several authors I've read and admired who when the time came in their story for an action setpiece it came across as merely serviceable more often than not. And I don't think any less of them for it because it's damn hard to create the visuals and motion that is necessary to a good fight scene with mere words. The closest literary equivalent would be every time an author describes the current location of their characters, but when it comes to scenery the author doesn't have to worry about the flow and pacing of their writing nearly as much they need to when it comes to describing a sword fight, or a shootout, or a wizard duel, or a battle between two armies. Vagabond Vol. 30". Viz Media. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011 . Retrieved November 5, 2009. Vagabond Vol. 11". Viz Media. Archived from the original on October 18, 2006 . Retrieved June 28, 2009.Vagabond Vol. 30] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009 . Retrieved June 28, 2009.