Shigurui can be easily compared to the likes of Berserk. It's an intense, dark, and gore-filled story about two dudes who grow to hate each others' guts. Plus the art is downright incredible.

One of the striking things that made Shigurui stand out to me was the palpable moral grayness every character exuded. There are rarely any actions that are committed in this manga that are intended for the greater good; instead, everyone is selfish in their own unique ways, whether it be for their own survival, or honour. Its kind of Shakespearean in a sense, where you feel that all of these characters are cursed to cause their own downfall.

The two lead characters; Irako and Fujiki, also see plenty of development over the course of the series. Each character battles for their own righteousness, and throughout the series I constantly switched between which I wanted to see come out on top. The series does an excellent job making you feel both sympathetic for these two, but also disgusted by them as people.

Aside from the plot and characters; the battles. The sword-fights in Shigurui are some of the most intense and dramatic that I've ever read in a manga, and easily one of the most elaborately illustrated. Every bone, every muscle, every sinew is drawn when somebody gets sliced (and likely diced) during battle, to the point where its like observing a clinical diagram. An absurd level of attention to detail went into the art in this series, and it never failed to be impressive.

Despite all of this praise I can't quite give it a 10. The ending, while fitting, seemed cut far shorter than originally planned, and feels incredibly abrupt. There are many loose ends left untied, and some may find it unsatisfying.

Over-all, Shigurui is definitely worth receiving a strong 9/10 from me. If you can't stomach intense gore, maybe steer clear; but if that's your wheelhouse, then buckle up!