Vagabond - GOD LEVEL DRAWING !!

Inoue Takehiko is known for being a legend, thanks to works like Slam Dunk - which is one of the best-selling manga series in history - or Vagabond - an adaptation from Eiji Yoshikawa book "Musashi".

Synopsis: In 1600 AD, Japan undergoes one of the most turbulent periods of its history. The young Takezo, with his friend Matahachi, leaves the Miyamoto village to fight in the Battle of Sekigahara. Although they dream of fame and glory, they only find defeat and a path full of uncertainties. Follow the journey of bloody fighting and spiritual challenges of this fearless swordsman, who was known to posterity as the great samurai Miyamoto Musashi!

Based on the epic novel of Eiji Yoshikawa with the breath-taking art of Takehiko Inoue, this comic book classic is one of the most awarded works of Japan's greatest hero!

Before Takezo becomes Musashi, the reader sees the character as a boy from the Miyamoto village, Mimasaka province, who can attract the fear of anyone and who lives almost exclusively from his intelligence, therefore an isolated boy of the world. At age 17, he and Matahachi went to war and this is where the story of Vagabond begins, with the end of the Battle of Sekigahara. It is from here that two personalities appear, Shinmen Takezo and Honiden Matahachi.
Takezo quickly gains reputation as someone who kills without mercy or pity, anyone who crosses his path and this leads to Takezo becoming a problem, since the hunters in his own village want him dead. Eventually and later in the story, monk Takuan and his childhood friend, Otsu, plan to help capture Takezo who is later held in a tree for several days without water or food. During this time, Tsukizake Kohei, the younger brother of a thug whom Takezo killed (and who gave him a reputation), comes claim his revenge against Takezo (although he himself wanted to kill only his brother), however Takuan scares him and the character disappears.

At the end of this arc, Takuan takes Takezo to a remote area around the village and talks to him about what he should do and that his soul is not as evil as the rest of the people thinks he is. The monk portrays to him that those who do not know the darkness, will never be able to know the true light and that Takezo must carry with itself the darkness itself. And this is how Miyamoto ends arc - chapters 1-21 (volumes 1-2)

The change from volume 2 to volume 3 is incredibly well done, and the character Shinmen Takezo completely transforms and changes name to Miyamoto Mushashi (the true legend that existed in real life in Japan).

Monk Takuan states that Shinmen Takezo officially died in Miyamoto village and now, who is there is Miyamoto Musashi and all this happens to avoid problems with the village itself, the Honi'den clan and the maturation of the samurai. Musashi is now 21 years old and travels to Kyoto with the goal of looking for strong swordsmen to challenge. He heads to the Yoshioka sword fighting school, where his father's name was extremely well known, but before he gets there, he unknowingly sees the current Yoshioka Seijuro schoolboy surrounded by geishas in the city. After exchanging a few words, Seijuro remits to him that he will kill him and Musashi without realizing it, feels the horror when the sword of Seijuro was in his neck. Fearless, Musashi heads for the school and challenges the owner, but first he is forced to face many of those who train there, after some of the lower class members insult him. Musashi kills five members of a higher class, until finally Yoshioka Denshichirō, the more serious of the two sons of Yoshioka Kempo, decides to kill Musashi himself. In a very dramatic battle, one that Seijurō intervenes in once to give Musashi the scar on his forehead, Musashi also manages to dislocate Denshichirō's shoulder, but the fight does not end until Hon'iden Matahachi accidentally sets the school building on fire, after drinking much of the sake stored in the basement, bemoaning the "inevitable" death of his newfound hero (Musashi, to which he called him a pilgrim samurai) who stood up to the Yoshioka. Denshichirō then tells Musashi to come back stronger within a year for a rematch.

Musashi escapes with his life and once Matahachi realized that Takezo was in fact Musashi, Matahachi decides to return to his old life. This becomes the beginning of an inferiority complex and a rivalry that will influence him for the rest of his life. Then begins Hōzōin arc- chapters 33-76 (volumes 4-8)

Takuan encourages Musashi to be a more serious person with regard to his training ethic and who should not jeopardize his life so easily but Musashi still has a lot to learn. He then goes on his way and separates himself from Takuan, for the purpose of visiting the temple of Hozoin because of his famous spear technique. Gion Toji, the Yoshioka school killer who aims to kill Musashi, first arrives at the temple. He cuts off the hands of a monk who challenges him and proclaims that he will do the same again every day, before finding Musashi, throwing the temple into turmoil and malaise. Musashi appears in the temple the next day and fights with Agon, one of the top-level monks. Musashi actually looked for In'ei, the legendary old schoolmaster who, unknowingly, retired from office. Agon recognizes that this must be Musashi and seeking both to end the turmoil that Toji caused and defend the name of Hozoin, then fight with Musashi. At some point in the fight, Musashi finds himself without a sword but manages to end the fight, breaking Agon's nose. Gion Toji then defies Musashi, but before they can start the fight, Inshun, the new schoolmaster and son prodigy in the spear, stops the fight, wanting to fight with Musashi himself. Toji backs off and Musashi has a head-to-head with Inshun. Musashi gets tired and disturbed and so he retreats a little to catch his breath. The elderly In'ei feels that while Inshun, his greatest student, brilliantly mastered the physical art of the spear, he was unable to control himself or his soul, for he believes Inshun needs a rival good enough to Perfect his abilities and for this, he believes that Musashi could become this rival. In the end, Musashi has a second battle with Inshun, with only In'ei and Agon as witnesses. Having learned a lot from his training on the rival and his demons, Musashi rules the spirit of Ishun. He can dodge an opponent's attack, knocking him down with his own (handmade) sword. After that, he goes back to his wild self (personality disorder) and starts beating Inshun repeatedly while he lies stretched out on the floor. Both are quickly treated of their wounds and depart in the hope of trying not to kill themselves the next time they meet.

So far, Vagabond has been an abysmal experience, making other seinen works look like mere toys for children. Master Takehiko Inoue has reformulated the seinen genre to a whole new level, unlike anything and everyone, including the reader, must value it. Vagabond is perhaps the most complex story of the author, due to his historical experience and the adaptation of one of the greatest samurai ever. The author also shows and portrays the contrast that exists with Musashi, who wants to be the "best under the sun" and Matahachi, where his goal was to be a family man. Matahachi chooses pleasurable but momentary moments, while Musashi chooses to dedicate himself and improve himself. Both make mistakes and both have their ways of solving certain problems. Matahachi is filled with problems while Musashi rises above his countertops and strengthens himself to unbelievable proportions. After surviving numerous battles until a bitter end and overcoming many personal struggles (the decision to leave his only love, Otsu, to pursue the life of the sword), only a swordsman is still in the path of Musashi.

There are also flashbacks from Shinmen Takezo's father, Shinmen Munisai, who was one of the most famous samurai from across the country. When Takezo was young, his father divorced his mother and forced Takezo to learn martial arts. Takezo wanted very much to see his mother again and shows him how much he grew up but his mother rejected him, telling him to return to his father's feet. And this caused that there was no affection for his parents, with which Takezo passed and that grew with him. And with this lack of affection, also appeared the fear towards his father. On several occasions, young Musashi tried to assassinate his father but he never succeeded, which made him always suffer physically. It was until one day, that Takezo began to know the mountains, through the forest, and began to calm with the nature beauty. And with this calm, came the will to train and develop an approach with the mother-nature. There was a time, when Takezo found the corpse of a swordsman in a cave and was impressed, hoping to be like him. As a child, Takezo became an intimate friend of Hon'iden Matahachi and Otsū.

While the story drags a little, in the Yoshioka Arc, in Vagabond, the story and its contextualization is full of emotions and battles of realistic and painful swords. This adaptation is relatively short in dialogue but the images that the author presents, speak for themselves. A picture is worth a thousand words and this work lives up to the saying. It is only a pity that other authors do not adopt this style and do not make their history so profound to the point of Vagabond. All manga volumes really let the reader think about what they actually read from their own production.

In Vagabond, there are no enemies, but opponents. There is no quantity, but quality. There is no fantasy, it is an adaptation. There is no imagination, but reality. There is no egocentrism, it's all life lessons.

Story: 10 | Art: 10 | Character: 10 | Enjoyment: 10
Score: 11/10

Personal Note: Currently finish reading the Hōzōin arc – chapters 33–76 (volumes 4–8). Favorite manga when talking about art, plot, adaptation, characters, personality, charisma, plot points and fights. Yes, Inoue is a legend and here is the proof.