VAGABOND VIZBIG ED GN VOL 02 (MR) (C: 1-0-0): Enlightenment VIZBIG Edition: Volume 2 (Vagabond (VIZBIG Edition))

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There’s a lot of violence in this volume, some of it quite bloody. There’s also a brief sex scene with female nudity–this is a “mature readers” title. It kept me thinking and rereading to fully encompass what Takehiko Inoue was conveying, it was beautiful I loved every minute of it !

That's about it. There's a ton of drawn out fighting, banter about the philosophy of battle, and internal reflection, as well as a small side story with Mushashis friend whose name I forget. This massive tome doesn't even conclude the arc it sets up. It ends on a cliffhanger. In the wake of his battle with the famed Yoshioka school in Kyoto from volume 1, Takezo (now known as Musashi) finds himself with a host of new enemies (not a new experience for the vagabond, nor one he is likely to shake) and reunited with the monk Takuan and a young boy named Jotaro...more troubling to Musashi’s peace of mind is the presence of Otsu, whose beauty and compassion cause him no little distraction.Matahachi’s on the run because of the arson thing, and a chance encounter allows him to also reinvent himself as the respected warrior Sasaki Kojirō. His sections of the story are tragicomedy, as he keeps having good intentions, but the flaws in his character prevent him from following through in a crisis, and we watch him make excuse after excuse for doing less than he ought. I enjoy Miyamoto, and for his age, he is very believable. I just find him to be overwhelmingly dull at times. He is so self absorbed with strength. That isn't enough to bring his character down to dull, but he has a childhood love interest that compels him to be 'distracted.' I'm guessing it was made to make his character more relatable, but I feel as if the cliche love interest doesn't do anything for me. It's just another thing Miyamoto has to go through. I was much more into the abusive relationship with his father but that has again been held absent and shrouded in intrigue. It's not so much a dislike but I did clarify in my last review. I am having a real challenge trying to overcome the idea that this is just a retelling/rehashing of a popular novel. Yes, there is definitely more attention to detail and a lot more progression and character moments. However, I really just have a hard time giving that series that seal of "amazing creativity and ingenuity" when it is in fact a retelling. Many others probably are better men then me for finding it in themselves to overcome this. I just don't have it in me....yet! It's difficult to rate these incredible anthologies as individual volumes when they so clearly function in tandem with the other installments. It's one huge, epic story and to rate one over the other is like favoring a chapter of a novel over the others. They all work together evenly and effectively to create a stunning piece of art.

I read and appreciated the first omnibus of Takehiko Inoue's samurai manga Vagabond late last year, but only got around to reading the second volume just now. I see heaps and heaps of praise thrown on this series. People calling it a work of high art, a masterpiece of the manga format. And in certain ways I can see why. The art truly is gorgeous, filled with great character designs and environments.If the high point for Miyomoto Mashashi in the first volume was his declaration that he was going to become invincible under the sun, his low point was almost being beaten to death in a duel before being rescued by his long suffering friend Matahatchi. 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.

I really liked Inshun, he reminds me of another warrior monk, Aang the Last Airbender. Both smile a lot, have bald heads can be terrifying when it comes to battle. Again with Volume 5, it was astounding. The humanity and resilience displayed was astonishing. It was by far my favourite volume so far, as we delve right into human consciousness and morality, these aspects captivated my attention and began rewiring the neurones in my brain ! I will admit that it initially took me a while to regain my footing in the ongoing narrative, and remember all the characters sufficiently, but once I got past that, the story seemed an improvement via accumulation in comparison to the previous volume. I would not say that the character of Miyamoto Musashi has yet gained any true depth – he still comes across as rather flat – but the character gallery around him is starting to make up for it. Also, while there is still a lot of violence (one fight seems to be going on for an near endless number of chapters) there is much less carnage in this volume. And perhaps it allows hints of character growth for Musashi as well. Real-life figure Miyamoto Musashi was the most celebrated samurai of all time. The quintessential warrior-philosopher, Musashi authored A Book of Five Rings, a classic treatise in the canon of world philosophy and military strategy. But the path to enlightenment is an endless journey, and to get there through violent means—by way of the sword—makes mere survival an even greater challenge.The successor to the Hōzōin spear style, Inshun, has his own issues. He’s a natural combat genius who has never known “fear”, or had a truly serious challenge to his skills until now. Thus his growth has stalled; Inshun must learn how to deal with defeat to become stronger. His multi-chapter duel with Musashi is the centerpiece of this volume.

At seventeen years of age, Miyamoto Musashi—still known by his childhood name, Shinmen Takezō—was a wild young brute just setting out along the way of the sword. I do appreciate seeing where Matahachi is going, his journey and his growth I think will be great. However, I...was kind of spoiled by the author admiting that he was a historical figure and the archenemy of Miyamoto. Which like, fair. This is a historical figure, and this is based on a popular Japanese movie. Soooooo, I'm thinking this is less of a spoiler and more a part of history.

Customer reviews

If I have to be honest, despite the cool action sequences and the fact that Inoue tries to make it historically accurate, it has started to become rather repetitive. Miyamoto Musashi is a marvellous character and reminds me of both Goku from Dragon Ball and Naruto from the Naruto series. In these volumes, the demon within him isn't as evident as in the first omnibus but this is because he is distracted romantically, Otsu can't seem to steer clear of the corridors of his mind. This impacts his fighting and his general awareness of his surroundings, his instinct itself, has, in fact, a different vibe to it.