Yagyu Ninja Scrolls Vol. 2

Rating Parental Advisory Genre manga Publisher Del Rey External Links Official Del Rey Eebsite

If you thought swords were only for boys, think again. Yagyu Ninja Scrolls convinced me that women can be ninjas too. The Hori Clan are seven female ninjas looking for revenge against a notorious samurai, Akinari, Lord of Aizu, who brutally executed their significant others over a three-day period.

In the second volume of Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Blood on the Trail, the Hori Women seek the mystical swordsman Yagyu Jyubi Mitsuyoshi, whose vision is limited to one eye, to teach them the science of the sword. Yagyu makes the seven women attack him with their swords to teach them how to kill their enemy with the first stab. He teaches the women not to be afraid and to fend for their lives, to build courage. Yagyu recruits the Hori Women to demolish the criminals that wish to purchase the Kyo women.

As Yagyu instructs the ladies on how to be successful in the combat, he has his own agenda. The head of the Aizu Seven Spears, Kato, is obsessed with collecting Kyo women. These Japanese women are prostitutes with long straight hair, dressed in kimonos and identical to one another. Kato must have as many as he can get for his own pleasure, but Yagyu will not let it happen. Although he is blind in one eye, you would never know from the disturbing mask that he wears to conceal both his identity and his impeccable defense skills.

Although this manga appeared thick, it read very quickly and I must admit, I did not want it to end. The story read smoothly, like a movie’s, and you do not need to read the first volume to catch on to the story line. Futaro Yamada penned the original story; Masaki Segawa wrote the manga, but together they came up with a page-turner that left me wanting more. I was able to feel the emotion of each character and understand what each character was going through.

Yamada and Segawa did an excellent job of capturing ancient Japan in each scene of the manga. The translation notes at the end were very helpful; the scenes that were most difficult to understand were explained in more detail. If you’re hankering for a taste of old Japan with a touch of Mortal Kombat, The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls will definitely satisfy your hunger.