Shopping Guide
The stage is Edo period Japan. The swordsman group Itto-ryu is trying to devour all the other schools.
Manji, an immortal bodyguard, and Rin, a girl whose parents were killed by the Itto-ryu, are bound by some strange destiny. Whether they like it or not, they are dragged into a drama that is reeking of blood and is always followed by death.
How does the story they picked end?
In Dec. 2012, a manga that had continued for nearly 20 years finally arrived at its grand finish. That manga is Blade of the Immortal, created by Hiroaki Samura. Samura started serializing the manga in the magazine Afternoon in 1993, and after taking 20 years, he finally finished writing it.
There are several reasons as to why Blade of the Immortal was able to mesmerise its fans for such an extended period: the unique weapons, the characters with their own flaws, and the unpredictable story. Above all, the elaborate yet deep and vigorous drawing style is undoubtedly one of the main pillars that supported the popularity of this story. We would like to introduce to you a video which allows you to take a peek into how Samura draws his pictures.
In the video, you can see how Samura carefully grafts the image in his head onto the paper. He casually shades the faintly visible silhouettes in layers of black ink with a pencil, then, using an eraser, he creates the detailed shadowing. The way Manji’s shape gradually emerges is truly an artist’s skill. Observe the limitless expressive power he brings forth with fearsome technique.
© Hiroaki Samura / Kodansha Ltd.
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
