Samurai 7 by Mizutaka Suhou & Akira Kurosawa

Title: Samurai 7
Mangaka: Story by Akira Kurosawa and adapted by Mizutaka Suhou
Age Group: Older Teens
# of Pages: Approx. 200
# of Volumes: 2
My Rating: 3/5

The humans and robots are at war. The world is being annihilated by weapons of mass destruction. The only people that could stop them are men with specialized swords called Taisenshatou. These human protectors are called samurai.

Katsushiro Okamoto is the son to a wealthy merchant. He always wanted to be a samurai and admired them since he was young. He runs away to a distant town, claiming to be one himself. When the pretty Kirara requests for his help, he agrees immediately. She and an older man are looking for samurai. Their village is in trouble because the Nobuseri are going to attack them. The group Nobuseri used to be warriors but turned into infamous bandits that now pick on the weak.

Katsushiro and the others are able to find a kind-hearted samurai by the name of Kambei Shimada. Together they were able to gather enough samurai to go to Kanna Village and aid the villagers. But the question is, will they be able to defeat the Nobuseri?

In Samurai 7, there are many elements you would find in historical Japan. For example how everyone is dressed in the olden-styled clothes and villages still exist outside of the cities. On the other hand, you would see more futuristic elements, like stated before, robots, and flying ships.

I liked the variation of characters the mangaka presents. There are a lot of different personalities that should contribute quite a bit in the future volumes. The first volume is yet to reveal the main plot because I'm sure the Nobuseri event is just the start off before it gets to the real problem. So far it only gives a brief graze of the bigger picture.

I think this manga series would definitely be enjoyed by an older male audience. All of the male characters are around 30 years or older (assuming) except for Katsushiro. I didn't find it appealing at all but then again, I was not exactly part of the targeted audience. It has quite a bit of action and I don't mind reading it, but it isn't really something I'm into. I didn't find it exciting and only along the lines of "meh". Recommended for shonen (manga geared towards boys) fans.

Review copy provided by Del Rey.