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I receive review requests weekly. However, my personal schedule is hectic and I no longer review actively. (I also manage another blog called The Toronto Cafe and Food Blog). I do read every request sent but I apologize in advance that I do not reply to them all.

If I do take on a request, I will forewarn that it may take some time before I can review it. I am now looking to review adult fiction and self-help books instead of young adult fiction because I have grown out of it. If you are to request a review for either adult fiction or self-help, I will more likely to give it a shot.

In the meantime, Stop, Drop, and Read! serves as an archive book review blog. When I have the time, I may post a review. Thank you for understanding.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

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.

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7 comments:

Liviania said...

I'm interested in this one because of my love of Kurosawa.

Diana Dang said...

Haha, I've never really read his other works so I don't have much of an opinion. x)

Gaby317 said...
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Katherine Dacey said...

Liviania:

The manga follows Kurosawa's movie fairly closely, but that's about the only good thing I can say about this particular adaptation of The Seven Samurai. The two-volume format compresses the story too much to be satisfying, and the robots really don't add anything to the story.

Diana Dang said...

Oh shoot I just realized I mixed the two up~ o-o

Liviania said...

Katherine:

Thanks for telling me! Of course, part of the joy of watching a Kurosawa film is his attention to atmosphere and experience. I'm not sure manga could completely capture his style.

Diana Dang said...

I've never seen any of his works, what other movies did he produce?