This is manga interpretation of the famous novel about Miyamoto Musashi. As such not all elements are to be taken at the face value (some of the elements are added for dramatization) but story is truly great.

We follow Musashi (his given name being Shinmen Takezo) as he tries to recover from the disastrous defeat at Sekigahara. Together with his childhood friend Matahachi they start the long journey home and on that path they encounter mysterious belles, thieves and organized crime, government (victors at Sekigahara) looking for them since they fought in the army that lost.

But most importantly they will go head to head against treachery, betrayal and their very natures. While Matahachi ends up as very weak person in every sense (coward, betrayer and someone more prone to constant complaining but never ready to make any change for better) Takezo (Musashi) is shown as a man that made a decision to make his name as a "invincible under the sun" even if that means losing his life.

Exactly this appreciation of life (especially ones own) will be the greatest test for Takezo before he decides to become Miyamoto Musashi.

Art is gorgeous although I have to admit that it took me a while to figure out if the character is male or female - there are several androgynous main characters like this that can confuse the reader.

In any case this is one of the most beautiful manga's I had the pelasure to read. Colored panels (usually at the beginning of the story chapter) are just magnificent.

Highly recommended to fans of great art, great story and history. ( )

A good, solid start to the story. Not gimmicky or cheap storytelling. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is the first VIZBIG volume of the Vagabond series. I bought this book.

Story (4/5): This is the story of Takeza and how he started down the path to becoming the legendary Miyamoto Musashi. It’s well done and fast paced. This is a fairly violent and graphic story, but has some interesting history and an engaging story.

Characters (4/5): The characters are well done and have some depth to them but are pretty unlikable throughout. Takezo’s disregard for life and struggle to understand the rest of society is intriguing.

Setting (4/5): The historical setting is well done and interesting. It was fun to take a look into this time of history.

Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): The story is very easy to follow and well done. The drawing here is really exceptional, lots of detail both on the characters and in the background.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was well done and exceptionally well drawn. The story is kind of interesting and the characters had a lot of depth to them. There is a lot of graphic violence as well. I thought it was well done but don’t plan on continuing the series because I just prefer more of a fantasy take to my graphic novel stories and I didn’t really like any of the characters all that much. Additionally the volumes are fairly pricey to buy and my library doesn’t carry them. ( )

I literally picked up this manga for two reasons: 1) it had cool artwork and 2) it was $1. So, my expectations weren't super high or anything. It was a really quick read and I finished it in about an hour. The manga follows Shinmen Takezo as he struggles to put his life together after being on the losing end of a massive battle. With the help of some mysterious ladies, he is able to get back on his feet. He vows that he will kill anyone who tries to kill him and as such... kills a lot of people. Wielding a wooden sword he makes his way across the countryside killing any who would dare stop him. As the book proclaims, "This is the journey of a wild young brute who strives to reach enlightenment by way of the sword - fighting on the edge of death."

For fans of action packed historical manga. ( )

Incomparable. Amazing each time I read it (which is about 6 or 7 times now). I'm afraid to even recommend it to anyone for fear of some nerd-rage outburst on my part if they don't love it the second they set eyes upon it.
Fanboy(fangirl?)-ism aside, this collection, encompassing the first three volumes is definitely a bargain: low price and great quality. On the downside the volume is really heavy and a little hard to keep open on account of it's thickness. Bearing that in mind there are some beautiful spreads you'll be missing if you don't want to destroy the binding. I prefer the single volumes but this is a better option for tight pockets. ( )