fbpx
Wikipedia

Vagabond (manga)

October 14, 2023

Vagabond (Japanese: バガボンド, Hepburn: Bagabondo) is a Japanese epic martial arts manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. It portrays a fictionalized account of the life of Japanese swordsman Musashi Miyamoto, based on Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Musashi. It has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Morning since September 1998, with its chapters collected in 37 tankōbon volumes as of July 2014. Viz Media licensed the series for English release in North America and has published the current 37 volumes as of April 2015. The series has been on an extended hiatus since May 2015.

Vagabond
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Musashi Miyamoto
バガボンド
(Bagabondo)
Genre
Manga
Written byTakehiko Inoue
Published byKodansha
English publisher
ImprintMorning KC
MagazineMorning
DemographicSeinen
Original runSeptember 3, 1998 – May 21, 2015 (on hiatus)
Volumes37 (List of volumes)

By December 2012, the manga had over 82 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. In 2000, Vagabond won the 24th Kodansha Manga Award for the general category, as well as the Grand Prize of the sixth Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2002.

Summary Edit

The story starts in 1600, in the aftermath of the decisive Battle of Sekigahara. Two 17-year-old teenagers who joined the losing side, Takezō Shinmen and Matahachi Hon'iden, lie wounded in the battlefield and pursued by survivor hunters. They manage to escape and swear to become "Invincible Under The Heavens" (天下無双, Tenka Musō). They find housing with two women, but are soon attacked by the Tsujikaze gang, and in the confusion of the fight their paths separate: Takezō decides to become a vagabond and wander the world challenging strong opponents, and Matahachi chooses to stay with the women. Takezō returns to his hometown, the Miyamoto village, to tell Matahachi's mother, Osugi Hon'iden, that her son is alive. However, Osugi reacts hostile because the village detests Takezō for his extremely violent and antisocial tendencies, and because the future of the Hon'iden gentry family is compromised now that their heir Matahachi is missing. Osugi pulls strings to accuse Takezō of being a criminal. Takezō fights his pursuers but is eventually caught by the monk Takuan Sōhō, who makes him reconsider his purpose in life. Takuan frees him and, to make him start his life anew, renames him Musashi Miyamoto.

After a 4 years timeskip, Musashi's arrival to Kyōto, his fight against the Yoshioka swords. Musashi takes several students but the area catches on fire, leading to the fight being postponed. Musashi is rescued by Matahachi and treated by Takuan. Musashi decides to continue his training with a young boy, Jōtarō, wanting him to teach him. In Musashi and Jōtarō's arrival to the Hōzōin spears, Musashi's first fight against the Hōzōin, its aftermath, Musashi's second fight against Hōzōin Inshun. Inshun's superiority causes Musashi to escape driven by fear but trains a for a rematch where he briefly overpowers his rival. Its aftermath, Otsū's situation with the Yagyū, while Matahachi becomes famous while stealing the name of a famous samurai known as Kojirō Sasaki. Musashi and Jōtarō's arrive to the Yagyū swords, the events while deliberating how to enter the Yagyū headquarters, Musashi's meeting with the 4 seniors, his solo fight against the Yagyū men, his encounter with Sekishūsai Yagyū and their talk, the fight's aftermath. Musashi's training, Matahachi and his family's troubles, the events directly leading to Musashi's fight against Baiken Shishido.

The story then reverts to 17 years before the story's start, featuring Kojirō Sasaki's difficult upbringing with Jisai Kanemaki adopting him, various displays of character backstories, and his growth as a genius samurai despite being deaf-mute. At his coming-of-age, Ittōsai returns dragging Kojirō to a night fight. He travels of with Ittōsai and Gonnosuke with a brief encounter with Takezō at the battlefield of Sekihagara, their splitting, the situation of Sadakore's squad, the fights against the peasant groups, Kojirō's fight against Sadakore's squad. After Kojiro's arc ends, Musashi meets Kojiro again while playing with a snowman simulating a brief sword fight in the process. Musashi meets Matahachi who expresses jealousy over Musashi's achievements and apparent relationship with Otsu. This angers Musashi and leaves his old friend. Musashi then fights the 70 Yoshioka all alone. Although he kills all of them, one of them leaves him with a severe wound. The aftermath of Musashi's solo battle, has him his return to wandering despite being offered the position of mentor. Meanwhile, Matahachi's mother passes away, leaving his son to tell the story of the manga. Musashi's new wandering leads him meet the orphan Iori, whom he decides to raise while dealing with a village with poor fields. Musashi, Iori and Toyozaemon's journey to the retirement estate of Yūsai Hosokawa, Otsū and Jōtarō's situation living with the Yagyū, while Kojirō deals with the Hosokawa.

Production Edit

 
While borrowing content from the Musashi novel, Takehiko Inoue took liberties when writing Vagabond, most notably the fight between the protagonist and the 70 Yoshioka which was one of the hardest to draw.

After finishing the basketball manga Slam Dunk, Takehiko Inoue wanted to write something more realistic. He did not find differences between the basketball players and samurais since he claimed that none of them like losing. In retrospect, Inoue's experience with changing demographies feels obligatory as he believes manga authors should challenge themselves.[6] Furthermore, he called Vagabond as an experiment about complex writing.[7] Inoue started Vagabond having wondered what the character was like when he read Musashi. Having come off of drawing a sports manga, he wanted to create a series about more basic concepts, such as "life and death, the human condition, etc." Rather than portray Musashi's later life in his "enlightened state", which has been written about often, the author chose to depict the lesser known "young man reaching that point of enlightenment when he comes from a place of being so like an animal". In 2009, he stated that he made his weekly deadline thanks to only having to draw the people, with his five assistants drawing the backgrounds.[8] When drawing, Inoue avoids speed lines and instead keeps showing bodies based on his understanding how human bodies work.[9]

Since not much is known about the real Musashi, Inoue wanted to give his own take which he considers more modern than other related works. He regards the artwork for Vagabond as a challenge in contrast to Slam Dunk and Real.[10] The author clarifies there are other activities besides fighting which are important for the protagonist. Should Inoue make Miyamoto constantly follow fights, the main character would die. Rather than tell a story, Inoue wants to shows the life of Miyamoto which he considers poetry. When Musashi comes face to face with Sekishusai, Inoue tries to make the artwork appeal to the readers.[11][specify] In contrast to popular belief, Inoue's Musashi does not follow bushido but instead a more unique path with a growth path that he finds realistic.[9] Moreover, he does not consider Musashi a samurai, but instead as a ronin.[6] Other changes Inoue put when writing the manga was to make the supporting characters have different personalities from the novel. Inoue also expressed difficulties when drawing scene were the characters are wounded, most notably when Musashi battles the 70 Yoshioka which took a lot of energy to properly make. This scene was also a new idea he had when writing the manga as he felt that Musashi required a major challenge than in the novel.[12]

In April 2009, Inoue told Nishinippon Shimbun that he suspected Vagabond would be ending "within one or two years". Claiming that he did not know how it would end, but that it had entered its final stages.[13] In January 2010, he confirmed it would be ending within the year.[14] However, in September during a hiatus due to health concerns, Inoue announced that the ending had been delayed until 2011.[15] Inoue posted an update on his website in December 2010, stating that Vagabond would not return until he regained "enthusiasm" for the series.[4]

After eighteen-months, Vagabond returned to Morning as a monthly series in March 2012.[16] The manga went on what was supposed to be a four-month hiatus in February 2014, with the reason stated being for Inoue to work on research.[17] However, it was not until January 2015 that the series resumed.[18] The series is currently on an extended hiatus since May 21, 2015, with its 327th chapter, "The Man Named Tadaoki", being the latest one.[19]

Release Edit

Main article: List of Vagabond chapters

Written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue, Vagabond is based on Eiji Yoshikawa's 1935 novel Musashi. It started serialization in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Morning on September 3, 1998.[a] Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on March 23, 1999.[23] As of July 23, 2014, 37 volumes have been released.[24]

In North America, Viz Media started publishing the manga in an American comic book format in December 2001;[25][26][27] 16 issues were released until March 2003.[28] Viz Media started releasing the manga in the regular graphic novel format in March 2002.[29][30] Their release retains the color pages from the series' magazine run. The 37th and latest volume was released on April 21, 2015.[31] Viz Media's release was distributed in Australasia by Madman Entertainment.[32] In 2008, Viz began re-releasing the series in a "VizBig" edition, which collects three of the volumes into one; the first volume was released on September 16.[33] The twelfth and latest one was released on April 21, 2015.[34]

Two art books for the series were released on October 23, 2006; Water containing the manga's colored art and new pieces, and Sumi (墨) containing the black and white art as well as early rough sketches.[35][36] Both were published in North America by Viz Media on September 16, 2008.[37][38]

Reception Edit

By December 2012, Vagabond had over 82 million copies in circulation worldwide.[39]

Vagabond won the Grand Prize for manga at the fourth Japan Media Arts Festival in 2000. The following is an excerpt from the speech congratulating Takehiko Inoue: "From Toyotomi to Tokugawa. Musashi Miyamoto grew up amidst the turn of two great eras. Mr. Inoue has taken the powerful Musashi who was sometimes called a 'beast' and drawn him as a vagabond. The artist brags about boldly challenging the national literary work of Eiji Yoshikawa, even so, the sense of speed that he creates is impressive. I send my applause to the artist for creating a new image of Musashi".[40][41] The same year, the series won the 24th Kodansha Manga Award in the general category.[42] Vagabond also received the Grand Prize of the sixth Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2002, and the North American version earned Inoue a nomination for the 2003 Eisner Award in the Best Writer/Artist category.[17]

Critical response Edit

In early releases of the manga, MangaLife found Musashi appealing for his quest of strength and Inoue's detailed artwork despite its slow pacing.[43] They find the early journey of Musashi impressive due to the emphasis on violence over his mental development and his connections with Matahachi.[44] The eventual release of the sixth volume received more acclaim from the Manga Life for further developing Musashi's bushido, his acceptance of his weak point and how Matahachi also kept appearing despite the two still not meeting.[45] The Fandom Post was drawn out by the writing of Inoue when reading the first manga volume, praising its large amount of content and whether or not Musashi is still capable of being a true warrior when interacting with the monk Takuan.[46] A similar comment was given by ComicBookBin with the reviewer claiming that his impression of Vagabond was so impressive that it reminded him of the comic book Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, praising the way Inoue portrays violence in a realistic fashion.[47] Another aspect praised by the same website was the lack of large amount of dialogue needed to describe the characters.[48]

Peter Fobian of Crunchyroll commented that Slam Dunk's Hanamichi Sakuragi and Musashi are similar protagonists being young, egotistical prodigies, but that "Musashi is a force of nature." He went to call Inoue's take on Musashi unique when compared to the ones often depicted in fiction.[49] Comic Book Resources praised the way Musashi addresses Bushido, the Code of the Samurai, which makes him honorable.[50] The story arc where Musashi tries to take care of villagers as it retains the handling of Bushido but without relying on action and using other types of strength, was praised for retaining its pacing.[51][52] Japan Times regarded Musashi's growth from the ruthless warrior to a wise monk warrior to be well executed across the narrative.[53]

While comparing the manga with the original novel, William Scott Wilson, the author of The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi, noted that the manga is darker and more mature; yet, although "extraordinarily well drawn", it is "no substitute for Yoshikawa Eiji's work".[54] Los Angeles Times regarded Vagabond as a "samurai masterpiece" for the contrast it makes with the novel by deepening the characterization of Musashi and alternate take on the rival Kojiro. Another aspect praised by Los Angeles Times was how the protagonist makes philosophy about strength and his goal as the arc of the Yoshioka where the main character kills 70 men ends with him retaining severe wound on his foot that weakens him and makes him question what is being invincible.[55] According to Hobby Consolas, Vagabond deserves the praise it gets both in narrative and artwork theme.[56] One Piece manga artist Eiichiro Oda claimed he enjoyed the manga for touching deep themes and how it helped Inoue grow as an artist.[57]

Notes Edit

  1. ^ It started in the magazine's 40th issue of 1998 (cover date September 17),[20][21] released on September 3 of that same year.[22]

References Edit

  1. ^ Kosaka, Kris (January 7, 2017). "'Vagabond': An epic manga based on the life of a 17th-century samurai". The Japan Times. from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  2. ^ Cha, Kai-Ming; MacDonald, Heidi (November 30, 2007). "Takehiko Inoue Unveils Mural at New Kinokuniya". Publishers Weekly. from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020. Inoue is also the mangaka (manga creator) behind the epic ongoing series, Vagabond (Viz Media), based on Japan's most revered and influential samurai warrior, Miyamoto Musashi.
  3. ^ Douresseaux, Leroy (April 23, 2015). "Vagabond: Volume 37 manga review". ComicBookBin. from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Loo, Egan (December 7, 2010). "Vagabond Manga Remains on Indefinite Hiatus". Anime News Network. from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  5. ^ "The Official Website for Vagabond". Viz Media. from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Estrada Rangil, Oriol (November 4, 2014). "ZN Manga: Entrevista con Takehiko Inoue «No tengo conciencia de ser alguien famoso.»". Zona Negativa. from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "Entrevista a Takehiko Inoue (traducción)". Hablando de Manga. May 6, 2013. from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  8. ^ Aoki, Deb. . Liveabout. About.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Entrevista Takehiko Inoue". DeCulture. November 4, 2014. from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Cha, Kai-Ming; MacDonald, Heidi (November 26, 2007). . Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  11. ^ "Morning". No. April. Kodansha. 2010. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  12. ^ "Entrevista Conjunta: Takehiko Inoue y Eiichiro Oda – Tercera Parte". Ramen Para Dos. January 5, 2011. from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  13. ^ Loo, Egan (April 24, 2009). "Takehiko Inoue: Vagabond Manga Will End in 1-2 Years". Anime News Network. from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  14. ^ Loo, Egan (January 4, 2010). "Inoue Confirms End of Vagabond Manga by Year's End". Anime News Network. from the original on April 3, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  15. ^ Loo, Egan (September 8, 2010). "Takehiko Inoue Delays Vagabond Manga's Return & Finale". Anime News Network. from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  16. ^ Ransom, Ko (February 9, 2012). "Vagabond Manga's Return Slated for March 15". Anime News Network. from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  17. ^ a b Loveridge, Lynzee (February 16, 2014). "Vagabond Manga to Go on 4-Month Hiatus". Anime News Network. from the original on February 16, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  18. ^ Loo, Egan (January 6, 2015). "Vagabond Manga to Resume on January 29". Anime News Network. from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  19. ^ Inoue, Takehiko [@inouetake] (May 21, 2015). 【お知らせ】本日発売のモーニングにバガボンド327話「忠興という名の川」掲載です。 (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "Works". itplanning.co.jp. Archived from the original on May 23, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  21. ^ モーニング 1998年 表示号数40. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  22. ^ . Morning On Line (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on February 18, 1999. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  23. ^ [Vagabond Vol. 1] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  24. ^ バガボンド (37) [Vagabond Vol. 37] (in Japanese). Kodansha. from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  25. ^ "New Viz Manga Series". Anime News Network. September 20, 2001. from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  26. ^ Green, Scott (December 19, 2001). "This Week's Releases". Anime News Network. from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  27. ^ . Viz Media. Archived from the original on December 22, 2001. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  28. ^ . Viz Media. Archived from the original on August 18, 2003. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  29. ^ . Viz Media. February 25, 2002. Archived from the original on June 7, 2002. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  30. ^ Pine, Jarred (March 4, 2005). . AnimeOnDVD. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  31. ^ . Viz Media. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  32. ^ Hayward, Jon (December 8, 2006). "Madman announces December acquisitions". Anime News Network. from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  33. ^ "Vagabond (VIZBIG Edition), Vol. 1". Viz Media. from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  34. ^ "Vagabond (VIZBIG Edition), Vol. 12". Viz Media. from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  35. ^ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  36. ^ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  37. ^ . Viz Media via Active Anime. August 19, 2008. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  38. ^ Loo, Egan (January 24, 2008). "Viz to Print Cat Eyed Boy, Black Lagoon, Tanemura Works". Anime News Network. from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  39. ^ (PDF) (in Japanese). Ritsumeikan University. December 13, 2012. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  40. ^ . Japan Media Arts Festival. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  41. ^ Japan Media Arts Plaza. . Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
  42. ^ Joel Hahn. . Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on August 16, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  43. ^ Aronson, Michael. "Vagabond 1". Manga Life. from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  44. ^ Aronson, Michael. "Vagabond 3 review". Manga Life. from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  45. ^ Aronson, Michael. "Vagabond 6 review". Manga Life. from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  46. ^ Alexander, Matthew (April 19, 2018). "Vagabond Volume 1 Manga review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  47. ^ Douresseaux, Leroy (November 12, 2010). "Vagabond VIZBIG Edition: Volume 9". Comic Book Bin. from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  48. ^ Douresseaux, Leroy (October 27, 2010). "Vagabond: Volume 33". Comic Book Bin. from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  49. ^ Fobian, Peter (March 15, 2016). "FEATURE: Monthly Mangaka Spotlight 9: Takehiko Inoue". Crunchyroll. from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  50. ^ Kogod, Theo (December 13, 2019). "Vagabond: 10 Reasons It's A Must-Read Manga". Comic Book Resources. from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  51. ^ Begley, Joshua (March 18, 2015). "Vagabond Vol. #36 Manga Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  52. ^ Begley, Joshua (April 18, 2016). "Vagabond Vol. #37 Manga Review". The Fandom Post. from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  53. ^ Kosaka, Kris (January 7, 2017). "'Vagabond': An epic manga based on the life of a 17th-century samurai". Japan Times. from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  54. ^ Wilson, William Scott (2013). The Lone Samurai. ISBN 978-1590309872. from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  55. ^ Solomon, Charles (October 2, 2011). . Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015.
  56. ^ Valdivia, Thais (September 12, 2014). "Trabajos Takehiko Inoue". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  57. ^ "Entrevista conjunta: Takehiko Inoue y Eiichiro Oda – Primera Parte". Ramen Para Dos (in Spanish). December 22, 2010. from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.

External links Edit

  • Vagabond on the official Morning website (in Japanese)
  • Takehiko Inoue official website
  • Vagabond (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia

October 14, 2023
vagabond, manga, vagabond, japanese, バガボンド, hepburn, bagabondo, japanese, epic, martial, arts, manga, series, written, illustrated, takehiko, inoue, portrays, fictionalized, account, life, japanese, swordsman, musashi, miyamoto, based, eiji, yoshikawa, novel, . Vagabond Japanese バガボンド Hepburn Bagabondo is a Japanese epic martial arts manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue It portrays a fictionalized account of the life of Japanese swordsman Musashi Miyamoto based on Eiji Yoshikawa s novel Musashi It has been serialized in Kodansha s seinen manga magazine Morning since September 1998 with its chapters collected in 37 tankōbon volumes as of July 2014 Viz Media licensed the series for English release in North America and has published the current 37 volumes as of April 2015 The series has been on an extended hiatus since May 2015 VagabondFirst tankōbon volume cover featuring Musashi Miyamotoバガボンド Bagabondo GenreEpic 1 2 Historical 3 4 Martial arts 5 MangaWritten byTakehiko InouePublished byKodanshaEnglish publisherAUS Madman EntertainmentNA Viz MediaImprintMorning KCMagazineMorningDemographicSeinenOriginal runSeptember 3 1998 May 21 2015 on hiatus Volumes37 List of volumes By December 2012 the manga had over 82 million copies in circulation making it one of the best selling manga series of all time In 2000 Vagabond won the 24th Kodansha Manga Award for the general category as well as the Grand Prize of the sixth Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2002 Contents 1 Summary 2 Production 3 Release 4 Reception 4 1 Critical response 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksSummary EditThe story starts in 1600 in the aftermath of the decisive Battle of Sekigahara Two 17 year old teenagers who joined the losing side Takezō Shinmen and Matahachi Hon iden lie wounded in the battlefield and pursued by survivor hunters They manage to escape and swear to become Invincible Under The Heavens 天下無双 Tenka Musō They find housing with two women but are soon attacked by the Tsujikaze gang and in the confusion of the fight their paths separate Takezō decides to become a vagabond and wander the world challenging strong opponents and Matahachi chooses to stay with the women Takezō returns to his hometown the Miyamoto village to tell Matahachi s mother Osugi Hon iden that her son is alive However Osugi reacts hostile because the village detests Takezō for his extremely violent and antisocial tendencies and because the future of the Hon iden gentry family is compromised now that their heir Matahachi is missing Osugi pulls strings to accuse Takezō of being a criminal Takezō fights his pursuers but is eventually caught by the monk Takuan Sōhō who makes him reconsider his purpose in life Takuan frees him and to make him start his life anew renames him Musashi Miyamoto After a 4 years timeskip Musashi s arrival to Kyōto his fight against the Yoshioka swords Musashi takes several students but the area catches on fire leading to the fight being postponed Musashi is rescued by Matahachi and treated by Takuan Musashi decides to continue his training with a young boy Jōtarō wanting him to teach him In Musashi and Jōtarō s arrival to the Hōzōin spears Musashi s first fight against the Hōzōin its aftermath Musashi s second fight against Hōzōin Inshun Inshun s superiority causes Musashi to escape driven by fear but trains a for a rematch where he briefly overpowers his rival Its aftermath Otsu s situation with the Yagyu while Matahachi becomes famous while stealing the name of a famous samurai known as Kojirō Sasaki Musashi and Jōtarō s arrive to the Yagyu swords the events while deliberating how to enter the Yagyu headquarters Musashi s meeting with the 4 seniors his solo fight against the Yagyu men his encounter with Sekishusai Yagyu and their talk the fight s aftermath Musashi s training Matahachi and his family s troubles the events directly leading to Musashi s fight against Baiken Shishido The story then reverts to 17 years before the story s start featuring Kojirō Sasaki s difficult upbringing with Jisai Kanemaki adopting him various displays of character backstories and his growth as a genius samurai despite being deaf mute At his coming of age Ittōsai returns dragging Kojirō to a night fight He travels of with Ittōsai and Gonnosuke with a brief encounter with Takezō at the battlefield of Sekihagara their splitting the situation of Sadakore s squad the fights against the peasant groups Kojirō s fight against Sadakore s squad After Kojiro s arc ends Musashi meets Kojiro again while playing with a snowman simulating a brief sword fight in the process Musashi meets Matahachi who expresses jealousy over Musashi s achievements and apparent relationship with Otsu This angers Musashi and leaves his old friend Musashi then fights the 70 Yoshioka all alone Although he kills all of them one of them leaves him with a severe wound The aftermath of Musashi s solo battle has him his return to wandering despite being offered the position of mentor Meanwhile Matahachi s mother passes away leaving his son to tell the story of the manga Musashi s new wandering leads him meet the orphan Iori whom he decides to raise while dealing with a village with poor fields Musashi Iori and Toyozaemon s journey to the retirement estate of Yusai Hosokawa Otsu and Jōtarō s situation living with the Yagyu while Kojirō deals with the Hosokawa Production Edit nbsp While borrowing content from the Musashi novel Takehiko Inoue took liberties when writing Vagabond most notably the fight between the protagonist and the 70 Yoshioka which was one of the hardest to draw After finishing the basketball manga Slam Dunk Takehiko Inoue wanted to write something more realistic He did not find differences between the basketball players and samurais since he claimed that none of them like losing In retrospect Inoue s experience with changing demographies feels obligatory as he believes manga authors should challenge themselves 6 Furthermore he called Vagabond as an experiment about complex writing 7 Inoue started Vagabond having wondered what the character was like when he read Musashi Having come off of drawing a sports manga he wanted to create a series about more basic concepts such as life and death the human condition etc Rather than portray Musashi s later life in his enlightened state which has been written about often the author chose to depict the lesser known young man reaching that point of enlightenment when he comes from a place of being so like an animal In 2009 he stated that he made his weekly deadline thanks to only having to draw the people with his five assistants drawing the backgrounds 8 When drawing Inoue avoids speed lines and instead keeps showing bodies based on his understanding how human bodies work 9 Since not much is known about the real Musashi Inoue wanted to give his own take which he considers more modern than other related works He regards the artwork for Vagabond as a challenge in contrast to Slam Dunk and Real 10 The author clarifies there are other activities besides fighting which are important for the protagonist Should Inoue make Miyamoto constantly follow fights the main character would die Rather than tell a story Inoue wants to shows the life of Miyamoto which he considers poetry When Musashi comes face to face with Sekishusai Inoue tries to make the artwork appeal to the readers 11 specify In contrast to popular belief Inoue s Musashi does not follow bushido but instead a more unique path with a growth path that he finds realistic 9 Moreover he does not consider Musashi a samurai but instead as a ronin 6 Other changes Inoue put when writing the manga was to make the supporting characters have different personalities from the novel Inoue also expressed difficulties when drawing scene were the characters are wounded most notably when Musashi battles the 70 Yoshioka which took a lot of energy to properly make This scene was also a new idea he had when writing the manga as he felt that Musashi required a major challenge than in the novel 12 In April 2009 Inoue told Nishinippon Shimbun that he suspected Vagabond would be ending within one or two years Claiming that he did not know how it would end but that it had entered its final stages 13 In January 2010 he confirmed it would be ending within the year 14 However in September during a hiatus due to health concerns Inoue announced that the ending had been delayed until 2011 15 Inoue posted an update on his website in December 2010 stating that Vagabond would not return until he regained enthusiasm for the series 4 After eighteen months Vagabond returned to Morning as a monthly series in March 2012 16 The manga went on what was supposed to be a four month hiatus in February 2014 with the reason stated being for Inoue to work on research 17 However it was not until January 2015 that the series resumed 18 The series is currently on an extended hiatus since May 21 2015 with its 327th chapter The Man Named Tadaoki being the latest one 19 Release EditMain article List of Vagabond chapters Written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue Vagabond is based on Eiji Yoshikawa s 1935 novel Musashi It started serialization in Kodansha s seinen manga magazine Morning on September 3 1998 a Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes The first volume was released on March 23 1999 23 As of July 23 2014 37 volumes have been released 24 In North America Viz Media started publishing the manga in an American comic book format in December 2001 25 26 27 16 issues were released until March 2003 28 Viz Media started releasing the manga in the regular graphic novel format in March 2002 29 30 Their release retains the color pages from the series magazine run The 37th and latest volume was released on April 21 2015 31 Viz Media s release was distributed in Australasia by Madman Entertainment 32 In 2008 Viz began re releasing the series in a VizBig edition which collects three of the volumes into one the first volume was released on September 16 33 The twelfth and latest one was released on April 21 2015 34 Two art books for the series were released on October 23 2006 Water containing the manga s colored art and new pieces and Sumi 墨 containing the black and white art as well as early rough sketches 35 36 Both were published in North America by Viz Media on September 16 2008 37 38 Reception EditBy December 2012 Vagabond had over 82 million copies in circulation worldwide 39 Vagabond won the Grand Prize for manga at the fourth Japan Media Arts Festival in 2000 The following is an excerpt from the speech congratulating Takehiko Inoue From Toyotomi to Tokugawa Musashi Miyamoto grew up amidst the turn of two great eras Mr Inoue has taken the powerful Musashi who was sometimes called a beast and drawn him as a vagabond The artist brags about boldly challenging the national literary work of Eiji Yoshikawa even so the sense of speed that he creates is impressive I send my applause to the artist for creating a new image of Musashi 40 41 The same year the series won the 24th Kodansha Manga Award in the general category 42 Vagabond also received the Grand Prize of the sixth Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2002 and the North American version earned Inoue a nomination for the 2003 Eisner Award in the Best Writer Artist category 17 Critical response Edit In early releases of the manga MangaLife found Musashi appealing for his quest of strength and Inoue s detailed artwork despite its slow pacing 43 They find the early journey of Musashi impressive due to the emphasis on violence over his mental development and his connections with Matahachi 44 The eventual release of the sixth volume received more acclaim from the Manga Life for further developing Musashi s bushido his acceptance of his weak point and how Matahachi also kept appearing despite the two still not meeting 45 The Fandom Post was drawn out by the writing of Inoue when reading the first manga volume praising its large amount of content and whether or not Musashi is still capable of being a true warrior when interacting with the monk Takuan 46 A similar comment was given by ComicBookBin with the reviewer claiming that his impression of Vagabond was so impressive that it reminded him of the comic book Batman The Dark Knight Returns praising the way Inoue portrays violence in a realistic fashion 47 Another aspect praised by the same website was the lack of large amount of dialogue needed to describe the characters 48 Peter Fobian of Crunchyroll commented that Slam Dunk s Hanamichi Sakuragi and Musashi are similar protagonists being young egotistical prodigies but that Musashi is a force of nature He went to call Inoue s take on Musashi unique when compared to the ones often depicted in fiction 49 Comic Book Resources praised the way Musashi addresses Bushido the Code of the Samurai which makes him honorable 50 The story arc where Musashi tries to take care of villagers as it retains the handling of Bushido but without relying on action and using other types of strength was praised for retaining its pacing 51 52 Japan Times regarded Musashi s growth from the ruthless warrior to a wise monk warrior to be well executed across the narrative 53 While comparing the manga with the original novel William Scott Wilson the author of The Lone Samurai The Life of Miyamoto Musashi noted that the manga is darker and more mature yet although extraordinarily well drawn it is no substitute for Yoshikawa Eiji s work 54 Los Angeles Times regarded Vagabond as a samurai masterpiece for the contrast it makes with the novel by deepening the characterization of Musashi and alternate take on the rival Kojiro Another aspect praised by Los Angeles Times was how the protagonist makes philosophy about strength and his goal as the arc of the Yoshioka where the main character kills 70 men ends with him retaining severe wound on his foot that weakens him and makes him question what is being invincible 55 According to Hobby Consolas Vagabond deserves the praise it gets both in narrative and artwork theme 56 One Piece manga artist Eiichiro Oda claimed he enjoyed the manga for touching deep themes and how it helped Inoue grow as an artist 57 Notes Edit It started in the magazine s 40th issue of 1998 cover date September 17 20 21 released on September 3 of that same year 22 References Edit Kosaka Kris January 7 2017 Vagabond An epic manga based on the life of a 17th century samurai The Japan Times Archived from the original on May 1 2019 Retrieved May 1 2019 Cha Kai Ming MacDonald Heidi November 30 2007 Takehiko Inoue Unveils Mural at New Kinokuniya Publishers Weekly Archived from the original on October 1 2020 Retrieved April 20 2020 Inoue is also the mangaka manga creator behind the epic ongoing series Vagabond Viz Media based on Japan s most revered and influential samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi Douresseaux Leroy April 23 2015 Vagabond Volume 37 manga review ComicBookBin Archived from the original on May 8 2021 Retrieved May 12 2020 a b Loo Egan December 7 2010 Vagabond Manga Remains on Indefinite Hiatus Anime News Network Archived from the original on May 21 2019 Retrieved February 26 2014 The Official Website for Vagabond Viz Media Archived from the original on April 26 2019 Retrieved October 27 2017 a b Estrada Rangil Oriol November 4 2014 ZN Manga Entrevista con Takehiko Inoue No tengo conciencia de ser alguien famoso Zona Negativa Archived from the original on May 11 2023 Retrieved May 11 2023 Entrevista a Takehiko Inoue traduccion Hablando de Manga May 6 2013 Archived from the original on May 11 2023 Retrieved May 11 2023 Aoki Deb Interview Takehiko Inoue Liveabout About com Archived from the original on March 3 2016 Retrieved October 10 2021 a b Entrevista Takehiko Inoue DeCulture November 4 2014 Archived from the original on May 11 2023 Retrieved May 5 2023 Cha Kai Ming MacDonald Heidi November 26 2007 Takehiko Inoue Unveils Mural at New Kinokuniya Publishers Weekly Archived from the original on December 26 2007 Retrieved November 5 2009 Morning No April Kodansha 2010 a href Template Cite magazine html title Template Cite magazine cite magazine a Cite magazine requires magazine help Entrevista Conjunta Takehiko Inoue y Eiichiro Oda Tercera Parte Ramen Para Dos January 5 2011 Archived from the original on May 11 2023 Retrieved May 11 2023 Loo Egan April 24 2009 Takehiko Inoue Vagabond Manga Will End in 1 2 Years Anime News Network Archived from the original on April 1 2014 Retrieved February 26 2014 Loo Egan January 4 2010 Inoue Confirms End of Vagabond Manga by Year s End Anime News Network Archived from the original on April 3 2014 Retrieved February 26 2014 Loo Egan September 8 2010 Takehiko Inoue Delays Vagabond Manga s Return amp Finale Anime News Network Archived from the original on April 1 2014 Retrieved February 26 2014 Ransom Ko February 9 2012 Vagabond Manga s Return Slated for March 15 Anime News Network Archived from the original on February 23 2014 Retrieved January 23 2014 a b Loveridge Lynzee February 16 2014 Vagabond Manga to Go on 4 Month Hiatus Anime News Network Archived from the original on February 16 2014 Retrieved February 16 2014 Loo Egan January 6 2015 Vagabond Manga to Resume on January 29 Anime News Network Archived from the original on April 11 2020 Retrieved January 13 2015 Inoue Takehiko inouetake May 21 2015 お知らせ 本日発売のモーニングにバガボンド327話 忠興という名の川 掲載です Tweet in Japanese Retrieved July 14 2021 via Twitter Works itplanning co jp Archived from the original on May 23 2020 Retrieved May 23 2020 モーニング 1998年 表示号数40 Media Arts Database in Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs Archived from the original on May 24 2020 Retrieved May 24 2020 モーニング 1998年40号 Morning On Line in Japanese Kodansha Archived from the original on February 18 1999 Retrieved May 31 2023 バガボンド 1 Vagabond Vol 1 in Japanese Kodansha Archived from the original on August 30 2009 Retrieved August 9 2023 バガボンド 37 Vagabond Vol 37 in Japanese Kodansha Archived from the original on December 20 2014 Retrieved December 1 2014 New Viz Manga Series Anime News Network September 20 2001 Archived from the original on November 4 2022 Retrieved August 9 2023 Green Scott December 19 2001 This Week s Releases Anime News Network Archived from the original on February 3 2023 Retrieved August 9 2023 This Month s Viz In December 2001 Viz Media Archived from the original on December 22 2001 Retrieved August 9 2023 New Releases March 2003 Viz Media Archived from the original on August 18 2003 Retrieved August 9 2023 Press Releases March 2002 Vagabond Volume 1 Viz Media February 25 2002 Archived from the original on June 7 2002 Retrieved August 9 2023 Pine Jarred March 4 2005 Vagabond Vol 01 AnimeOnDVD Archived from the original on April 18 2008 Retrieved August 9 2023 Vagabond Volume 37 Viz Media Archived from the original on June 12 2015 Retrieved August 9 2023 Hayward Jon December 8 2006 Madman announces December acquisitions Anime News Network Archived from the original on February 23 2014 Retrieved January 23 2014 Vagabond VIZBIG Edition Vol 1 Viz Media Archived from the original on January 28 2022 Retrieved August 9 2023 Vagabond VIZBIG Edition Vol 12 Viz Media Archived from the original on August 9 2023 Retrieved August 9 2023 バガボンド画集 ＷＡＴＥＲ in Japanese Kodansha Archived from the original on March 7 2009 Retrieved August 9 2023 バガボンド画集 墨 in Japanese Kodansha Archived from the original on March 7 2009 Retrieved August 9 2023 Viz Media Announces the Debut of New Works from Famed Manga Artist Takehiko Inoue Including Slam Dunk and Real Manga Series and Sumi and Water The Vagabond Art Books Viz Media via Active Anime August 19 2008 Archived from the original on March 19 2016 Retrieved August 9 2023 Loo Egan January 24 2008 Viz to Print Cat Eyed Boy Black Lagoon Tanemura Works Anime News Network Archived from the original on May 6 2019 Retrieved August 9 2023 コンテンツビジネス概論 12 PDF in Japanese Ritsumeikan University December 13 2012 p 12 Archived from the original PDF on February 22 2014 Retrieved November 29 2013 Grand Prize Vagabond Award Manga Division 2000 4th Japan Media Arts Festival Archive Japan Media Arts Festival Archived from the original on October 21 2022 Retrieved October 22 2022 Japan Media Arts Plaza 2000 Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Division Grand Prize Vagabond Archived from the original on October 11 2007 Retrieved August 26 2007 Joel Hahn Kodansha Manga Awards Comic Book Awards Almanac Archived from the original on August 16 2007 Retrieved August 21 2007 Aronson Michael Vagabond 1 Manga Life Archived from the original on October 14 2007 Retrieved May 10 2023 Aronson Michael Vagabond 3 review Manga Life Archived from the original on October 14 2007 Retrieved May 10 2023 Aronson Michael Vagabond 6 review Manga Life Archived from the original on October 11 2007 Retrieved May 10 2023 Alexander Matthew April 19 2018 Vagabond Volume 1 Manga review The Fandom Post Retrieved May 10 2023 Douresseaux Leroy November 12 2010 Vagabond VIZBIG Edition Volume 9 Comic Book Bin Archived from the original on April 24 2023 Retrieved May 10 2023 Douresseaux Leroy October 27 2010 Vagabond Volume 33 Comic Book Bin Archived from the original on April 24 2023 Retrieved May 10 2023 Fobian Peter March 15 2016 FEATURE Monthly Mangaka Spotlight 9 Takehiko Inoue Crunchyroll Archived from the original on August 29 2023 Retrieved August 29 2023 Kogod Theo December 13 2019 Vagabond 10 Reasons It s A Must Read Manga Comic Book Resources Archived from the original on April 24 2023 Retrieved April 24 2023 Begley Joshua March 18 2015 Vagabond Vol 36 Manga Review The Fandom Post Retrieved May 10 2023 Begley Joshua April 18 2016 Vagabond Vol 37 Manga Review The Fandom Post Archived from the original on January 29 2021 Retrieved May 10 2023 Kosaka Kris January 7 2017 Vagabond An epic manga based on the life of a 17th century samurai Japan Times Archived from the original on November 2 2022 Retrieved April 24 2023 Wilson William Scott 2013 The Lone Samurai ISBN 978 1590309872 Archived from the original on August 9 2023 Retrieved June 10 2023 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a website ignored help Solomon Charles October 2 2011 Vagabond Takehiko Inoue creates a samurai masterpiece Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on August 20 2015 Valdivia Thais September 12 2014 Trabajos Takehiko Inoue Hobby Consolas in Spanish Archived from the original on April 25 2023 Retrieved May 11 2023 Entrevista conjunta Takehiko Inoue y Eiichiro Oda Primera Parte Ramen Para Dos in Spanish December 22 2010 Archived from the original on May 11 2023 Retrieved May 11 2023 External links EditVagabond on the official Morning website in Japanese Takehiko Inoue official website Vagabond manga at Anime News Network s encyclopedia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vagabond manga amp oldid 1178356159, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.