If you like Samurai stories, this one is for you! The art is well done, not as stylized as a few of Kodaka's later works, but still very recognizable. The story is as angsty and dark as befit the era.
Shirou, a young samurai is red-headed and even more hot-headed. His father sends him away to temple because of his thirst for blood. As he retreats, he finds that his little brother Fujimaru has followed him, unwilling to let him go. As they walk, their band comes under attack by katana-weilding gangsters and although he puts up one hell of a fight, both Shirou and Fujimaru are captured and brought to the den of Sougetsu, a ruthless, sexually insatient uber-seme of the kind only Kodaka can come up with (ie: Honma-sama of Boku no Sexual Harassment, and Tohru of KKH fame- though I compare him only in looks, not temperment!)
Eventually Shirou becomes one of Sougetsu's leading bandits, and grows into quite the seme himself (in looks at least), though he still must submit to his boss. He does this to keep his little brother, who grows into a beautiful but fragile okama of sorts, out of the hands of the band's other members. However, Sougetsu allows Fujimaru to be used anyway.
When Shirou finds out, he goes on a trip of bloodshed and pretty much destroys the entire band with the exception of Sougetsu, who escapes. Wandering aimlessly in dispair, Shirou is eventually taken in and revived by Chihiro, another beautiful okama who very much resembles Fujimaru in face but is not so timid in spirit.
The happiness can't last however. Shirou is restless and out of place, and eventually, in another wash of bloodshed, leaves the little village and Chihiro broken-hearted. It comes down to one truth; that there's only one person strong enough to tame him, but that's not what Sougetsu is aiming for. He knows that he'll chase Shirou to the ends of the earth if need be. Only then, when death is upon them, can they truly be together.
It's a violent, graphic and tragic story that I just love! I think a lot of it is the dynamic that among all the classic canons- the girlish ukes and burly semes, Shirou himself doesn't fit either categories but ends up both seme and uke anyway. It's titillating to watch him go from thrashing uke to tender seme and back again.
Mangaka: Kodaka Kazuma
ISBN:
Volume 1: 4-8124-5292-9
Midare Somenishi images (open in a new window):
| * pictures have been censored by me; they are not censored in the manga itself. |
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