Manga Review: Samurai 8 The Tale of Hachimaru Vol 1

Story: Masashi Kishimoto

Art: Akira Okubo

Touch-Up & Lettering: Snir Sharon

Genre: Adventure/Samurai/Sci-Fi

Number of Chapters: 6

Number of volumes: 5

First Chapter Summary

Two samurai battle each other for the prize to keep one of the keys that will open Pandora’s Box in which the secrets of the Warrior God. This is the game Hachimaru plays every day. His father just interrupted him because it’s time for his treatment. You see, our main character is a sickly boy whose condition seems to have no cure. He lives connected to a giant machine that will not allow him to leave his home. His many food allergies have left him on a strict liquid diet and frequent nutrition injections, which is afraid of; ironic for one who says he wants to be a samurai in real life.

His father has promised that he is close to completing a mobile version of his life support, but Hachimaru doesn’t believe him. It has been years since his father first made this promise, and he has lost hope. What Hachimaru doesn’t know is that this day his father is close indeed. He is on his way to pick up the last part he needs from a Ronin who was selling it. Unfortunately, as we would expect, dealing with a deserting samurai brings trouble. The father is taken hostage and brought back to his home where Hachimaru is, who is forced to make a decision. Let his father die or commit seppuku. His life or his father’s. It is after a hearth melting goodbye that after dying, our little hero is blessed by Fudo Myo-O, The Warrior God, and is given a new body and within, a true samurai soul!

Review

Samurai 8 brings to mind all those times in my childhood when I wished I was more than just a kid. The feeling of freedom, the imagination of sitting down in the backseat of the car and thinking I was flying around the other cars and light posts. We can live this through Hachimaru, the boy whose wish came true after sacrificing his life to save his father. Their relationship is complicated, I have a suspicion that he might now be Hachimaru’s real father. There is a conversation that tells us he might know more than he is letting on, but it’s not covered in this volume.

It is nice to see the trope of missing father figure reversed, since this time Hachimaru’s mother is not even mentioned. The relationship between them is quite typical of a teenager. Hachimaru is impatient and rebellious and doesn’t give his father much respect. The constant bickering followed by self-questioning and guilt of what was said shows the conflict between wanting independence and loving each other.

After Hachimaru is given his samurai soul, his attitude towards the world changes, for he is now able to explore. Immediately he finds trouble, or rather trouble finds him, but he can manage the dangers and make new friends. With the help of his new master, he will embark on his journey to save the galaxy, but he still has much to learn.

Fun and quirky, with heartwarming moments, this volume is a nice start for a coming-of-age story. You could feel that you a thrown into the midst of an ongoing story at first, but it smooths its edges quite well. Speaking about smooth edges, the art is a beautiful round and curvy style I would describe as bubbly. Sometimes I needed to get close and focus to know what the scene was because the character details can blend with the background, but once you get used to it is a nice touch.