June 1, 2009
The conclusion of Koike and Kojimas long historical manga about the ninja Hattori Hanzo (154296) and his lord, Matsudaira Ieyasu (15431616), founder of Japans long-lived Tokugawa dynasty, begins amid the machinations leading to Ieyasus sacrifice of his wife and first son and leaves the legendary pair at the crux represented by the incident at Honno-ji in 1582, in which Ieyasus most powerful ally died, decades before Ieyasu became shogun. The victor of Honno-ji would now, presumably, come for Ieyasu, who should head for the seat of his strength. But Hanzo reminds him when their party crosses into Hattoris homeland. Perhaps Ieyasu is right in thinking it may take a year for him to reach his own home. In the last panels, Ieyasu and Hanzo are heartily laughing at being among Hanzos fellow countrymen. Why Koike and Kojima stop here may baffle Western readers unfamiliar with the epical history the saga reenvisions in terms of the entwined maturation of bosom friends. But it feels as right as Kojimas dynamically cinematic artwork has always looked.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)