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"Steel of the Celestial Shadows" debuted in June 2020 in Shogakukan's seinen magazine Big Comic Superior. As of June 2024, there are eight tankôbon volumes available on the Japanese market.
I first discovered and fell in love with Mangaka Daruma Matsuura through "Kasane." Thus, I was delighted to add another series by this mangaka to my collection, thanks to VIZ Media.
How was it?
Konosuke's life is currently far from going as planned. He is a samurai but cannot find work and is penniless. Who would want his services? With his unkempt appearance and bamboo sword, he only garners laughter and rejection. In fact, he has a significant handicap for a swordsman: he is cursed and cannot touch even the smallest piece of metal without it bending on contact. This makes it difficult for him to die by the sword to save his honor.
One day, Konosuke gets involved in another fight and is thrown into the water. Just as he thinks his time has come, he is saved from the waves at the last second. When he wakes up, a stranger asks him to marry a young woman. But who is this woman who has fallen in love with a failure like Konosuke, and what secrets does this alluring beauty hide?
Can a samurai be a true samurai if he cannot wield his sword? Is the weapon essential to the existence of this Japanese warrior? Is a samurai who cannot hold a sword nothing more than an empty vessel? These are the questions Daruma Matsuura explores in her latest work.
In the first volume, the mangaka plays with the samurai's codes of honor by centering on a warrior who is unable to use the weapons of this symbolic figure of Japanese history. Konosuke is introduced as a rather gloomy character, but he undergoes a metamorphosis through his encounter with the beautiful Tsuki. Those around him mock him as a man afraid to hold a sword. There is no sympathy for a samurai afraid to hold a sword or look the part.
When the beautiful and wealthy Otsuki Tsukidono appears, Konosuke cannot believe that she truly values him as a person. Why would such a woman want to marry someone like Konosuke? He constantly thinks she might be some sort of con artist. She supports him tirelessly and seems to know him already, though he cannot recall ever meeting her. Initially, Konosuke tries to distance himself from her due to his inferiority complex, but he eventually befriends her.
The plot of the volume oscillates between bitterness, romance, action-packed sword fights, and a mysterious fantasy atmosphere that builds up throughout the first volume. It is a story about someone told he is worthless, who then meets someone who shows him empathy.
Daruma Matsuura takes her time building the story in the first volume. Over many chapters, we are first introduced to the protagonist and his circumstances before the focus shifts to his relationship with Tsukidono. The supernatural elements only fully unfold at the end of the book, which might deter some readers, especially given the depressing atmosphere that surrounds most of Konosuke's scenes.
The contrast between the two characters is perfectly depicted by Daruma Matsuura. Her expressive character design clearly conveys Konosuke's despair. She draws Konosuke as a gaunt man, for whom every day is a new humiliation. His facial expressions and body language convey the loneliness and despair of his perceived humiliations. Tsukidono, on the other hand, has a slender, elegant body, long, silky hair, and large, expressive eyes.
Matsuura's storytelling style is well complemented by her drawings, which balance between detailed and sparse. Distinctive, not as smooth as mainstream manga. The panels are cinematic, and the mangaka plays with angles and zoom shots. She manages to portray the intensity of all emotions, both positive and negative, with a few well-measured strokes.
VIZ publishes the title in the standard large format. The first volume does not include any color pages.
Is Steel of the Celestial Shadows worth reading?
With "Steel Of The Celestial Shadows," mangaka Daruma Matsuura delivers an interesting series debut. The mangaka provides an effective and surprising start to the story, where we meet a hero just beginning to discover his true potential and build deep relationships with those around him.
If you enjoy deep historical manga with a touch of folklore, "Steel Of The Celestial Shadows" is a series you will likely appreciate.
Steel Of The Celestial Shadows GN Vol 01
€11,24
€14,99
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