Purgatory Kabuki
Written by Circle of Love
Purgatory Kabuki Review.
Writer Name: Yasushi Suzuki
Original Creator: Yasushi Suzuki
Number of Volumes:3
Original Publisher: DGN Production Inc /DrMaster Publications, Inc.
Date First Published: December. 2007
Retail Price: $9.95
ISBN: 978-1-59796-070-0
Purgatory Kabuki is an exotically and beautifully drawn manga by Yasushi Suzuki. If the name of the creator sounds familiar, that should not be a surprise to you. Yasushi is a world renowned video game conceptual designer. His work on IKARUGA (Sega), Sin and Punishment (Nintendo), Radiant Silver Gun (Sega), and many other games that are mainly under the gaming development giant TREASURE GAMES, has earned him a large following.
The manga itself is set in the Edo era. The story is a heavily-adapted version of the famous Japanese story, “The Bridge of Benkei.” Our story set in and around the giant bridge in the underworld, in an anything-goes sword/battle-royal setting. The main character, Imanotsurugi, wants to escape the underworld and go back to the land of the living. But in order to do that, he must slay the undergrounds most fearsome and fallen warriors, acquiring their swords until the number reaches 1000.
The very first page depicts a lone child standing on a plain with entities snaking through the air above it, and a man with his sword poised for battle while standing before a giant horned demon. Someone is counting…993, 994, 995, 996. The manga is an action epic in which the entire story is told through battle.
Throughout the manga, the dialogue is brief. The drawing and action speaks to the reader. A shining example of this is when our main character and hero fights fiercely, but when a certain someone shows up, his blades become stronger and he fights harder and in some instances he will defy death. No words are needed to convey what he may be feeling.
Enthusiasts of Japanese history and culture will see many references to Japanese heroes and anecdotes: a huge flesh eating gate pulled by Chimeras, the fox demon, Tenma demons, and references to ma-ai… there is a lot to take in and learn or study if one wants to pursue a deeper look into the manga’s storyline.
The art incorporates Ukiyoe (woodblock prints from the Edo era) style and emphasizes the feel of Japanese art. Many times as you are reading the dialogue, Japanese text is next to the English text, so the reading of it oft times feels very original and unique. The drawing does not have the large “anime eyes” or interruptions in the story where the characters turn into cosplay dressed, or cat eared wearing comical ninjas (not that there is anything wrong with that). The pace of the story is action through and through with a dark, samurai epic aura.
What we loved:
Carmilla: I loved the drawing style. I agree that it wasn’t traditional.
Roberto: The demons were pretty cool
Dan: As a Japanese history buff, I liked the references to places during the Edo period.
What we hated:
Carmilla: Well, admittedly, I got pretty lost a few times since the dialogue was a little more than sparse… it seemed missing.
Roberto: I agree. I couldn’t follow the story because I had no idea wtf was happening.
Dan: I hate to say, I agree with you two, though the world was interesting, the story was extremely hard to follow.
Overall:
Carmilla: I give it 2 pocky, I just couldn’t follow the story. I wouldn’t read the next one.
Roberto: I give it 2 pocky, too hard to read.
Dan: I give it 3 pocky because it has a very unique style of drawing, plus there is the history aspect.
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