Review: 365 Samurai and a Few Bowls of Rice

The samurai genre is probably one of the most underappreciated,most misunderstood story genres in comics and movies. Thankfully writer/artistJ.P. Kalonji understands the genre and its power completely. The story is abouta samurai named Ningen who is on a journey to kill 365 samurai, then and onlythen will he have completed his travels and be able to attain his vengeance forthe murder of his master and school. Along the way Ningen’s legend grows and sodo his feats. Each season he finds love and companionship, but throws it awayto continue his quest of vengeance. 365Samurai is actually not about anything that I just described. I have liedto you and told you what happens in the story and not what the story isactually about. The simple fact is that I can’t tell you what the story isabout just that it is a spiritual journey for Ningen and that every battle and every drop of blood has a higher meaning.

What I love about the book is that it literally takes a halfan hour to read. It’s not due to lack of content, it’s just the format and the waythat the story is told that makes for a fast read. Each page is one panel,meaning that this 379 page beast is actually just 379 panels of a comic.Traditional comics are laid out in a 3 by 3 grid which means there are 9 panelson a page, but a lot of times those panels lack detail and quality. With 365, each page has meaning and valuewithin the story. Each page is a work of art all on its own and Kalonji managesto make the story flow seamlessly from page to page. Literally I was readingthe book fast enough that at times it was like holding an animation in myhands. With action in comics a lot of it can be lost in the still frames of thepage, but 365 finds that balance sothat the action is as intense as it would be if you were watching a movie.

The other strong point of the book is that Kalonji nails thesamurai journey. He really understands that samurai stories don’t need a lot ofdialog with the exception of a few scenes here and there. For the most part theswords and the facial expressions do the talking and can really tell the storywithout a single word. A particularly great scene has Ningen facing off againstan army of bandits on a snow covered mountain and as they’re descending uponhim you can see the serious attitude on his face. I couldn’t help but feelsorry for that army because you knew from his attitude and the few words hesaid that he was going to do everything in his power to kill them all.

My biggest regret with this book is that I didn’t read itsooner and you’ll bet your ass that I won’t miss the next book from Kalonji andDark Horse. If you’re a fan of samurai and let’s be honest practically everyonethat reads comics has a soft spot in their heart for them; do yourself a favorand get this book. It’s a fast read, but in the way that makes you want to readthe book again upon completion and the only other reading experience I can equateit to is Scott Pilgrim. That’s theonly other book I’ve read as fast and enjoyed as much, but this one has swordsand awesome Samurai battles from beginning to end which puts it on a different level altogether.

Score: 5/5