Volume four describes the Siddhartha's trials in the forest of Uruvela. His ordeals are rather harrowing and the illustrations really bring home this point. Tezuka also follows the fate of Assaji, Siddhartha's young follower. I still don't like the way he's drawn -- the perpetual snot-nose is just too much for me. Still, his story is moving. In fact, there are many such events narrated in this volume. The reader senses in poignant detail the suffering that Buddha sees around him. Buddha comes across as a very human figure who experiences doubts and uncertainties as to his purpose. ( )

Bah. Take a Natalie Gummer class and then come back to me with a comic. ( )

A delightful take on the life of the Buddha. I would not use it in a research paper, but the graphics catch the eye, and the plot keeps you reading. ( )