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Loading... Blade of the Immortal 18 (original 2005; edition 2006)by Hiroaki Samura
Work InformationBlade of the Immortal, Book 18: The Sparrow Net by Hiroaki Samura (2005)
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The immortality of the captive Manji is being sorely tested, as the horrifying experiments commanded by Habaki Kagimura in the dungeons below Edo castle continue. One of Kagimura's doctors, Ayame Burando, has already gone half-mad, tormented by the sickening mutilations intended to unlock the secret of passing Manji's amazing regenerative powers to others, and Burando's replacements have upped the ante with their utter incompetence. Meanwhile, Manji's charge, Rin, is desperately trying to find him, but Edo's brutal police are on her trail, and the race is on for Rin to free her immortal bodyguard before she joins him behind bars! No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)741.5952The arts Graphic arts and decorative arts Drawing & drawings Cartoons, Caricatures, Comics Collections Asian JapaneseLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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After the Ittō-ryū was betrayed and nearly wiped out by the bakufu, the surviving members of the rogue sword school have been quietly working in the background, biding their time and preparing a return assault against the government. Although they are supposed to be in hiding and keeping a low profile while in Edo, two of the Ittō-ryū's most recent members, Dōa and Isaku, can't seem to help but draw attention to themselves. After a confrontation with the police force, Isaku goes missing and Dōa is left behind with Rin who in a strange twist of fate has been helping to hide them (her parents were killed by the Ittō-ryū.) Although their relationship is less than ideal, the two young women must work together in order to find both Isaku and Manji, Rin's bodyguard who has also disappeared under troubling circumstances.
Dōa and Isaku are relatively new characters in Blade of the Immortal having first been introduced towards the end of the fifteenth volume, Trickster. Although Dōa in particular has been shown to be violent and easily provoked, The Sparrow Net is the first time that she and Isaku are seen to really fight. With Isaku's size and strength and Dōa's speed and viciousness they make an incredibly effective and formidable team. The Sparrow Net is also the first volume in Blade of the Immortal to delve into the pair's backstory. Previously, there have been some hints as to their pasts and who they really are, but until now their history has largely remained a mystery. I am still very curious to learn how they joined up with the Ittō-ryū.
While chaos surrounds Dōa and Isaku, Rin continues her search for Manji. Eventually she hears rumor of a bizarre immortality experiment. The procedures being performed on Manji and the other felons have reached disturbing new heights of cruelty. However, this escalation means that more people are involved and it is increasingly difficult to hide. Even those who are only tangentially involved suspect that something horribly wrong is going on. And those who are at the heart of the investigation--the doctors and their assistants, not to mention their human guinea pigs--have all been affected in terrible ways. The change in Ayame Burando, one of the head doctors on the case who himself is on death row, and what that brings about is particularly horrifying. I'm almost afraid to see what is in store in the next volume, Badger Hole.
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