Takemitsuzamurai

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Alternative Titles

Japanese: 竹光侍

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 8

Chapters: 84

Status: Finished

Published: Aug 7, 2006 to Mar 15, 2010

Genres: Award Winning, Slice of Life

Themes: Historical, Martial Arts, Samurai

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Big Comic Spirits

Authors: Matsumoto, Taiyou (Art), Eifuku, Issei (Story)

Statistics

Score: 8.35¹ (scored by 3,008 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #303²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1405

Members: 17,053

Favorites: 417

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8.35

Ranked #303Popularity #1405Members 17,053

MangaBig Comic SpiritsMatsumoto, Taiyou (Art), Eifuku, Issei (Story)

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Volumes: /8

Chapters: /84

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Synopsis

Although the rounin Souichirou Senou quickly discovers that most of his new neighbors in the Katagi Apartments do not trust him, his childlike wonder at the world around him allows him to strike up a friendship with the carpenter's son, Kankichi. With Kankichi's help, Souichirou begins to establish a life in Edo's tenements and exchanges his longtime sword Kunifusa for a bamboo blade, due to his newfound desire to refrain from violence.

Unfortunately for Souichirou, avoiding conflict in Edo is not always possible. Before long, Souichirou finds himself stalked by the brutal assassin Shinnosuke Kikuchi, who delights in butchering anyone caught between him and his target. Each time Souichirou must step forward to defend himself or the people of the tenements, he reawakens the intense bloodlust of his younger days and resurrects memories he would much rather forget.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Takemitsuzamurai was published in Spanish by Ediciones Glénat from October 2009 to December 2012.

The manga won the Excellence Prize in the manga division at the 11th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2007, along with the Grand Prize at the 15th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2011. It was nominated for Best Comic at the 2012 Angoulême International Comics Festival.

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Characters

Senou, Souichirou

Main

Kankichi

Main

Kikuchi, Shinnosuke

Supporting

Mikoshi, Daizaburou

Supporting

Omurasaki, Juuzou

Supporting

Katsu

Supporting

Red Eyes

Supporting

Hogen

Supporting

Yamamoto, Hansuke

Supporting

Genji

Supporting

Reviews

Feb 8, 2011

burningkite

Recommended

Glorious, subtle, beautiful, moving, detailed, evokes Hokusai, the Edo era, unusual-don't be put off by the art, it is so against the grain of mainstream manga but it is astonishing, the use of shade and light and ink blots. I think the only manga I have even given 10 in every category, but I cannot fault it. The story is so perfect as well, interweaving and intensely thought-provoking

PLEASE read it or try-a fantastic story and piece of artwork-just..wow

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Jun 5, 2011

shinespark

Recommended

Story: 9
Your typical samurai with a haunted past moving to a new place to try and forget about it all. (Rurouni Kenshin, Sword of the Stranger, Gintama even) The manga pulls from historical, action, and slice-of-life genres, culminating in an amazing battle between Senou and a larger-than-life assassin. Moments of serenity, sorrow, sentimentality, and savagery intermix in a simple but poignant plot.

Art: 10
Takemitsu Zamurai is filled with tropes from the samurai canon, but it paints these cliches anew with vivid brush strokes, truly making the story and exploiting the essence of manga as a medium as opposed to the (light) novel, making ...

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Sep 12, 2016

Nervin

Recommended

A mysterious Ronin that lives in a town, wandering and displaying a somewhat strange behaviour throughout the days: despite being so passionate about nature and life, why is it that some greatly fear him, while others love him? The premise of Takemitsu Zamurai is quite interesting on its own, yet what really makes it stand out is the peculiar art that magnificently blends with the narrative, portraying itc characters greatly.

The very first thing any reader would notice is the peculiar art style of the manga. For many, their first impressions would range from being an unappealing, lazy style, or even plain terrible, where only the ... story could keep this work appealing. However, it becomes sooner or later apparent that the art style is in fact of very high quality: while other mangas have highly detailed and realistic art style, Takemitsu Zamurai could be seen as the opposite, being quite abstract. It manages to portray the various character's very personality, difficult to the more "realistic" approach. Furthermore, there is hardly any need of dialogue as the author managed to even include the various emotions and atmospheres through the art, with great fluidity that matches narrative and art in a fantastic manner. It could have no dialogue at all, and readers would still know what the main story is about.

Regarding the story itself, it is mainly focused upon Senou Soichirou, a Ronin with a passion for life - to such a degree that he does bizarre things such as chasing a butterfly in the very same manner as a butterfly. This naturally raises caution in the villagers, which makes for some endearing interactions with those; be it the landlord, the little child living next to him, or even some high-ranking officials. The manga does have a main drive, which is exploring Soichirou as a character, while delving in the mystery surrounding him and the people who know him.

This may appear as something complex, yet in essence it is not quite: although the uncertainties surrounding the protagonist do get gradually revealed, it is not that impressive as it may seem at first sight - the intrigue about people wanting him dead is of simple nature as well. Rather, the execution of it is quite impressive. Now when it comes to the conclusion of the manga it is both satisfying and a bit disappointing at the same time. The final message of noble family being righteous and loved by all is was a bit jarring at a personal level, which of course is not the same to every reader.

As for the characters of the manga, once again, the main focus lies on the protagonist, where all the characters take a backseat. This does not mean that those are of lesser importance: these help Soichirou grow as a character, being influenced likewise. Be it exploring his true nature, or simply exploring the situation of some of the cast. However, this does not really apply to the antagonist, which leaves a bit of disappointment in the reader as he has is hardly explored as a character. The protagonist himself may seem bizarre, as the initial impression of anyone would be that of weirdness and what not. Surely enough, he receives appropriate characterisation alongside some great interactions with the people surrounding him.

Tekemitsu Zamurai was as a whole a very satisfying read, where seemingly simplistic story would not really be that much of importance. The art style was surprisingly good and befitting, although admittingly, I myself was quite swayed by the style and doubted its validity. This is definitely a manga I would recommend to anyone who is not adversed by the art style; it is after all still a great read.
`
Thank you for reading.

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Poll: Takemitsuzamurai Chapter 55 Discussion PEAKE-PEAKE - Oct 14, 2022	2 replies	by Chamo3000 »» Jun 15, 9:22 PM
Poll: Takemitsu Zamurai Chapter 83 Discussion QuattroVaginas - Nov 18, 2015	7 replies	by A_Shinoda »» Oct 24, 2025 9:55 PM
Poll: Takemitsuzamurai Chapter 82 Discussion A_Shinoda - Oct 24, 2025	0 replies	by A_Shinoda »» Oct 24, 2025 9:30 PM
Poll: Takemitsuzamurai Chapter 62 Discussion A_Shinoda - Oct 21, 2025	0 replies	by A_Shinoda »» Oct 21, 2025 10:47 AM
Poll: Takemitsuzamurai Chapter 33 Discussion A_Shinoda - Oct 11, 2025	0 replies	by A_Shinoda »» Oct 11, 2025 1:11 PM

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