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House Of Five Leaves, Vol. 1 (2010)

by Natsume Ono(Favorite Author)

3.84 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1421532107 (ISBN13: 9781421532103)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

VIZ Media LLC

series

House of Five Leaves / さらい屋五葉

review 1: This manga was recommended to me by two friends who have a love for unique manga that's literary (as opposed to "the same old historical drama"). I'd also read some of Ono's other work, both "Ristorante Paradiso" and some fan-translated work, and I love her low-key but intense plots and unique, loose drawing style.This story had me confused at first, as it took a while for me to sort out the characters in my brain, but once I did, I enjoyed their distinct personalities. I adore the central character--a ronin who insists on taking only samurai-worthy work, but is hampered by his non-threatening manner. He falls in with kidnappers who have separate and mysterious reasons for what they do, and refer to themselves as "the House of Five Leaves."This is one of those manga that ... moreimplies much more than it reveals. I hope it actually follows through on revelations, and look forward to future volumes.
review 2: Masa is a ronin without a job. He is very intimidating, so he isn't what most people have in mind when they look to hire a bodyguard. He finally falls in with the "Five Leaves", a group who specializes in kidnapping from the corrupt of Edo. As I read this, I though about giving it four stars. This morning, I was convinced it was a two. I'm going to compromise. As I was reading it, I really enjoyed myself and got caught up in the story, helped along by unique and tone enhancing artwork. But later, I realized that the story wasn't really something to be remembered. It wasn't until the last chapter of the book that I was even interested in hunting down the next volume. Most of the characters are pretty forgettable, with the exception of Yaichi, the leader of the Five Leaves and the reason I'm even interested in reading further. The real story of House of Five Leaves for me is finding out what Yaichi's motivations are. I'm honestly not all that concerned with whether or not Masa has the money he needs to send home to his brother. less

Download links for: House of Five Leaves, Vol. 1

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