An all-time classic Japanese story gets the manga treatment from the co-creator of Fist of The North Star in The Magnificent Bastard: The Legend of Keiji. Tall, handsome, and deadly, Keiji revels in his own taste of beauty, whether it be slaying men on the battlefield or carousing with courtesans in the pleasure district. But in an era when might and ruthless politics reign, staying true to oneself—while staying alive—is no easy feat. As feudal lords vie for supremacy, Keiji’s House prepares for a clash with the powerful Hojo Clan. When a team of scouts is dispatched to procure wild horses for the House’s army, they are attacked by a creature unlike any they have ever seen. Tasked with slaying this beast, Keiji sets out to tame it instead. Once the Hojo and their ninja master catch wind of this expedition, however, Keiji will have more than a wild beast to break…
The Legend of Keiji is an all-time classic in Japan. Based on a novel by Keiichiro Ryu that loosely explores the tales of the real-life legendary samurai gangster Maeda Keiji, the manga adaptation ran from 1990 to 1993 in leading manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump where it became a huge hit with readers and remains one of the magazine’s bestselling series of all time. Despite the series huge success in its home country, it has never had a full English release beyond the first 26 chapters that had a release from 2003 to 2004 owing to legal issues. Now the series finally gets the release it deserves courtesy of Kodansha’s Vertical imprint.
Acclaimed artist behind seminal classic Fist of The North Star Tetsuo Hara handles this adaptation alongside writer Mio Aso. Keiji in many ways is an archetype of the rough around the edges Japanese hero that so many fans are drawn to. He does share some visual similarities to Hara’s previous protagonist Kenshiro, albeit without the moody facial expressions. But Keiji is far more theatrical in both his battles with ninja and approaches to the opposite sex. Aso clearly has a strong understanding on the history of Keiji, but she isn’t afraid to play into the more outlandish parts of his legend in this adaptation which makes it all the more memorable.
Keiji was Hara’s next project following the conclusion of Fist of The North Star so this series sees him in his artistic prime. Beyond his iconic character designs, his style is immediately recognisable from the high-level action scenes and some very strong violence. There is also a strong level of detail in each panel that goes beyond the gore. With one of the key moments in this volume depicting Keiji’s taming of his future giant horse, readers will get to see Hara flex his artistic skill. Whilst looking like an accurate depiction of a horse, Matsukaze also has a beastlial side that goes beyond his shadowy appearance and large size which Hara conveys tremendously.
This classic manga’s English release was well worth the wait. It belongs on the shelves of any serious manga collector. Beyond that, it is a privilege to see Tetsuo Hara at his artistic best.
The Magnificent Bastard 1: The Legend of Keiji is out now from Vertical (9781647295004, h/b, £26.99)
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