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A review by gabriel_sakoda
Vagabond, Volume 1 by Takehiko Inoue
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Vagabond is incomplete. It left on a really bad chapter and leaves countless threads dangling. Its creator, Takehiko Inoue, has expressed little interest in continuing the series. Nonetheless, Vagabond triumphs as the most personally impactful story I have ever read. What starts out as a pretty typical "be the best" kind of manga hastily gets interrogated for its shallow and egotistical motives. Takezo, later goes by Musashi, wants to be the strongest swordsman. But that requires him to define strength. In his early adulthood, his naïveté convinces him that to gain strength, his opponent must also lose it. So much of his worldview is taken up by this asinine belief in strength being a finite resource that Musashi rejects his humanity to pursue this toxically masculine ideal.
Over the course of three-hundred chapters and thirty-eight volumes, he slowly realizes that his worth as a human is not and was not ever tied to how many he people he can defeat (kill). Quite the opposite actually. As Musashi grows, the manga slows in pace. Towards the end, it would philosophize about the meaning of success, personal change, the value of charity and how ego dilutes the strongest parts of our character for entire volumes at a time. Vagabond is gory, but as Musashi awakens himself to the vanity of his journey, the panel framing shifts from cool action to gut-wrenching scenes of warfare. Why would he ever want to be the best if it only causes him and the communities around him immeasurable suffering? Furthermore, climbing a ladder of "best-ness" inherently devalues his passions. Once Musashi reaches the top, what's next? This existential question looms over him the longer he goes, forcing him to grow up and accept the sheer stupidity of his quest for power.
That is not to say that the entire manga is just negative growth. When it does slow down, Musashi confronts the flaws of his lifestyle and takes active steps to change and be better for the world. Vagabond is an empathetic story. Inoue knows when to be intensely critical of Musashi and knows when to let him be the hero. The back third, where the violence fades and Musashi is left to struggle alone, is profound, and profoundly impactful. Inoue lets Musashi crash, fizzle and eventually lets him regain his footing. Instead of listening to the systems and stereotypes that kept Musashi locked in a cycle of life and death, he began to listen to nature, to water, to the people who are too poor and starved to have a dream. Musashi moves between villages and death can't help but chase him, but he begins to accept the reality of his privileged line of work as a ronin. This self-reflection and willingness to break apart his alleged rank among fighters directly addresses similarly idealistic readers. Having a dream is a form of privilege and Vagabond proclaims that the most successful are those who never lose sight of the state of the world around them.
Reading Vagabond over the course of about a year was the gift that kept on giving. It continued to deliver emotional hits at the time that I needed to hear them. It is a story that grew with me through college applications, my final cross country races, and now my first relationship. I got into my dream school, I am stronger than I ever have been and now happier than ever. Having Vagabond there to grow with me was the kind of miraculous artistic alignment that simply cannot be ignored. Musashi's story guided me through the biggest changes of life so far. I read it slowly and let its themes wash over me. It made me realize the inherent worth of my ambitions. Working for a goal is a burden most should carry with pride. In Vagabond's world, there is clash between physical strength and strength in morale. Musashi was never scared off by another swordsman, but was floored by monks, elders, farmers; people who have either never held a sword or renounced it. This story taught me the value of committing myself completely to what I am passionate about, but also the value of letting myself coast and soak up the humanity around me. Vagabond is not unrelenting or merciless; it is warm and relatable. Takehiko Inoue's decades long epic and life drama provides a unique criticism of genre tropes in manga and a humanitarian awakening to all the ambitious young men who partake in Musashi's odyssey.
Over the course of three-hundred chapters and thirty-eight volumes, he slowly realizes that his worth as a human is not and was not ever tied to how many he people he can defeat (kill). Quite the opposite actually. As Musashi grows, the manga slows in pace. Towards the end, it would philosophize about the meaning of success, personal change, the value of charity and how ego dilutes the strongest parts of our character for entire volumes at a time. Vagabond is gory, but as Musashi awakens himself to the vanity of his journey, the panel framing shifts from cool action to gut-wrenching scenes of warfare. Why would he ever want to be the best if it only causes him and the communities around him immeasurable suffering? Furthermore, climbing a ladder of "best-ness" inherently devalues his passions. Once Musashi reaches the top, what's next? This existential question looms over him the longer he goes, forcing him to grow up and accept the sheer stupidity of his quest for power.
That is not to say that the entire manga is just negative growth. When it does slow down, Musashi confronts the flaws of his lifestyle and takes active steps to change and be better for the world. Vagabond is an empathetic story. Inoue knows when to be intensely critical of Musashi and knows when to let him be the hero. The back third, where the violence fades and Musashi is left to struggle alone, is profound, and profoundly impactful. Inoue lets Musashi crash, fizzle and eventually lets him regain his footing. Instead of listening to the systems and stereotypes that kept Musashi locked in a cycle of life and death, he began to listen to nature, to water, to the people who are too poor and starved to have a dream. Musashi moves between villages and death can't help but chase him, but he begins to accept the reality of his privileged line of work as a ronin. This self-reflection and willingness to break apart his alleged rank among fighters directly addresses similarly idealistic readers. Having a dream is a form of privilege and Vagabond proclaims that the most successful are those who never lose sight of the state of the world around them.
Reading Vagabond over the course of about a year was the gift that kept on giving. It continued to deliver emotional hits at the time that I needed to hear them. It is a story that grew with me through college applications, my final cross country races, and now my first relationship. I got into my dream school, I am stronger than I ever have been and now happier than ever. Having Vagabond there to grow with me was the kind of miraculous artistic alignment that simply cannot be ignored. Musashi's story guided me through the biggest changes of life so far. I read it slowly and let its themes wash over me. It made me realize the inherent worth of my ambitions. Working for a goal is a burden most should carry with pride. In Vagabond's world, there is clash between physical strength and strength in morale. Musashi was never scared off by another swordsman, but was floored by monks, elders, farmers; people who have either never held a sword or renounced it. This story taught me the value of committing myself completely to what I am passionate about, but also the value of letting myself coast and soak up the humanity around me. Vagabond is not unrelenting or merciless; it is warm and relatable. Takehiko Inoue's decades long epic and life drama provides a unique criticism of genre tropes in manga and a humanitarian awakening to all the ambitious young men who partake in Musashi's odyssey.