And another volume is done. I hope you enjoyed the introduction of guys like Ma Chao, Pang De, and Xu Huang because they'll remain important for most of the story. Seeing how strong the armies of Xiliang are this volume, you really have to wonder just what the hell Ma Teng was doing all this time (Red Cliffs, for example) given that he also signed that blood-oath to destroy Cao Cao. And indeed, this is something that isn't supposed to make sense since actual historical records show him to have hardly cared for the Emperor's cause. But it makes for a fun story and that's all that really matters. Also, you might've noticed some of Ma Chao's troops are actually using shields and had quite different-looking armour, most likely as a part of Yokoyama's attempt to differentiate the Qiang-heavy Xiliang armies. It comes across as a little ironic, though, since using shields would be more a marker of Chinese-ness than foreignness. But that's what you get when a Japanese mangaka is working in a time when Japan and China had very little friendly interaction and the only readily accessible pictorial materials were Edo-era prints that superimpose the idea of Japanese warfare to the scenes of war in Water Margin or Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Download
Sangokushi v31: Mediafire
Sangokushi c191-192: Sendspace
Thanks, Hox. This is the volume when I finally broke down and made a cheat sheet just to keep everyone straight. ^_^
ReplyDeleteYeah, my cast of characters is a little messy and I sometimes get lazy and don't update it for every volume. It's really not too important to remember most characters except the really major ones though. If you really like the story, like me, you'll end up watching/reading it multiple times and just naturally absorb names that way.
DeleteYess more sangokushi, this is again another awesome chapter. By the way what is your opinion on Yokoyama mitsuteru's Date Masumune manga ?
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, there are three really famous Japanese authors for historical novels, all of whom are now deceased, and they are Yoshikawa Eiji, Shiba Ryoutarou, and Yamaoka Souhachi. The three are often compared not just because of their fame and influence, but also it because each wrote their own version of Taikouki (biography of Toyotomi Hideyoshi).
DeleteYokoyama's Date Masamune manga is an adaptation of Yamaoka Souhachi's story, and as typical of Yamaoka's style, it's written to be almost theatrical at times, with flamboyant mannerisms and bold characters. Although I think Yokoyama's personal writing style goes along a lot better with Yoshikawa's, which is more dry and subdued in that "classic-literary" way, for a character like Date Masamune who was quite an oddity in his times, I think Yamaoka's approach is quite apt.
tl;dr
Entertaining though at times, not very Yokoyama-like, making me wonder if it wouldn't be better had it been adapted by a different mangaka.
YES!!!! I was having an extremely crappy day but this makes me so happy! thank you so much Hox! Sangokushi is so fucking brilliant!
ReplyDeleteYes another vol! Thank you thank you thank you :0
ReplyDeleteHox, I know you're busy and have your own plans as far as future projects, but would you please consider picking up Paperakyu? Barbapapa seems to have dropped it:
ReplyDeletehttp://mangahelpers.com/forum/showthread.php/72515-Paperakyu-by-MATSUNAGA-Toyokazu?p=3203951&viewfull=1#post3203951
Yeah, I'll gladly do it when I can find the time. Been awhile since I read it but I remember quite liking it.
DeleteThanks, Hox.
DeleteHas Sangokushi volume 28 been re-uploaded anywhere? the link in its original blogpost has been killed I'm afraid.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mediafire.com/sangokushi
Deletehope to see sangokushi sooner
ReplyDeleteGlad you asked because I just started the next volume!
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