Afternoon Comics' Monthly Mangabon
July 1998
Summary
Background

    There's a little bit to be explained.  This month's episode is rather long and divided into two parts- the first part is about Anotsu, and the second part is about Hyakurin and Manji.  The first part is simply a continuation of last month's episode- the conversation between Anotsu and Master Ibane.  The second part is a continuation of what happened from like last December or something- I remember vaguely reading about what happened in the Afternoon Mangabon but I didn't quite understand what happened.  Now I do- basically, it's the conclusion to the fight between a one-armed Manji and a particularly skilled Itto-Ryu member (they began to fight at the end of Manga 7).  Basically Manji started to get the piss beat out of him.  Who knows- he might have died (do the bloodworms still work if your head's been split and the two halves dragged meters apart?).  Anyway, that's when Hyakurin comes in to save the day.  Kind of.  She ends up jumping on the Itto-Ryu guy's back, and he whips his machate-sword back, cutting her throat pretty bad.  So she lies there possibly dying, reaching for her crossbow.  Manji's about to get mauled even worse than he is.  And that's when Master Sori (remember him?  The art fanatic who paints with his sword...) leaps in and saves the day, killing the Itto-Ryu guy.  The continuation takes place after some time has passed (how much is uncertain).
 

The Story
 
    Anotsu is talking with the master of the school that he has been given by the Edo government.  Master Ibane starts telling Anotsu what battle was really like 300 years ago (in the words of Ibane's master).  It's a cool dialogue that really shows the logic behind what Anotsu's been doing all this time.
To summarize, paraphrase, add bits to make it comprehensible, etc:
    "War back in that period was totally different.  First of all, Dojos were totally different than they are today.  They would be in the middle of a mountain or near a river.  There would be grass and stones everywhere (just like a real battlefield).  Then there'd be katanas, spears (yari), bows, all shapes and sizes of weapons, and they would all be used- you would never know if you were going to fight someone on foot or on horse until you started fighting.  So on the battlefield, if you have to stop and think about what foot goes first, what stance to get into, etc while facing an unexpected opponent, some guy on a horse will kill you from behind.  There's some who say that you need manners and a martial spirit  to train with a sword... but dead people don't say anything.  You MUST fight to win.  Before a warrior starts talking about manners and spirit he'll have to kill the guy in front of him, no matter what.
    It's said that there are around 400 sword schools that developed in Japan since the Edo government formed.  It's not because sword fighting is popular.  It's because wars stopped happening, and all those warriors started teaching their skills so that they could eat.  They had no real fighting skills.  They created ideas like manners and spirit (so that their students would respect them without the masters having to prove themselves).  They made their students pay for sword lessons so that they wouldn't leave the school for another.  They tried to invent or find things like "secret techniques" that would make them seem more powerful.  In actual practice, students use gloves, laquer armor and masks and use bamboo swords so that they don't get hurt.  These are the new "warriors" of the era of peace.
     However, if something actually happened, these new warriors are like beautifully crafted boxes- pretty on the outside, but absolutely nothing on the inside.  What I'm here to do is to create real warriors who can protect the country in times of crisis.
    That's what my master said to me."

He asks Anotsu what he thinks.  Anotsu replies, "He was absolutely correct.  I only wish I could have met him while he was still alive."
    Anotsu asks a question to Ibane-san: Ibane must know that if Anotsu were to take over the school, that the name would change, and all of the history of the place, including the names of Ibane himself and his masters before him, wouldn't carry on.  Is Ibane really ok with all of that?  Ibane assures Anotsu that he's ok with it, but he has one request of Anotsu.  He calls in his daughter Hisoka to join them.  Hisoka turns out to be the same girl that Anotsu met in the woods, the one who told him where to find the school when he was lost.  They exchange pleasantries, and Ibane makes his request:
"When you return to Edo, I want you to take Hisoka with you.  No, saying it that way doesn't make much sense, does it?  Well, what I'm essentially asking is for you to take Hisoka as your wife."

Translation: WHAT?!
And that's the end of Anotsu's half.
Hyakurin/Manji's half- Shinriji is sitting at the entryway of the Mugairyu hideout smoking a pipe.  Hyakurin calls to him- she had been taking a bath to wipe out all the blood out of her hair and off her neck.  She asks him to check out her hair (she's half naked, btw.  But Samura, in defiance of Manga tradition, DOESN'T titilate his viewers with silly, needless, out-of-place nudity.  Score another 10 points for Samura).  Anyway, after having her hair checked she goes back to wash it again.  Shinriji is put in a tight spot and silently begs for Giichi to come back.
    Hyakurin comes back (dressed) after washing herself again.  Shinriji asks if her neck is alright, and makes a side comment, something to the extent of, "Man, I bet you were thinking about all sorts of things, like your kids and all.. I uh... I uh... no, I mean... um..."  Hyakurin gives him a dirty look (I guess this means another Plot Point for the notebook- Something Bad probably happened to her two kids).  She gets fully dressed (putting on a wig, like usual) and heads out, commanding Shinriji to take care of her laundry.
    OK, this summary is getting a bit long.  Highlights: Shinriji and Hyakurin go to check up on Manji- Manji and Master Sori are at Sori's apartment.  They come with the landlady right while Sori's in the middle of "painting" (ie swinging a sword around with a brush on the end, getting paint everywhere).  The landlady has words with Sori.  Hyakurin goes in to check on Manji, while Sori asks Shinriji for a little blood for a painting.  "I just need a thimbleful- you'll hardly miss it!"
    Hyakurin serves some tea for Manji.  He's in bad shape, but alive (and I guess they found his arm, too).  He asks her what happened to the Tegata (the passport-like thingy that he needs to get from one prefecture to another- basically he fought with those three Itto-Ryu guys to get it in the first place).  Hyakurin silently pulls it out and unfolds it- completely covered and stained with blood.  Unuseable.  The whole nasty fight had been for nothing.  He's not angry or upset or anything, either: "I'm just... tired."
And that's the end of this month's MnJ.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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