nathandouglasdavis

This manga consists of two stories, set to show the transition from war to peacetimes in Japan. I would rate the first story as a 7/10. I enjoyed seeing the discussions concerning castle/city planning, how topography played a vital role, and the various rationales for the different locations. I also appreciated Naizen's apathetic and yet pragmatic character, and feir interactions with Kajiwara in particular. It was a solid and entertaining story. However, I would rate the second story as a 2/10. It was basically just boring. It's a unromantic romance mixed with uninspiring sword training and culminating in an adequate battle scene. It's supposed to be telling the story of the early usage of the shinai style of practice sword (which I guess is what is used in kendo). And it's true that the shinai does play a part in the story, but it doesn't make for a very interesting origin story. Overall, I think a 5/10 is fair, since the second story did drag the entire experience down.