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Reviewed by Craig Johnson Plot: The assassin's road continues ever on... And the story really begins to hit its stride now. Last time, I criticised the over-familiarity of each LW&C; storyline, you'd get a situation, the LW&C; enter it, kill everyone (or so it seems), then wander off into the sunset. Repeat this ad nauseaum for 7000 pages and although each book would standalone well, as a whole it'd just be too repetitive. But finally, in volume four, we have the creators breaking into their stride and really letting loose. Only four stories fill out this 300 page book, the first three are the usual 60-odd pages, but the last one weighs in at a monstrous 120-odd, a double installment, and it all flies by so well. Let's look at the four stories. "The Bell Warden", from whence this volume gains its name. The wardens of the time-keeping bells in medieval Japan are almost as powerful as the emperor - they are rich, influential, and pass on their duties through their family line. The current bell warden has to choose between his three sons for his successor - what better way than to pit all three against the Lone Wolf assassin, whomever bests the assassin gets to be bell warden. Things go according to our preconceived plans, until the third son has a crack - and shows an unexpected streak of deviousness and cunning that acts as a little wakeup jolt - things will not always be as they appear in this book. "Unfaithful Retainers" is a history lesson, of sorts, recounting how the practice of having long-term loyal family retainers was gradually phased out and the retainers replaced by temporary assistance. This naturally led to relationships changing from master-faithful servant to employer-employee, and loyality to one's master all but disappeared. He who controls the union of retainers, then, is a powerful man indeed, and when two girls run afoul how can the Lone Wolf help without compromising his samurai honour? "Parting Frost" is a bit of a shocker. When Lone Wolf goes on his missions, he invariably leaves his "Cub" in a secure hideout, and returns within a couple of days. What happens when LW does not come back, and how resourceful the boy is, are the cornerstones of this story. A neat look at Daigoro's (the Cub) motivations and what he has picked up from his father, it's never explained where the Lone Wolf went, or what held him up, but that is strangely unnecessary. "Performer" is the big story, almost a female version of Lone Wolf pitted against the male (and it seems, almost every other man in the country). A logical take on the best way for a female samurai to distract her male opponents (remove all your clothes to reveal a hideous set of tattoos), it's a fitting finale to the volume and a great read to boot. Once again, a paradox for your ten bucks - how can 300 pages cost so little, pass so quickly, yet satisfy so much? Jump on board if you haven't done so already. Comment on this review of Lone Wolf and Cub v4: The Bell Warden on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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