I didn't watch, and probably won't watch, the anime, so I'm writing this as a manga only fan. Most reviewers have already noted that Orient does not start off strong. Its no-brain 'shounen-ness' is so overpowering in the first few arcs, and the world-building also took a while to kick in and actually start making sense. Was very tempted to drop it at first, but now I'm glad I stuck with it! Things start getting more interesting at around chapter 40, I'd say. Ootaka Shinobu's art is also fantastic, as per usual. The fight scenes are flashy, and I prefer less-flashy-more-strategic fights, but her art skills areundeniable. Her characters are also interesting, both in design and in personality (even Musashi grows on you eventually). Especially the 'villains...' I'm up to date with the manga and we still know very little about them, and you'll be left wanting to know more after every update. Hopefully this convinces at least someone to stick through with the manga, it's worthwhile I promise!