Manabe, Jouji, has to be one of the most talented blokes out there.Both the managas of his that I have read, have been pure gold. This is just one of those really great stories , with all the laughs, tears , romance suspense, thrills and spills and just all round plain drama you could want. What makes his stories so riveting , is the levels of depth he develops through out the tale. The characters develop and we are shown layers upon layers we were unaware of previously. There is alsoa sense of realism , in that he pulls no punches and none are safe from the Axe as it were.

This is much more an Epic tale than say Caravan Kidd, though both are brilliant .Pricess kahm steals the show as our princess along side the ever suffering yet increasingly noble Tetsuya.

The art is both old but at the same time pretty unique and at times breath taking as well.Some of the design and detail were so meticulous its was amazing.

So , if you want tale you can sink your teeth into , this is it.