Shigurui


Shigurui is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takayuki Yamaguchi. It was first serialized in Akita Shoten's seinen manga magazine Champion Red from 2003 to 2006, and later in Champion Red Ichigo from 2007 to 2010; its chapters were collected in fifteen tankōbon volumes. It is based on the first chapter of the novel Suruga-jō Gozen Jiai by Norio Nanjō. An anime television adaptation, aired on Wowow from July to October 2007. The series was directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki, written by Seishi Minakami, and produced by Madhouse.
The anime was licensed in North America by Funimation under the fully translated title Shigurui: Death Frenzy. The licensing was announced in May 2008 and the full series was released in March 2009, on Blu-ray and DVD. The manga and anime are both known for their graphic violence and sexual content.

Plot

The story begins in 1629 Shizuoka during Tokugawa Tadanaga's rule. The daimyō staged a tournament where the participants fought with real steel Japanese swords rather than bokken, against his vassals' strong objection. The story revolves around the first match between the one-armed swordsman Fujiki Gennosuke and the blind samurai Irako Seigen and deals with the circumstances that led the two to participate in Tokugawa's tournament.

Characters

;Gennosuke Fujiki
;Seigen Irako
;Gonzaemon Ushimata
;Kogan Iwamoto
;Mie Iwamoto
;Lady Iku

Media

Manga

Anime

The series was adapted into a 12-episode anime series based on the first 32 chapters by Madhouse and broadcast on Wowow from July 19 to October 12, 2007. The series was directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki and written by Seishi Minakami. Funimation licensed the series for release in North America. The series was later added to iTunes.

Reception

Shigurui was nominated for the 15th annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2011. The series ranked fifth and fourth on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2007 and 2008 for male readers.