Lady Snowblood Manga, Volume 2 (English)

October 23rd, 2008

Since we’ve been discussing adult female protagonists, I though I would keep the trend going today and take a look at Lady Snowblood, Volume 2. First, let’s say grace and thank Kelly G for sponsoring today’s review – thanks Kelly!

You’ve seen Lady Snowblood, haven’t you? This classic Japanese film series follows the violent life of revenge by a woman named Snowblood, in retribution for all the evils that have befallen her and her family. Bwahahahah. It’s a great set of films that Tarantino ripped for his own film doujinshi, Kill Bill. (Lucy Liu has *nothing* on Kaji Meiko.)

The Lady Snowblood manga’s old, old school art and the period story instantly transports us to a Tezuka-style world, where revenge is the only option for those destroyed by greed, lust and pride.

Snowblood’s whole life has been a hunt for revenge and, as a result, she’s become very, very good at it. Like the Count of Monte Cristo she uses sex appeal, her honed fighting skills and her extremely sharp business acumen to do whatever it takes to ruin those people who ruin others.

In Volume 2, it takes Snowblood passing herself off as a Buddhist nun and seducing the daughter of a powerful businessman. Aya is dying from some wasting disease and the continued sexual activity dissipates what little life force she has left. She dies, but at least she dies happily. ^_^

There’s a grim kind of pleasure we get as we watch Snowblood take on the privileged and corrupt with her own brand of vigilante revenge. While she receives little satisfaction as her reward, we can wallow in her ability to lie, to cheat, to kill and ruin those whose reckless disregard for life and their fellow humans has led them to take everything they can get at the expense of everyone around them. Hmm…seems kind of timely doesn’t it? It would be kind of darkly amusing to create a Snowblood 2 set in the modern world of stock trading, wouldn’t it? ;-)

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 6
Service – 5

Overall – 7

Just another nod to Kelly – welcome to the ranks of Okazu heroes!

6 Responses

  1. Vince says:

    After your review and the Anime World Order review I might have to pick up this series (and the movies).

  2. Rinu says:

    Manga is interesting but I couldn’t bear the movie. Too bad camera, acting, dialogues… Like a friend said “All stuff which create an iconic movie.” ^^

    I can’t still believe the scene with a nun ^^.

  3. Anonymous says:

    I watched the movies ages ago and Meiko Kaji is really an intense actress although I think she is at her best in Sasori. Do you plan to review that too?

    Thanks for the review that was enough to finally convince me to get the manga.

  4. anonymous – I probably won’t be reviewing those movies here, but you’re welcome to drop by the Yuricon table if we’re at a con near you and chat about them!

  5. Althalus says:

    1972 is “only a few years old”? Or did they put another copyright date in the book (they sometimes do that if they license a more recent japanese edition of older works) and you went with that?

  6. My mistake. The copyright info for this volumes states a Japanese publishing date for the manga of 2004. Clearly that was for a reprint. I’ll amend the sentence.

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