Recently, my Japanese friend who is into Japanese swords because of Touken Ranbu has been telling me a lot of stories and information about a variety of katana. I got to know some legends as well as the actual history of some swords like Higekiri and Hizamaru which were swords owned by the Minamoto brothers during the Ginpei War.
Well, I won't delve too much on Japanese history and all, but the reason why I mentioned it is because it played a role as to why I decided to read this certain manga. It's called KAGURABACHI.
> All screenshots are from [MANGAPLUS app.](https://mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp/titles/100274)
Whenever I talk with my friend, we don't only talk about the swords but also the sword owners as well as the swordsmiths. And in some way, Kagurabachi is similar.
Rokuhira Chihiro is a serious young boy who is training under his father, Rokuhira Kunishige.
His father is a very well-known swordsmith whose creations have contributed a lot in the previous wars. Despite that, he's quite the goofy and eccentric type. He couldn't do anything well aside from forging swords.
His father didn't only teach him how to make swords, but also the essence of the very thing they're making.
They both lived a very peaceful everyday life until a tragic thing happened. That bloody day changed Chihiro's life forever.
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The manga is still ongoing and has 39 chapters so far. However, I see some real good potential in it. It would be a hit from shonen fans because the fight scenes are actually good. I personally enjoyed how bloody it could get.
It reminded me of Kimetsu no Yaiba at first, but instead of the characters making their weapons sharper, the blades in itself is already powerful and when held by someone inferior, nothing good would come out of it. But really, the swords are awesome!!! Well, so are Chihiro and some other characters.
The story is still building up, but it's been entertaining so far. :) I'm excited to know more of this story... especially now that BLACK CLOVER is ending soon, I'm in dire need of more shonen manga hype in my system. And KAGURABACHI is an awesome combination of action and fantasy.
If you're interested, feel free to check it out. :)
*PS: I just found out that this manga is receiving quite a negative review even before the first chapter was released because of its "generic art style"... I also saw some sarcastic memes. It's quite sad, but I guess it would be sadder to miss out reading such a piece... but then again, to each their own. :)*
