Isekai Samurai Vol. 1

Female samurai Ginko Tsukitsuba longs for a glorious death in battle, lending her skills in war and picking fights in the streets, yet for all her troubles she has yet to meet her match. On a visit to temple she prays to a Buddha statue for a challenge befitting her - "send me to a hell where man-eating fiends run rampant". 

Well, she gets her wish.

Awakening in a strange new world that is distinctly at odds with her Japanese culture, she finds herself in the middle of an attack by a dragon and other monsters on a fantasy town. At first shocked and then thrilled by the possibilities of such a battle, Ginko throws herself into the fray and saves the town. So far, so isekai.

What I liked about the book was the more off-kilter elements that it manages to throw into its first volume. The hero called to save the village is none too pleased that their time has been wasted when Ginko gets there first, and she doesn't seem terribly heroic in terms of personality either, which leads you to wonder what exactly a "hero" is in this world. Once Ginko meets a young magician named Miko, she starts to get a feeling for her unexpected new home and the unusual denizens that live in it.

Chief amongst these is the nun, Gibril (or Lou as she prefers) who fosters orphans from the attacks and raises them. Clearly a woman with a kind heart, it's belied somewhat by her loud and obnoxious behaviour, even more so considering her lineage. 

Lou, upon seeing Ginko's bloody handiwork. I love this expression!

The story plays with the tropes of the genre pretty well, but for the life of me there's so many titles in the isekai style now that it's impossible to be versed in all of them to see if this is "like" any of the others. What I do like is its simplicity; Samurai meets Fantasy. She's not a vending machine or a blob, she's not armed with a mobile phone or possessed of mystical power, she's just a short firecracker looking for death, with the energy of a Beano character engaging in mischief, all big grin and wide eyes. 

One of the strengths of Isekai Samurai is certainly the art, which is absolutely gorgeous. Taking a heavy, detailed approach to the linework, it has a historical drama style to it, much like The Valiant Must Fall, which is somewhat subverted by the eventual setting but somehow suits it very well. Ginko (or Ginnie as she's later named) is a wonderful, diminutive ball of energy, running toward battle with a massive grin on her face whenever the opportunity presents itself. The artist plays with her representation in the book as either a stoic and noble Samurai or a child-like adventurer depending on the scene. She has a brash, warrior personality that would better suit a warlord, but I found myself absolutely enchanted by her. Given Ginko's obvious glee at the chance to die in battle, she's practically a Klingon in Samurai garb, albeit much cuter!

Ginko finds a new chance for battle and a glorious death - just try and stop her!

By the end of the book I was very much enamoured by Ginko, Lou and Miko. I'd like to see more of an overarching plot, and who knows at this stage if it has legs, but providing Ginko never gives up on her dream of a worthy and exceptional death, this is a title that will be returning to my reading table as soon as volume 2 surfaces.