This piece of writing goes out to Lone wolf and cub which is hands down the finest piece of work that has ever been rendered on paper. Nothing else comes close to it. It is a piece of work beyond compare. The kinetic visuals, the fantastic dialogue, the amazing characters of Ogami Itto, his son Daigoro, Retsudo the villain who comes into his own at the end. So much so that you end up feeling sorry for him by the time he dies. No piece of work is as complete as Lone Wolf and Cub.
The story starts simple as all good stories do. Ogami Itto is the executioner for the Yagyu Clan. He is framed for treachery by Retsudo the chief of the Yagyu Clan and his wife is killed. He escapes with his son Daigoro and his trusty Dotanuki. He then becomes an assassin for hire with the destruction of the Yagyu clan as his objective. It sounds clichéd but it is anything but. The attention to detail is unbelievable. The era of feudal Japan is recreated to perfection.
Kazuo Koike and Gozeki Kojima ought to be in heaven just for writing Lone Wolf and Cub for I doubt that anyone will ever approach the heights of Lone Wolf. If you haven't read it you simply must. The story just sucks you in. Right from the first page you are drawn in and like all good books the thought of stopping never even enters your head, never mind the fact that end semester exams may fast be approaching. The pace never lets up. You cannot believe how fast you are reading. 28 volumes each about 300 pages just pass you by and then you find yourself picking up volume 1 again. It is just that good. It is piece of art unsurpassed.
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