Story (8)
Oh, it's not terribly unique, granted, but it IS interesting. Utsuho is a clever and strong protagonist, and not just a good liar either. He's smart, able to think quickly and calculate good strategies. This helps the manga discard any of the 'I MUST GET STRONGER!' plot lines and focus on the arcs. Each is interesting, the manga has very few slow moments and it keeps a great pace. Utsuho will help various people out for a long while until he recruits the heroine, soon after he visits a village where an old friend lives and afterwards sets off for the Kokonotsu.
Art (8)
Yuuki Iinuma has a simple art style, but he's good at what he does and it fits the series quite well. His action is well done, his style is consistent, and for the most part his proportions are correct. No complaints there.
Characters (10)
Each character is very intriguing in their own way, so I'll park here a bit. All the characters are important, which is a good asset for this type of manga.
Utsuho is ambiguous at times, but he much more than just a liar and that's his strongest point besides his wit. A likable protagonist. The doctor, Yakuma, and the heroine, Neya, form the 'main three' of sorts, and are the closest to Utsuho, after the tanuki, Pochi. Besides them, Hikae, the mischievous former guardian of one of the Kokonotsu treasures, joins the group, and they constantly bump into the antagonists Choza and Uzume, who have their own backstory concerning Kuroha, a villain that appears often. Another woman also joins the group after a while, and I understand that in later volumes Utsuho's family is a force to be reckoned with.
Enjoyment (9)
Itsuwaribito Utsuho can handle both serious and comedic moments together quite well, causing the overall enjoyment to be high. It has interesting arcs, a good pace, good characters, and high re-read value.
Overall (9)
It isn't that there aren't things to complain about, but all things considered, it is well done and, for a historical action that has both wit and some drama, is a great title well worth reading.
