STORY:
This is one of the best and most simple natured stories I've ever read.
The story follows Musashi on his way to becoming the strongest, Invincible Under The Heavens. How he grows, from a wild ruffian, to a respectable man by slowly realising the importance of close friends, self-reflection and life itself. The story also follows our secondary protagonist, Sasaki Kojiro who also aims to be Invincible Under The Heavens, with a child-like personality and amazing skills with the sword, he is destined to fight Musashi one day. The premise is quite simple, but the story and characters can get so deep.
CHARACTERS:
These are the deepest and most humane characters I have seen in any manga. Each character has his goals, the way he approaches them and his personality. Some of the best side characters in any manga, each one dealing with his own problems. Musashi who grows to be a respectable man, Sasaki who seeks to fight stronger opponents, Matahachi whom only falls lower and lower into the life of a scum. Many great characters which would take too long to list. When a character is meant to be dislikeable, oh boy do you hate him, when a character is meant to be likeable, probably going to be your favourite character ever.
ART:
Unlike many other manga with their bland and uninspired art, Vagabond chooses a more proportionate and realistic way to express itself. This is probably the best art in any manga, being just as good as the story and characters, with great landscapes, beautifully drawn characters and tons of detail. The art is clean and conveys every emotion right, there are no times where the panels will confuse you like certain other manga
OVERALL:
Vagabond is both a visual and a literary masterpiece with zero to no flaws besides the fact that it's on hiatus. On top of all that it has some of the best fight scenes in existence.
10/10
