STORY
"Issak" is a grand adventure tale set across 17th Century Germany, following our hero as he fights bloody battles and matches wits with mercenaries, princes, and madmen. The story hasn't yet delved into unusually deep and complex themes the same way something like "Vinland Saga" does, but some of my favorite pieces of media such as "Sword of the Stranger" and "Star Wars" are built around very simple ideas- there is a distinct difference between "simple" and "stupid".
ART
Simply magnificent. The level of detail on display in things like scenery and clothing here is top-tier, but what truly steals the show are the manga's action set pieces. The fights are frenzied and kinetic, but also clear to follow. And to push it all to an entirely new level, the framing of some moments in the story is incredibly striking. Without going into heavy spoiler territory, in an early chapter we are given the point of view of the enemy commander hiding from Issak in his tent: first he hears gunfire and screams in the distance, then he sees the shadows of me being shot down near his tent, then he curls up in horror and screams as his personal guards at start falling through the door of his tent- each thrown off his feet and through the canvas by the impact of the bullet that took his life- all while the steady rhythm of Issak's deadly rifle keeps cracking away. I've seen plenty of art which can rightly be described as beautiful, but few artists can make their images thrilling.
CHARACTERS
Samurai snipers. Let me say that again: SAMURAI SNIPERS. Even if this cast had nothing else going for it, it would be pretty darn cool! The characters do tend to fit fairly neatly into archetypes so far, but they play their parts well. Issak is a highly skilled warrior who can snatch victory from jaws of death with a degree of cleverness and daring I haven't seen since "Lone Wolf and Cub". His trait of being a rifleman first and swordsman second is also unique to me- Japanese media can be a bit katana-crazy at times. His adversary Lorenzo is a madman, but not some kind of obvious barking lunatic, oh no, he can be utterly calm and cool until some particular little thing sends him screaming off the deep end- and then in a short time compose himself again. His motivation is certainly a stock villain objective but the way he goes about it is entertaining. And the female lead Zetta is what I wish Sarka from "Divci Valka" could have been- both characters come from almost identical backstories and go through character arcs that are similar on paper, but Zetta has been a perfectly serviceable if slightly vanilla heroine while Sarka... well see my "Divci Valka" review for a description of that whole mess.
ENJOYMENT
There are manga where you decide to read the next chapter, manga where you desire to read the next chapter, and manga where you have to stop yourself from reading the next chapter because want to savor reading it and stretch out your enjoyment as long as possible. So far, "Issak" has been the third type of manga.
OVERALL
If you like historical fiction or adventure stories you need to check this series out. I noticed that this manga is published in Kodansha's "Afternoon" monthly magazine, a magazine which also runs "Vinland Saga" and "Historie"- whoever picks the historical fiction series for that publication deserves a raise.
