Vagabond

The art of character development..

This manga can be misunderstood by some.

I have seen some people saying that the plot sucks or that that it's too basic as in "he just wants to become the strongest swordsman" etc.. which is a really bad and wrong way to look at this manga.

This manga is all about taking a dive into the psyche of the characters, how action has consequence and how life experience fundamentally changes a person.

Each chapter is a step in our protagonists psychological journey.

Let's break down each rating point..

Story ..

The plot is simple but it needed to be. A complex plot would interfere with what Inoue was trying to do. Don't put sunglasses if you want to bring out your eyes. Bonus points for it being based on true events and characters.

Art ..

The defining masterpiece of the medium when it comes to art. You can feel the emotion in each panel, each face. This takes realism to a new level. Obviously there is some really amazing art in the medium and I won't say any names but I personally think that nothing can touch this. We look at old paintings and admire them.. people in 200 years will look at this the exact same way.

Characters..

Musashi's journey is beautiful, realistic, painful and inspirational. Every antagonist is both a physical and a mental obstacle for Musashi to overcome. As the story goes along he sees both the beauty and horror of battle and slowly realizes what being "strong" actually means. He perfectly encapsulates how our priorities change as we grow as people. I think everyone can see life lessons in his journey and everyone should strive to be more like him.

Matahachi's a spineless man with an inferiority complex and his journey shows us that every action has consequences. He's a character that a lot of people (or should I say most) relate to but hate to admit it. He shows off a lot of the negative human emotions and his break downs are heartbreaking.
I personally think he is one of the best written fictional characters.

Kojiro is an interesting case because his personality is conveyed through the art rather than his words which is a challenging task but Inoue Takehiko does it masterfully. As Gintoki from the anime/manga Gitnama said "The secret to enjoying life is to hold on to the kid inside you" and I think that Kojiro perfectly encapsulates that. What I see in his journey is that he lives in the moment.

Musashi and Kojiro are the two sides of "Thought" and "Instinct" respectfully.

Enjoyment..

This is my 2nd favorite manga of all time so obviously I enjoyed it a lot. Through the journey of the characters I also learned a lot about myself and about life. This is one of the few rare manga that will most likely leave an actual impact on your life and your way of thinking. In my opinion this is an essential for every manga fan out there.