KUROGANE

Continuing from my previous review of a manga by Ikezawa Haruto-sensei, I decided to read his first attempt to stand out in the magazine, Kurogane, a rather interesting spokon manga that brings back the classic formula of this genre in all its glory. Given my interest in Ikezawa-sensei and his work, I wanted to give it a chance to see if it truly deserved the cancellation it eventually received.

The first thing I noticed as I started reading is that, at the beginning, Kurogane actually had a certain level of popularity—so much so that it even received a Weekly Shonen Jump cover before reaching its 20th chapter. This is quite rare at the time of writing this, and very few series have achieved such recognition only to be canceled later on.

STORY: 8/10

Kurogane revolves around Hiroto Kurogane, a high schooler who excels academically but is hopelessly weak when it comes to anything physical. What makes him stand out is his exceptional eyesight—a trait that catches the attention of Tojo Sayuri, a ghost who once wielded the legendary one-handed Sakura sword style. In modern times, this style is nothing more than a myth, its existence uncertain, until Kurogane, through a stroke of luck (or misfortune), encounters Sayuri. Thanks to his remarkable eyesight, he manages to dodge her attack, which intrigues her enough to take an interest in him—and thus begins the story.

The premise is solid, and the pacing is generally good, though there are moments where it feels rushed, especially in the later chapters. Overall, it has the typical rhythm you’d expect from spokon series. However, I think the biggest issue was its focus on kendo. Not that kendo is a bad choice, but in a magazine like Weekly Shonen Jump, a series has to stand out significantly to thrive. Whether due to luck or other factors, this, combined with a somewhat lackluster protagonist, kept it from excelling.

That said, I still feel like Kurogane had the potential to be something akin to what Haikyuu!! would later become.

Art: 7/10

The art in Kurogane is noticeably inferior to Ikezawa’s later works, but that’s understandable—it was his debut series, and he was still a rookie at the time. Even so, it’s not bad at all for a beginner. That said, the battle scenes are a bit challenging to follow. While this might partly be due to the quality of the scans, the artwork during fight sequences doesn’t help much either.

However, while the art is decent, it doesn’t particularly stand out compared to other Shonen Jump titles. Still, the overall quality is consistent, and it complements the story well enough.

Characters: 6/10

This is where Kurogane stumbles a bit. Hiroto doesn’t convince me as a protagonist. While it’s clear that his role as the weakest character serves as an excuse to gradually introduce the sport, his personality doesn’t stand out like Hinata’s in Haikyuu!! or Kuroko’s in Kuroko no Basket. Hiroto comes off as a generic and somewhat boring protagonist with a single unique trait. While he does improve later on, by the time that happens, the series is already on the verge of cancellation.

The supporting characters aren’t much better, as most of them are one-note and lack depth. The only exception is a character introduced a bit later in the story, who is far more interesting and whose backstory caught my attention for being a little out of the ordinary.

I wish the series had taken more time to flesh out its characters, as it would have made the story much more compelling.

Enjoyment: 8/10

I did enjoy Kurogane. I’m a big fan of the spokon genre, and as a fan, I found it quite enjoyable. The fact that it focused on a sport I wasn’t familiar with made it even more interesting. While I don’t think it’s the best in spokon history, even with its abrupt cancellation, I feel the story concludes in a pretty satisfying way. The final chapter serves as a great closure to everything.

Verdict

Kurogane is a great debut manga for a rookie, but it’s evident that the author didn’t fully learn from his mistakes, as his subsequent series also ended up canceled—Kurogane included—for a total of three times. That said, it seems he eventually found success with a cosplay-themed manga under a different pen name.

As for Kurogane itself, it’s a fun and entertaining read. If you’re a fan of the spokon genre, I’d definitely recommend giving it a try to pass the time. It’s not bad at all and makes for an enjoyable experience.