This review is spoiler-free.

On the surface, DIE WERGELDER is a Tarantino-coded seinen created by Hiroaki Samura. A femme-fatale dominated cast of martial artists from Japan, China and Mongolia to as far as Germany find themselves, for differing reasons, investigating a secluded Japanese island as bloodied combatants in the ordinarily machismo underworld of organised crime's violent gunfights and rampant sexploitation.

But hidden beneath the bare-knuckled violence and sick sex is a deep well of connections with uncomfortable questions and elusive answers, often suppressed with violent, sudden deaths.

The quiet island of Ishikunagijima secretly revels in a colourful sex racket operated by Yakuza, out of sight of the rest of the world. Sex is not just a commodity, but a ritual. Bizarre erotica, sadism, institutionalised rape and unrestrained human experimentation foul the air black with an unpunished immorality akin to Genesis' Sodom and Gomorrah. Filthy brothels serve their chattel to hounding sex tourists while gangsters harshly enforce the law when necessary, protecting their property and business interests from rivals and journalists alike.

Die Wergelder convincingly explores the food chain of an elaborate criminal conspiracy from bottom-to-top, showing the hierarchy is strung together by abuse, exploitation and violence. From the lowly prostitutes to the sex tourists, to elected officials and the main cast itself, participants play a vital role in the ecology of Ishikunagijima.

The stressed importance of sexual abuse as a tool and its severe consequences on the human psyche is explored to a degree almost unheard of in gangster settings, making for an especially candid commentary with a female cast at the forefront. Sleek and sexy women with distinguished physical features, bright expressions and deep emotions, propelled by powerful motives, confronting a world hellbent on their utter subjugation, for reasons far beyond and much sicker than mere sexism and misogyny.

The savage depictions of violence are creatively twisted, as is necessary for any emphasis on martial arts. Arms are torn off, faces twist upside-down, holes are punched clean through chests and eyes jettison from their sockets in response to powerful blows. Grabbed by the head with a pair of legs, a Yakuza member then performs a flip, throwing a seated man behind him like a pillow. The implausible kinetic forces of simple punches and open-palm strikes, stun gun shoes, gunchaku and quarterstaff produces grisly, gory and unforgettable panels illustrated with a ludicrous level of quality not seen since Berserk.

With DIE WERGELDER, Samura has produced one of the strongest and most unique mangas I've had the pleasure of reading.