*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
This volume is the Battle at Ishizu where Akiie’s army is outnumbered and Tokiyuki faces his former retainer, Morofuyu.
I get that fleeing is Tokiyuki’s thing, but wow, he is losing allies and friends right and left. This is historically based, and yes, when waging a war, things don’t go smoothly and you lose people. But still, this volume doesn’t really make Tokiyuki look good. 2.5 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Tokiyuki and his vassals fight Kono Morano while Akiie has to deal with ineffective nobles in order to win.
I do enjoy how Akiie treats his troops, making sure they can have celebrations to keep up morale. He’s a good leader, so it’s clear Tokiyuki can learn a lot from him. But as he’s still going through this learning process, this still feels kinda dry. I couldn’t even get it into the fight scenes. It all feels like that Simpsons meme:
I honestly wonder if I should drop this series or succumb to the sunk cost fallacy and power through. 2.5 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Tokiyuki is back home now in Kamakura with his retainers as the battle still is not over. They seek out master swordsmith, Masamune. Emperor Go-Daigo sends Takauji to kill Tokiuki.
Ya’ll I thought we were done. I really thought this was gonna end with the last volume because Tokiyuki and his army took back the city but yeah, I should have known this would keep going since Takuji is still out there. Other than that, the weapon upgrades in this were interesting and Shina is a great addition to the cast. I really want to see more of her. Her back story is compelling and utilizing her regularly would make for some unique battles. 3 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
It’s all hands on deck for the final battle for control of Kamakura an when a formidable master of horses, Imagawa joins the fray, it may not be enough for Tokiyuki to evade and survive to face down the man who killed his family and friends.
As a heads up, the while thing with Imagawa and his horses is sad and super gross. I physically recoiled from what he was doing to that poor animal so, trigger warning for that I guess? It was so damn out there that when Tokiyuki finally goes up against anyone else, I was still fixated on the horse. The art style does really well with gore/body horror like this. 3 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Tokiyuki and his allies face the Kanto Hisashiban, each enemy presenting a unique and challenging ability.
Yeah, the horse guy sucks. Poor horses…
I think what keeps this series from entertaining for me as much as it could is the main character. I don’t need my main characters to always be like Mizu from Blue Eyed Samurai; extremely flawed and powerful but the original fire for Tokiyuki to get his title back in the beginning of the series is down to sparking embers. It’s all barely holding my interest. There are bits that hold my interest and keep me turning the pages at the spectacle of it all but deep down, I don’t feel as invested. 3 out of 5
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Hojo Tokiyuki has revealed himself as the last heir to the decimated Hojo clan, putting him in an exhalted position among his comrades but also in the crosshairs of his enemies.
There’s something about this series that feels haphazard. A setup is made that feels bombastic and then it’s all just stuff. It’s very unorganized and all over the place. I mean, yay for the good guys but it’s hard to get invested in whatever is going on. 2.7 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Tokiyuki Hojo and his allies prepare to make a move against their enemies but Hojo must earn the respect of Yorishige’s forces by facing Shokan.
The battle was cool and seeing Tokiyuki use the skills he’s learned so far but something is missing. It feels kinda dry despite all the action going on. I wasn’t able to connect with this one like the others even though I did keep turning the pages to find out what happened next. Maybe the next one will have more of a punch. 3 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Spies are all over Shinano so Tokiyuki hides out in Kyo. However, a chance to kill Takaugi presents a dangerous temptation as it’s a chance to finally get revenge for the deaths of his family.
The big final battle is finally getting started and I’m relieved to finally see how this all shakes out. What I’m looking forward to most is seeing Tokiyuki and his retainers use the skills we’ve watched them collect all these volumes. It feels like it’s been a slog to get here and I am really hoping the pay off is worth it in the end. 3 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Despite the loss against Kokushi’s forces, Tokiyuki gained valuable knowledge which will aid him as he heads for Kyo, the capital city of his enemy; Takauji.
From the synopsis, you’d think some major shit was gonna go down but this volume feels like a bunch of setup. We get a new character, Tokiyuki is still a good character, but I didn’t feel like much happened. It’s not bad but it is a bunch of filler that isn’t very satisfying. 3 out of 5.
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Governor Sadamune is determined to prove Tokiyuki is a survivor from the Hojo clan and interrogates the boy to find even the smallest slip up. As he tries to keep is identity a secret, Tokiyuki also has to help defend his allies on the battlefield.
This volume is heavy on the battle strategy and to be honest, I didn’t find it all that interesting. The battle scenes are well drawn; I can tell what’s going on and the way the art conveys emotions can be really creative as well as really creepy but this one isn’t as fun as the others. I bet it’s a step towards something bigger in the coming volumes. 2 out of 5.
