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This light novel, loosely based on several of the first few arcs of the manga, has a rather irritating translation.
Well, the translation itself is ok.
Though, like many light novel translations, the prose ends up a bit awkward at times.
The real problem, though, is the formatting.
It tries to “preserve the experience” by making every sentence a paragraph.
Almost two hundred pages.
Just like this.
Some sentences were longer, but many were simple sentences, and the effect is often more abrupt, jerky phrasing than anything else. The plot is rather rushed, covering as much ground as it possibly can and reworking it into a similar story with one storyline instead of multiple arcs. For those unfamiliar with Blade of the Immortal’s plot, it centers around a young woman named Rin who, seeking revenge for the death of her parents, hires an immortal man named Manji to kill the killers, who call themselves the Itto Ryu. The central inclusion is another killer hunting the Itto Ryu, though some characters are also rather idealized versions of the manga characters. It’s a decent read, but not as good as I’d hoped for.
The formatting, incidentally, is gorgeous. The dimensions are a bit smaller than the manga volumes, but clearly designed to look good on your shelf beside them. The cover is a new illustration, as are the interior illustrations, which are some of Samura’s finest work. My favorite is a spread of Anotsu and Makie near the end.
Well, the translation itself is ok.
Though, like many light novel translations, the prose ends up a bit awkward at times.
The real problem, though, is the formatting.
It tries to “preserve the experience” by making every sentence a paragraph.
Almost two hundred pages.
Just like this.
Some sentences were longer, but many were simple sentences, and the effect is often more abrupt, jerky phrasing than anything else. The plot is rather rushed, covering as much ground as it possibly can and reworking it into a similar story with one storyline instead of multiple arcs. For those unfamiliar with Blade of the Immortal’s plot, it centers around a young woman named Rin who, seeking revenge for the death of her parents, hires an immortal man named Manji to kill the killers, who call themselves the Itto Ryu. The central inclusion is another killer hunting the Itto Ryu, though some characters are also rather idealized versions of the manga characters. It’s a decent read, but not as good as I’d hoped for.
The formatting, incidentally, is gorgeous. The dimensions are a bit smaller than the manga volumes, but clearly designed to look good on your shelf beside them. The cover is a new illustration, as are the interior illustrations, which are some of Samura’s finest work. My favorite is a spread of Anotsu and Makie near the end.
