I did not know what to expect from the pretty mediocre picture on MU and the pretty standard mix of historical seinen but this series is a hidden jewel! The art is beautiful with great care given to details, not only in the characters and their dress but also in the cityscapes and the interiors.

Splashes of comedy intersperse the historical instruction that sets the scene for our enigmatic female heroine who is a master of both shamisen and sword. Anyone looking for well developed characters, a well researched Edo background and a some historical/action will not be left wanting in this series.

... Last updated on May 13th, 2012, 4:32pm

I really like this, not to mention the female lead was really unique personality wise. It could have been so much more, but it was axed. I would definitely continue if there was a sequel.

It's a little dark, but not enough to depress the reader - and there are some heartwarming moments. While I did notice a bit of a lack of range of expression, it doesn't take away much; in fact, it helps develop the characters faster. This type of work just doesn't click with some people, but Ichi is definitely a gem.
Side note: I have to disagree with TRMshadow here. While Ichi is loaded with historical references, they simply add to the setting and are not vital to the plot.

... Last updated on July 14th, 2012, 12:19pm

Don't listen to Cone1234, it's a good seinen series, but is more dramatic than it is comedic (there is one part-time joke character). It's extremely Japanese History intensive, so it isn't really accessible or interesting to your average reader; but if you're looking for one of those "based on real events" real-life historical stories, then this will be a great find. A great story... but just not what I'm looking for.

I'm a huge fan of the blind samurai trope and ichi serves it up well. If you've seen the Ichi or Zatoichi movies, then you pretty much already know what to expect when you start reading this.

Ichi depicts historical Japan's acceptance of foreigners as well as the political conspiracies within Japan's government. The titular Ichi is a blind swordswoman/gozen who occasionally does jobs for the police and ends up being part of a scheme with Japan's future at stake.

Art is fantastic, but my only gripe about Ichi is that pretty much everyone looks the same. You get a bunch of pretty boys with long hair, assign names to them, forget which pretty boy is which, and end up missing out on the story.

Don't turn out like me and read this manga with your brain turned off.

An exellent display of a persons 's will. The story is written in a interesting chronological event that keep you wants more. Humors get sprinkle unexpectedly throught the story. Fights are satisfying and bloody. Not much romance, but relationship is slowly developing between the two main characters.

... Last updated on November 9th, 2012, 12:01pm

Decent, but way too short. I would have liked to have seen this be at least 10 volumes and I wouldn't have minded a little more detail on some of the characters. I would have liked to have seen some resolution with a few of the characters stories. I really like Ichi as a character, she's powerful but not invincible and can in a few situations be emotionally weak which makes her a more three dimensional character. Visually a few of the male characters look a little too much alike for my tastes, but overall its a nice looking series. The action on the other hand, is not really drawn very well or exciting, imho. Its sometimes just a static image with a lot of speed lines and its not very dynamic or dramatic. This is a shame because the action is not up to the quality of the other parts of the art. Manga like Blade of the Immortal, Vagabond, Berserk, etc. have action that is presented in a much more interesting or exciting way. I hope they will someday make more stories on Ichi, because she has got a lot of potential as a character. If you like Zatoichi movies then you will probably like this. I give this a 7 or B grade.

It has a very very extremely good potential. The characters are good, the story is good, and the art... OMG, the art is so godly, but why author? Why? Why did you stop it? It makes me thinking that the author didn't know what to do with the story after involving Shinsengumi. As many people who are avid reader with Japanese historical setting, Shinsengumi didn't ends pretty well. I think that the author doesn't want to end the story with sad end. Well, bad news Sensei, you did end it bad and it makes me super sad to see a good manga with so much potential got wasted like this.

I can see why this was axed. It seemed like more than a third of the first 10 chapters is just exposition describing the historical background. Those parts are incomprehensible to anyone not well-versed in Japanese medieval history, and manage to confuse with their litany of un-memorable names. It doesn't help that characters also look too much alike, making it difficult to follow the larger story (as opposed to the plots of individual chapters).

It's a pity. This initial chunk of pointless exposition is followed by a more fluid storyline, including pretty great flashback chapters describing the main characters' pasts. Sadly, none of these are sufficiently self-contained that I can just recommend individual chapters. And then there's the fact that the story was axed...

PS: This review was based on the first 23 chapters of the manga.
PPS: If you like historical manga / manhwa, I recommend Song of the Long March instead.

... Last updated on November 4th, 2015, 9:32am