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Description
Kurogane Hiroto is in high school, where he is academically the top of his class but literally the worst in physical activity. Born with a weak body, he has no endurance, speed nor strength and Hiroto wants nothing more than to be a hero. Fate teases him by giving him phenomenal eye sight, which allows him to see well beyond anyone else in sports, but his body is not able to react to any of it.
He learns from his friend Shiratori, who wants to recruit him for the Kendo team, about a rumor about a ghost named Tojo Sayuri, who wields a katana and haunts an alley in the city. Half curious, Hiro... More...
He learns from his friend Shiratori, who wants to recruit him for the Kendo team, about a rumor about a ghost named Tojo Sayuri, who wields a katana and haunts an alley in the city. Half curious, Hiro... More...
Kurogane Hiroto is in high school, where he is academically the top of his class but literally the worst in physical activity. Born with a weak body, he has no endurance, speed nor strength and Hiroto wants nothing more than to be a hero. Fate teases him by giving him phenomenal eye sight, which allows him to see well beyond anyone else in sports, but his body is not able to react to any of it.
He learns from his friend Shiratori, who wants to recruit him for the Kendo team, about a rumor about a ghost named Tojo Sayuri, who wields a katana and haunts an alley in the city. Half curious, Hiroto goes there only to find that the ghost is real and that Tojo Sayuri has been looking for a successor to her Sakura sword style for 150 years. Sayuri chooses him as the successor after being able to dodge her attack and forces him to learn the Sakura style. Even with the help of the ancient swordsman ghost, Hiroto has to overcome his poor motor skills in order to be the hero he always wanted to be. Less...
He learns from his friend Shiratori, who wants to recruit him for the Kendo team, about a rumor about a ghost named Tojo Sayuri, who wields a katana and haunts an alley in the city. Half curious, Hiroto goes there only to find that the ghost is real and that Tojo Sayuri has been looking for a successor to her Sakura sword style for 150 years. Sayuri chooses him as the successor after being able to dodge her attack and forces him to learn the Sakura style. Even with the help of the ancient swordsman ghost, Hiroto has to overcome his poor motor skills in order to be the hero he always wanted to be. Less...
Type
Manga
Related Series
N/A
Associated Names
Kiếm Sĩ Học Đường
クロガネ
迟到的黑铁
黑鐵
黑铁
クロガネ
迟到的黑铁
黑鐵
黑铁
Groups Scanlating
Latest Release(s)
v.8 c.70 (end) by S2scans over 10 years ago
v.8 c.69 by S2scans over 10 years ago
v.8 c.68 by S2scans over 10 years ago
Search for all releases of this series
v.8 c.69 by S2scans over 10 years ago
v.8 c.68 by S2scans over 10 years ago
Search for all releases of this series
Status
in Country of Origin
8 Volumes (Complete)
Completely Scanlated?
Yes
Anime Start/End Chapter
N/A
User Reviews
N/A
Forum
2 topics, 2 posts
Click here to view the forum
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User Rating
Average: 7.6 / 10.0 (637 votes)
Bayesian Average: 7.54 / 10.0
Bayesian Average: 7.54 / 10.0
10
16%
9+
13%
8+
26%
7+
22%
6+
11%
5+
6%
4+
2%
3+
1%
2+
0%
1+
2%
Last Updated
June 13th 2020, 6:35am
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Genre
Categories
Category Recommendations
Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect (Novel)
Zhi Mo (Novel)
Sekai no Owari no Sekairoku (Novel)
Usagi Yojimbo
Muhyo to Rouji no Mahouritsu Soudan Jimusho
Zhi Mo (Novel)
Sekai no Owari no Sekairoku (Novel)
Usagi Yojimbo
Muhyo to Rouji no Mahouritsu Soudan Jimusho
Recommendations
Author(s)
Artist(s)
Year
2011
Original Publisher
Serialized In (magazine)
Shuukan Shounen Jump (Shueisha)
Licensed (in English)
No
English Publisher
N/A
Activity Stats (vs. other series)
Weekly Pos #595 (+16)
Monthly Pos #1649 (No change)
3 Month Pos #3201 (No change)
6 Month Pos #4583 (+246)
Year Pos #6516 (+491)
Monthly Pos #1649 (No change)
3 Month Pos #3201 (No change)
6 Month Pos #4583 (+246)
Year Pos #6516 (+491)
List Stats
On 2115 reading lists
On 575 wish lists
On 1660 completed lists
On 100 unfinished lists
On 336 custom lists
On 575 wish lists
On 1660 completed lists
On 100 unfinished lists
On 336 custom lists
User Comments
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Decent and forgettable
by PZcolo
September 22nd, 2017, 6:53am
September 22nd, 2017, 6:53am
Rating: 5.0 / 10.0
Hikaru no Go with kendo instead of Go, add a little Slam Dunk in the team forming mechanics (almost a copy paste of it), put it on a serious and quite shallow setting with equally represented characters and you get Kurogane.
It's not bad, it's just has nothing to offer to someone who has read a few sports mangas. While this can be said of most such series, usually the characters (personalities and relationships) and execution (implementation and twists) offer some new combination or it's simply done well enough to be enjoyable. For Kurogane I can just say it was forgettable, it just plays it too safe, not to mention it has a rushed ending, it cuts the last tournament in the middle. Also, all the "hero" talk is annoying. On the good side, other than very good art-style and flow from panel to panel on the fights I can't think of anything else.
If, you haven't read many such sport manga you'll probably enjoy this, otherwise it will be a decent but soon to be forgotten story.
... Last updated on September 22nd, 2017, 10:57am
It's not bad, it's just has nothing to offer to someone who has read a few sports mangas. While this can be said of most such series, usually the characters (personalities and relationships) and execution (implementation and twists) offer some new combination or it's simply done well enough to be enjoyable. For Kurogane I can just say it was forgettable, it just plays it too safe, not to mention it has a rushed ending, it cuts the last tournament in the middle. Also, all the "hero" talk is annoying. On the good side, other than very good art-style and flow from panel to panel on the fights I can't think of anything else.
If, you haven't read many such sport manga you'll probably enjoy this, otherwise it will be a decent but soon to be forgotten story.
... Last updated on September 22nd, 2017, 10:57am
shallow
by butako chan
August 17th, 2014, 10:26pm
August 17th, 2014, 10:26pm
Rating: 5.0 / 10.0
The story was so shallow and uninteresting. I couldn't take anything seriously. The art is alright. If you're looking for a light read, then this is the manga for you. The characters get little development apart from a cliched backstory. Everything about this is pretty mediocre, therefore it gets a score of 5.
Shounen which isn't drawn out
by Nirachu
March 22nd, 2014, 4:47am
March 22nd, 2014, 4:47am
Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
Finally, a shounen manga that actually knows when to stop. I've actually always found the endless arcs of many (serialised) shounen to be unbearable but Kurogane ended perfectly in my opinion. I know many shounen fans will disagree; I've heard complaints that Kurogane's ending was rushed and didn't portray character development and the journey in general. However, if you imagine it continuing, it just would've ended up like any other drawn-out shounen with loads of arcs and pointless fluff going on before eventually and finally ending up at the end goal anyway.
The story of Kurogane is pretty similar to Hikaru no Go; main protagonist who isn't interested in something (in Kurogane it's kendo, in HnG it's Go) meets some mythical being who coaches them in that particular thing, with them improving throughout the series and eventually attaining mastery of that area. It's not an original idea, but the execution was done quite well in this case. The art is awesome, it's quite humorous and lighthearted, and you get your happy ending unlike in HnG. However, if you're looking for something thoughtful, deep or dark, this probably isn't the manga for you.
The story of Kurogane is pretty similar to Hikaru no Go; main protagonist who isn't interested in something (in Kurogane it's kendo, in HnG it's Go) meets some mythical being who coaches them in that particular thing, with them improving throughout the series and eventually attaining mastery of that area. It's not an original idea, but the execution was done quite well in this case. The art is awesome, it's quite humorous and lighthearted, and you get your happy ending unlike in HnG. However, if you're looking for something thoughtful, deep or dark, this probably isn't the manga for you.
Pretty Good
by kri91
July 11th, 2013, 12:40pm
July 11th, 2013, 12:40pm
Rating: 8.0 / 10.0
I loved the idea of this manga & the beginning was awesome
but in the middle, it started getting a little boring
and the ending could have been much better... although its not completely terrible...
*spoiler*
they should have shown how he became the best instead of just saying it!
but in the middle, it started getting a little boring
and the ending could have been much better... although its not completely terrible...
*spoiler*
they should have shown how he became the best instead of just saying it!
Despite its faults... I love it
by Eyenheart
May 5th, 2013, 10:12pm
May 5th, 2013, 10:12pm
Rating: 8.0 / 10.0
Well, this manga has quite a lovely starting concept though it kind of loses focuse part way through. I would definitely recomend this to any fan of 'weak to strong' stories. The protagonist is very like able and easy to cheer on. I find the art to be good and clear but a bit shoujo-ish at times (though a moderate amount of fan service ensures that you won't forget the target audience). The ending was a bit inconclusive feeling but I rated high due to my initial love of the story concept and characters.
Horrible ending
by Artimidorus
April 5th, 2013, 1:58am
April 5th, 2013, 1:58am
Rating: 3.0 / 10.0
While the series could have been much more interesting, it certainly wasn't horrible. The art was good, but the story was shallow. The problems others point out are correct, but the Kendo portrayed certainly wasn't near Eyeshield or PoT levels of bad for the sport portrayed.
My main issue, though, is the ending. It ended so much worse than it started, and in fact wasn't an ending at all. There is no resolution, no anything. Quite depressing and makes me really sort of regret even spending time on this. The story went nowhere, characters weren't really developed at all. Villians were introduced for no reason, and with this ending it is a pointless series. Highly recommend skipping if you haven't picked it up yet.
My main issue, though, is the ending. It ended so much worse than it started, and in fact wasn't an ending at all. There is no resolution, no anything. Quite depressing and makes me really sort of regret even spending time on this. The story went nowhere, characters weren't really developed at all. Villians were introduced for no reason, and with this ending it is a pointless series. Highly recommend skipping if you haven't picked it up yet.
Incredibly unoriginal.
by Garbageman
October 25th, 2012, 4:56am
October 25th, 2012, 4:56am
Rating: 5.0 / 10.0
Is something like this really in Weekly Shonen Jump? The only slightly original thing is the character design of his ghost-teacher. The largest flaw of this manga is that there is nothing that draws the reader to it. The author doesn't make kendo seem interesting to the reader, hell he doesn't even teach us the rules of kendo. The characters also have no depth whatsoever. The premise seemed decent but the execution was downright terrible.
khm
by Romashk
September 4th, 2012, 10:10am
September 4th, 2012, 10:10am
Rating: N/A
I'm not familiar with all the technical aspects of kendo, so I can't be a good judge of that. But this looks more and more like eyeshild and POT, where it starts getting crazier and crazier, until both opponents laser eye beaming each other. Plus, soon enough, the amount of cheese is gonna beat any manga out there. And that would be fine(for shounen). What really doesn't sit right with me is the power curve. It feels like the author doesn't have that much plot moves. I like the art, and the starting idea, but this thing is going nowhere, fast.
Pros and Cons
by Saphsin
June 30th, 2012, 2:26pm
June 30th, 2012, 2:26pm
Rating: 7.0 / 10.0
If you look up the manga on "en.accessup.org," a Japanese rankings/ratings site, you'll find that this manga has horrible ratings. A lot of the hate comes from the fact that the author bragged on his twitter that his series is better than many of those on Jump. But I'd like to try to comment on this manga with an unbiased opinion taking into account of the author's history.
Pros:
Especially for a newbie mangaka, his art received a lot of praise, and he deserves it. Some of the scenes are pretty epic and the panels are divided quite well. Kendo is a pretty difficult sport to draw. If you compare it to other popular Kendo manga in Japan, like Bamboo Blade, the matches in this one is much less sloppy and readable. You can enjoy the sparring because the author allows you to keep track of the movements of the characters. The characters are easily distinguishable by personality, face, and name, something that troubles a lot of inexperienced manga artists.
The theme of the manga is pretty exciting, you have the main character who's intelligent and has powerful kinetic vision, but falls short in terms of strength. The ghost Sayuri then haunts him (and hangs around as a cute character when they're not alone), wishing to pass down her style of kendo that failed to leave its mark in history. Similar to a new Hikaru no Go scenario. The appeal of this manga as a sports manga comes from the fact that there are not that many kendo manga despite its popularity in Japan. People who are new to kendo find themselves attracted to this manga the same way Eyeshield21 appealed to readers of WSJ in Japan.
Also, although the manga is a little bit too predictable with shonen cliches here and there as said by the other comments below, the pacing is pretty good. There haven't been any really disappointing chapters in which the quality suddenly drops. The story's pacing is neither too fast nor too slow.
Going through the manga, I think one can thoroughly enjoy it depending on the person. So I would say it's worth a look for those who have nothing to do.
Cons:
One thing that's heavily criticized about this manga is that the characters are too shallow. One thing that really bothered me from the start was the whole thing with Kurogane starting kendo because the desire to "stand out and be a hero." It is admirable for him to have the determination to become strong and meet the proper friends and rivals that help him pursue that path, but I think he could've started to exercising and gain stamina + muscle strength at any given time, rather than start off weak and try a bunch of sports, knowing that he'll probably fail. I always found it corny right from the start that his reason for starting kendo stems from such an idealization; is he an elementary school student? And then we have our enemy kendo participants who are sadistic, arrogant, and disrespect what kendo is about, something that would be harshly castigated in real Japan.
2nd thing that's a huge issue with this manga is that it does not represent real kendo. Some parts of the manga explain kendo concepts quite well (like the captain's Joudan and Shidou's one handed kendo techniques) but much of it is false. I am a kendoka myself so I'll give you some examples drawn from my experience.
I don't mind the supernatural twist that Kurogane's phenomenal eyesight brings to the story, but I dislike how the author made eyesight a standard that measures a kendoka's ability. Increased kinetic vision does not exist in real life and as long as you wear sport-glasses or contacts to actually see for those with poor eyesight, it's completely fine in kendo.
One more thing I'd like to mention is.....who on earth has the time and energy to speak to each other during a kendo match. Concentrating on anything other than your opponent is considered an erroneous move in kendo, but the characters are either arguing or talking casually to each other while fighting....when they're supposed to be screaming in spirit. In Kendo you shout the area you hit. So you shout "MEN!" if you aim for the head, "DO!" if you aim for the side, "KOTE!" if you aim for the wrist and "TSUKI!" if you aim with a thrust for the throat. If you make a hit without the shout, it's not supposed to count, but they don't do it like that in Kurogane.
It kind of does apply to any sport that you focus your attention on the match but in manga, it can't be helped that the people are talking in the midst of everything. But the author goes too far in that he makes the characters have casual conversations.
... Last updated on October 29th, 2012, 4:45am
Pros:
Especially for a newbie mangaka, his art received a lot of praise, and he deserves it. Some of the scenes are pretty epic and the panels are divided quite well. Kendo is a pretty difficult sport to draw. If you compare it to other popular Kendo manga in Japan, like Bamboo Blade, the matches in this one is much less sloppy and readable. You can enjoy the sparring because the author allows you to keep track of the movements of the characters. The characters are easily distinguishable by personality, face, and name, something that troubles a lot of inexperienced manga artists.
The theme of the manga is pretty exciting, you have the main character who's intelligent and has powerful kinetic vision, but falls short in terms of strength. The ghost Sayuri then haunts him (and hangs around as a cute character when they're not alone), wishing to pass down her style of kendo that failed to leave its mark in history. Similar to a new Hikaru no Go scenario. The appeal of this manga as a sports manga comes from the fact that there are not that many kendo manga despite its popularity in Japan. People who are new to kendo find themselves attracted to this manga the same way Eyeshield21 appealed to readers of WSJ in Japan.
Also, although the manga is a little bit too predictable with shonen cliches here and there as said by the other comments below, the pacing is pretty good. There haven't been any really disappointing chapters in which the quality suddenly drops. The story's pacing is neither too fast nor too slow.
Going through the manga, I think one can thoroughly enjoy it depending on the person. So I would say it's worth a look for those who have nothing to do.
Cons:
One thing that's heavily criticized about this manga is that the characters are too shallow. One thing that really bothered me from the start was the whole thing with Kurogane starting kendo because the desire to "stand out and be a hero." It is admirable for him to have the determination to become strong and meet the proper friends and rivals that help him pursue that path, but I think he could've started to exercising and gain stamina + muscle strength at any given time, rather than start off weak and try a bunch of sports, knowing that he'll probably fail. I always found it corny right from the start that his reason for starting kendo stems from such an idealization; is he an elementary school student? And then we have our enemy kendo participants who are sadistic, arrogant, and disrespect what kendo is about, something that would be harshly castigated in real Japan.
2nd thing that's a huge issue with this manga is that it does not represent real kendo. Some parts of the manga explain kendo concepts quite well (like the captain's Joudan and Shidou's one handed kendo techniques) but much of it is false. I am a kendoka myself so I'll give you some examples drawn from my experience.
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
First off, how Kurogane's team switched positions so that Kurogane becomes the sacrifice general in the practice match. That would never happen in real life for something that is only a practice match. In fact, it would be considered cowardly. Practice matches are used to gauge each team member's abilities so each position is given with respect to each individual's talent.
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
In one of the 1st year matches in which Shidou defeats his opponent, he knocks his opponent's shinai away. In fact, he breaks in half. That would never happen in real life and disarming your opponent is not even part of kendo.
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
Some of the "techniques" are just ridiculous and have no place or purpose in real Kendo. Such as knocking out your opponent so he falls down with a spin technique.
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
The "Sakura One Strike Style" couldn't possibly work in real life, and it's even more impractical for someone who's a complete amateur to use it. Kurogane's Samidare, which is basically telling your opponent "look here, I'm going with a strike that's definitely going for a tsuki, the hardest area to hit in kendo." Not to mention that tsuki is only learned after achieving 1st-Dan. It's a technique that can hurt people if not executed correctly but Kurogane is using it all the time as if there is no problem."
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
Oogami's method of running around and executing continuous attacks is more like old-style Kumdo then Kendo. Kendo is about reading your opponent's movements, looking for an opening, and making the perfect one strike. Kendo exhausts a lot of stamina; that method would just burn you out before overtime.
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
There was also one instance in which one of the participants used a street fighting stance to mess up his opponent's ability to read his rhythm; that's just insulting sword arts. You can't just make any BS stance and use it to catch your opponent off guard.
I don't mind the supernatural twist that Kurogane's phenomenal eyesight brings to the story, but I dislike how the author made eyesight a standard that measures a kendoka's ability. Increased kinetic vision does not exist in real life and as long as you wear sport-glasses or contacts to actually see for those with poor eyesight, it's completely fine in kendo.
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
In one of the arcs, a team specializing in Nito Ryu, two sword style, showed up in the competition. However Nito Ryu is prohibited in elementary, middle, and high school competitions in Japan. The ban on using it was only lifted from college competitions and up. It's also highly recommended not to use such a style at such an early stage of a kendoka's development. Also, they make it look like using Nito Ryu is a big advantage but it isn't really. Using 2 swords rather than one is very difficult to be proficient and someone using only one sword but has more skill can easily overwhelm the opponent.
But to make it worse, the team uses two shinai "both with the same size." There is no existing style in history that utilizes two swords of the same length, because it's just not practical. Nito Ryu is a technique developed from swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi. But that technique involves one Katana (long curved sword) in one hand and one Wakizashi (short curved sword) in another. So Nito Ryu in Kendo is always with one regular sized shinai and one really short shinai.
Not to mention, the stance of the guy with the two shinai was all wrong.
But to make it worse, the team uses two shinai "both with the same size." There is no existing style in history that utilizes two swords of the same length, because it's just not practical. Nito Ryu is a technique developed from swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi. But that technique involves one Katana (long curved sword) in one hand and one Wakizashi (short curved sword) in another. So Nito Ryu in Kendo is always with one regular sized shinai and one really short shinai.
Not to mention, the stance of the guy with the two shinai was all wrong.
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
It's also important to point out the plot holes in the early parts of the manga. Kurogane couldn't swing even a regular sized shinai in the first chapter without the help of Sayuri, but he's weaving it around [while wearing full armor] a few days later without any practice and training in between. It also doesn't make sense that he even knew how to wield a shinai properly the first time using it, which takes days of training to learn it.
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
In kendo, if you don't hit your opponent with the shinai hard enough, it doesn't count. For those who read Bamboo Blade, you know this when Tama-chan's one handed men strike didn't count because the strike was too light. If Kurogane is that weak, he probably wouldn't be able to use strikes to hit hard enough to count at all.
One more thing I'd like to mention is.....who on earth has the time and energy to speak to each other during a kendo match. Concentrating on anything other than your opponent is considered an erroneous move in kendo, but the characters are either arguing or talking casually to each other while fighting....when they're supposed to be screaming in spirit. In Kendo you shout the area you hit. So you shout "MEN!" if you aim for the head, "DO!" if you aim for the side, "KOTE!" if you aim for the wrist and "TSUKI!" if you aim with a thrust for the throat. If you make a hit without the shout, it's not supposed to count, but they don't do it like that in Kurogane.
It kind of does apply to any sport that you focus your attention on the match but in manga, it can't be helped that the people are talking in the midst of everything. But the author goes too far in that he makes the characters have casual conversations.
... Last updated on October 29th, 2012, 4:45am
story so far
by jelzin89
May 20th, 2012, 10:58am
May 20th, 2012, 10:58am
Rating: N/A
as the story just finished the build-up phase it's not easy to say how predictable or good it will be in the future.
but I don't think the overpowered character in chapter 9 is that much of a problem and his introduction was necessary. kuroganes' eyes gave him too big of an advantage so he just won and won at first. it looked like he would easily become the best after building up some strengh which would have been more boring imo. there had to be at least one character which he would't be able to just go and defeat even with much power and experience.
it isn't said yet btw that this particular one will be his last opponent
but I don't think the overpowered character in chapter 9 is that much of a problem and his introduction was necessary. kuroganes' eyes gave him too big of an advantage so he just won and won at first. it looked like he would easily become the best after building up some strengh which would have been more boring imo. there had to be at least one character which he would't be able to just go and defeat even with much power and experience.
it isn't said yet btw that this particular one will be his last opponent
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