Blade for Barter
Encyclopedia
Blade for Barter is an Original English-language manga
series written by Jason DeAngelis, with art by Hai! (Honoel A. Ibardolaza) and was the premiere publication of Seven Seas Entertainment
.
Blade for Barter, Volume 1, was first printed in February 2005, after extensive previews on the Seven Seas Entertainment
homepage. Hai!'s art is based on that of Eiichiro Oda
, the creator of One Piece
.
for hire. He lives in New Edo, a hodgepodge city-state where New York City meets ancient Japan, where monolithic skyscrapers tower over ramshackle wooden huts, and salarymen and samurai walk side-by-side.
Along with his loyal dog Hachiko, Ryusuke must deal with the likes of the corrupt Samurai Union, the Mafuza (a cross between the Italian mafia
and the Yakuza
); a Ninja Union of clumsy ninja; a sinister Zen monk televangelist, and more - not to mention the temper-tantrum prone Lord Hoseki, who rules New Edo with bejeweled fingers and an iron fist.
The world in which Hachiko and Ryusuke find themselves is an eclectic mix of Eastern and Western cultures. Such blending of East and West also is found to typify, Ryusuke Washington himself, a warrior for hire.
The side effects of such a mixed culture come back to haunt Ryusuke as he has to face striking ronin
who actively demonstrate, their very existence in real Japan would have violated traditional codes. He also has to face the control hungry Samurai union. Ryusuke is soon joined by the cute but over affectionate Hachiko the dog and Mac, a kunoichi
who takes a certain obsessive pride in her fuzz boots. The first volume also contains omake
content not seen online.
Original English-language manga
Original English-language manga or OEL manga is the term commonly used to describe comic books or graphic novels in the "international manga" genre of comics whose language of original publication is English...
series written by Jason DeAngelis, with art by Hai! (Honoel A. Ibardolaza) and was the premiere publication of Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment is a publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original manga, but now publishes licensed manga and novels, as well as select webcomics...
.
Blade for Barter, Volume 1, was first printed in February 2005, after extensive previews on the Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment is a publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original manga, but now publishes licensed manga and novels, as well as select webcomics...
homepage. Hai!'s art is based on that of Eiichiro Oda
Eiichiro Oda
is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of One Piece.-Early life:As a child, Oda was inspired by Akira Toriyama's works and aspired to become a manga artist. He recalls that his interest in pirates was probably sparked by the popular TV animation series titled Vicky the Viking...
, the creator of One Piece
One Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
.
Plot summary
Blade for Barter is the story of Ryusuke Washington, a private samuraiSamurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
for hire. He lives in New Edo, a hodgepodge city-state where New York City meets ancient Japan, where monolithic skyscrapers tower over ramshackle wooden huts, and salarymen and samurai walk side-by-side.
Along with his loyal dog Hachiko, Ryusuke must deal with the likes of the corrupt Samurai Union, the Mafuza (a cross between the Italian mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
and the Yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
); a Ninja Union of clumsy ninja; a sinister Zen monk televangelist, and more - not to mention the temper-tantrum prone Lord Hoseki, who rules New Edo with bejeweled fingers and an iron fist.
The world in which Hachiko and Ryusuke find themselves is an eclectic mix of Eastern and Western cultures. Such blending of East and West also is found to typify, Ryusuke Washington himself, a warrior for hire.
The side effects of such a mixed culture come back to haunt Ryusuke as he has to face striking ronin
Ronin
A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
who actively demonstrate, their very existence in real Japan would have violated traditional codes. He also has to face the control hungry Samurai union. Ryusuke is soon joined by the cute but over affectionate Hachiko the dog and Mac, a kunoichi
Kunoichi
is the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...
who takes a certain obsessive pride in her fuzz boots. The first volume also contains omake
Omake
means extra in Japanese. Its primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga fandom term to mean "extra or bonus". In USA, the term is most often used in a narrow sense by anime fans to describe special features on DVD releases: deleted scenes, interviews with the...
content not seen online.