Lady Snowblood

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Lady Snowblood


caption = The cover of Vol. 1 of the Dark Horse Comics version.
ja_name = 修羅雪姫
ja_name_trans = Shurayuki-hime
genre = ChanbaraInfobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Kazuo Koike
illustrator = Kazuo Kamimura
publisher = flagicon|Japan Shueisha
publisher_other = flagicon|United States Dark Horse Comics
flagicon|Spain Planeta DeAgostini
flagicon|Germany Carlsen Comics
flagicon|Brazil Conrad Editora
demographic = Seinen
magazine = Weekly Playboy
first = 1972
last = 1973
volumes = 4

nihongo|"Lady Snowblood"|修羅雪姫|Shurayuki-hime is a manga written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Kazuo Kamimura, and serialized in Shueisha's "Weekly Playboy". It was translated into English and published in four volumes by Dark Horse Comics between 2005 and 2006.

"Lady Snowblood" centers around the title character, an assassin who seeks vengeance against the bandits who raped her mother and murdered her father, often using her sexual appeal as a weapon.

The manga was adapted into a live-action feature film of the same name starring Meiko Kaji in 1973. It was followed by "Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance" in 1974. In 2001, the manga was reimagined as the science fiction action film "The Princess Blade", starring Yumiko Shaku.

Title

The Japanese title "Shurayuki-hime" is a pun on nihongo|"Snow White"'s Japanese name|白雪姫|Shirayuki-hime|"Princess Snow-White". The Kanji character nihongo|修羅|shura means "carnage". The title was translated as "Lady Snowblood" because the character is connected the terms "shura-no-chimata" (bloodshed) and "shuraba/shurajō" "scene of carnage".cite web | url=http://www.animeigo.com/SamLiner/LADYSNOWBLOODLINER.t | title = Samurai Linear Notes | publisher = AnimEigo | accessdate = 2008-04-08]

Plot

Lady Snowblood Oyuki is given a task of vengeance to kill those who killed her family and raped her mother. Tokuichi Shoei will stabbed to death by Oyuki's mother. Oyuki's mother was sent to jail for that crime and had a child in prison to exact retribution of the other final three perpetrators. Okono Kitahama was setup by Oyuki to lose all her assets and was framed as a murderer. Gishiro Tsukamoto discovered Oyuki's plan and use Miyanara as bait but was still killed by Oyuki. Hanzo Takemura begs forgiveness however is still assassinated by Oyuki for honourable retribution.

Characters

;Lady Snowblood:Oyuki is a seductive and beautiful woman, with formidable skills in using a blade hidden in her umbrella. She has been entrusted with the task of vengeance by her mother to kill the 3 people who murdered her brother and father.

;Miyanara San:A writer who pens the Oyuki's story in an effort to draw the final two tormentors out in the open. Although antagonistic at first, he comes to treat Oyuki as his daughter even risking his life to assist in her quest.

;Matsuemon San:The leader of a band of beggars who assists Oyuki in discovering the location of her kill list in return for Oyuki stealing a hojicho for him.

Production

Originally published in Shueisha's "Weekly Playboy" in the early 1970s. It was translated and published in English between 2005-2006 by Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics published the English version into 4 separate volumes. Within each volume there are separate episodes, although each episode is usually a self contained arc, it is also a continuation of the larger story.

Media

Volumes

Graphic novel list/header
OneLanguage = yesGraphic novel list
OneLanguage = yes
VolumeNumber = 1
RelDate = September 21, 2005
ISBN = 1-59307-385-2
ChapterList =
* Chapter 1: Sumida River Loincloth Cutting Board
* Chapter 2: Stylish Woman and Umbrella over rain of Blood
* Chapter 3: Love, Hate, String of Blood, and Confession
* Chapter 4: Dead Cherry Blossoms and the dance of short sleeve with white blade
* Chapter 5: Rokumeikan Murder Panorama
VolumeExtras = ;Volume titleThe Deep-Seated Grudge (Part 1)
Summary = In chapter 1, Lady Snowblood is contracted to assassinate the oyabun from a gambling den. She cheats using powdered dice to lure out the oyabun before killing him and the guards outside in the snow. In chapter 2, Lady Snowblood is hired to assassinate Jinba, a brothel owner and find out what makes his brothel so popular. She starts a fire on one of Jinba's buildings before helping to put it out to gain his trust. Upon learning brothel's popularity is a lesbian sex show, she kills Jinba. In chapter 3, a child is born in a female prison. The mother suffers terribly giving birth but before dying she tells the tale of how her husband and son were murdered and she was brutally raped. She escaped their clutches by killing one of her tormentors, Tokuichi Shoei but was caught by the police and sentenced to life imprisonment. This child "Oyuki" is cursed to carry out the vengeance her mother is unable to. This is where the reader learns Lady Snowblood's name. In chapter 4, Oyuki is given a contract to slay Kotozo Shimaya who runs a rickshaw business which preys on unaccompanied women. In chapter 5, Oyuki learns the skills of pickpocket from an inmate friend of her mother. Using her newly acquired skills she frames corrupt high rank officials into shutting down a rokumeikan (Social Hall) which was for the westernization of Japan.Graphic novel list
OneLanguage = yes
VolumeNumber = 2
RelDate = December 28, 2005
ISBN = 1-59307-443-3
ChapterList =
* Chapter 6: Hojicho and Precious Flowers
* Chapter 7: Harsh Training and a Blooming Countenance
* Chapter 8: Love, Pawnshop of Life and Merciless Disposal
* Chapter 9: Blackmailer Genjirô and the song of the phantom, Part 1
VolumeExtras = ;Volume titleThe Deep-Seated Grudge (Part 2)
Summary = In chapter 1, Oyuki makes a deal with Matsuemon, the leader of band of thieves / beggars. In return for Hojicho, a document containing the dates of people's deaths, he will find the current locations of her mother's tormentors. Chapter 2 recounts Oyuki's brutal training as a child to become Lady Snowblood. In chapter 3, Oyuki framed Okono Kitahama, one of her mother's 4 tormentors with a fake life insurance business and murder. Okono is the one on Oyuki's vengeance list who she does not kill. In chapter 4, Oyuki is contracted to find blackmailer Genjirô. It concludes in a cliffhanger with Oyuki about to be raped by Genjirô. Graphic novel list
OneLanguage = yes
VolumeNumber = 3
RelDate = March 29, 2006
ISBN = 1-59307-458-1
ChapterList =
* Chapter 9: Blackmailer Genjirô and the song of the phantom, Part 2
* Chapter 10: Unveiling of a Pretty Woman and a Strange Story
* Chapter 11: Master Crook, the Wanderer
VolumeExtras = ;Volume titleRetribution (Part 1)
Summary = Picking up from the previous chapter, Oyuki escapes Genjirô clutches and deals a fatal blow to him. However before he dies she has intercrural sex with him, placing his penis between her thighs. In chapter 2, Oyuki is contracted to kill a yakuza controlling an area, so that it can be developed into a museum. In chapter 3, Oyuki enlists the help of a writer to chronicle her life in a newspaper in an effort to locate the final 2 people on her assassination list.Graphic novel list
OneLanguage = yes
VolumeNumber = 4
RelDate = June 28, 2006
ISBN = 1-59307-532-4
ChapterList =
* Chapter 12: Bloom of Youth, White Uniform, and Song of Tears
* Chapter 13: Indecent Photographer's confession
* Chapter 14: An Account of How Gishiro Strikes Back
* Chapter 15: Bamboo's Tears
VolumeExtras = ;Volume titleRetribution (Part 2)
Summary = In chapter 12, Oyuki hides as a nurse in mental health clinic to avoid capture. In chapter 13, a photographer uses men to rape his female clients. The photos of the rape are then used as blackmail. Oyuki is hired to destroy the photos and slay the photographer. In chapter 14, Gishiro captures Mr Miyanara. Oyuki disguised as an old lady slips into Gishiro house and murders him, leaving only Hanzo Takameru. In chapter 15, Hanzo Takameru is now an old man with a young daughter supporting him. Oyuki kills Hanzo, but saves his young daughter from being sold as a prostitute. She lies to her that her father committed suicide. Finally obtaining retribution for her mother, the final panel shows umbrella which houses Oyuki's blade being tossed into the sea.

Adaptions

In 1973, the story was adapted into a feature film of the same name by director Toshiya Fujita, starring Meiko Kaji. The film was followed by "Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance" in 1974. A science fiction remake ("The Princess Blade") starring Yumiko Shaku was released in 2001.

"Lady Snowblood" and its 1973 adaptation are credited as the inspiration behind Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill". [cite web | url = http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,1186526,00.html | last = Rose | first = Steve | title = Found: where Tarantino gets his ideas | publisher = The Guardian | date = 2004-04-06 | accessdate = 2006-09-25]

Reception

Tom Rosin from mangalife.com considers this "another cold-blooded revenge drama from the author of Lone Wolf". The reviewer enjoyed the mix of Western modernisation with Japanese traditionalism. [cite web
last = Rosin
first = Tom
url=http://www.mangalife.com/reviews/LadySnowbloodv1TheDeep-Sea.htm
title=Lady Snowblood v1: The Deep-Seated Grudge
publisher=mangalife.com
accessdate=2008-04-08] W.E Wallo from blogcritics.org finds the English translation weak compared to translation of "Lone Wolf and Cub", however he recommends it to any fans of the "Lone Wolf" series. Similarly to Tom Rosin, he praises the "East/West dichotomy" theme that is prevalent in the novels. [cite web
last = Wallo
first = W.E.
date = 2005-11-17
url=http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/11/17/161011.php
title=Graphic Novel Review: Lady Snowblood Vol. 1
publisher=blogcritics.org
accessdate=2008-04-08]

References

External links

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