Thank you to Netgalley & Kodansha for the ARC!

Fast paced, full of action and gripping!
From the start I found the story extremely interesting, it’s pretty different from my usual reads so I was unsure if I’d like it very much. But I actually really enjoyed it! The action sequences are well and uniquely drawn, (and are always easy to follow), the premise sets the stage for a longer journey, and the characters are decently developed already!
I simply could not put it down.
Because of how fast things progress you’re always wondering what will happen next, and boy do things happen. I am looking forward to the next volume and can’t wait to see where it goes next.

In the age after samurai, former samurai Saga finds himself recruited with many other former samurai in a battle-royale style "interview" where every warrior must fight their way to Tokyo in order to win fortune and a chance at stability. Saga is not as heartless as the other contestants and ends up teaming up with a few others who are not as strong or capable as he. But the ultimate goal is to steal or kill to gain points in order to advance across certain checkpoints. The illustrations are a high point in this title given Imamura's intimate understanding of movement and the human body.

The art was beautiful, the story thrilling but I was a little dissapointed!

You're trying to figure out the person who started this competition and it takes you on a long journey.

Volume 1 of Last Samurai Standing was a great intro! It's based on the story of the same name, which apparently also has a Netflix adaptation.
The story follows a young warrior who comes across this strange flyer for a way to earn an enormous amount of money and takes the opportunity. As quickly becomes clear, this will ultimately be a long-winded fight to the death, and the story takes off from there.

The characters you meet along the way all have their own reasons for joining in on this sinister game, and they keep you interested in what otherwise is a brutal blood bath. The art style was done really well for a high action manga. I look forward to seeing where the rest of the story takes us as this is very much just the beginning.

Last Samurai Standing by Shogo Imamura does a wonderful execution of incorporating historical information into the narrative while making the story interesting. The characters are participating in a battle-royale and you can't help but root for the main characters.

Unfortunately, the character's profiles give away too much information about the character's background which impacts the story in a negative way since important information about the character is reveal earlier.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story gives off Rurouni Kenshin meets Battle Royale vibes, and I loved it. Our main character is a samurai who enters a competition hoping to win some money so he can help people. What he doesn’t expect is that it’s actually a fight to the death, where participants must collect other players’ necklaces to pass checkpoints—which means killing is unavoidable. Along the way, he notices a young girl about to be attacked and steps in to help her, and from there the story really takes off. The art perfectly matches the intense atmosphere and keeps you hooked.

This manga comic will appeal to fans of the original book, fans of swordplay, fans of gunplay, and fans of battle royale setups. There's also a lot of interesting Japanese history as well as honor, teamwork, and protecting women and children. For anyone who is new to Manga comics, remember to read the bubbles and panels from right to left.

Thank you Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this volume.

In the end, I thought this was just ok. I wasn't a huge fan of the art style but that is very much a personal preference. I enjoyed the historical setting but as it was not a time period of Japanese history I was familiar with, I did feel like I was a little lost at times. The battle royale scenario is something I always enjoy and this was no different. The set up to it was good but it did lose me a little when it became some kind of race across Japan. I would have preferred if it had been more contained.

On the positive I really liked who the two main focus characters of the series and their dynamic.

I don't think this will be one I will continue but I think that it will really work for other readers.

I won't try to contain my enthusiasm because this was such a fantastic graphic novel. I loved the story and the artwork. What a perfect blend of historical fiction, suspense, action, and mystery. Where do I begin?

All of the historical references made me want to jump down the rabbit hole to learn more about Japanese history. The Meiji Restoration served as the backdrop for the core story. Saga, our main protagonist, immediately drew me to his side. In what could only be a waking nightmare scenario, he ends up in a "battle royale" against almost 300 other former samurai. Some opponents are bottom feeders, attacking only the weak. Others? Well, they were monster-level badasses. Not only did Saga have to protect himself, he also had two weaker companions relying on him.

"Last Samurai Standing 1" by Shogo Imamura is a masterclass in pacing, story, character development, and world building. My heart raced as the stakes were laid out, and I couldn't figure out who to trust or not. What a satisfying predicament to find myself!

Thank you so much NetGalley for the review copy. I must buy the next volume to see what happens next.

I loved the storytelling and plot of this manga! Looking forward to reading the future volumes!!
I love our main characters arc and how rational he is and actually thinking before acting. I hope I can see more of his swordsmanship skills and hopefully he evolves!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Shogo Imamura for providing me with an ARC of Last Samurai Standing 1 in exchange for my honest review.

Last Samurai Standing throws readers straight into a deadly battle royale, where a group of samurai fight to the death for a massive cash prize. Each warrior enters the fray for their own reasons with some seeking revenge, others needing the money to protect loved ones, and a few are simply in it for the thrill of killing.

The story centers on one samurai as he navigates brutal combat and forms uneasy alliances. Since this is only the first volume, much of the plot is focused on setting the stage, but I found it gripping from the start. One standout element was the character backstories scattered throughout the volume - they gave real depth to the fighters and made me care about their survival (or demise).

The artwork is a perfect match for the tone of the story: fast-paced, intense, and unapologetically violent. Every clash is drawn with raw energy, capturing the chaos and ferocity of battle in a way that keeps the pages turning.

Overall, Last Samurai Standing is a strong start to what promises to be a gritty, high-stakes series. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where it goes next.

Thank you Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for the electronic review copy of this book. The story starts with a notice inviting the best martial artists to come to a specific location at a specific time for a chance to win 100,000 yen. There, the participants find out that it’s a battle royale and a race to Tokyo/Edo where they need to collect a specific number of points and tokens at each checkpoint on the way. It is an Interesting story premise, well developed characters and world building plus fast moving plot. Looking forward to seeing how the race progresses in volume 2.

Ich find ja Battle Royales sehr cool - hab ich bei dem Titel null erwartet, aber wurde sehr positiv überrascht.
Der Plot (spielt im späten 19. Jahrhundert) an sich ist erstmal recht simpel - mehrere Personen versammeln sich an einem Treffpunkt, da angekündigt wurde, dass man sehr viel Geld bekommen kann. Weitere Infos sind zunächst nicht bekannt. Nachdem darauf hingewiesen wurde, dass man nicht einfach so aussteigen kann und allem zustimmt, geht's auch schon los: das Battle Royale! Die Teilnehmer sollen von Punkt A nach Punkt B reisen und auf dem Weg gibt es mehrere Checkpoints, die sie passieren müssen - allerdings brauchen sie dafür eine bestimmte Anzahl an Punkten. Und hier kommt nun der Clou: die Punkte bekommt man nur, wenn man von anderen Teilnehmern deren Teilnahmeabzeichen an sich nimmt…
Jo, so fängts an - es ist ziemlich brutal, beinhaltet viele Actionszenen und die Zeichnungen sind einfach mega krass dazu! Sehr dynamisch mit super vielen Details. Auch die Charakterdesigns sind sehr nice - größtenteils sehr abwechslungsreich, so dass man sie gut auseinander halten kann. Allerdings gab es auch ein paar, wo ich mich ein wenig schwer tat. Dann waren es allerdings meist (unwichtige) Nebencharaktere 😄

Band 1 fand ich schonmal sehr nice und bin schon ziemlich angefixt das weiter zu verfolgen.. 👀 es wurde auch eine Live-Action Serie (bei Netflix) dazu angekündigt, jedoch bisher ohne Datum.

Let’s go back to the 11th year of the Meiji era in Japan. Right after samurai were stripped of their privileges, swords were outlawed, and a select few were asked to join the police force.

Those who still cling to their swords are lured by a mysterious poster: prove your mettle and win a prize. But when something sounds too good to be true, it’s because it is. The catch? Only one person can be the victor.

Overall thoughts:

Well, I certainly didn’t imagine they meant it LITERALLY.

I’ve been on a roll reading historical stories, so I was really excited to sit down with this one. And I was not disappointed in the slightest. One thing I really enjoy about samurai stories is that although they follow similar tropes, there’s always something unique that makes them stand out.

In this case, Last Samurai Standing is essentially The Hunger Games. There’s one power-crazy rich dude summoning people for a battle royale. Said people are expected to slice each other up like carrots for stew, and return with the tags everyone has to carry with them. There aren’t any rules that say how you can obtain the tags, so anything goes.

This morbid death game immediately captures you with an urge to learn more about the people involved. What would possess someone to make such a bloody game? And why? Were the participants led for glory, necessity for money, or something else? We get to see some glimpses of our endearing leading cast and not everything is as it seems.

Sometimes, your sword is all you have.

If you read this one and are itching to know more about the story, this manga is adapted from a novel of the same name. But even if you already read it, the manga adaptation adds a couple of details, so the story still feels new. And Netflix started production of this series, as well. So you’ll be eating good for quite a while!

Who is Last Samurai Standing for?

Last Samurai Standing will be enjoyed by fans of samurai epics, and historical tales that follow a protagonist that will tug at your heartstrings.

See you in the next one!

Tbh I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one that much. For obvious reasons it reminds me of Rurouni Kenshin but with a bit more of a focus in the historical setting, which is nice because I always enjoy passively learning a bit of history while reading manga hahaha.

So far it doesn't seem like the manga is going to focus on battles with out there sword techniques like most shonen (well, it is a seinen so wasn't expecting it anyway) Even though I favor shonen because I love me crazy battles I did enjoy the different pacing, with a bigger focus on the story. So far it makes for a nice lighthearted read but I'm already curious about the reasons behind the contest and it's weird rules.

A historical Battle Royale with samurai in late 19th century Japan?

The above described setting is what drew me in to this manga, whilst at the same time I hoped there would be no revival of Battle Royale/Hunger Games type of books this year and the next now that both Suzanne Collins and Koushun Takami have decided to release a prequel & a sequel to their popular books respectively. We already had an explosion of copycats years ago, and it wasn't positive as it didn't lead to producing quality imitations.

This first volume of Last Samurai Standing didn't quite leave me confident it'll be a quality iteration of the deadly games trope. It's too . . . forgettably conventional.

And it shouldn't be, by rights. It has an interesting plot premise and a good beginning, when some mysterious entity (person?) posts public announcements all over Japan calling for participants in an illegal duel to the death in order to win a shocking prize of 100,000 gold yen. An absurdly large fortune, so everyone suspects there must be a catch. And a catch there is, indeed, as there seems to be some sort of shadowy scheming by the pro-Shogun faction that are behind this game the authorities try to suppress but are unable to prevent masterless swordsmen from flocking to it.

That's how this grabs your attention, making you wonder what will happen and who is truly behind this ridiculous competition, and for what purposes. You see a variety of ronin and samurai assembling at the meeting point, you see the "gamesmaster" pompously lay out the rules, the seven assembly places they all must go through to earn points, how points are earned, and the final destination to collect the prize. And then you start realising this is all so familiar, this is all something you've seen before, only the historical setting is different but even here you have a military dictatorship (the Shogunate) as the likely mastermind of the cruel game. Even the protagonist and his maiden-in-distress girl are something you've seen before. It's all a known quantity, a predictable plot.

So you lose interest quickly. What could this possibly offer that is unique? The story simply lacks something to set it apart, to make it memorable, and to stand out amongst other "battle royale" stories. The Shinsengumi and the waning days of the Shogunate aren't enough by themselves, you need a stronger plot, and characters with more to offer than "good-hearted samurai protects helpless girl." Maybe it will be better in future volumes, because this first one has the downside of all first volumes: it's a set up piece. But even as a set-up piece, it's still lacking in something to make readers think it's worth their while to invest in this story. There's already other, better manga set in this period and with these same groups of samurai in danger of losing their way of life as the Shogunate is dying, without the need for a pseudo-dystopian game (which in this manga is surprisingly tame, because I thought it would be bloodier and more gory than it turned out to be.)

I had fun reading the first volume! It kicks of fast, giving us a glimpse of the main character, Shujiro Saga, before jumping straight into the action. 292 samurais enter the temple where the battle royale takes place, but less than half leave the gates and race towards Tokyo in hopes of willing a 100 billion yen prize. While the quick pace keeps things exciting and introduces a wide range of characters, I do wish we could’ve gotten to know the characters a little more as I’m not yet invested in any of them.

Nevertheless, the first volume may be focusing more on the high-stake game itself, and future volumes will dive deeper into the characters and the reluctant alliances forged, which would be interesting! Also, interesting is the time period the story is set in! Its such a fascinating (and difficult) time to explore, so I’m always on the look out to see how an author tackles the social and political elements, particularly in relation to the individual characters.

Overall, those who are looking for an action-packed story, with minimal bloody/graphic art, a protagonist with a dark past striving to save a loved one, and has similar vibes to Golden Kamuy, may enjoy this!

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha for providing me with an e-ARC of this manga.

this was a fun start to a new series. I was a bit thrown off by one of the characters using a gun as I don’t feel like it fits the vibe of the story. am excited for volume 2

Shujiro Saga joined the crowd in Kyoto for the chance to win 100,000 yen. But he did not know that it would be a running battle to the death with the last participant standing getting the cash. Shujiro journeyed with Futaba Katsuki, a samurai's daughter, Koemon Tachikawa, a former samurai, and occasionally Kyojin who might be a ninja. Now all they need to do is survive the trip with out betrayals! It will be interesting to see how the trip works out in the next volume!

Thanks Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the chance to read this title!

This book was alright. I found the story a bit hard to follow, and the characters were just ok. Not really interested in how it's going to go, so I think I'll stop here. Many people will like this one, tho, it's just not my thing.