Issak

I've waited for so long. SO LONG!!!! "Its such a good setting, WHY HAS NOBODY USED IT BY NOW!" Is what I was thinking of for years. I am a total history nerd, and an avid consumer of Japanese media, and while I love every manga with a historical setting, like Vagabond, Vinland Saga, Kingdom, and so on, I ALWAYS wanted a manga set in the Holy Roman Empire(HRE). Its just such an interesting setting, from the Protestant Wars that occurred in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, to the Investiture Controversy that caused so much fuss in the 11th century going forward, and even back to Charlemagne's conquests, everything about the HRE is so interesting and WEIRD. Its literally a league of nations, city-states, and republics that somehow stayed together for almost a thousand years, which is a ridiculous accomplishment considering how decentralized they were for a vast majority of that time. I always though it was a massively overlooked setting, and I was legitimately considering getting better at my mediocre skills at drawing just to make a one-shot or something, BUT NO LONGER MUST I WAIT!!! AT LAST!!! Shinji Makari used it, and its freaking amazing. Just from looking at the first Volume, I found what has to be one of my favorite manga of all time. Everything about it screams history nerd. The armor is historically accurate for the most part, the weapons are historically accurate, and most of all, the battles are BRUTAL, just like real medieval battles. Only nitpick I have is that sometimes, the armor does nothing, like in the first chapter when Issak uses a matchlock rifle (I think its a tanegashima, but I'm no specialist in rifles, so idk for sure) at a ridiculous range and penetrates plate armor. If he was using any matchlock rifle at that time period, his feat would literally be impossible, and would likely land nowhere near his target or if it did hit, it would simply bounce of the plate. But that is just me nit picking at whatever I can find, and otherwise, its like a Vagabond based in the HRE. Its so well drawn I have absolutely nothing to give but praise to the artist. Issak looks pretty distinct form the other characters, which makes sense because hes Japanese and they are European, and it adds a bit of flavor to his character. The characters around him are interesting, and we get a lot of information about characters from their actions, rather than simply using dialogue. The story is well written, and is simple, which I think is good. Issak is out for revenge, and that is all I'll say, because I don't want to go past the first chapter and spoil the fun for anybody reading this review. And on a side note, the author Shinji Makari also has some cool tidbits at the end of some chapters. Overall, this manga is on par with other like it, including Vinland Saga and the famed Vagabond. Honestly, it might just be me freaking out over finally having my imagined manga come to life, but this is just so good. Highly recommended for anybody who likes Seinen or history.

Issak brings together two distinct battlefields, the Japanese and the European, bringing a clash between two Japanese snipers, who venture out as mercenaries while one of them seeks his revenge, with everything going on in the ancient Holy Roman Empire in the 17th century. The way in which the author approaches the battles shows that he had a lot of study of him, to bring about such realistic clashes. Issak is a perfect work for history fans, in which they will be impressed with the correct traces of European armor.

Now the downside, Issak fails to try to bring in interesting characters, with the group around him being often boring and embarrassing. Issak often proves to be much more than meets the eye, a combatant who leaves his specialty and begins to command and masterfully help the troops, as a man with little education as he has so much military knowledge is a question in which not yet has been answered.

Issak is a very entertaining manga that will please those who appreciate military history, good drawings, action and revenge. Now if you are looking for complex characters and an elaborate story I don't recommend Issak for you.

I always appreciate a good historical fiction series, and OH BOY is "Issak" good! This series is still ongoing, so my review is only preliminary. It's certainly possible the whole thing could fall apart down the line- but from what I've seen that's unlikely

STORY

"Issak" is a grand adventure tale set across 17th Century Germany, following our hero as he fights bloody battles and matches wits with mercenaries, princes, and madmen. The story hasn't yet delved into unusually deep and complex themes the same way something like "Vinland Saga" does, but some of my favorite pieces of media such as "Sword of the Stranger" and "Star Wars" are built around very simple ideas- there is a distinct difference between "simple" and "stupid".

ART

Simply magnificent. The level of detail on display in things like scenery and clothing here is top-tier, but what truly steals the show are the manga's action set pieces. The fights are frenzied and kinetic, but also clear to follow. And to push it all to an entirely new level, the framing of some moments in the story is incredibly striking. Without going into heavy spoiler territory, in an early chapter we are given the point of view of the enemy commander hiding from Issak in his tent: first he hears gunfire and screams in the distance, then he sees the shadows of me being shot down near his tent, then he curls up in horror and screams as his personal guards at start falling through the door of his tent- each thrown off his feet and through the canvas by the impact of the bullet that took his life- all while the steady rhythm of Issak's deadly rifle keeps cracking away. I've seen plenty of art which can rightly be described as beautiful, but few artists can make their images thrilling.

CHARACTERS

Samurai snipers. Let me say that again: SAMURAI SNIPERS. Even if this cast had nothing else going for it, it would be pretty darn cool! The characters do tend to fit fairly neatly into archetypes so far, but they play their parts well. Issak is a highly skilled warrior who can snatch victory from jaws of death with a degree of cleverness and daring I haven't seen since "Lone Wolf and Cub". His trait of being a rifleman first and swordsman second is also unique to me- Japanese media can be a bit katana-crazy at times. His adversary Lorenzo is a madman, but not some kind of obvious barking lunatic, oh no, he can be utterly calm and cool until some particular little thing sends him screaming off the deep end- and then in a short time compose himself again. His motivation is certainly a stock villain objective but the way he goes about it is entertaining. And the female lead Zetta is what I wish Sarka from "Divci Valka" could have been- both characters come from almost identical backstories and go through character arcs that are similar on paper, but Zetta has been a perfectly serviceable if slightly vanilla heroine while Sarka... well see my "Divci Valka" review for a description of that whole mess.

ENJOYMENT

There are manga where you decide to read the next chapter, manga where you desire to read the next chapter, and manga where you have to stop yourself from reading the next chapter because want to savor reading it and stretch out your enjoyment as long as possible. So far, "Issak" has been the third type of manga.

OVERALL

If you like historical fiction or adventure stories you need to check this series out. I noticed that this manga is published in Kodansha's "Afternoon" monthly magazine, a magazine which also runs "Vinland Saga" and "Historie"- whoever picks the historical fiction series for that publication deserves a raise.