Kaze
Hikaru Volume 1-3
ISBN:
By Taeko Watanabe
VIZ, 2005-
I have a weakness for stories about cross-dressers. There, I ve
said it. Hana-Kimi? Check. Ouran High School Host Club? Check. Tenshi
Ja Nai? Check. Love em all. Combine that with my love of historical
romance and how could I not enjoy Kaze Hikaru?
Set in 1863, Kaze Hikaru is both a girl s coming-of-age story and
a history of the Shinsengumi, one of the most famous (and tragically
heroic) bands of warriors in Japanese history. When 15-year-old
Tominaga Sei s father and brother are killed by Choshu supporters,
she disguises herself as a boy and joins the Mibu-Roshi to aid them
in their support of the Shogunate against the Choshu clan and to
better her chances of avenging her family. When Okita Soji, the
youngest and most talented of the Mibu-Roshi, allows Sei to stay
with the group, Sei begins her journey, learning about strength,
loyalty, friendship, obedience, and love.
The mangaka has done extensive research and, as a result, the story
develops slowly as both Sei and the reader learn about daily life
in 19th century Kyoto. Although slow to develop, it is in no way
boring, as each history lesson serves to move the story along as
Sei works to become bushi, a warrior, while at the same time keeping
her identity as a girl a secret. Soji, in the meantime, continues
to try to convince Sei to go back to her life as a girl, especially
after he sees Sei struggle with the realization of what she ll become
after killing her first opponent. Overarching all is the story of
the Mibu-Roshi and how they become the heroes known as the Shinsengumi.
In addition to rolling out history in easy to digest bites, the
slow pace of the story also serves to make the growing romance between
Sei and Soji flow naturally. It s not love at first sight for these
two, and it isn t until volume three that Sei realizes that she
would be able to kill a man if it meant protecting Soji.
There are a
lot of characters in Kaze Hikaru, primarily because
so many of the characters depicted were real people. Fortunately,
the art work is clear. Each character is drawn with easy-to-recognize
quirks (a topknot here, some bangs there), and, starting with volume
two, a list of the major supporting characters are listed at the
beginning of each book. What is also clear is the day-to-day violence
faced, and sometimes provoked, by the Shinsengumi. The mangaka has
not dumbed-down the fact that these men were soldiers who killed,
and some scenes are bloody. The black and white illustrations mute
this somewhat, but the acts are not hidden, earning the book its
T+ rating. Making the violence even more jarring are the typical
shoujo-manga hearts and flowers found on other pages, slamming home
the fact that Sei is a girl living a life she was not prepared for.
The events in Kaze Hikaru are based on fact. There
are any number of books and sites you can go to if you want to read
about the real Okita Soji. He and other members of the Shinsengumi
are popular heroes in Japan and have been used in manga before,
in titles like <i>Peacemaker</i> and <i>Rurouni
Kenshin</i>, so it s easy to find the historical record of
what happened to this band of warriors. But, for the same reason
I watched the movie, Titanic, knowing all the while
that the ship was goin down, it s the sweet love story of Sei and
Soji and the day-to-day lives of the rest of the doomed heroes in
the Shinsengumi that will keep me reading Kaze Hikaru.
Volume 1:
Sei joins the Mibu-Roshi and meets Okita Soji, who becomes her mentor.
She also meets Saito Hajime, another member of the Mibu-Roshi, who
was a friend of her dead brother.
Volume 2: Sei travels to Osaka where she finds the man who killed
her father and brother. A friend is killed in front of her as he
attempts to help Sei confront the murderer.
Volume 3: Soji is not happy Sei has decided to stay with the Mibu-Roshi
and it is only after Sei is able to score a hit on Soji that he
allows her to stay. In the meantime, Soji is asked by his superiors
to kill a member of the group.
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