Hell's Paradise by Yuji Kaku. First published in 2018 and first published in English in 2020 by Viz Media.
Plot:"Gabimaru the Hollow is one of the most vicious assassins ever to come out of the ninja village of Iwagakure. He’s ruthlessly efficient, but a betrayal results in him being handed a death sentence. He has only one hope—in order to earn his freedom, he must travel to a long-hidden island and recover an elixir that will make the shogun immortal. Failure is not an option. On this island, heaven and hell are just a hair’s breadth away."
Yuji Kaku has a very beautiful art style and it was the covers he created for Hell's Paradise that drew me in when Viz first started advertising the English edition. I'm caught up to the latest translated chapter thanks to my Shonen Jump subscription and Kaku's art never disappoints. And better yet, the story and characters of Hell's Paradise are equally great.
Gabimaru is not the only one attempting to find the Elixir of Life in order to earn his freedom. In his desire for the Elixir of Life, the shogun sends Gabimaru and several other individuals labeled as criminals to find the elixir. This creates a battle royal as everyone competes to be the first to find the elixir and earn their freedom.
Rather than dehumanize, Kaku delves into the history of the criminals sent to the island along with the history of their samurai companions who were sent by the shogun to ensure that no criminal fled the island or took the elixir for themselves. There is a large of ensemble of characters and it's quite difficult to pick just one favorite character. But even more impressive, is how smoothly Kaku is able to move the story along with so many characters in one series while still keeping Gabimaru as the central character. (Although there were a few things that could have been explored more, the manga isn't over yet and I have no doubt that Kaku will explore them later as the story progresses.) The further you read the more you learn of Gabimaru's desire for a normal life, the disturbing history of Iwagakure village, the even more disturbing history of the island, and the consequences of rigid morality and societal expectations. Add in Kaku's views on mortality, redemption, and morality; and Hell's Paradise makes quite an enjoyable read. Definitely a must read for those that enjoy graphic novels that contain action and elements of dark fantasy. There are currently only 5 published volumes in English, but Shonen Jump has the English translations of all current chapters available for subscribers. My Rating: ???? Amazon | Bookshop
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