Musashi no Ken

Musashi no Ken (六三四の剣) is a Japanese sports manga series written and illustrated by Motoka Murakami that focuses on kendo. It was serialized by Shogakukan in Shōnen Sunday between April 1981 and October 1985. Musashi no Ken received the 1984 Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga.

The manga was adapted as a 72-episode anime television series by Eiken.

The manga was also adapted into an NES Platform game called Musashi no Ken â€" Tadaima Shugyō Chu (六三四の剣 ただいま修行中, lit. "Sword of Musashi - Now in the Middle of Training"). The game was developed and published by Taito Corporation. It was released in Japan on August 8, 1986.

Manga

The individual chapters of the manga were collected as 24 tankōbon volumes published by Shogakukan between October 20, 1981 and November 18, 1985. The series was re-released in 11 tankōbon volumes between May 16, 1992 and January 14, 1994, then again in 10 tankōbon volumes between November 16, 2000 and July 17, 2001.

Anime

The manga was adapted as an anime TV series by Eiken, directed by Toshitaka Tsunoda. It was broadcast in 72 episodes on TV Tokyo between April 18, 1985 and September 26, 1986. The episodes were released by Geneon Universal Entertainment over 13 DVDs between February 25, 2004 and July 28, 2004. 3 DVD boxes containing all 72 episodes were released by Geneon between February 25, 2004 and July 28, 2004.

The opening theme was "Hadashi no Soldier" (裸足のソルジャー, lit. "Barefoot Soldier") by Kousuke Shimoyama, and the ending theme was "Otoko-tachi no Chizu" (ç"·ãŸã¡ã®åœ°å›³, lit. "Men's Map") by Kousuke Shinoyama

Reception

Anime News Network's Justin Sevakis commends the unusual realism of the anime, stating "it refuses to sugar-coat the awful, dangerous and sad aspects of life, but attacks them with a smile, a sense of humor, and a resolute strength that's incredibly inspiring." He also commends the setting of the anime in "the idyllic small cities and towns among Iwate Prefecture, the poetry of Kenji Miyazawa is often invoked, giving a strong sense of peace and nature that we seldom think of in anime."

References

1. ^ ^{a b} 六三四の剣 1 (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2013-12-25. 
2. ^ 小学館漫ç"»è³žï¼šæ­´ä»£å—賞者 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2009-01-27. 
3. ^ "Musashi no Ken". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
4. ^ 六三四の剣 1 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2013-12-25. 
5. ^ 六三四の剣 24 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2013-12-25. 
6. ^ 六三四の剣 1 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2013-12-25. 
7. ^ 六三四の剣 11 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2013-12-25. 
8. ^ 六三四の剣 1 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2013-12-25. 
9. ^ 六三四の剣 10 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2013-12-25. 
10. ^ 六三四の剣　ï¼'ï¼"（é'春編） (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2013-12-25. 
11. ^ "六三四の剣 DVD Box 1" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2013-12-25. 
12. ^ "六三四の剣 DVD Box 3" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2013-12-25. 
13. ^ Sevakis, Justin. "Pile of Shame - Musashi no Ken". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2013-12-25. 

External links

• Official Musashi no Ken website (Japanese)
• Musashi no Ken (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Musashi no Ken (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia