Genre: Action, Martial Arts, Adventure

Rating: Teen+

Price: $9.99

Jin and his female friend, Fusano, both have very good fighting skills. But Fusano is a much more adept student while Jin seems to glide by on his natural abilities.

And Jin engages in some tomfoolery that enrages his friends. But Fusano seems to feel that something is amiss. And as she continues to grapple with that feelling, she unearths more and more about what makes Jin tick.

As Jin and friends get into various encounters, Jin comes out of some of them worse for the wear, whereas other times, he seems to be invincible. It's a frustrating scenario for his friends, but especially for Jin.

At home, Jin lives with his sister and father, and his sister exhibits a lot of bizarre behavior, such as smelling his laundry when Jin is out of sight. "I only wish things would stay as peaceful as this," she thinks.

His sisters gets a surprise visit, but she doesn't seem to be receptive to the now stranger. But she takes his gift, a ticket to a martial arts fight, and she comes to watch the event. During the match, the stranger behaves oddly, and Jin's sister turns cautious in her dealings with him.

Later, after Jin and Fusano have been training, Fusano decides to walk home. But she encounters some grief on the way there and Jin comes out to help her. Unfortunately for both of them, the commotion now centers around Jin and just what secrets he might hold.

The artwork in this is superb. The lines are crisp and clean and there is a surprising amount of detail in the facial constructions, providing a huge boost to the reality of the volume. And that artistic style especially goes hand-in-hand with the darker, more brooding scenes, giving them an intensity plot alone could not achieve.

The Battle of Genryu: Origin has a similar first-volume setup to a lot of manga, though, which does hinder it a bit. However, it's still a fun and interesting take and should be read.

7.5