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Anno Domini 1620. Europe is riven with the conflagrations that will grow into the Thirty Years War. Catholic and Protestant forces clash across battlefields ruled by sword and gunpowder alike, and mercenaries of every stripe ply their trade. Among them is Issak, a lone Japanese warrior bearing a matchlock of strange design, and fighting in service to his sworn mission-to find and kill the man who murdered his master and fled Japan for the other side of the world.  

Meticulously researched and gorgeously illustrated, Issak is the next character-driven, historical action epic that fans of Vinland Saga can sink their teeth into.

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 21, 2017

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Shinji Makari

64 books3 followers
Also known as 真刈信二 in Japanese.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Daniel Rivera.
245 reviews41 followers
September 13, 2022
Reseña manga: Issak, de Shinji Makari.

⚔️Hoy os traigo un manga diferente al resto de series que os he enseñado hasta ahora, y es que Issak (que no Isaac) es un manga de género histórico con todo lo que conlleva!

⚔️Lo primero que pensé es que no iba a gustarme demasiado, ya que la novela histórica no es mi favorita ni de lejos. La parte bélica, batallas, armas, conquistas,... No son mi fuerte, me marean mucho cuando leo una historia con demasiado de todo esto. Sin embargo en el caso de Issak quedé muy pero que muy sorprendido!

⚔️Os aviso desde ya que Issak no tiene fantasía ni nada por el estilo, se centra en La guerra de los treinta años que tuvo lugar en el siglo XVII en Europa, y no me voy a meter más en temas históricos que seguro que la cago con fechas o países!

⚔️El caso es que al estar representado en imágenes en vez de en texto, me pareció una pasada, me sumergí en la historia y a pesar de no tener ese componente fantástico, me enganchó mucho.

⚔️Además es bastante original, la trama nos cuenta la historia de un Japonés que se ve envuelto en dicha guerra mientras intenta salvar su honor y consumar una venganza que arrastraba desde su país de origen.

⚔️El choque entre culturas está muy bien llevado, los detalles, las zonas,... El autor ha hecho un gran trabajo de investigación para representar algo así en dibujo, el cual debo decir que es genial!

⚔️Además agradezco después de tanto Shonen el disponer de una historia más adulta y sería, la verdad que merece mucho la pena.

⚔️Lo único que no me ha gustado es que los Españoles somos el bando enemigo, y nos dibujan con una pedazo de napia horrible ajajjaja, por el resto no me quejo, se nota que el autor es asiático porque al Issak y Renzo bien guapos que los ha puesto.

⚔️Os recomiendo muchísimo esta serie si os gusta la novela histórica, si queréis adentrarnos en este género aunque sea en novelas (ya que os servirá mucho para la memoria espacial) o si buscáis una temática bélica o más adulta!

⚔️Contadme que os ha parecido, si la conocíais o si os llama la atención!

Para más reseñas como estas seguidme en mis redes sociales:
IG: @dani_rivera13
Twitter: @daniriv13
1,314 reviews38 followers
July 8, 2020
Beautiful realistic art and an increasingly interesting protagonist of few words (so you have to figure him out largely by observation). Inspired by the little-known historical fact of Japanese mercenary gunmen who popped up in Europe during the wars of the 1600s, this revenge story has the added edge of wondering whether Issak will stay focused on his mission of revenge or if he'll end up sidetracked by his associations with the people he encounters--will he ever become actual friends with the people who come to think of him as a friend or ally? Or will he put his revenge first?
Since the war is the frame around which everyone's lives revolves, much of the story revolves around military strategy--characters figuring out how to get through the next battle or siege. It doesn't go into pages and pages of massive detail to put you to sleep, but strategy and morale make up a big chunk of what characters discuss and worry about. Issak's mission and people's personal lives and backstories are slowly revealed in between.
There are a couple of trope-y things here and there: the wide-eyed innocent girl who ends up tagging along after Issak (that better not turn into a romance -_-; so far it seems firmly in friend territory) and the way Issak is kind of a fount of wisom among the European barbarians (feels like the White Saviour trope, but Japanese), though at least this seems mostly confined to military matters, which makes some sense considering he's toting the high-tech (for the era) firepower. The tropes don't overwhelm the story, though, so they're tolerable.
I highly recommend this for anyone who likes historical fiction, war stories, or military adventure, or who is just a sucker for gorgeous artwork ;P

Warning: bloody violence (obviously--it's a war!), and one attempted assault early in the first volume.
Profile Image for Paul Spence.
1,351 reviews67 followers
July 3, 2024
The critical and financial success of Vinland Saga seems to have convinced Kodansha to bring over more of their seinen historical fiction titles to the USA. Issak is one such title. The setting is southern Germany, AD 1620. The Thirty Years War is raging and central Europe is being devastated by the armies of the Protestant Union and Catholic League in equal measure.

A mysterious lone mercenary arrives at a besieged German Protestant fortress, explaining in broken Dutch that he has been sent by the Netherlands to help them repel a mighty Spanish Catholic army. But “Issak” is clearly no Dutchman, and he soon reveals that he is a samurai who has travelled halfway across the world to hunt down and kill a man known only as “Lorenzo”. This Lorenzo murdered his master and is now fighting as a mercenary for the Spanish side. But to have any chance of success in his manhunt, Issak will need to survive the upcoming battle – no small task given that the Protestants are outnumbered several times over.

Like Vinland Saga, this series is both magnificently illustrated and at times gorily violently. The two series’ premises also appear noticeably similar, both centering on a protagonist wholly devoted to a mission of revenge. But while young Thorfinn was a nearly mindless whirlwind of knives and rage, Issak is a grown man and a far more coldly calculating and capable warrior. This first volume of Issak also gives off a “playing it straight” vibe, rather than how Vinland Saga dropped clues from the earliest chapters that it was going to subvert its revenge story line. It’s too early to judge if this series will live up to Yukimura Makoto’s masterpiece, but fans of Vinland Saga should absolutely check this series out. Also, it has a samurai sniper, how can you not find a samurai sniper cool?
Profile Image for Niche.
718 reviews
April 18, 2024
Set in 1600s Europe during the Thirty Years' War, the story follows Issak, a Japanese samurai and skilled marksman serving as a mercenary to track down the man that killed his master. Plenty of bloody combat between warring armies and roving bandits and the art is solid. It's the stoic wandering warrior trope, but it didn't feel like it had much of a hook other than well drawn battles and the time period/setting. The "man shooting with a strange gun over long distances" made me think of Quigley Down Under of all things, but with religious conflict instead of racial.
226 reviews9 followers
September 12, 2019
Great art, both the scenery and battle scenes. Interesting plot, just starting to intertwine.
Profile Image for Nan Feng Leow.
78 reviews1 follower
August 15, 2022
A lone Japanese mercenary in the middle of Europe's battlefield, if that interests you then check this series out.
Profile Image for scarlettraces.
2,785 reviews18 followers
September 4, 2023
Not sure if this is truly a 5-star series (yet) but it gets an extra star for the setting alone. It's a rare time / place [which I have always been fascinated by but that's another story] in English media let alone Japanese. And I LOVE the art.
Profile Image for Cell.
433 reviews27 followers
September 15, 2024
劇情是在17世紀的三十年戰爭前期,日本武士在新教陣營作為傭兵的故事
平常奇幻歐洲的作品看多了,看到這本有新鮮感
這時期會涉及到的國家不少,感覺是考據會有點辛苦的作品

在歐美《海盜戰記》很紅,而這部不紅的理由是什麼呢
台版《戰武傳奇》最後一集第4集是在2019/03/24出版……
Profile Image for Bulent.
894 reviews53 followers
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July 11, 2023
Öldürülen ustasının intikamını almak için katilin peşinden Avrupa'ya gelen ve paralı asker olarak cepheden cepheye koşmaya başlayan Japon bir savaşçının öyküsü Issak.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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