The Legend of the Strongest, Kurosawa!

Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa is an outstanding manga by Nokuyuki Fukumoto of Kaiji and Akagi fame, telling a story about a man named Kurosawa and his quest to find his place in the world. Throughout its 70 something chapters it gives some of the most touching and bizarre moments, all revolving around the titular strongest man. I begin the review by saying that this Legend of the Strongest Man is one of the best manga I've ever read. Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa, or as its known in English as The Legend of the Strongest Man Kurosawa, tells the story of Mr. Kurosawa, a 44 year old single, overweightman who has been working the majority of his life as a construction worker. One day while feigning interest in a soccer game with coworkers, Kurosawa has an epiphany that people should be able to cheer for their own success, not just that of other people, which he finds he has been unable to do. Depressed over his underachievement throughout his life and depressed simply about being depressed, Kurosawa sets it upon himself to find his success, though he does not know exactly how to do so himself. He begins his journey by attempting to make friends with the coworkers at work, yet his forced attempts only bring about disastrously cringe worthy consequences. From there on, Kurosawa finds himself in one bizarre situation after another, all while trying to find his place in the world. While I don't want to spoil the story, I can say that Kurosawa's adventure covers everything from finding a new philosophy in life, to achieving his own personal success, to an all out war with the young punks in the area. Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa's story is a myriad of genres, although most notably is drama and comedy, and both affect the plot. Underneath it however is a story packed with realistic expectations and doubts, with some of the best development of its main character, Kurosawa. Kurosawa himself is fantastic, he is, unlike many protagonists, extremely stupidly normal. Kurosawa has nothing special about him at all, literally, he is overweight, not very good to look at, and has no talents or quirks about him. He is a complete anti-thesis to a myriad of other manga protagonists, for better or worse. Of course, whether or not this necessarily makes his character superior, doesn't matter because he is a fantastic character beyond that. Kurosawa's personality has no real abnormalities to it, in fact his simple desires to make friends among other things, are boring objectives! Yet his unwavering determination throughout all of the depressing circumstances drive this manga to never before seen locations. The story of Kuroawa is unique, unique because it takes things that are taken for granted not just in other manga but in real life as well, and puts them to measure. Kurosawa is a depressing character, because he is depressed himself. Depressed that he has barely any money, no success, no family. But he sets himself to change it all, and it is a fantastic quest indeed. Development of Kurosawa in this manga is of course exceptional. Character development is to put it simply, a flimsy and especially subjective standard, but Kurosawa's changes are both noticeable and real. They are very real, they feel natural to an amazing degree. Kurosawa comes to his own realizations in his life, and about his circumstances, something that becomes admirable through the manga pages themselves and into the hearts and mind of the reader. For this and among other things, he is just extremely likable, this is the first thing that comes to mind when reading his exploits. He is just fantastic, and a perfect lead to the story. There are of course, some other characters, but none of them share the same length of development as Kurosawa. Kurosawa's journey is for the most part solitary, and thus he is the star of all events one way or another. Through this great story we are able to see all the facets of his personality, and the rigors of his quest. The realism of it all, and I use this term with good measure, is very noticeable. To put it in more detail, Kurosawa takes the little things other manga may touch on, like people's place in society and zooms on it completely. It is never pretentious in the slightest, in fact it is so dramatically crazy on something so seemingly insignificant that it can be called the opposite of pretentious. Kurosawa doesn't preach, he shows his resolve through his blood and samurai spirit, his fear and emotions run through the reader. One cannot help but cheer the pitiful Kurosawa on, with his good meaning nature and admirable conclusions, he reaches a synergy with the reader and the story that many manga can only dream of, same genre or not. Kurosawa learns his lessons through vigor, and is far from perfect. If he makes a mistake and reaches a conclusion, he will make the mistake again! And yet even a third time, Kurosawa is a fool, but that is why he is fantastic. It's so difficult to express just how written the entire thing is. Beyond the story itself, there is also alot of comedy, however its not quite the goofball shenigans that the premise may at times suggest. Unlike a manga like Watamote, which Kurosawa has mutual circumstances with in the beginning, Kurosawa has conclusion to its facets. If one said that Watamote was a monster of the week type of comedy when it came to social situations, Kurosawa would be the Illiad of them. But most importantly, this does not drive the entire manga, it reaches conclusions. These conclusions are the driving part of the story, they are pivots to keep the momentum. More on the comedy though, this manga is truly hilarious. Frequently I found a smile on my face of the bizarre situations that occurred to Kurosawa, linked to a haphazard decision. There are times when you can just laugh at it, its great. It mostly comes from how likable Kurosawa is as a character, in addition to the situations he comes into. It just all works out very well. The themes of this manga frequesntly deal with place in society, something that this manga shares with Fukomoto's many gambling works. But with this theme comes real conclusiveness, an ending and meaning that is unparalleled. There is weight to this manga, it is not to be underestimated for any reason. If I hear how someone doesn't read this because of the art style, I want to kill them and flush them down the toilet, please don't let that stop you from reading this. This is a personal 10/10 and something I would recommend to any fan of any kind of genre of manga. It is a fantastic outlook on aspects of depression in life and real situations. It is hilarious, touching, and at times, tragic. The determination of this Strongest Man knows no bounds, and neither does the excellence of it's manga. I implore you to read it.

Preface (Please don’t read) And now it’s time for another amazing (half ass) review from the world renowned and now famous (in his head) Daimyo. In our last segment we reviewed blank. Indeed blank and blank’s characters will always hold a pace in my heart. This time around we’ll be reviewing a personal favorite of mine Fukumoto Nobuyuki’s Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa (Legend of the strongest Man, Kurosawa). And now I know they’ll be those among you who will ask what’s the occasion? Why is the elusive and super rare Pokémon Daimyo making such an appearance? A review even!? Well I can calmly say that itis for absolutely no good reason. (That and I saw that nobody else did a review so I might as well steal some spotlight) And without further ado let’s start this catastrophe! (Skip leisurely) Story 9/10 Miserable, alone and overall just plain pathetic Kurosawa seeks purpose in his life. He constantly tries to fit into society but is equally rejected. His colleagues don’t respect him and his best friend is a traffic robot. Yes, Kurosawa is just like you, the unlucky reader who happens to be reading this review (just substitute traffic robot with your collection of anime and/or gaming material). And that’s just what makes the story of Kurosawa so great, it’s so believable so realistic. The story places us in the shoes of a middle-aged loser. Fukumoto’s amazing storytelling ability greatly executed. Through out the story there are many twists, unexpected events and hardships that those of you accustomed to his other works such as Kaiji and Akagi will recognize and appreciate. This story will definitely take you on an emotional rollercoaster with many ups and downs before it comes to a dramatic stop. Character’s 9/10 As mentioned earlier the strength of Fukumoto’s writing is what truly makes the story unique. In the character of Kurosawa we see him progress from a loser with no ambition and no goals, to a man who knows that while he may not have won at life will not stop to protect the values he believes in. Kurosawa is definitely manri. A modern samurai if you will, even when crying in tears like a small child Kurosawa’s manriness will make you shit in your pants. The side characters while definitely not as amazing as kurosawa do a good job as Kurosawa’s support. First and foremost we have super tall and hormonally abused middle schooler Nakane (people are this big in japan?). The first important person Kurosawa goes apeshit on and also the first person to call Kurosawa his bro. Next we have Ono former delinquent and hater of Kurosawa who comes to respect Kurosawa as a manri man and pretty much turns him into the banchou of the workplace. Finally the last side character that deserves a name in my review is that pathetic kid weird kid ugh what’s his name again… oh yea Asai was his name. He’s kind of out of place in the theme of this manga but somehow he fits well. Or maybe it’s the fact he did almost absolutely nothing the entire manga I have nothing negative or positive to write about him. Throw in a trail mix of side characters and enemies and this manga really has a solid cast to it. We’re not going to see much evolution in terms of the other characters, but who cares we’re here for Kurosawa. Enjoyment 10/10 Boy did I have fun with this one. Kurosawa’s crazy and over the top tactics for defeating his opponents had me either standing in awe with my mouth dropped like a scream replica or laughing my ass off. Honorable mention goes to the chapter titled Biological Warfare… it was definitely biological. There was just the right amount of despair and satisfaction between each arc and problem Kurosawa had to face. Thankfully this is Fukumoto we’re dealing with so he was successful in keeping this feeling all the way to the end of the manga. That being said I have seen some people complain about the story’s pacing, especially in the beginning. They claim it was either too depressing or slow and they would be correct. Indeed it takes about 20/25 or so chapters in before this one really takes off. I do however feel the intro did a great job of getting us into the mind of Kurosawa. Overall 9/10 Great series. What more can be said?(And I am sure by now you want me to stop talking). If you are a fan of Fukumoto’s work or are just a fan of psychological thrillers with just the right amount of action you’ll love this one. And to finish this long review I shall leave you all with a thought provoking quote from the manga. (Wearing my fancy hat) « Panties are the best! » Notes 2.0 Now in 2D! Daimyo is crazy and therefore his opinions are not to be taken seriously. Daimyo does not re-read his sentences. Daimyo is not Japanese, he is a weaboo… and proud. Daimyo is not liable for any brain aneurysms obtained while reading his reviews.

If I only have my first sentence to grab your attention then read this. This is probably the most real, hilarious, sad, scary, disgusting and exciting manga I have read in about 3 years. Do not let the art scare you away if it isn't your style. I wont necessarily call this a review. I don't want to summarize it because I couldn't do the story justice. But I will say that this story takes an unlikely character and turns them into a hero. An awkward, dirty, old, fat, ugly hero in need of anger management and alcoholics anonymous. Please read this entire (11 volume) series.Even if you dislike the artwork, the sheer quality of this story deserves every reader and supporter it can get. my lowest score was for art because i really disliked the style. But truthfully, the style really helped convey the character's fear, excitement, joy as well as every other emotion which is key for the appreciation of the story. story: 10, art: 7, character: 9, enjoyment: 10, overall: 10.

STORY: 4 Kurokawa is an average worker who feels he has not accomplished anything in his life. He is grumpy, awkward, envious and shy. His story is a succession of painful moments as he fails at being respected, attracting women or making friends. And the rest is frustration as he keeps comparing himself to others or his idea a what a great man is. That is, until the moment he gets to use violence! The whole story supports the character's new-found use of violence to 'take your fate into your own hands' and celebrates his 'putting your life on the line' to the point of kitsch. The storyis a succession of ridiculous scenes where male interactions are conditioned by the perceived violence of Kurosawa: aggression, emotion, fear, respect.. The reactions of the ordinary Japanese men depicted (no care is given to women save for one granny) are so primitive it feels like watching a documentary about the social life of apes. ART: 5 The art is very old-school and stiff but it's still pleasant. That touch of 80s-90s is serving the story with faces that are easy to remember and a dated flavor that is in line with the 'primitive' feelings exposed in the manga. POLITICAL POTENTIAL: 4 A man can get respect though violence and our hero, once he has stepped in this direction, is compared with a Samourai, a warrior, and the manga shows that it is an admirable thing. For example, a moment of glory comes when Kurokawa announces that he is going to fight school delinquents in the middle of a restaurant. Then, all the patrons are moved (!) by his resolution and follow him the next day to assist to the fight. During the fight, the spectacle of violence fascinates the (vastly male) audience and moves them to tears. Let's stop here to describe the scene: a crowd is moved by a grown-up taking the risk to kill a kid with a steal pipe. How nice, after his fight the hero gets a confidence boost and becomes appreciated by his coworkers, starting the ‘legend’ of the strong man Kurosawa. Politically our hero becomes a rebel. Against the system? Not really. In a typical masculinist fashion, Kurosawa only fights because he feels he does not have the place he deserves in society. He cannot, however, think of changing the system neither by himself or collectively (he gets some followers after enough display of violence). FEMINISM: 4 For a change we have some old-school masculinism here which made me wonder when that title was published (2003 to 2006, surprising!). We have a man who is suffering because he is not doing great things like real men do. We watch him spending a lot of time being frustrated and unable to express his emotions correctly, instead he does his best at acting like a man: not communicating openly (until he's drunk at least), making terrible decisions to save face and engaging in violence. Poor Kurosawa has never done it for real, 'for real' means that he has never had sex without paying a woman. The empathy is only for him and not for the sex workers. As in too many manga, men participating in the prostitution industry is too natural to even be questioned. Empathy again for the poor Kurosawa who is a victim of temptation: just going to a swimming pool he gets so excited that he sexually assaults the women in the pool. Zero thought is given to the women who got his head bumping into their vaginas. And fortunately for Kurosawa, the rich delinquent that recognizes him as 'the real deal' helps him avoid being taken to the police. He even lectures his female friends that were rightfully disgusted by Kurosawa's behavior. CONCLUSION: 4 All the guys are crying in this work, it's the first time I read a manga with that many male tears. That should be a good thing, suggesting that the male characters are more compassionate, empathic or emotional than usual (which are great reasons to cry). Alas, the tears here mostly come from envy ('why am I not successful?'), loneliness ('I want to be recognized and respected!') and fascination for violence ('Seeing you putting your life on the line when fighting with punks moved me to tears bro!'). Kurosawa is a character with the maturity of a baby (he is seen having tantrums on the floor a few times like a kid) who suffers because of toxic masculinity. While the manga is trying to show how tough men have it, this title is mostly (rather involuntarily) showing how patriarchy can make men selfish, dangerous and pathetic.