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Manga Review

Samurai Commando: MISSION 1549 Vol. 1 – Manga Review

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Samurai Commando: MISSION 1549 is easily the cheesiest name for a manga I’ve ever heard. The name also made it pretty much impossible for me not to read it.

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Samurai Commando: MISSION 1549 is easily the cheesiest name for a manga I’ve ever heard. The name also made it pretty much impossible for me not to read it.

Book Blurb:
A military test accidentally sends a unit from Japan’s Self-Defense Forces back in time to their country’s feudal past. When their actions begin to alter the present, a second unit is dispatched to retrieve them. But Colonel Matoba, a commander of the lost batallion, is determined to use his advanced technology to conquer Japan and change his country’s destiny. It’s up to Kashima, Matoba’s former protege, to stop him. But he only has a narrow window of time, and it is rapidly closing.

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Analysis:
Remember when you were a kid, and you thought about how awesome it would be for modern day forces to go back in time and pwn less technological people? Okay, maybe that was just me. I think I still exhibit the same kind of childlike wonderment when I play Sid Meier’s Civilization and whip on French archers with my elite marines and mech infantry… I think I’m digressing.

Anyway, that’s the basic driving force of Samurai Commando. To me, the setup is completely superfluous. This is the kind of lame, super-holed plot that I’d expect to see in a later Star Trek movie or something. Honestly, the story is just an excuse to have guys with guns and samurai duke it out to see who’s stronger. Apparently, samurai are very, very good at pwning modern forces.

There’s this thing going on with Matoba and Kashima, former commander and subordinate, that’s kinda interesting. Can Kashima prove to be smarter than his former boss? Not likely, judging from the outcome of this volume. The defense forces sent in to take out Matoba’s forces have all been killed or captured! Nice going…

Expectations are a funny thing. They can make or break someone’s enjoyment of something, depending on if the expectations were too high, or very low. I had absolutely no expectations when I began reading this manga, and I’m happy to say that they were exceeded!

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Conclusion:
Samurai Commando is not high art. It’s not even middle art. It’s freakin’ samurai pwning modern soldiers! And it’s a lot of fun if you don’t think about it too hard. If you’re the type of person to even consider buying a manga titled “Samurai Commando,” you already know this manga is for you. Conversely, if you scoff at the idea, then your mind’s already made up about it, right? Personally, I enjoyed it. Now if only they could work in some ninjas and pirates…

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