Manga Review : Shinobi Life by Shoko Konami

Title: Shinobi Life

Original Title: Shinobi Life

Author: Shoko Konami

Artist: Shoko Konami

Year of Release: 2006

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Historical, Martial Arts, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Supernatural, Tragedy

Status: Completed

Chapters (Translated in English): 64

Volumes & Chapters: 13

Volume 1 Chapters 1-4          Volume 6 Chapters 25-29              Volume 11 Chapters 50-54
Volume 2 Chapters 5-9          Volume 7 Chapters 30-34              Volume 12 Chapters 55-59
Volume 3 Chapters 10-14      Volume 8 Chapters 35-39              Volume 13 Chapters 60-64
Volume 4 Chapters 15-19      Volume 9 Chapters 40-44
Volume 5 Chapters 20-24      Volume 10 Chapters 45-49

Mangafox – Goodreads

Summary

Many, many years ago, a ninja named Kagetora devoted his life to protecting Princess Beni (”Beni-Hime”). Unfortunately, they were attacked and Kagetora was flung into a lake, and sank to the bottom… And is somehow warped to the future where he sees the princess Beni being kidnapped.
Little does Kagetora know that Beni is not the real princess, but rather her descendant. Beni, on the other hand, thought that Kagetora was just a cosplayer. Beni, the daughter of a rich man has already been kidnapped a hundred times already... But fear not because Kagetora is here. Will Kagetora be able to go back to the past, or will he remain by Beni’s side forever?

My Thoughts

Review covers 64 chapters 

Hello everyone and welcome back to Katie’s Corner! Well, today I’m having my favourite manga covered here. I think I’ve been saying this a lot, but I can’t help it. There are so many mangas that I love and say that are my favourites. Okay, plainly said I love this manga, and well, I thought that I should cover it, or my mind wouldn’t stop nagging me about it.

Why I do love this story so much, that I’ve read it about 5 times? Well, it has my favourite themes: Shinobi (ninja) and time slips. Yes, yes, you’ve heard me tight. There are that ninjas, similar to Naruto ones (if anyone watched that anime you’ll know what I’m talking about). The time slips are two-way: present to past and present to future. Surely, mostly we were in the past and not only one era, but also different ones.

The plot of the story is very nice and the great characters make this manga even more amazing. Not only two main – Beni and Kagetora are what make the story, but also two others – Rihito and Hitaki. Now let me just briefly say their relationship to each other. Kagetora and Hitaki are ninjas from the past who time slipped to the present. Kagetora became Beni’s bodyguard because of some circumstances, while Hitaki Rihito’s. While Beni is in love with Kagetora, and that love is mutual, Rihito is her fiancé and he is also in love with her. Did I just unintentionally spoil some good stuff? I don’t think so; just stating their relationship is not enough. The way their relationships progress, that’s what, really is worth reading about.

How do I explain this; this story is amazing whichever way to read it. I loved reading about all characters. Every one of them is broken and only another one can fill them up. Each of them has a heartbreaking story to tell and if you listen closely you will understand each character if not you’ll miss the essential part of them. I suppose the hardest impact on me had Rihito. In the beginning he acts as the villain, but as soon as you look into his story, your impression of his changes cordially. It’s not pity, but maybe it is pity that you are feeling towards him. However, you’re looking forward when he will open the door of his cage and fly. That moment when he has to jump though the whole is the one that makes your heart beat fast, because you get it, soon he’s going to change and you want to witness him breaking his chains.

This manga has a lot of life situations and wen you unravel all the secrets and understand why each character was like he and she was acting, you cry. The ending leaves a question as to why only Hitaki was there, but that may be a story for a new serialization. This manga has a bit of specific humor. You may not get all the jokes, because they are mostly due to playing of words. However, where I was reading the translators explained every joke and made it simple to understand.

I hope you will get some time to read this great story. You will like it a lot. It has everything: love, joy, sorrow, betrayal, action and a lot of mystery. Enjoy it to its fullest and don’t forget to share your thoughts below. Stay tuned for more reviews and promos. Happy reading!

XOXO

Katie

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