, is a short manga consisting of five volumes and written by Yuzo Takada, author of 3×3 Eyes and Blue Seed.The story begins in Feudal Japan, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi is the ruler of the land. The beautiful but tomboish princess Kiku of Kamigawa ask the help of the legendary "Puppet Master" Seibei Tsuchimura, in order stop the plans of her Evil Uncle who has poisoned her Cousin/future husband Tatsumaru. The old Seibei has left the Puppetmastery art long ago, but he offer her the help of his apprentice and son-in-law Genzo Tsuchimura, who is trying to make a perfect puppet of her deceased and beloved wife Saki. Soon the Odd Couple get involved in a series of weird events and secrets plots.The series doesn't really follow a specific arc, but it's more like a series of short stories, usually in a Horror fashion with some dark humor, drama and mistery inside. One of the volumes contains a short story titled "Gostuden" (Tale of the Gotsu Sword) which take place two hundred years later and its about O-shizu, a young girl working for a Kawaraban (sort of newspaper), a wandering swordmaster looking for a cursed blade and some mysterious gruesome murders.
Genzo provides examples of:
Absurdly Sharp Blade: The Samoji sword in the second volume and the Gotsumaru blade in the special. the Yamiganemaru blade in the last story.
Attack Its Weak Point: When Genzo is wrapped in Koshirou's flesh doll, he manage to stop it by finding and snappig its ninyh "spine segment" in its back. Later Koshiro does a similar trick by ordering his crow to sever Genzo's puppert's threads.
Bad Ass Normal: Pricess Kiku may lack tricks or otherwordly powers, but she's more than capable to slice through hordes of enemies Dual Wielding swords!
Bald of Awesome: The one-shot villain Kyokai the Warrior Monk sports one.
Barbie Doll Anatomy, averted: Naked women will often appear, and not only their nipples but also their pubes are visible.
Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Averted. Some pretty ladies get awful-looking scars on their bodies. Kiku shows the signs of her battle with Yasuke at the end.
Bifauxnen: Prince(ss) Kiku can easly pass as an attractive man when she wears samurai clothes. Kiyone does this as well.
Big Bad: Each story has its own, but probably the most blatant and suitable is Maria Kusuru.
Bittersweet Ending:Kiku survives and both Yasuke and Yamiganemaru are no longer a threat, but Genzo, whi survived the fire, has left, but he may be back again.
Blob Monster: Genzo's and Koshiro's puppets tend to turn into a large tentacled mass of flesh when hit, so that they can grab the opponent and hold him still. It was also used to kill Kiku's uncle.
Dark Is Not Evil: Genzo uses monstrous puppets and can see ghosts, but at least he's a decent guy.
Dead Little Sister: Koshiro's reason for facing Genzo, since Koshiro blames Genzo for Saki's death.
Dead Person Impersonation: Many nobles and Daimyo hire Genzo in order to have a functional decoy of a dead person. Also Hikoichi's son and Chiyomaru/Kiyone
Evil Twin: In an Otsuru-centered miniarc, a man abandons one of his newborn twins in a field. The boy grows up as a stubborn farmer named Kosuke. He falls in love with Otsuru, asks her to be his wife and gives her a new wooden arm. Then his Jerkass noble brother pops out and kill him for the Lulz. At least he got slain by Otsuru, too.
Evil Weapon: The Jintsumaru Tenganken is said to have hypnotic powers. True or not, is still a darn creepy, sharp katana.
The Yamiganemaru contains the wrath of the former owners and always seeks blood and revenge.
Faking the Dead: Done sometimes, it's one of Genzo's specialties, Including Osato, Tatsugoro Momose, Kiyone.
Fetish Fuel: Tons of it. Genzo is a huge offender, and has a thing for looking closely at naked and beautiful bodies... and it's implied that the gender is irrelevant. (granted, he's not really interested in sex, mind you...)
Fluffy Tamer: Kiyone and before her Urakami Matazaemon managed to make friend with a Wholphin (a sort of Orca)
Frogs and Toads: Genzo is always followed by small frog-like puppets dressed like samurais and can make them speak.
Full Frontal Assault: When Otsuru was still the "Monster", she was dressed only with a dirty cloak on her back, and nothing else. Unless you count the Sarashi -like bandages in order to keep the blade still on her wrist.
Gag Penis: In the fifth volume, Kiku is ill, and asks to Genzo to build a puppet to use against her suitors. However, when its pants comes off it's revealed that he gave the puppet a.... noticeable one.
Hulkspeak: Otsuru speak in a similar fashion from volume two onward. She finally speaks normally again in the last story.
I Have You Now, My Pretty: Denzaemon, with O-shizu in the extra. He even comments on her being still a virgin. Averted, since he plans to rip her stomach open in a sort of Dark Ritual.
Katanas Are Just Better: Averted in the Samoji sword arc, where the Kanabo wielding monk Kyokai easly snaps Kiku's swords with a well aimed swing. Played straight otherwise.
Knockout Gas: Used a lot by Genzo, with the gas usually stored in his puppets.
Les Yay: A tiny instance. when Kiku manages to defeat all her male suitors, her retainer decide to change plans and offers "''Prince'' Kiku's hand to various beautiful noblewomen. Kiku wasn't amused....
Also in the first volume, when one of Kiku's friends jokingly suggest that she should take wife and become "Feudal Lord" of Kamikawa.
Luminescent Blush: Kiku, whenever she daydreams about herself and Genzo.
Made of Iron: Kurojishi. He survived a point-blank explosion, was slashed twice, fell down a cliff, almost drowned twice and yet survived through all this shit.
Rape Is OK When It Is Female On Male: In one story, Kiku plan to get Genzo drunk so that she can have her way with him while he's unconscious. She missed her chance, though.
Ravens and Crows: Koshirou has a huge creepy raven on his shoulder. Apparently, it's also a puppet.
Razor Floss: Averted. Genzo uses a lot of threads, but never as weapons. during his first battle with Yasuke uses them to bind him in order to get some time, and Koshiro used a similar trick to bind Kiku.
0 reviews