I just finished the latest chapter of Kenji, a new manga over at my favorite manga site– mangafox.com. Kenji is a first year high school student (as of latest chapter) who really likes martial arts. He’s been training since he was a little kid under his grandpa who is a bajiquan master.
“Kenji is a manga about a Japanese teenager named Kenji, who practices the martial art Bajiquan, and his encounters with other martial artists, some of which are from real life (e.g. Adam Hsu and Liu Chia-Liang). This series primarily features Bajiquan, but also gets into Tanglangquan, Baguazhang, Chen Taijiquan, Piguaquan, Xingyiquan, Xinyiliuhequan, Shaolinquan, Hung Gar, Daito ryu Aikijujutsu, Shotokan Karate and numerous other styles. Kenji’s archnemesis is a gangster named Tony Tan who practices Hung Gar and later Xinyiliuhequan.
The series is based on the author’s life, Ryuchi Matsuda (Song Tian Long Zi in Mandarin), and has history involving Hakkyoku-ken (Bajiquan), Li Shu-Wen, and Liu Yun Qiao.”
The manga gives big lessons about courage and about life in general. It’s a pretty new manga in mangafox.com having been only added this year 2010. From what I can see, it could be turning out to be a harem with two new love interests for Kenji showing up, one is Akira, who’s family has close ties to the Yakuza (unless I’m mistaken), and Yumi who is also a martial arts practitioner like himself.
I like the historical references of this manga and how they take pains to show the steps of the techniques used during the fights unlike other fight mangas where the training and how guys turn out to be really strong are left to your imagination. The manga art is quite different as well. I wouldn’t say that it’s great art but its quite different from the usual manga that I read where sometimes the characters profiles and appearances resemble other characters from other mangas.
From what I can read so far it seems that the manga is building up for some final showdown with Tony, Kenji’s counterpart and chief antagonist. I just wonder whether something new would come up somewhere in the future for this manga to gain longevity.
No related posts.