Thanks to barnesandnoble.com for the above image.

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

Tobei came from Hell to get medieval on the 21st century.  He was a ruthless young punk and murderer living in Feudal Japan and was beheaded at age 16 for his many crimes.  After 300 years of damnation, Hell still hadn’t broken him, so he struck a deal with Lady Ema, the Regent of Hell.  She returns him to Earth to vanquish the “Toga,” sins that have taken on monstrous physical forms.  Armed with the sin-eating wooden sword named Togari and accompanied by his watcher, Ose, Tobei has 108 days to kill 108 Toga.

Togari, Vol. 8 is the final volume of the series.  Togari makes his move to destroy Sena, the master of “white darkness,” and the origins and back stories of most major players are revealed.  Will Tobei reach his goal?  Will he ever be his own man again?

THE LOWDOWN:  This edgy series wouldn’t be true to its unruly, cantankerous spirit if it ended the way that readers expected it to close.  This near-future action, horror, dark fantasy feels like the film, Fight Club, and Frank Miller’s excellent early 1980’s sci-fi graphic novel, Ronin.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of off-kilter samurai and ronin tales will likely find that this pungent manga meal is a little too sharp for the tongue, but is still quite pleasurable.

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