''Blade for Barter'' is an

Original English-language manga An original English-language manga or OEL manga is a comic book or graphic novel drawn in the style of manga and originally published in English. The term "international manga", as used by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, encompasses all ...

series written by

Jason DeAngelis Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publisher, publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from J ...

, with art by Hai! ( Honoel A. Ibardolaza) and was the premiere publication of

Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as we ...

. Blade for Barter, Volume 1, was first printed in February 2005, after extensive previews on the

homepage. Hai!'s art is based on that of

Eiichiro Oda is a Japanese manga artist and the creator of the series ''One Piece'' (1997–present). With more than 516.5 million ''tankōbon'' copies in circulation worldwide, ''One Piece'' is both the best-selling manga in history and the best-se ...

, the creator of

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...

Plot summary

Blade for Barter is the story of Ryusuke Washington, a private

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

for hire. He lives in New Edo, a hodgepodge city-state where New York City meets ancient Japan, where monolithic skyscrapers tower over ramshackle wooden huts, and salarymen and samurai walk side by side. Along with his loyal dog Hachiko, Ryusuke must deal with the likes of the corrupt Samurai Union, the Mafuza (a cross between the

Italian mafia Organized crime in Italy and its criminal organizations have been prevalent in Italy, especially Southern Italy, for centuries and have affected the social and economic life of many Italian regions since at least the 19th century. There are six ...

and the

Yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ...

); a Ninja Union of clumsy ninja; a sinister Zen monk televangelist, and more - not to mention the temper-tantrum prone Lord Hoseki, who rules New Edo with bejeweled fingers and an iron fist. The world in which Hachiko and Ryusuke find themselves is an eclectic mix of Eastern and Western cultures. Such blending of East and West also is found to typify, Ryusuke Washington himself, a warrior for hire. The side effects of such a mixed culture come back to haunt Ryusuke as he has to face striking ronin who actively demonstrate, their very existence in real Japan would have violated traditional codes. He also has to face the control hungry Samurai union. Ryusuke is soon joined by the cute but over affectionate Hachiko the dog and Mac, a

kunoichi is a Japanese cant term for . In popular culture, it is often used for female shinobi or practitioner of ninjutsu (''ninpo''). The term was largely popularized by novelist Yamada Futaro in his novel ''Ninpō Hakkenden'' (忍法八犬伝) in 1964 ...

who takes a certain obsessive pride in her fuzz boots. The first volume also contains

omake ''Omake'' (, usually written ) means ''extra'' in Japanese language, Japanese. Its primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga term to mean "extra or bonus." In the United States, the term is most often used in ...

content not seen online.

References

External links

Gomanga.com the homepage of Blade for Barter
Comics publications Seven Seas Entertainment titles 2005 comics debuts Action-adventure comics {{manga-stub