A review of the first volume & first impressions
Serialized since 2020 in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Superior, Steel of the Celestial Shadows (Taiyou to Tsuki no Hagane) by Daruma Matsuura is a supernatural action-adventure manga about a down-and-out samurai who gains a new lease on life. Penned by the same mangaka as Kasane (published digitally by Kodansha), Steel of the Celestial Shadows is an on-going series with over 9 volumes in Japan and 4 volumes in English. Viz publishes the series under its brand for mature readers and comic aficionados Viz Signature. Viz published the first volume on January 16, 2024, and it published the fourth volume on October 15, 2024. Volume 5 will be released in January 2025. In addition to paperback and e-book, Steel of the Celestial Shadows is available to read on VizManga, Viz’s streaming service and app for Shogakukan titles and anything not Shonen Jump related. (Note you can read the first three chapters for free there too!)
Viz describes the story:
It is said that a samurai’s spirit rests in their sword—and Konosuke can’t even pick one up thanks to a cruel curse that repels anything made of metal that gets near him. Destitute and hopeless, he decides to end it all. But when a beautiful and mysterious woman saves his life and his soul, it is the beginning of Ryudo’s journey into a strange world of magic that exists a step away from his own.
Whelp, I finally got around to reading the first volume of Steel of the Celestial Shadows, and surprise, surprise, I enjoyed it. As I mentioned previously in my roundup of upcoming titles, I was looking forward to reading Steel of the Celestial Shadows because I enjoyed Daruma Matsuura’s earlier work Kasane. In brief, Kasane is a supernatural horror manga about an ugly girl who aspires to become a stage actress through magical lipstick, and I highly recommend reading that series as you wait for more volumes of Steel of the Celestial Shadows. While the two series are vastly different, they share some similarities. Both series are supernatural manga; both feature downtrodden characters gifted with magical abilities to change their luck and fortune, and both characters are one-track mindedly obsessed with their goals.
Lastly, both series feature Matsuura’s awesome detailed manga art style. The characters in Steel of Celestial Shadows have noticeably smaller and less detailed eyes and proportionally realistic human features, but you can tell it’s Matsuura’s work from the manga covers. They’re gorgeous! Besides the art, plot, and genre, Steel of the Celestial Shadows is so much lighter in tone and subject matter than Kasane. There’s so much humor in Steel of the Celestial Shadows thus far.
Steel of the Celestial Shadows follows Konosuke Ryudo, the eldest son of a now impoverished samurai family. His parents are long dead. An elderly servant Otokichi is his only attendant and confidant. Between the pair, they barely have any money to their names, and Konosuke can’t catch a break at the employment bureau. Konosuke longs to be a samurai as his father had been but can’t because of just one thing. He can’t wield steel blades. Konosuke can’t touch anything with steel in it as the metal will bend and twist away from his touch. So, Konosuke trains with and carries a bamboo sword, leading the townspeople to assume that he has a fear of blades. Not becoming for a samurai. Also not becoming for a samurai: a kind heart and emotions, which Konosuke has in spades.
Konosuke is the opposite of the strong, fierce, and brooding samurai archetype. He’s a scruffy, bumbling man with a full head of hair. (No chonmage for him.) Konosuke curses and questions his existence—what good is it if he can’t live and die with honor?—when he meets Tsuki, a mysterious beautiful woman with a large dowry that inexplicably wants to marry him. He reluctantly marries her, and his life begins to change for the better. Just as Konosuke warms up to Tsuki, the pair and Otokichi are attacked by Yatsugawa Dosuke, an onmyoji sorcerer. Yatsugawa is after Tsuki, for what—and why does Tsuki know so much about curses and magic?—we’re left to wonder till the next volume as the chapter ends in a fierce battle.
Additionally, we also still don’t know why Tsuki wanted to marry Konosuke. So, we’re left to wonder about that till next volume too. Actually, we’re just left to wonder about Tsuki in general. She’s a spirited, sunny, and kind woman with a strong sense of justice, but there’s definitely more to her than meets the eye. I can’t wait to find out more about her. Given how developed the main female characters were in Kasane, I have high hopes for well-written female characters here too.
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed reading the first volume of Steel of the Celestial Shadows, and I’m looking forward to reading more soon. If you’re in the mood for a supernatural action-adventure manga starring a bumbling married samurai, give Steel of the Celestial Shadows a read. If you’re a fan of Kasane and eager to read more of Daruma Matsuura’s work, then definitely check out this manga. Finally, if you’re looking for a samurai manga intended for a mature or adult audience, then read this manga. I’m looking forward to reading more soon, and hopefully, you will too!
Check out Steel of the Celestial Shadows via Viz’s website here.
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