An Eye for an Eye: Die Wergelder
Tarantino’s classic movie Kill Bill times a hundred - that’s what this manga holds.
With a tangy taste of trashy 70s cinema, Japanese pinku-eigas, racy assassins, and revenge, it might be the most impressive and captivating adult manga there is on the market. Die Wergelder is Hiroaki Samura’s new manga from 2011 and is nothing like his previous Blade of the Immortal, but regardless, his new project does not miss any lust, blood, or thrill.
“In Germanic law, the money paid by a murderer or his family to the victim’s family in atonement.”
Trane is left with one eye after quitting her life as a prostitute. Blonde, slick, and witty, the woman’s mind is occupied with one thing only: to kill. However, her evil deeds are justified. Her hometown was taken over by Hill-Myna, a giant pharmaceutical company. Hill-Myna is currently doing research on a special type of bacteria that can only be found in a few cities, and the company, allegedly, tests on women, and pregnant women only.
At the heels of the blonde assassin is Jie Mao, a dangerous killing machine, who works for Hill-Myna. Soon, Shinobu, a member of the yakuza, is found in between these ladies, after fleeing from her hometown which seems to be suddenly morphing into a senseless red-light district. As Trane seeks revenge, the truth behind Hill-Myna starts to leak like an infected wound.
18+ for a reason, Samura delivers thrilling imagery of fights, bloodshed, and heavy breathing. Although enough to satisfy a horror fanatic, this bad-bitch psycho-thriller leaves the reader with endless questions at the end of every chapter. Violence is not only depicted with taste, but as the story goes deeper, those who seemed like sinners at first are incomparable to the evil that looms around them.
Additionally, even if the story isn’t your cup of tea, the art will have you hooked: graceful, eloquent, and daunting, Samura’s illustrations reminisce of vintage pulp posters and enchant the whole thing. With strong female leads on the menu, Die Wergelder is an inconquerable manga: gritty, witty, and steamy, it’s a must-read.
About the Author:
Mizuki Khoury
Born in Montreal, based in Tokyo. Sabukaru’s senior writer and works as an artist under Exit Number Five.
