Vagabond

Type: Manga

Score: 10/10

Perhaps my favourite manga of all time. The art is wonderful, whether it be the beautiful handpainted pages or the sprawling watercolour covers they're always a joy to look at. The story while not some complex mindfuck is charming and just what it needs to be to facilitate the real draw of this manga, Musashi's character development from an immature strong man to an immaturish stronger man. Watching Musashi contemplate shit is extremely entertaining even if a lot of the Buddhist philosophy seems to right over my head. This manga also flows extremely well moving from chapter to chapter in a way that makes me unable to pull myself from it. All the side characters are super fleshed out and interesting even ones that disappear in just a few chapters. Some people might find backstories in backstories annoying but I don't really mind especially when everything is so well done. Its very unfortunate Vagabond will likely never finish, but I'm fine with rereading it over and over pretending that it'll come back one day. If you're fine starting a story that doesn't have a conclusion please give Vagabond a shot (I'm begging on my hands and knees).