Ichigeki
A manga about a group of country peasants who are recruited and trained to become an assassination squad against the Satsuma during Bakumatsu era Japan.
Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Jiro Matsumoto that’s this grounded in reality. It doesn’t come close to the strange psychological nature of his other works like Freesia or Joshi Kohei. I assume this is because the writing is handled by Yoshio Nagai.
Matsumoto’s brutal violence fits extremely well with the historical setting of feudal Japan. It honestly might be the easiest of his series to recommend for newcomers.
~dakazu