Smoking

A manga about four homeless people who are actually a team of lethal assassins known as ‘Smoking’. They are hired to by criminals to exterminate those who can’t be brought to justice by the law. Juzo Sabe, the leader of ‘Smoking’, skins their targets and makes fluid preserved specimens to present to his clients. Other team members include a former underground martial artist, a weapons expert, and a chemist who specializes in chloroform.

I like the general premise of this series. There is a certain satisfaction you get reading a story about evil people facing retribution for their sins. But as a hardcore crime drama it doesn’t shy away from extreme violence. Sexual assault and torture are common place within each story arcs. Luckily, creator Hiroshi Iwaki doesn’t draw detailed gore which makes the manga easier to read. Iwaki has made other manga that are connected to this series so I’d like to check those out as well.

~dakazu