Hoshin Engi, also known in its anime form as Soul Hunter, is a shonen fantasy/sci-fi title with lots of action and comedy based loosely on Chinese history and mythology. The setting takes place during the turmoil that replaces the Yin Dynasty with the Zhou Dynasty (~1050 BCE). However, the manga is far from being anything close to historic. While the major events still occur, the causes, motivations and general supernatural world is anything but historical with aliens having come down long ago and the use of futuristic technology alongside a few magical powers based on traditional Chinese folklore. While the series has a large cast of characters, there are the three central characters: Taikebo, the primary protagonist who usually tends tries to take a back seat; Dakki, the main protagonist who is controlling the Yin Dynasty; and Jyoka, the ultimate antagonist behind everything.

Volume 16 has Taikobo and his friends must face off against Bunchu, Yin's senior advisor to the Emperor. Bunchu isn't some pushover though; even when combining the entire elite forces, Bunchu still proves to be a formidable enemy.

Highlights:
Volume 16  mostly focuses on Bunchu's battle, although even with an entire volume, it isn't concluded. However, this isn't like some other manga where it's because things are drawn out. Instead, it is because Bunchu is just that much more powerful; he is truly in another league and very few beings could hope to take him even combing their power together. In the manga, Bunchu is shown as not being an antagonist, but rather himself having human virtues and flaws. He is very loyal to the Yin Dynasty; this extends to being loyal and friends with at least several of the emperors over the last 300 years. He fights honorably and believes in making a world where humans can live in peace and harmony. However, he is also aloof and arrogant and has a strong, and to somewhat twisted, sense of justice. Bunchu is also willing to do almost anything to further his vision, including mass death and destruction. In the manga, this parallels the Hoshin Project which Taikebo is being forcibly used in to bring about the Zhou Dynasty. He is also compared in the same conversation by his former friend, Senin Hiko Ko, that his methods are similar to that of Dakki, even if his goals may be more noble. It is his strong belief that the humanity wants stabilty, a fact even Hiko admits has some truth, but disagrees with his methods.

Since Bunchu will eventually lose (he is on the opposing side of Taikobo and this isn't the final battle), Hiko's vision of the world left outside the control of immortals, aliens and supernatural beings comes to pass and by extension, as this is suppose to be a historical piece it does beg the question: which world would be better? On the one side, we have Bunchu's world: a world of eternal peace and prosperity ruled behind-the-scenes by a benevolent, but just and sometimes harsh, being; however to keep it stable, very little ever changes (not total stagnation, but very close to it). On the other you have this world. It's a world where humans make the decisions and there is always new innovations, discoveries and in general progress; however, wars and turmoils ensue sometimes over the smallest of slights or resources.

Overview:
It's hard to say how exactly I feel about Hoshin Engi. On the one hand I like the historical setting and its attempt to at least pay some deference to history as well characters like Taikobo, who is more of an anti-protagonist since he tries not to get into confrontations as much as possible, Bunchu, who is a multi-layered antagonist and even Dakki, though she is somewhat more than a flat antagonist. However, I really dislike stories that take too many liberties with historical settings, ― Hoshin Engi is almost on the level of Samurai 7 in that regard ― and the anime, Soul Hunter, seemed to have a better pacing and overall ending (by this point in the manga, the anime would be almost over).

For the former, its hard to say if the manga is really more historically accurate when its already taken vast liberties to begin with so the variant endings for those characters who get them, are overall better, most notably Bunchu; however, I didn't care for the way they ended Dakki in the anime. The liberties taken in the manga are extreme, but not as far out as those in Gintama. The pacing in the anime, in general, was actually better. The battle sequences which are drawn out in the manga somewhat, flow more smoothly overall in the anime, though the price of that is an anime that diverges from the manga which some readers might not like. Volume 16 also has too many characters running around in it with over a dozen notable characters, several of whom are killed and only a few get to stand out. I don't think this is a problem with the series as a whole, but does in some of the battles where the protagonists vastly outnumber the current antagonist. Given the number of participants  I admit it would be hard to detail all of them further without expanding the battle another volume or two, but I don't think the pacing was right the way it was either.

This leaves us with the artwork and general storytelling. I will admit Ryu Fujisaki is able to weave a story that gets over my natural inclination for having such massive unrealistic deviation to a historical setting and still be entertaining. This is probably due to the amount of world architecture he went through to make a convincing reason why it was like this and how things ended up diverging from that. There are some plot holes: the lack of any artifacts from previously destroyed civilizations; lack of info whether Jyoka also controls other civilizations at this time and ifso, why they weren't involved; the lack info on the basis of spells and powers that aren't based on the advanced technology, etc. Those not familiar with Chinese history and mythology may get lost at times. On the artwork, Fujisaki is capable of drawing crisp, detailed artwork. However each page has a lot going on in it; almost every panel is filled with his detail. This is a mixed blessing. It helps better define the world and gives some intersting panels; however, it also can overwhelm and confuse more casual readers.

Thus my reasons for having difficulty deciding how much I like volume 16. In the end, I have to give  Hoshin Engi volume 16 an overall positive review. If this is your first time reading this manga, don't start with it as you'll be so confused you probably won't like it. For those who've seen the anime, Soul Hunter, the manga has yet to seriously divert so your still okay. 

ComicsOnline gives  Hoshin Engi volume 16, 3.5 out of 5 paopei.