Hoshin Engi volume 17 concludes the epic battle with Bunch in which yet more sacrifices—more than ever before—must be made. When the battle finally ends, both senin worlds lie in ruin and afterwards Takabo quickly leaves the Zhou forces to find Taijo Rokun to get help in the upcoming battle against Dakki.
Volume 17 ends a major arc with the defeat of Bunchu as Zhou's sennin forces are effectively defeated; at the same time Bunchu is leaving only Earth as the major battleground where the sennin and humans must co-exist. However the tale is far from over as Dakki is still controlling the remnants of Yin, and before that can happen the Zhou forces must recuperate from the major battle.
Overview:
The first half of volume 17 is a great climactic battle that has been built up for some time, especially in volume 16. After that, things naturally cool down and much of the rest of the volume seems to almost coast along until the end. One interesting aspect comes near the end of the volume when he has just arrived at Taijo Rokun. In order to enter this secluded land, Takabo—unbeknownst to him—must cross a narrow cloud-covered bridge spanning a giant chasm while memories or souls—it is unclear which—tempt him to take one step to his left or right; each time it is a greater tempation than the last. Ryu Fujisaki gives us a glimpse into Taikabo's desires and shows how closely he felt Bunchu's death as Bunchu and Hiko Ko walk, talking joyfully together at last, save for his parents. Even then, it seems Taikabo is almost more tempted to join Bunchu and Ko because it seems by the time he sees his father, he has resolved himself to continue forward after saying goodbye to Bunchu and Hiko Ko for a second time.
Fujisaki's artwork in volume 17 is a lot grittier for much of it. More shades of grey and black permeate his ever-detailed images, especially as the battle with Bunchu continues. He also gives fitting justice to Bunchu's last act in the battle that really makes the whole affair seem almost tragic. That Bunchu doesn't die in the anime (Soul Hunter) almost makes it seem like Fujisaki may have wanted to give him (as well as the fans) a better end in anime. To lend credibility to this, the anime was released in 1999; the series had largely moved past the point where the manga would have been and something like Bunchu's death wouldn't have mattered, especially as the anime has a different ending.
If you have been reading Hoshin Engi, this is definitely a must-get volume. There aren't many epic battles with an equally epic tragic anti-villain like Bunchu.
ComicsOnline gives Hoshin Engi volume 17 3.5 out of 5 epic death scenes.
