17th century Japan, the great swordsman Miyamoto Musashi is following the path of the sword-masters and discovering his own version of enlightenment. Volume 31 of Vagabond gives a unique fiction peek into the dilemma of being revered as invincible and realizing the flaws in your chosen path at the same time.

Musashi is currently healing from a wound to his leg that severely limits his mobility and also struggling with the opinion that he has waisted his life in killing and death by following the path of the sword. He leaves the place of safety that he has been recuperating and sets out on the road again. This leads to a few silly battles and one face to face encounter that may open his eyes to a powerful realization. There is also the fate of Musashi's old friend Matahachi. Matahachi has returned to find his mother ailing. With the mortality of his mother closing its door, Matahachi begins to come to terms with his failings and lies. This vignette is touching and can have far reaching implications that breach almost anyones experiences and self discoveries.

Overall

The true strength of this series is the physiological discoveries that it brings to the table. The earlier volumes showed the violent nature of youth and the false beliefs that come with the attractions of fame and glory. Vagabond does a great job of exploring what happens as enlightenment begins to flow over ones conciseness. The discovery that your earlier beliefs may have not only been false but delusional at best. Vagabond does this in extreme fashion by placing our protagonist as a swords man during a very romantic period in Japanese history. 

The Tokugawa and Edo periods are looked upon as the golden ages of discovery and 200 years of great strides in societal awakening. Takehiko Inoue gives us a microcosm of these periods of Japanese development in this idealized account. I personally find that most tales placed in this historical framework tend to be a little preachy and over the top. Vagabond comes very close to being just that. The writing is strong enough to carry this message, but it does hit me over the head a little hard at times. 

With Vagabond having won so many awards in it's 22 years it is very hard to think poorly of the work, but I do not find it to be as enduring as many others. That being said, I do believe it has a place in Mange annals as a valid representative of historic fictional accounts of heros long since past. If you are looking for a Manga that will make you think and maybe even look inward, this one is for you. Just be sure to start from the beginning. If you are a fan of the series I already know you have your copy on order, so enjoy it won't disappoint.

ComicsOnline gives Vagabond Volume 31 3 out of 5 gimp samurai.