Please be aware that there are minor spoilers for the manga. However the main focus of this work is on its content rather than its plot so I dont think theres any harm in spoiling a bit to explain the author and the manga. George Akiyama was a very groundbreaking artist in some respects in the manga culture of the 70s. This Asura is just the beginning of it. The work was so shocking in its first chapter when it was released: The first chapter depicts a scene of hell caused by starvation a woman who eats human flesh and even her child. Wikipedia In 1970 the 32nd issue of Weekly Shonen Magazine published content that Kanagawa Prefecture deemed harmful and banned from sale to minors. This decision sparked similar actions by other local governments turning it into a social issue. As a result Akiyama received numerous interview requests and quickly became a celebrity. To address this sudden attention the projects intentions were explained in the 34th issue of 1970 stating that the protagonist would awaken to the religious world and find a foundation in life. However this aspect was not depicted until the final chapter. The online version of the manga Asura that I found ends in chapter 30 without a proper conclusion to the story. The anime however seems to have taken a different approach probably fully realizing Georges intention to bring about the enlightenment of Ashura which is a play on the word Asura. You are not yet an Asura the Monk. An Asura in Buddhism is a demigod. They are described as having three heads with three faces each and either four or six arms. In Asura there is a lot of discussion about the nature of humans and what distinguishes a human from a beast. The manga reflects the brutality of a harsh reality referring to a historical period. Although the period is not explicitly stated based on the clothing and the Shoen system it is likely set between the 8th and the 15th century AD. The strong influence of Buddhism in the area leads me to lean towards the 8th to 10th century but this is just speculation. In a world with no mercy where people starve to death and are forced to eat human flesh in order to survive they all slowly lose their humanity or need to enter compromises that they do not want to approach. The counter altar to Ashuras bestiality is Wakasa a beautiful but poor girl who is in love with another poor peasant Shichiro. She keeps her virtue intact till the end to avoid being tempted and given in marriage to a scumbag but powerful called Kojiro. Sadly starvation drives Wakasa on the verge of death and madness leaving her unable to resist further and then falling preach of Kojiro marrying him. The manga tackles the role of women at that time One example is Lord Sanjo Tayu. We later discover that he is Ashuras father. He kicked out and beat Ashuras mother throwing her out of the house because she was pregnant. According to Sanjo Tayus beliefs a woman has to be beautiful and young. This is a clear example of misogyny but there are still many nuances to consider. Men are depicted as ugly while women are beautiful and tragic victims of mens choices. However its not just a simple blackandwhite portrayal. Women also use their beauty to seduce men or to marry for comfort even if the marriage is unpleasant. Although I disagree with the misogyny portrayed we should remember that the story is set in the Middle Ages which wasnt the most emancipated time for women. Complaining about the misogyny wont change the fact that it was part of that historical period even if it offends us. As I dont want to make my review too long I want to conclude by asking: Why should you read Asura? First of all the artwork is unique it reflects a lot of that period and all the characters are very memorable with their grotesque look. Additionally George Akiyama was and is an underrated artist who was not afraid to talk and this elevates him to the realm of classic authors. He experimented even more later on but not here in Asura. Asura is a tragedy there are beautiful panels of children simply crying. A trench of emotions for poor souls left to starve in a world full of atrocities. Read this with an open mind and a cultural mindset otherwise if you come from modern manga looking for battles waifus or power system and so on you will find it just boring and dated. And its not. Shen in Japan from about the 8th to the late 15th century any of the private taxfree often autonomous estates or manors whose rise undermined the political and economic power of the emperor and contributed to the growth of powerful local clans. The estates developed from land tracts assigned to officially sanctioned Shint shrines or Buddhist temples or granted by the emperor as gifts to the imperial family friends or officials. As these estates grew they became independent of the civil administrative system and contributed to the rise of a local military class. With the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate or military dictatorship in 1192 centrally appointed stewards weakened the power of these local landlords. The shen system passed out of existence around the middle of the 15th century when villages became selfgoverning units owing loyalty to a feudal lord or daimyo who subdivided the area into fiefs and collected a fixed tax. Source Britannica.com