A beautiful young painter witnesses a brutal mob hit - but, instead of being killed herself, the beautiful young assassin lets her live. That decision changes both of their lives as they fall in beautiful young love and go on the run to escape the gangsters after them.
I’ve heard about Crying Freeman since I was a wee lad but this is the first time I’ve read it and I’m glad I finally got around to checking it out. And, while I wouldn’t say it’s an undisputed manga classic, it’s certainly more enjoyable than Kazuo Koike’s other famous (and very overrated) series, Lone Wolf and Cub.
There are a lot of aspects of the story that were too absurd and silly that took me out of it. Does Koike really think the drugs problem in Japan is due entirely to China? Would the Yakuza really work with the Japanese government to stop the drugs trade rather than profit off it themselves? It just seems very naive and strangely jingoistic.
The romance is very cheesy and contrived. Yo, aka Freeman, instantly falls for Hino just because he needs to, unless we’re willing to believe in love at first sight, even for hired guns who’re brainwashed. And the whole reason Freeman blubbers just made me laugh (it’s akin to The Manchurian Candidate but with added wuss). Considering Freeman’s previous profession, he takes to the killer’s life way too easily and why the Chinese mafia would pick him is unconvincing.
All that said, the action is entertaining and the fast-paced story is never dull - I can see why this was a popular series back in the day. Ryoichi Ikegami’s art definitely looks a bit dated - the comic just looks like the ‘80s manga that it is. Freeman looks really cool throughout though and I loved his assassin’s outfit.
If you’re after an unchallenging, fairly superficial but not boring action manga, Crying Freeman, Volume 1 is worth a look.
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