Ichi

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The setting is about historical Japan and its reluctance of accepting foreigners to open up markets and trade possibilities for economic stability. Some don't mind the yellow haired barbarian monkey savages infringing on their land but others hate them. The titular Ichi is a blind swordswoman/goze who does odd jobs around the house and eventually gets involved in a political scheme with Japan's future on the line. That and she fights a battle against herself to overcome a past trauma.

As it was set during the days when some right wing samurai extremists did not take to the foreigners too kindly, there is a good ... bit of action to complement the historical accuracy. Feels like a history lesson really, with a few text bubbles showing the status quo of Japan's political and economic stability as well as major events that influenced change.

The art was outstanding, but my biggest gripe about it is that all of the important characters look the same. Some of Ichi's acquaintances got a good bit of characterization but I forget which long haired pretty boy it was. The art style had me a bit confused, so I recommend remembering the names of each characters so that you understand who did what and what is going on. Don't do what I did and read this with your brain turned off.