Kenji

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Chinese martial arts in manga are normally very misrepresented. Most of the times,the "kung fu fighter" is just some bruce lee imitator,some big boobed chun-li wannabe or some cheap dragonball z rip off.

This manga is not only the complete opposite of this but it might THE absolute best chinese martial arts themed martial arts made

The author,which was a bajiquan practioner in real life,clearly made this manga with love and care because the detail this manga goes into is fantastic.

It details techniques and concepts in rich details,presents us with less know chinese comunities like the HUI (aka chinese muslims),less known kung fu styles like Xinyiliuhequan. and ... even some semi-exoterical concepts like chi and martial phtlosophy.

The main character kenji is little bland,but that is ok because,even if his name is in the cover,the true protagonist here is the chinese marrtial arts culture and we are only seeing through his eyes.

This manga is an absolute must read for any lover of chinese martial arts like me.

TL;DR Do you like stories? Especially that go in detail about martial arts? This is for you. Don't expect to remember everything, however. Expect to read this as an observer - just to supervise that Kenji is learning.

General genre/feeling: feel good/action/adventure/exciting/funny/fun.

Story:
This manga is filled with stories. Anything major happening to Kenji? Time for a historical saga about someone. Kenji is curious? Let's read about what a guy 70 years ago did. Don't get me wrong -- they are all very enjoyable, exciting, and I believe based in reality (from what I can make out from translator notes). Every page is filled with information ... about martial arts or about a person who practiced martial arts. Yes, there are fights. Yes, there are some twists to keep it fresh. But this isn't like The Breaker or Naruto. It is simple and straightforward at every single point in the story; When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. And that's it. Kenji loves martial arts more so than anyone in the world, and this is a story of how he matures while meeting multiple teachers who teach him in Japan/China.

Art:
Pretty decent. I feel the art portrayed the pacing of the story and the action scenes nicely.

Character:
Main character is a badass from the get go in terms of guts/courage (and even skill most of the time!). He learns and matures over time and becomes even more likable/badass. The masters/teachers are all amazing in their own respect. I believe some of them are/were real people. Other supporting characters (parents, love interests) are really not the focus of this story and therefore aren't developed as much, but are somewhat still important to the story. Women are made to be very shallow however. And annoying.

Enjoyment:
If you liked stuff like Bokko, The Breaker (part 2 as well), Kingdom, anything with martial art or anything that has a MC that develops as the story goes on and is badass, you will enjoy this. I'd say you'll get the gist of how the entire series is going to be if you read up to chapter 20. Or even chapter 10.

Overall:
Not for people who don't like to read too much without understanding what's being said. There is a lot of explanation and history (some important, some not) that you will forget by the next page or not read at all. However there is enough visual information to skim through without missing too much. I'd recommend this to people for sure. Highly underrated I feel.

10/10

Kenji is clearly made for martial arts enthusiasts. It seems as if the plot is only there to make a setting for the martial arts. Often very technique and history-heavy, I found myself skipping some pages or conversations the characters had, because it didn't really contribute to the story. I did like some of the teachers Kenji had, their personality stood out. But unfortunately, all the young female characters seemed shallow and the same.

The good points of this manga were the history (for those who're interested in that stuff), some quirky personalities, the way that the main character matures (art-wise) and the art which ... looks old in a nostalgic way.

The weaknesses include the massive amount of history and attention to techniques (which are often tiring), the naivete of the main character, the lack of variety and character in female characters and the often too wandering and weak plot, which gets buried under all the tech-and history talk.