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I find it so hard to recommend a manga when the first 120 chapters is mostly average (Takezo "dying" is an exception, which was well done) despite the beautiful art. It's a huge commitment, but it's a really fast read.

I can't really give something a high rating while it takes this long to deliver despite the amount of fight scenes present in this manga (The fights should be shorter). There are a lot of slow burns that I've read, but even then, I maintain engagement with those series. Vagabond is beautiful and all, but it takes more than just art to define a masterful manga.

Even ... though I was able to breeze through the start quickly, it never was a chore. If you're not feeling it, just skip to chapter 125 and make a decision about continuing this series. It took too long for the manga to "get good" and I was kind of rewarded for it. It's a work that contains philosophical aspects that span multiple topics like refining yourself, understanding the world, what it means to be strong, what it means to lose your way, etc. Despite being aimless for so many chapters, the story "finds itself" towards the end of the manga.

TLDR: This shit was boring as hell in the first 120 or so chapters. I liked the philosophical topics this manga touched upon (But it didn't delve deep into the topics), but things get too repetitive (All the drawn-out fights, characters repeatedly coming to the same conclusions, etc.). It's a 6/10 manga honestly. If you actually want to enjoy the story and delve deep into the philosophical aspects of this manga, read the ACTUAL epic novel called "Musashi" by Yoshikawa Eiji, it's a hundred times better than this shit. If it wasn't for the art, this would've been a "mid" adaptation of the novel.

I'm still thinking about how to rate Usogui because I thoroughly enjoyed the manga, especially the last three arcs. However, the first 200 chapters was narratively messy and inconsistent. I enjoyed every arc (chapter 200 and below) because each one had its peak moments, but each arc also had some boring parts to get through.
I didn't really care about most of the fights before chapter 200, I more so preferred the mind games instead because the author was clearly cooking. For example, the plot twist in the beginning of the Labyrinth Arc where Yukiide framed Kaji. Moments like that was what kept me invested ... in the series.
After chapter 200 I began to see the true appeal of Usogui, and ever since then, it was narratively consistent, and I enjoyed it all the way through. After I finished it, I wanted to give the series an 8 - 9. But then I couldn't forget about all the lows of the first 200 chapters.

As a result, this manga is very hard for me to recommend to new readers. So, at the end, I'll give it a 6.