If you're out of high school and reading this, I'm willing to bet you've been introduced to the story of Romeo and Juliet at least once…if not multiple times. The story and theme has been done to death before and has been reimagined so many times I didn't think it was possible to imitate the same story and have it feel fresh. Along comes Basilisk and throws into the mix what should've been around in the original Shakespeare story – ninjas!

The Iga and Kouga clans were enemies for the longest time, but have since been on decent terms since the signing of the Hanzo Hattori truce; the sides hate each other still, but no fighting is going-on between them. In fact, the two sides are about to be merged in holy matrimony, as Oboro of the Iga and Gennosuke of the Kouga are in love and about to be the first couple to ever bridge the hatred. A problem arises, however, when it's decided that each clan will pick its best ten ninja, who will then battle it out to be the next ruling clan. As unfortunate luck would have it, Oboro and Gennosuke are included, and they just might find their love torn apart by having to battle each other.

The Unlucky Couple

It doesn't take too long for the premise to get going, but it's a bit confusing early on trying to understand the two clans, figuring out where each ninja fits in each group, etc. Once you finally grasp everything and settle in for the action, it's a really fun ride, with plenty of action and a potentially final gripping moment if the two lovers indeed meet in battle eventually in later volumes. The couple does seem to love each other, and though we get no sense of their skill, I still found myself worrying about them. When Oboro learns that her own clan might be going after Gennosuke, you really feel for her.

One of the things I liked the best was its depiction of its ninjas, who each have their own unique skills. Shougen is like a spider and able to shoot sticky webbing at his enemies. Jousuke is a lovable rotund oaf who can contort his body's weight. Juubei is nothing more than a head and a torso, but he's still a danger and able to snake his way across the ground. One uses deadly butterflies, another becomes a slug type monster, etc.

I enjoyed the artwork, as the characters all have different styles, and it's pretty easy to look at somebody after they've been introduced and instantly be able to say who they are. The character designs are also very clean and well detailed. The only problem I have with the artwork is the background images, which are nothing more than real life pictures made fuzzy and shaded black and gray to match the drawn characters placed on top of them. It works at times, but other times it looks pretty crappy. Luckily enough it doesn't ruin the book too much, as it was a fun read and I look forward to grabbing future volumes.

Score