SAIKYOU DENSETSU KUROSAWA
STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
11
RELEASE
September 1, 2006
CHAPTERS
90
DESCRIPTION
Kurosawa is sick and tired of his boring, ordinary life growing old as the less popular site foreman in Anahira Construction. The turning point comes when his 44th birthday comes along, and no one remembers or celebrates with him. Realizing he lived a life without drive or purpose, Kurosawa tries to go past his comfort zone to turn his life around. Will his newfound shenanigans help him or hurt him when he gets caught up in fights with delinquents?
(Source: Manga Planet)
CAST
Kurosawa
Shuuhei Nakane
Junichi Asai
Ryouichi Miki
Yoshiaki Sakaguchi
CHAPTERS
RELATED TO SAIKYOU DENSETSU KUROSAWA
REVIEWS
ManlyButterBath
The strongest man in the world is only as admirable as an ordinary ant.Continue on AniListAt the crossroad in my life, I didn't know which way to go. I just mindlessly choose a random direction... then, after regretting my decision I tried to retrace my steps. However, without even realizing it the sun had already set.
December 10th, 2002. A middle-aged man is sitting all alone at a table in a family restaurant, sobbing... eating a meager dinner... on his birthday nonetheless! He's got none to celebrate it with; frankly it's been decades since he's even had a friend. Not even his coworkers wished him a happy birthday, despite his best efforts to make it blatantly obvious. Is it like this for everybody? Is he the only one living like this? All the other people his age managed to work their way up the corporate ladder and create a family for themselves, so why is he different? He doesn't know. He just doesn't know! His youth flew away so quickly, and now he's been left with nothing but regrets.
This is how Kurosawa's story begins. Life wasn't too kind to him: he's ugly, overweight, awkward and a bit stupid. His coworkers ignore him at best and he's, well, just a plain old sad geezer. However, being alone on his birthday once more makes him realize that he wants to become popular, to be appreciated for who he really is, to seek his own redemption!
...and he fails spectacularly at it. At first!
That's a samurai! I always wanted to become like him! [...] A samurai still wears his helmet and armor! He still tries to survive until the very last moment! Even he does not wish to die!
But he keeps on trying and trying. His struggle is a desperate one, because unlike his younger coworkers he's at the end of his rope. He's not young anymore, and no matter what he does he'll inevitably get older and older. Yet his desire for a better tomorrow sparks a fire in him that allows him to overcome his emotional scars in order to do what he's been wanting to do his entire life: cheer for his own achievements, or better yet, achieve anything at all! Making a friend or two in the process wouldn't be too bad... maybe he can at long last find love?!
It is up to you to find out what happens by reading this manga. If it wasn't clear enough, I'll admit this is my favorite manga. It's also my favorite work of fiction altogether. And to be perfectly honest, it's also not the best manga I've read from an "objective" point of view. The art is very... controversial. I personally love it and I believe it fits perfectly this kind of story, but it's also fair to call it ugly or even grotesque at times. The secondary characters also aren't that great and are mostly used to advance Kurosawa's psychological growth. Sometimes the story might be too silly or too depressing for its own good, but believe me: this manga is worth reading. I dare not call it a masterpiece, although it is one deep down in my heart.
Am I as admirable as that ant...?
Yes you are, Kurosawa. Yes you are.
hazelbasil
At a pivotal moment in my life, I found myself at a metaphorical crossroads, unsure of the path to choose...Continue on AniList"At a pivotal moment in my life, I found myself at a metaphorical crossroads, unsure of the path to choose. I made a choice without much thought, only to regret it later. Trying to backtrack, I was caught off guard by the realization that night had already fallen." - Kurosawa
Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa, also known as The Legend of the Strongest, Kurosawa, is an exceptionally creafted tragicomedy manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. This work is among Fukumoto's notable creations, such as Kaiji and Akagi. It narrates the compelling journey of a middle-aged man, Kurosawa, grappling with a midelife crisis.
Kurosawa's life has been anything but easy, marked by his unattractive appearance, characterized by a large chin and a notably misshapen nose. His series of poor choices has led him to become a distressed, isolated, and unpopular construction worker in his middle age, devoid of friends or family. His story unfolds when he realizes on his 44th birthday that none of his colleagues remember this significant day. In his despair, Kurosawa decides it's time he celebrates his own victories, seeks companionship, and finds love.
As the story progresses, it centers around Kurosawa's endeavors to gain popularity at his workplace and reclaim the joys of his youth by pursuing various dreams. Despite his best efforts, his social awkwardness hampers his progress, leading to rejection and animosity from his peers. However, Kurosawa starts to make some headway, earning respect from others, but he must conquer his biggest challenge: his age. Unlike characters in animes like Welcome to the NHK and Watamote (these respective works are also in my top 10 of all time by the way), who also face social challenges but have time on their side, Kurosawa is racing against time.
Kurosawa's journey is about challenging societal expectations and standing up to those who look down on him, armed with nothing but resilience and determination. He transforms from a depressed loner to a commendable man who tackles his issues with courage and assertiveness. His evolution draws a parallel to the samurai, showcasing a readiness to battle for his beliefs, which makes his story especially moving and inspiring for the reader.
Despite his flaws, including his tendency to drink, display anger, fantasize, and engage in fights, these aspects add depth to Kurosawa, making him a relatable character. His flaws make him human and vulnerable, despite his physical strength.
Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa skillfully weaves comedy and tragedy, enriching Kurosawa's journey with humor that complements the emotional depth of the story. Nobuyuki Fukumoto's distinctive art style, featuring characters with unique, sometimes unattractive features, perfectly encapsulates Kurosawa's essence. The occasional shifts in art style for visual metaphors or humor add a refreshing element to the narrative.
Fukumoto's talent for evoking deep emotions through character monologues shines in this manga, offering powerful insights into Kurosawa's inner turmoil and aspirations. These monologues are a highlight, bringing the reader closer to Kurosawa's struggles on a very personal level.
Having read Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa, I consider it an incredibly impactful and inspiring manga and one of my personal favorite piece of fiction. It's not perfect, the pacing in the beginning (particulary the first 20 chapters or so) can dissuade some, Fukumoto's aesthetic is something that also doesn't seem to be popular (though I love it) and sometimes the story can feel too much like an emotional rollercoaster with the tone shifting frequently to high ends on both spectrums. While I acknowledge my bias, I believe it stands out as a masterpiece in storytelling and deserves widespread acclaim.
pxcci
The Power To Fight Will Live Forever In Our Soul - The Legend Of The Strongest, Kurosawa! Manga ReviewContinue on AniListThe Power To Fight Will Live Forever In Our Soul The Legend Of The Strongest, Kurosawa! gave me some of the best life advice that I don't think I've received from any other manga in a long time.
When I started this manga, I will admit that I was a little bored. The main character, Kurosawa, is a very self-loathing character at the beginning of the story because of his horrible life situation and how he feels as if he's been wasting his life away forever. In the beginning, things seem to be hopeless with all of the conflict he gets into and how it feels as if everyone walks over him. I won't lie, it's pretty rough reading those moments (T-T).
However, once he gets himself into a conflict that he refuses to back down from, the start of his amazing character development starts to show. Kurosawa grows from being someone who's at the lowest point of society into one of the strongest human beings to ever step foot into others' lives.
What I love about this manga the most is how grounded it feels even with the insane character development Kurosawa undergoes. There are a lot of wacky moments in this story, but it takes itself seriously at the right times and truly grabs onto your heartstrings with the breathtaking dialog. If you want to read a manga that displays the growth of a person from their lowest point to a leader who is looked up to by others, I highly recommend this manga.
Now, the rest of this review will be about my own personal connection to this manga and why I feel like it's one of the most important reads I've had in years.
I've been struggling with manga burnout like others, and I've always blamed my burnout for the lack of reading that I do for series. Once I finally started this manga, I wasn't really expecting anything special, to be honest. I picked this manga because it's one of the shortest on my TBR, and I've heard things about it here and there. Throughout most of my 2 months reading this, I didn't really get too connected, and I didn't care for the characters as much.
But in this week, all of that has changed. I decided to do a challenge where I'd give my friend $50 if I didn't complete a certain number of video games, anime, TV shows, movies, and manga before my high school graduation next year. I did this because I feel like I've been using most of my free time on useless things like scrolling on my phone or watching YouTube videos. I haven't read a consistent amount of manga in years now, and I really wanted to change all of that.
So, this week I started consistently reading this manga, and I ended up finishing it today after so long. The ending and message of the story hit me like an absolute rock because it's been a way that I've viewed my life.
I'm wasting so much time away by doing things that involve no reward other than tiny short amounts of dopamine hits, and I'm tired of it. Watching Kurosawa be tired of letting life take over him was exactly how it felt seeing my meaningless consumption of social media. I'm tired of letting these platforms take the time out of my life to experience these stories that are made by people who put their all into their work. This week was one of the best manga experiences I've had in years because I was consistently reading this story every day and HAVING FUN! I felt like I was back in my freshman and sophomore years of high school when I was always using my free time to read manga. Those times are the reason why I love this medium with all my heart, and this week gave me that exact immersive feeling I always had when I was a big manga lover.
This manga made me realize how important it is to fight. All of our battles come in different forms, and the most important thing is never about winning or losing. It's about fighting. I'm gonna keep fighting the battle of using my time wisely; I don't know if I'll win or lose that fight. Yet, I'll keep fighting no matter what because if I didn't choose to fight, I would've never had this eye-opening experience or been blessed by this moving piece of art.
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SCORE
- (4.1/5)
MORE INFO
Ended inSeptember 1, 2006
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