This is arguably the best manga--or for the most part--ONE of the most engaging, captivating and exhilarating pieces of literature I have ever read!

At first, I was hesitant... I had originally thought: "Really?... Samurais and stuff? Nah... I'll take a pass".

Then reading more into genre and looking at other images: "ehh... another over-grown and nonsensical Seinen that over-glorifies gore... it looks great... it sounds simple..."

And now my current thoughts on it: "I acclaim this as the ultimate EPIC in the form of manga, while also adopting beautiful and masterfully drawn and painted artworks, exhibited and splashed throughout the pages and so forth..."

The fruition of beautiful characters demonstrate conceptual ideas that really make the reader think. Though the archetypal traits and tropes of a "person who was birthed to be fledged and beautiful" VS. "The weak and pathetic one" still stands as rather monotonous and generic definitively; the almost coalescent and methodical ways the pictorials and gradual literary development unfold is utterly magnificent. This is only further reinforced with the EVEN-MORE magnificent artwork.

I was sucked-in and essentially inside the world of 'Vagabond', and gosh golly it was fantastic!
Reading aspects of the story, with nods to character progressive montages and to further my point; the other fleshing out of diverse characters, I was really in another world. Though this overlays with my first and only problem... The enjoyment factor: critically through, within the first reading there were no apparent problems--rather all of my time was consumed by the sheer captivation and adoration I had towards this manga. Thereafter, following volumes and arcs had me in somewhat of a lapse. I had raised my bar of expectation beyond belief only to be laterally disappointed, though this bar had been satiated with Sasaki Kojiro, which was later again disappointed with the following arcs. Though, do not get me wrong, this disappointment was incredibly tiny, one I can just easily wipe away--this was the main reason I didn't enjoy it to it's maximum potential. (which is predominantly my fault)

But this in itself is what made me think about the value of story--in which we are told; how do we technically value story? But that is for another time...