akutagawa’s Rashomon and other stories

A famous samurai murder mystery finally brought to life in graphic novel form!

A sword-swinging samurai, a corpse-robbing crone and a falsely accused trans man stand at the center of these four iconic tales, once the inspiration for a classic film, now turned into stunning graphic novellas.

The stories in this volume by Ryunosuke Akutagawa — the renowned “father of the Japanese short story” are captured by manga masters mkdeville and Philippe Nicloux in these four action-packed adaptations:

• Rashomon: A houseless servant pits morality against survival in a post-apocalyptic world where thievery and the desecration of the dead are necessary for survival
• In a Grove: Conflicting statements and competing narratives call into question the notion of objective truth in a searing tale of rape and revenge
• Otomi’s Virginity: Pride, honor and dignity are at stake when a young servant is confronted by an unexpected aggressor at her employer’s abandoned house
• The Martyr: A pious Jesuit with a dark secret faces excommunication and death in 16th-century Japan, when Christianity was introduced and then banned by order of the Shogun

Stunning graphic adaptations by mkdeville and Philippe Nicloux turn these iconic tales into thrilling page-turners, following in the footsteps of the famous Kurosawa film.