Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword Volume 5 Review

Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword Vol. 5

Written by: Wing Shing Ma
Art by: Wing Shing Ma

Okay, I give up.

When last we left our intrepid heroes on Chinese Hero they were trying to save some of the crew from falling down a deep hole and into a cave, where it was almost certain that battles were going to ensue. That was toward the end of volume four. At the beginning of volume five, some different people have joined the main group and all of a sudden they're facing some sort of biker gang that can summon a bull stampede. Before too long, Hero and crew are using their martial arts prowess to deliver staggering kicks and massive blows to bulls of all shapes and sizes.

I give up.

Seriously, it's one thing to abandon the existing plotline, throw in some new stuff without explaining yourself, and never really resolve the unresolved events that happened in the previous volume. That's unforgivable at best, but when you throw in punching bulls with your chi, I have to draw the line. Even the second story, involving Zhi, Qin and Ghost Servant fighting to save China Tower from the Four Guards of the Black Dragon Gang, is still not enough to bring this book back from the edge it's managed to careen over. Last volume I was really willing to give this book the benefit of the doubt, as I felt I was finally gaining an understanding of the storyline. This volume completely pulled the carpet out from under me, and frankly, I've had enough.

There's wonderful artwork in this series, but it's not enough to warrant spending your $19 on. Go and get two regular tankobon from a different series, because all the color and glossy paper in the world isn't going to make you appreciate this chaotic story any better. I've read every volume since the first one and I don't think I've been able to make sense of it yet. It's a shame that such beautiful artwork is stuck with such a lackluster plotline, but that shouldn't be a factor in your decision to pick up this book.

Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword could be a really worthwhile addition to anyone's collection, if in fact it had a solid storyline to go with all that beautiful artwork. Frankly, if you'd like to get your hands on a better example of the type of quality artwork coming out of Taiwan and China, check out The Four Constables series, which will give you high quality color on good paper, but also a really good story to boot. At the end of the day Chinese Hero is simply not worth your money or time.

Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword Volume 5 Review

Bruce Lee vs. a Cattle Stampede

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