If there's one thing I can command Shimazaki in the Land of Peace for, it's the first volume's ability to create this incredible layer of consistency from beginning to end. Every time I turned the page, I was worried about what would happen because the answer could've ranged from a gorgeous scenery shot to a violent execution. However, that fear and anxiety lay at the heart of this story. We follow a simple man, trying his best to live a peaceful life in a seemingly broken world.

If you are not looking to read something that is overly political and indicative of a lot of current real world events, stay far away from this because while the exposition is kept minimal, political unrest with how nations are run informs almost everything that goes on in this story. It is why the main character stays away from Japan for so long. It informs his overall disposition and is a prime motivator for almost every other character. Some people only know peace and try to ignore the looming threat behind the scenes while others have their perception of the world so irrevocably broken they might as well just take matters into their own hands. It's a very cynical book despite having a lot of brief moments of levity.

Maybe it's because the book makes me uncomfortable that I appreciate those moments of comedy more. This helps me get into the headspace of the main character Shingo. He's awkward and doesn't talk a lot but you can tell he appreciates the simpler things in life as he wasn't allowed to experience them growing up. He tackles things in a very direct manner due to the training that he had but at the end of the day, he's a good man that wants a simpler life.

The question is, though, can he have one? Not only is he unable to break old habits, but the political unrest worldwide that he was forced to be a part of is still growing. No matter how much he tries to escape, there's a lot of room for it to creep up and follow. He can only ward off other people or silently use his violent skills so much before the curtain he's hiding behind gets pulled away. The action is very swift and quiet, which makes it stand out compared to a lot of other action stories, but that also makes sense given the nature of everyone's skill sets. I worry that it's only a matter of time before things get much louder, visually and narratively.

This feels like a story that I have to be in a particular mood to read, not because I don't think I'll enjoy it most of the time, but because it hits a certain realism that a lot of people probably aren't ready to sit down and read for the sake of escapism. I read this hoping for the main character to find the happy life he is constantly pursuing. I feel like that is the intention of stories like this, to ride that line between cynicism and hopeful optimism. It's tightly packed and distinct in its presentation. If you're looking for something a little bit different, give this a chance.