ANN/THE JAPAN NEWS – Around the world, especially in Africa, armed terrorist organizations often kidnap children to force them into becoming child soldiers. A survey by a non-profit organization confirmed that between 2004 and 2007, there were as many as 250,000 child soldiers.
These children endure lasting psychological effects even after being freed and given protection. For those living in Japan, this reality might be unimaginable, and the word “tragic” hardly captures the severity of their situation.
The story of Heiwa no Kuni no Shimazaki e (Shimazaki in the Land of Peace) begins with a flashback. A plane flying out of Japan is hijacked by an international terrorist organisation.
Its passengers are abducted and their whereabouts are unknown.
Thirty years later, 39-year-old Shingo Shimazaki makes his living as a manga artist’s assistant while also working part-time at a cafe. He appears to be an ordinary middle-aged man, but he is not fluent in Japanese. He struggles to speak the language, possibly because he has lived abroad for a long time. For some unknown reason, the public security police have their eyes on him.
We learn that Shimazaki was kidnapped when he was nine. He was brainwashed and trained to become a competent combat agent. After fighting on battlefields here and there in the world, he suddenly escaped from the organisation. He is now being sheltered in a colony for fugitives in Japan. Shimazaki’s only wish is to live quietly in this “land of peace”.
But there is no way the operatives of the terrorist organisation, which has also laid down roots in Japan, will let the traitor go free.
Long-time manga readers will recognise that the pattern of this story derives from Kamui Gaiden (The Legend of Kamui) by Sanpei Shirato. Shimazaki is a modern-day Kamui, an outcast ninja.
If you look at it through that lens, the outlandish situation will not bother you too much. In fact, I am quite impressed by how well the past masterpiece has been updated.
First of all, Shimazaki is very charming as a character. He has a gentle personality to the point of almost being timid, but his eyes – ever observant of his surroundings – remain keen and sharp. What he remembers from his past, which he wants to forget, sometimes comes in handy in unexpected ways. Even in this “land of peace”, there are tangled relationships and crimes, so when Shimazaki fixes various troubles unnoticed by others, he begins to come across as a dependable hero.
That, however, is only half of Shimazaki’s identity. Having been through hell, he has an unfathomably dark side as well. He mercilessly kills all the assassins sent by terrorist organisations, and you begin to realise that this man is a walking lethal weapon.
The public security police may be absolutely right in their concern that he is a potential security risk who should not be in Japan.
This contradiction in his personality is drawn as contradictory as it is, and that’s what makes this manga so intriguing to read. Since the subject matter is extremely heavy, I actually hesitated to start reading this manga. What helped me to overcome this hesitation was the compelling storytelling by Gouten Hamada and the persuasive drawings by Takeshi Seshimo. – Kanta Ishida
