On a whim, I started reading the manga Drifters from Kouta Hirano (author/artist of Hellsing). I rather enjoyed reading Hellsing, and I liked the anime version of it as well. So, I figured I would enjoy Drifters as well. As of now, there are 35 chapters released, and after all these chapters I am still on the fence about the series.
Drifters is based around a world where two characters, an old man named Murasaki and a black haired woman named Easy, bring historical soldiers to an alternate world in order to fight a war against each other. The reasoning behind why Murasaki and Easy are at odds with each other has not been discussed in the series yet. The alternate world the soldiers are transported is heavily influenced by western fantasy as the world is inhabited by humans, and fantasy creatures such as dwarves, elves and hobbits. Even the hatred/rivalry between the elves and dwarves is present. Murasaki seemingly brings historical figures and soldiers alive, these characters are called the Drifters, while Easy seemingly brings figures and soldiers from throughout history that died tragic deaths, called Ends.
Examples of soldiers from throughout history include Joan of Arc, who is an End as she was executed tragically, and Oda Nobunaga, who is a drifter. Some liberties are taken with the Drifters’ backstories however. For example, Nobunaga, who in our history was killed in 1582, was actually transported to this alternate world by Murasaki and was only thought to be killed. What I find interesting about the characters is how the Drifters are normal humans while the Ends seem to have supernatural powers based on their lives and deaths (Joan of Arc seems to have powers of flames based on her execution by burning).
Other characters in the series are historical figures who are noted for their violence such as Butch Cassidy, The Sundance Kid, and Adolf Hitler. There are also other organizations involved such as the Octobrists, who are people tasked with gathering and protecting the Drifters, and the Orte Empire, a tyrannical human empire who enslave the fantasy races.
As of Chapter 35, the Drifters and the Ends have not fought each other, but the battle lines are starting to be drawn and armies created. The soldier Shimazu Toyohisa is so far leading the Drifters and fantasy creatures as a budding army with Nobunaga as an advisor, while the Ends are being led by a character named The Black King whose true identity isn’t known yet. All that’s known about the Black King is that he once tried to save humans but they rejected him, causing him to decide to form an army with “evil” fantasy creatures like ogres and dragons, and to eradicate all humans. This has led some fans and readers of the series to speculate that The Black King is actually a religious icon such as Jesus Christ.
While the series is supposed to be serious, there are times where I find it very hard to take it that way. Some parts are blatant comic relief. Then you have the scenes where events are intense, and in the middle of a serious conversation Oda Nobunaga is making jokes about a female character’s breasts. It gets really old, even for a pervert fan like me.
There are also a few historical inaccuracies like Nobunaga making gunpowder from corpses and salt, even though this method of making gunpowder wasn’t introduced to Japan until after his death. The story is a little confusing with people from different time periods being transported into a single location together. At one point the reader finds out that Adolf Hitler was transported to this world as Drifter 50 years prior to the series start, and yet we have Japanese samurai from the 1500s and before being transported.
All in all, the series is enjoyable so far. The art is solid and any fans of Hellsing or other pieces of Hirano’s work will recognize his style instantly. As I said before, so far only 35 chapters are out online, and 3 volumes released in English. The publisher is slow releasing volumes and I’m not quite sure why. However, it is definitely something to look into reading.
