What comes down to a lot of manga being successful in the long run is if whether it is popular or not. In Kurogane's case it unfortunately missed the mark and was axed, but this doesn't reduce its value any less.
Kurogane is a sports shounen manga based around the sport kendo in a high school setting. However, the author puts a small supernatural twist on it to try to make it 'fresh'. Unfortunately, since it was axed we never get to see Kurogane's full potential as it sets itself up for something that could have been great, but never could show it.
The story revolves around high school freshmen Hirito Kurogane, a weak-frail boy who only cared about getting good grades in class and wouldn't dare do anything involving physical activity. He somehow gets involved with a spirit who wants him to succeed her Kendo style and one thing leads to another he joins the Kendo club. The story basically follows a traditional sports shounen route where our fellow MC slowly works his way up through training and determination to become a great Kendoist. Along the way of course making friends and rivals which truly test his ability not only physically but also mentally slowly shaping our MC to become a better self.
The art is nice and modern. It's not amazing, but it's nice to look at and it looks visually well when it comes to the Kendo matches.
If I were to say the characters were original that would be a far cry from the the truth. Saying that though, each character is given their own unique twist or difference that makes them a bit original in their own way, but it's easy to see that a lot of the characters are similar to most shounen characters. You have the weak MC who becomes strong, the snotty, aggressive show-offy friend and the friend who is always serious when it comes to what he loves to do.(Then of course these two friends always fight, but truly value each other's friendship) Then of course others like the typical romantic interest, the super over-powered nice guy and even the villians who look so overly the top evil it's actually kind of humorous.
That aside though, the character development is there and so are the friendships and rivalries that arise with each encounter making the characters pleasant, but once again since it was axed we can never truly the true potential.
A very enjoyable read to anyone that may be looking for a shounen manga. My thought going into this was not to expect much, but in the end I ended up being one of those guys that cannot wait for it to be updated. While it does have it flaws, luckily it's enjoyable enough to not get too caught up in those.
I sound like a broken record player, but this is a manga that had the potential to be something great, but never could. Although it did manage to show a little of that potential off which is why I give it a 7/10. It's enjoyable, has good characters, revolves around Kendo which may be refreshing to some and has a decent story to go with it. If you're looking for a sports manga and perhaps liked other manga or anime like Baby Steps, Bamboo Blade, etc. I recommend this. Just because Kurogane got cut short doesn't mean it's bad or lower its worth; I think you'll be in for a nice surprise once you get started reading it. Just try it out yourself and be your own judge of that.
story 7/10 the idea isnt really origional nor very special. Boy who isnt good at sports joins kendo club and proves to be very very talented for it. There are some problems but they are easily solved and all important matches are won.
art 9/10 yeah i really like this art style.
character 8/10 the characters arent really origional but they do behave according to their character and have some personal growht. New characters are introduced at a nice pace and they a look diffrent so you can remeber them.
enjoyment 9/10 i liked it but this is just because i like this sort of manga. If you read it you will most likely learn something about kendo and pass your time with something fun but it will not be the greatest manga you have ever read.
i would reccomend this if you like this sort of story. Its not too long and its easy to read. If you have nothing else to do, do read this.
Kurogane was a manga that I chanced upon. I think it really is a shame that it isn’t very popular, as it contains many of the elements of a successful sports manga.
I really, really enjoyed reading this manga. It got me excited to see what would happen, and much like Haikyu! or Kuroko no Basket, the prospects of strong opponents, developing friendships and skills added to the story. The integration of a supernatural element was unusual, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
There aren’t many drawbacks to Kurogane but the main one I would like to point out is the length. Because it is so short, I really hoped to feel satisfied at the end. The character development could have been more in depth if it were longer, but in the end, I really loved reading it.