"Shimazaki in the Land of Peace" is a haunting tale about being an ex-member of a terrorist group named LEL. These ex-members find themselves in colonies located in Japan trying to attain a better way of living. Unfortunately, everything doesn't become peaceful for them. Their new path is almost as dangerous as their former way. I didn't have any expectations for this story, but I was definitely drawn in by our main character Shimazaki. Shimazaki is kind and sharp. He is thoughtful and careful. I loved seeing his views through his art. The action in this manga is pretty good, but the plot is heavy with brutal imagery.

This book caught my attention because the main character looks like an actor I like. I wouldn’t have normally even given this a second glance from the description. But reading it I became very engrossed in Shingo’s story, a little John Wick-ish with him helping the manga artists he starts working with and even the restaurant people with the violence he ran away from after being taken by the LEI and brainwashed as a child.

I’m very intrigued and do plan on reading the second one when it comes out so I highly recommend this title.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I took a chance on this because the description immediately brings into mind The Way of the Househusband, and I need to stamp out any expectations on that front, as they will be to the detriment of the reading experience of Shimizaki.

Househusband lives firmly tongue in cheek, intending to be light and humorous and a bit silly but with loads of heart. Shimizaki follows the same basic idea of a man of violence retiring to a quiet life, but it does not intend to be light or heartwarming. Parts of it certainly are heartwarming as Shimizaki builds his new life, but it's a more quiet sort of story. There's no goofiness here, not really. It's pretty straightforward and more serious, as each chapter provides more of the violent backstory of Shimizaki's life.

Kidnapped as a child and raised in a terrorist organization, Shimizaki has a lot of heaviness on his shoulders as he returns to his childhood home of Japan and tries to retire and live a quiet life. He makes friends. He has a job. But the specter of his past is constantly hanging over him, and certain events means he still has to use his deadly skills to keep his quiet life quiet.

This is a decent story, but ultimately it fell flat for me. It's just...well, it's boring. I don't have much to say beyond that. Even with getting good chunks of backstory, I didn't find myself caring much for Shimizaki as a person.

The art is serviceable, but not very dynamic or exciting either. Characters often exist in blank white space in panels, and when backgrounds or other people are drawn, they're mostly there as a reminder that the world exists and that this isn't taking place in a completely blank void.

It's fine. Chapter 1 is free on the Kodansha website - give a try, it's a great indicator of if this story will work for you. It didn't for me, unfortunately.

Many thanks to Kodansha and NetGalley for the eARC for review. Shimizaki in the Land of Peace Vol 1 is available now.

This book follows a man who has gotten out of a extremist group as he tries to readjust and assimilate into normal life. The art style was a bit gritty which showed the darker nature of what the main character has been through. The character development and the world building were a little lacking so there were many instances where I was confused. But an interesting start to a series nonetheless.

After reading the comic I knew the same exact things I did by just reading the synopsis. It still feels not so much like a story, but a series of notes on a story; or, at least, a series of scenes set in someone's life... that we still don't know. It's also true that it's only the first book of a series, so we'll see how it goes.
Not really my style, but the idea behind it seems cool enough.

This is just not my speed. The storyline is dull, but violent and a bit confusing. The art is good, but I'm just not a fan.

I am very excited to see where this goes - I didn't expect to love the art style so much as its somewhat simple, but I ended up loving it by the end of volume 1.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! this manga was really intriguing and I'm excited to see what happens to Shimazaki in future volumes!

You're thrown into a 50 year conflict between The League for Economic Liberation (LEL) and the International Community over economic inequality. Thirty years ago, Flight 0457 was hijacked and kidnapped by the LEL. After years of murders and brainwashing, a lone boy, Shingo Shimazaki, is the sole survivor of the hijacking. This is his story thirty years later.

Shimazaki is a man who longed for his home for 30 years while enduring training and missions that turned him into a soldier. I like how the mangakas did not make him an intimidating, stoic person. He can be happy. He hypes himself up for work, like someone at their first job. People can see how genuine he is, even if they don't know his past or unique set of skills.

He diffuses heated situations and tries to avoid conflict unless something happens to people he cares about or himself. This is a person the reader will be rooting for and want to see avoid his bloody past in exchange for an ordinary life. That's why the end of each chapter brings up a sense of tension where you know things will change but want to bask in the ordinary of Shimazaki's current life.

Each chapter has great pacing and leaves you wanting more. The authors blend the action and the mundane very well where nothing drags.

The volume introduces another member and friend of Shingo who were part of the LEL currently living in Japan. Counter of Shingo's active involvement in and attempts at peaceful resolutions, his friend's approach to situations is not getting involved in the community or their problems and suggesting people retaliate to resolve their issues.

I don't have any complaints nor suggestions on things the series could improve upon. I think the story was really good and each of the characters introduced were very interesting.

Overall, if you're looking for a series about a man with a dark, bloody history trying to achieve an ordinary life, I would highly recommend Shimazaki in the Land of Peace.

I dig the warrior in the garden vibe of the story. The imagery is on point and the story is going in a good direction. I’d love to continue this manga and see where he ends up. I hope the character finds the peace he’s looking for.

I've not read many comics, but I thoroughly enjoyed this story of an ex spy for a terrorist organisation, turned man who just wants to live a normal life.

The everyday mundanity of his life combined with flashbacks and violence as the organisation slowly tracks him down works so well.

Loved the art, and there were some powerful words that stood out to me, for example: If you ask me, we need imagination to protect ourselves. It's art that can reach the human heart. Violence doesn't have that kind of power.

3.25☆

The story follows Shingo Shimazaki, who's returned to Japan after spending many years training and fighting for a terrorist organisation (the LEL). He's trying to lead a simple, quiet life, but his past doesn't seem to want to stay behind him.

Part 'slice of life' and part action, this was an engaging story. There were some flashbacks thrown in to help explain character backstories, but I was still left a bit confused about why Shingo was being followed, and what happened in his past that led him to flee the LEL - maybe this is resolved a bit more in further installments?

The novel has an interesting art style that worked well with the story, and I got a fair impression on who our main character was and how he lives. I enjoyed the side characters, and I'm looking forward to reading more and discovering their stories too.

4/5 ⭐️

I really liked this volume! It starts out with Shimazaki escaping the LEL which is a terrorist organization and going back to his home in Japan. He wants to live a normal life after 30 years of being away from everything. The plot of the story was concise and gripped me till the end. I like that it explored political and societal concepts in each chapter and how it relates to the community Shimazaki surrounds himself with. It was nice seeing how episodic this was and the art style really matched the aura of the manga. I would like to see where the rest of the story goes and would recommend If you like slice-of-life thrillers!

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this e—ARC!

Rating:3.5/5 ⭐
Review:
✨Overall, this is a quite easy read because this volume is the introduction of this series.
✨In terms of plot, it is still easy to understand with few flashbacks in it.
✨However, for characters, especially other than Shimazaki, I haven't really truly warmed up to them yet, but for me it is understandable for this volume.
✨I would say that because the backgrounds of many side characters were not told yet.
✨Even for Shimazaki, he’s still quite mysterious to me. Like, what actually happened to him? What triggered him to escape?
✨Although Shimazaki is in the land of peace and trying very hard to fit in with help from people around him, chaos still adamantly follows him. I feel bad for him.
✨In terms of drawing, I felt that the style portrays some kind of chaos a little bit, quite contrasting with the manga’s name, but on other hand, suits the plot.
✨For me, this series suits readers that prefer stories with main characters that have a dark history behind them.
✨Thank you to Kodansha Comics and #NetGalley for this ARC! This review was voluntarily written by me.

Shimazaki is the biggest man child ever in this, but in the absolute best way possible.

While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel—there are plenty of manga with similar premises—but it’s really well done. I love stories where the main character is older and just now trying to figure life out, although this is from a former terrorist trying to start over angle.

Since Shimazaki has been all over the world, they even included foreign dishes, coffee, and little cultural details, which I thought was such a nice touch. Like, sure, he learned how to murder people, but he also picked up a lot about other cultures along the way. I love when stories sneak in little things like that—it’s always fun learning something new in the most unexpected ways.

This one kind of has it all—it’s a slice of life with comedy, but it also dives into heavier issues and, of course, has action and fight scenes. For something that covers so much, it’s surprisingly well-balanced. The writing even caught me off guard a few times with how deep it got.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It wasn’t necessarily my usual cup of tea, but it had some really great touches that stood out. If you’re into action manga or the synopsis catches your interest, I’d 100% recommend giving it a read~

Shimazaki in the Land of Peace is very interesting! This is an alternate historical political thriller about Shingo Shimazaki, who was kidnapped by LEL as a kid and trained to be a killer of sorts. LEL is a terrorist organization brainwashing people to believe in their agenda. After thirty years Shingo Shimazaki managed to free himself and now he has returned to his native country, Japan. He just wants to live in peace. This isn't like Sakamoto Days, but darker and there's no humor as such. There's this depressing and suffocating feeling to the manga, which is super delicious. I also loved the whole setting and how LEL feels so familiar considering real history. I wish there were more stories like this, political ones I mean.

The art looks great and realistic. The flashbacks are awesome and overall the rhythm is nice, everything flows with easiness. I think I have to keep reading this, since it's hard to find series like this - they aren't made anymore. Their peak was in the 1980s. But! This surely is refreshing and somehow so different.

An equally heartwarming and gory narrative that follows Shingo Shimazaki, a man who, after spending thirty years fighting for a terrorist organisation that kidnapped him as a child, has finally made it back to Japan and is planning to lead a quiet life, but old habits die hard, and his past just won't stay in the past.

Shimazaki in the Land of Peace is a riveting and genre-bending manga with a healthy mix of slice-of-life humour and gore. I loved the art style and the realistic depiction of PTSD. I highly recommend it particularly to readers who enjoyed works such as The Way of the Househusband and Spy × Family.

"I mean, what can comics do in an age like this?"

Shimazaki was once kidnapped, held hostage, and conditioned to work for a terrorist group. He has escaped thirty years later and wishes to start a new life. Easier said than done. The LEL group has engaged in hostile activity in Japan. Despite Shimizaki's attempts to fit in, sleeper agents and gangsters alike sense something is off with him as he balances time between making coffee at the local cafe and helping a manga artist meet his deadlines.

I was expecting this story to be more Way of the Househusband than Death Note, but we get a captivating thriller of a traumatized man reclaiming his present after terrorists stole his childhood. Sure, Shimazaki may take time to brew the perfect cup of coffee or sub in mackerel sandwiches, but he will stop an old lady from making a mistake that could ruin her life or track down an old friend that also wanted to escape the terrorist cell. And he does it without losing his calm demeanor. On the inside, Shimazaki remembers, but on the outside? He keeps his head.

The quote above comes from a scene towards the end of this volume. Shimazaki's manga boss laments how it feels pointless to make art in the face of everyday violence. Over lunch, Shimazaki tells him that "It's art that can reach the human heart. Violence doesn't have that kind of power." (I'm beginning to wonder how many NetGalley requests are providing the reassurance needed for times like these.)

Thank you, Gouten Hamada. I think Volume 2 can't come soon enough.

Unique art style paired with a fantastic story-line. The action is well met with Shingo Shimazaki's slice-of-life adventure.

I am enjoying "Shimazaki in the Land of Peace, Vol 1." The writing and plotting by Gouten Hamada is intriguing in its premise. It gives enough info for the premise to get me involved, but doesn't give it all away. Characterization is a nice building block. Again, not all is given away so I'm sure we will learn more about Shimazaki in volumes to come. Holding back on all details is something I appreciate as my hope is that it reduces retconning of details as the plot evolves. The artwork reminds me a little of Naoki Urasawa's style and I'm all for that. The paneling is simple which makes it easy to follow. Another thing that I appreciate is that I don't feel overwhelmed by a large number of characters introduced. It is done at a leisurely paced so I am able to keep track. There is a little confusion in some transitions but otherwise, I'm digging this manga and hope to see more of it.