Sensou Kyoushitsu
The Bugle Call: Song of War

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Sensou Kyoushitsu is a series that has sold itself not with shock value or hype moments but with compelling storytelling and world-building. It is one of the best fantasy adventure series in years and deserves all the praise it is bound to get in the future. But what makes it such a great read?

In a medieval European setting, the story follows Lucas (earlier translated as Ryuka), who was abandoned by his parents and taken in by the leader of a mercenary group. He grows up to be the group's bugle player but wants to leave the group to become a musician. Lucas is also ridiculed ... by others in the mercenary group not only for his dream but his other two notable features as well – his claims of "seeing" the music he plays and the horn-like branch extending from his head. One day, the group is enlisted in a battle, but the opposing army is not quite what they usually fight. It is led by a guy with a very long helmet who sends a single fighter against an entire army. This fighter also has a branch like Lucas, can throw around horses, and takes on a whole army by herself.

The story establishes itself from this point onwards as a fantasy setting where warriors with superpowers exist. At first, I wasn't on board with it because I expected a grounded war manga (something like Berserk Golden Age arc) and thought it might devolve into mindless fighting series without taking advantage of its setting and such. But this manga didn't take long to dissipate these worries and establish its unique identity.

It immediately sets up the world's mysteries, the superpowers of these people called Rami, an end goal for characters to achieve and their unique motivations, political intrigue & faction politics, an overwhelming threat they need to combat, and an excellent cast of characters. Only a few have gotten the focus on them so far, but everyone has been compelling in the short time they have gotten. Lucas is a good protagonist because his circumstances force him to change and adapt to different situations in wars without removing his initial character as a kind boy who wants to be a musician. But as much as I like him, the standout character here is the Pope. He is at the forefront of all conflicts in the series, but everything about him is shrouded in mystery (even when something is revealed about him, it just raises more questions). I have always loved such characters who always have more going on than they let on (Makima, Askeladd, Johan, Koro Sensei), and his character is similar in that way.

I have to talk about this series' biggest appeal and pull: its fantastic power system. I love when the powers in a series are simple and straightforward. This reduces the room for cop-outs by revealing/adding something new to the existing vague powers and corners the writer to be more creative with the limited tools. Here, some powers are as simple as being able to levitate very light items, seeing at a distance without moving, and making others see lines in the sky – none very useful in a war, but the writer uses them in such creative ways that are mind-boggling but at the same time very much in the scope of reader's imagination. And some obviously strong powers like super strength and super-fast speed have serious drawbacks preventing their abuse. The writer has done a brilliant job of balancing out all these crazy powers, which is a big reason why all the battles in this manga are so interesting.

Sensou Kyoushitsu is not a very popular manga, but I can see it being popular in the future because it is a series rife with potential in-depth discussions about its characters and battles, as well as theorizing for its numerous mysteries. This is undoubtedly a series that demands readers' attention simply by being awesome. Hopefully, it gets out of its current "cult" status and finds more mainstream success soon because I haven't seen a series that deserves it more in a long time.

Man, what an amazing manga.
The Bugle's Call is about a kid called Lucas who is part of a mercenary band as the bugler. There are 2 things unique about him, though - the branch coming out of his head and that he claims he can "see the music".

The characters are what hooked me the fastest. The first chapter manages to tell a self contained story about Luca's adoptive father and show that, while he's a brutal commander on the surface, he's a got a deep care for Lucas. The following chapters quickly managed to root an investment in every single one of the characters ... he meets.

The other standout feature of the manga is the art, particularly the panelling. There are a lot of creative panel layouts, and chapter 13 has the best use of panelling I have ever seen in a manga. The art itself is very expressive, especially in the faces, and the scale of some of the scenes is shown excellently.

There are only 2 things I would consider even remotely criticising this manga for. One is that the world doesn't always make sense. It's hard to give examples without spoiling, but the idea that the people don't actually know about the Ramus is ridiculous, especially given some of the ones shown later. The other is that, in the first few chapters, the art is a little warped.

A young man with a branch blossoming from his head who is belonging to a company of mercenaries has the ability to see and guide others through sounds. After a decisive skirmish in which his mercenary company has been effectively disbanded, the boy is taken in by a powerful figure who wishes to use his abilities for affairs of state alongside others like him, who also have branches sprouting from their heads and have unique powers of their own.

The Bugle Call is a beautifully composed action-fantasy story set in a medieval-esque period following a young man who wishes to simply play the bugle. His worldview ... begins to change, however, as he considers those around him and the implications of his actions as he begins undertaking more responsibility. The entire cast of characters is chalk-full of interesting individuals who all have distinct personalities and many of them are enshrouded in enough mystery to keep one guessing at why some of them are where they are, doing what it is they do.

The writing is strong and purposeful - the series establishes its mysteries and obstacles very quickly, and spends its time building its world and then exploring it. The power system is simple and brilliant in its execution. The powers that the characters possess are smartly used and balanced, creating a grounded action-economy, where each character has their opportunity to contribute something to a battle, or beyond the scope of battle such as reconnaissance. They also serve to create truly tense and suspenseful moments.

The illustration quality is generally good, but the composition of the major scenes and events is superb. A high level of creativity is on display in many of the pivotal, turning-point moments in this series.

This review is based upon the first 5 volumes of this manga. At this time, I highly recommend this series to anyone reading - this is a manga that does not deserve to fade into obscurity. It executes all of its themes and ideas at a visibly high level.