8人の戦士

8-NIN NO SENSHI

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
2
RELEASE
October 28, 2020
CHAPTERS
4

DESCRIPTION

The tournament to choose the next king of the islands is about to begin. The rules are simple—whoever comes first loses! To ensure they don’t, participating warriors protect their mighty swords with armor that grows larger and more elaborate with each tournament. But one warrior who’s been studying abroad has returned with a secret technique certain to force a pleasurable eruption! Is there a warrior alive able to withstand it? Or is this deft warrior destined to become king?!

(Source: SuBLime Manga)

Note: Originally serialized under the title "Pulau Senki" (プラウ戦記), officially renaming it to "8-nin no Senshi" in early 2019.

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

HungryOnMain
95/100
"PWP"? Nah, son, put the plot back in, let's see where this goes.
You know that one panel of Oglaf?

That's reading this manga. What a fun ride.

Explicit panels will be spoiled in case of polite company.

Plot

The archipelago Pulau Yang Indah is an isolated nation with very different ideas of what masculinity means. Eight clans send their most capable, beautiful men to compete in the Great Wyrm Tournament, a competition hosted once every four years to determine the archipelago's rulers. Named as such due to the human male anatomy, these warriors battle to the finish (or rather, their opponent's finish). Harto is among the eight selected for this tournament, and he comes armed with knowledge that's literally game-changing: the prostate gland. That's only the beginning, because it gets wilder from here.

I opened the first volume in my local bookshop to this panel.

Never in my life have I been sold a manga so fast.

Spoilers from this moment onwards.

The tournament is half shonen battle arc, half exhibitionism. It doesn't help that the selected warriors tend to fall in love with each other (a fact that Matthew, a latecomer to the story, finds rather upsetting). The fights are also tenets of the relationships of the characters, exploring their feelings and desires through their battles.

The ending fight is a bit of a cop-out, with the current ruler remaining in power, but the relationships of the characters all end up satisfactory, so it all works out. Harto refuses to lose because he doesn't want to submit to anyone but his boyfriend Matthew, Pisao and Yudha are utterly adorable in their inability to confess, Bulan's obsession with Roro is just hilarious, and Vampir and Naga don't get much time in the first volume, but I love them nonetheless.

The worldbuilding is also a pleasure, with everything from history and politics to culture and fashion on display in only two volumes. The Pulau Yang Indah archipelago is one I'd love to visit and experience.

Artwork

Ike Reibun's art is lovely, hunks abound in this world with nary a hair out of place. Not much in the way of body diversity, which is a bummer. Ike avoids the "yaoi proportions" stereotypical of the industry with anatomical accuracy, muscles and limbs are drawn likely with references. This makes it far easier to look at for me personally. Also, the censorship is juuuuust present enough to get published, but not get in the way of what you're really here for.

Overall Thoughts

Please, read this. It's such a fun, sexy take on BL and shonen battles, and a showcase of what can happen when you really put effort into worldbuilding in explicit material. I found myself wanting the characters to be happy in their culture, not just wanting to see their sculpted bodies mash together. The fights had weight to them, the story is fun, and the characters are charming beyond their sex appeal. See you at the next Great Wyrm Tournament!
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