Vagabond: A Chaotic Of Human Growth
A Manga That Will Completely Change Your Life
Covid-19 and quarantine has really changed my life. Especially when it comes to embrace reading as a lifestyle. Back then, i genuinely thought that reading is one of the most boring hobby you can possibly pick compared to any others hobbies.
But as Najwa Shihab1 said, you only need one book to fall in love into reading.
Then voilà, i found these two amazing books that drive me crazy into reading. One of them is a manga called ‘Vagabond’ by Takehiko Inoue. Inspired by ‘Musashi,’ a fictional novel written by Eiji Yoshikawa.
Vagabond In Short
Vagabond itself tells the fictionalized story about Shinmen Takezo who eventually known as Musashi Miyamoto and becomes the most legendary Japanese swordsmen. The story captures his journey from a young, dumb, reckless, fiery young man into a figure of unmatched discipline and wisdom.
As a young boy, Musashi have the ambition to become invincible. To defeat anyone who stood before him. This fierce ambition drives his early years of adventure. Later on, he realizes that ‘invincible’ is nothing but merely a word.
What I Love About Vagabond
Vagabond is not just a story about adventure. It is a story about self-discovery and human growth. What makes this manga is even more amazing that, as a reader you can witness the process of Musashi’s personal growth as the adventure goes on and on. And how each step he has taken eventually shapes him, guiding him toward a level of wisdom that feels almost unimaginable at the start.
In his early years, Takezo or Musashi doesn’t even believe in higher power. He holds no value for life beyond his own pride and self-worth. But then, there’s this one panel in the manga that you can see he was just staring at the sky while telling himself that he’s nothing.
I remember when I read that panel, I thought ‘this is it, from this point he’ll completely change. and I’m ready for this.’ That panel hit me like a wave.
It’s been a long time ago since I first read Vagabond. But the feelings, the connections between me and this manga has stayed and I think forever will be. So please, Inoue Sensei, please continue to write this manga (i’m a beggar).
The Connections
I read this manga during the post-pandemic era. Sometime around the end of 2021 or maybe the early months of 2022. I can’t quite recall the exact timing, but it was during that transitional period when life was slowly starting to regain some sense of normalcy.
I was a stupid person. I lost myself. Quarantine really messed me up. Especially, I had just gone through a breakup that completely shattered me (lol). But really, I was completely lost and didn’t even notice who i was anymore. I spent most of my days just locking myself in my room with nothing to do, except cry and convince myself of how unlucky I was (see how stupid myself back then).
I was even overweight at that time. Which was really unusual for me. But I mean, all I did was eat, sleep, and repeat. The toxic combination of heartbreak plus quarantine has completely wrecked me. It felt like my mind always stuck on these inproper things that kept distracting me, things I couldn’t escape. It sucked. But that was really me back then.
‘I was freakin exhausted by this vicious cycle of my life. It drained me.’
That’s when I realized I needed some kind of vaccine. A vaccine for my soul. And Vagabond became the answer. Because this manga has some kind of unique formula that really helped me2. Not really a formula, but more of the philosophy of it.
Vagabond Taught Me
Vagabond taught me a lot of things. It taught me many lessons that have shaped me into who I am today. It shows me the messiness of personal growth and how humans can truly live a peaceful life through the discovery of their inner selves. It taught me how to live in alignment with nature, not to be greedy, yet always to be grateful for anything in life.
It taught me how to maintain our ambitions, which can sometimes backfire on us. It taught me how to manage our emotions and even our temper as men. It taught me how to live in the most peaceful way possible and how to see things clearly and broadly, rather than just focusing on one tiny thing.
There are many things that have shaped my personality, and Vagabond is one of them. It's not just a manga or comic that many people are cynical about. It's even more valuable than one could ever expect.
Preoccupied with a single leaf... you won't see the tree. Preoccupied with a single tree... you'll miss the entire forest. Don't be preoccupied with a single spot. See everything in its entirety... effortlessly. That is what it means to truly "see.” -VagabondJakarta, January 18th 2025 21.58 P.M
An indonesian journalist
Actually, there’s two books that truly helped me gone through the lowest point in my life. Filosofi Teras by Henry Manampiring and this manga. But we’ll be just focus on this manga right now.