My Cultural Diet

In an alternate version of feudal Japan, the whole of Asia has been decimated by a mysterious plague. Survivors from Japan, Korea, and China now eke out a hard yet proud existence on a remote island that keeps them hidden and safe. But when the new Japanese Shōgun arrives, demanding their fealty in exchange for protection from horrific monsters ravaging the mainland, two young warriors — a samurai’s son and an orphaned peasant girl — must set aside their differences and work together to save their home. Clearly a labor of love for Greg Pak, Ronin Island has a lot going for it: winsome protagonists, alternate histories, and of course, samurai action. It doesn’t always strike the best tonal balance; sometimes it wants to be really dark and grim, and at other times, seems to aim at something more lighthearted à la Pak’s earlier series Mech Cadet Yu. I was also left wanting to see more of the series’ post-apocalyptic pan-Asian culture. But Ronin Island’s heart is in the right place even as it challenges its two protagonists’ youthful idealism, and I’d gladly read more stories set in its world.

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