When i was first getting into Anime and manga, I was still into American comic books, which, luckily for me, is how I found this wonderful series. I was browsing the comic book rack in a Walden Books in Brea CA (at least I think it was a Walden), and I came to a side stuffed with various Dark Horse publications. The first thing I saw was Blade of the Immortal, at that time, and still now, I was much more of an anime fan than a manga fan, but this looked intriuging. I picked it up and read a few pages, and decided to buy it. I took it home and read the rest. At that point, I had decided to get the rest of the series. Well, to this day I only have the first trade paper back, but I am still quite infatuated with this series. It's a very different kind of manga, a sort of mix between genres. But, be warned, it's not for the feint of heart. There are often very, very, graphic depictions of violence. But it is a work of art.