"An eternal struggle by men risking their lives that never come to an end. Good grief, this is exactly what makes these chaotic times so interesting."
- General Ouki

Story: The manga is based on the tumultuous 500 year warring period of China. It follows the exploits and escapades of young orphan Xin and a young ambitious king Zheng. "Take me to the heavens" is a promise that Xin has vowed to keep by becoming the greatest general under the heavens. The onerous path in front of Xin coincides with Zheng who aims to bring the entire China together. While one has to deal with the connivers and their contrivances inside the kingdom preventing its disintegration, the other has to ward off foreign advances which threatens the peace of the kingdom.

Art: While the art is as good as the rest of the mainstream manga's out there, his art really shines when the author depicts battle scenes. Gore is abound in the manga so read with caution.

Character: Many of the characters are loosely based on historical figures. With the Mangaka introducing a horde of characters it is no wonder if you have to peruse through the previous chapters to recall them. The Mangaka delves into the dark past of the main characters which helps in understanding their psyche. Mentors along the way guide our hero's as they walk this arduous path.

Enjoyment: I am enjoying reading this manga which has an amazing story, awesome art, great character development and well General Ouki's lips...if you know what I mean.

Overall: As I have not read this manga fully I am not sure of how things are going to pan out in the future and thus the score 9. But I am sure that if the manga retains this quality this manga deserves no less than 10.