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Usagi Yojimbo
(I sincerely apologise for the length of this appraisal.)
Some count Usagi Yojimbo as a manga. I don't. Created by an American of Japanese origin - Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo is a tale set in an anthropomorphic version of feudal Japan. Usagi Miyamoto is a ronin (a samurai who has lost his master) and wanders the land just 'doing stuff'. You know, meeting people, going places, learning a bit about the world he lives in, saving the odd daimyo (or feudal lord) - the usual. Usagi Yojimbo is indeed a great... Well it's not a manga and to class it as a comic would almost be to do injustice to it. Let's just call it 'something truly special'.
'The saga of Usagi Yojimbo (Rabbit Bodyguard)
takes place in turn of the 17th century Japan. The age of civil wars has barely
ended and the Shogun has just established power. The samurai is the ruling
class throughout the land, following a warrior's code of honor known as Bushido.
It is a time of settling unrest and political intrigue.
Wandering across this country is a masterless samurai named Miyamoto Usagi.
'
That is what it says on both the page
before chapter one and the back cover of Fantagraphics' Usagi Yojimbo Volume
One. The material contained between is truly something special.
Although it is an anthropomorphic world, Usagi Yojimbo suffers from none of
the sweeteners which are added to many Disney animated films. Romance is well
delivered, and seems feasible, genuine and wouldn't turn a single head away.
Violence is almost always 'off-screen', and is all the more effective for
it. There is intrigue, excitement., heartwarming tales, heartmelting ones,
and - most importantly - it is all enjoyable to read. That is ultimately what
'makes' Usagi Yojimbo - the story.
However, I don't want to sound like
the 'blurb-on-the-back-of-the-box', so here are some reasons why you may not
like it.
1 - The drawings could be called simplistic and a bit boring.
2 - You don't like the whole concept of an anthropomorphic samurai world -
after all, talking rabbits, dogs and bears hardly seem like a suitable environment
in which to place a serious story about feudal Japan and the end of the samurai.
3 - You don't feel the characters are realistic, and that they are overly
2 dimensional and weak.
4 - You just don't like the story.
5 - You feel it is a bit difficult to 'get into'.
6 - You feel it is a waste of money.
7 - You only like superhero comics.
I think that just about covers it.
Okay firstly, the drawings definitely are simple - the whole comic is drawn in black and white (although there was a short period of time for which it was in colour, but that's by the by). I've never seen a single panel in Usagi Yojimbo which has impressed me, whereas some others have shown great flair, style and all-round excellence in their artwork. (Specially Music Box and Mega Dragon and Tiger.) In any Marvel or DC comic, you can see at a glance that each panel has had many man-hours lavished upon it. Usagi Yojimbo isn't like that. Expect a visual extravaganza and you will be disappointed. Instead, try to understand that this comic has been made by a 'team' where practically all the work is done by one man. If he had tried to compete with the big publishers, he would have failed. Instead, he has attempted to create a similar look to woodblock-created comics that were popular in Japan at one point. And, although the drawing are simple, the movement, emotions and pace are shown perfectly. Basically, Sakai-san has taken a style and used a bit of flair to make it all work excellently.
If you don't like the whole concept then That's fair enough. All I can do is point out that before judging how well something works, you should try it out. Usagi Yojimbo works. Spray-painting keyboards doesn't. (The paint comes off because of your fingers.) Maybe you've got preconceptions about saccharine-sweet animals with sweeteners added on top (a preconception most likely formed by Disney animations). That doesn't apply to Usagi Yojimbo. When was the last time you saw an emissary of evil in a Disney film and felt a shiver go up your spine? For me the answer would be "About 6 years ago, when I was 12." I'm eighteen now, and Usagi Yojimbo makes me feel the same way.
The characters could be better, but so could everything in life. Bill Gates could have more money (even though we wouldn't want him to). To criticise them would be needless - they are both numerous and well sculpted. Usagi Miyamoto himself retains the spirit of the samurai, even though he has lost his master and become a bodyguard for hire. Whilst he has a good sense of morals, he never lets himself be pushed about, and although he kills men, he understands the grievances involved with death.
//WARNING - CHARACTER DETAILS REVEALED - DANGER RATING 3 (RATHER SIGNIFICANT - I WOULDN'T READ THIS)
Mariko is Usagi's childhood love whom Usagi returns to find has married his childhood rival, Kennichi. They have raised a boy called Jotaro, but in reality, Jotaro is Usagi's son. Katsuichi - Usagi's teacher - is as fascinating a character as his unconventional method of teaching. Kitsune is a thief who has been befriended by Usagi, and yet another character I could write an essay about. In fact, in the same way that many of Shakespeare's characters can be written about in an essay, so can many of Sakai's. Murakami Gennosuke (better known as Gen) is a character who, after seeing his father neglecting his family because of his devotion to his lord, is overly driven by money. He has never betrayed Usagi, even though he frequently warns him that he might do so.
Zato Ino (a character who no longer
appears in the comics) is a blind swords-pig who used to kill others because
he was treated like a monster. His ultimate wish was to live his life in peace,
something which he eventually acheived. Jei is a character whom I can't begin
to describe in the space available. He may be a devil, a madman, or some other
supernatural being. His character is questionable, and fully 3-dimensional,
just like many others I haven't mentioned.
//END WARNING -
DANGER EXTINCT
If you don't like the story, then there's nothing I can say to counteract that. Assuming you've read a few graphic novels, you've read enough to make a judgement. But, if you were to, without reading more than a few pages, decide that you don't like the story, I would say OI, NO! I respect your opinion, but don't go about jumping to conclusions.
If you are interested, you should be able to buy 7 of the 13 graphic novels really easily. The first 6 (published by Fantagraphics) are now quite difficult to get hold of, and even though the story has progressed since, they remain a worthwhile purchase. If you buy the latest comic, you may not be able to follow it too clearly. Instead, buy a graphic novel (but not the 'Grasscutter' ones). The best one to begin with is probably 'The Brink of Life and Death'. After reading this one graphic novel, you will be able to make a fair decision about how much you like Usagi Yojimbo. After reading this, the best order to read the others in is probably the order of issue.
The price isn't especialy high. Each graphic novel costs between. £10 and £15 (£12 is a good price). Although you may say that this is a lot of money for ink and paper, £410 is a lot of money to pay for bits of plastic, glass and metal. (A P.C.) I have personally re-read my complete collection about 5 times since I got into manga and comics (just under 2 years ago). I still enjoy doing so. As long as you enjoy it, the £12 will be well spent. So go ahead, order in a copy of 'Usagi Yojimbo - The Brink of Life and Death' by Stan Sakai from your nearest comics shop. (If you live in Glasgow, I recommend Futureshock.) If you've read this far, you might as well.
If you do, however only like superhero comics, and there is absolutely no chance of that changing, then I suppose there'd be no point in you buying this.
//FINAL NOTE WHICH I COULDN'T FIND ANYWHERE
ELSE TO PUT
There is also a graphic novel called 'Space Usagi'. This is basically a spin-off
featuring Usagi's descendants from the future. It was apparently an excuse
to draw dinosaurs. Although this is a fairly entertaining one-off, it isn't
nearly as good as Usagi Yojimbo - the original and best.
rating:5
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