shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Feb 21, 2016 8:34:03 GMT -5
 Published: November 1996 Synopsis: "Nakamura Koji is on his warrior pilgrimage, honing his skill for the day that he can avenge himself on the one who bested him in a duel many years before. But he will never make it to that day unless he can defeat the Surudoi school of swordsmanship, who have ambushed him on this journey. In this fight, however, Koji will not be alone -- he is joined by Usagi Yojimbo." Notes: 1st Nakamura Koji The longest-term plotting Sakai has yet dared execute, this story sets up the premise and plotline of Book 17: Duel at Kitanoji, which is still five years away (one year in Usagi's continuity) Discuss the issue and/or post full reviews below! |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 29, 2016 9:14:00 GMT -5
Now this is a loss I can get behind. Nakamura is a fantastic character and the fact that he is on the same path Usagi is on and is just as steeped in honor as him yet a former servant of Hikiji makes it all the more interesting.
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Post by lobsterjohnson on Mar 29, 2016 11:46:16 GMT -5
Now this is a loss I can get behind. Nakamura is a fantastic character and the fact that he is on the same path Usagi is on and is just as steeped in honor as him yet a former servant of Hikiji makes it all the more interesting. Koji is a really interesting character. He really follows the samurai ideas of honor, while Usagi follows a code of honor more similar to today's ideas of right and wrong. Koji's comment about Usagi not being a true samurai was an interesting moment. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Mar 29, 2016 11:53:59 GMT -5
Now this is a loss I can get behind. Nakamura is a fantastic character and the fact that he is on the same path Usagi is on and is just as steeped in honor as him yet a former servant of Hikiji makes it all the more interesting. Koji is a really interesting character. He really follows the samurai ideas of honor, while Usagi follows a code of honor more similar to today's ideas of right and wrong. Koji's comment about Usagi not being a true samurai was an interesting moment. All the more fascinating is the fact that Jotaro inherits his swords and, thus, his soul. Does this mean Jotoro will learn from Koji's error of putting all his energy into futile honor, or does it mean Jotaro will repeat that error? |
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Post by lobsterjohnson on Mar 29, 2016 11:58:09 GMT -5
Koji is a really interesting character. He really follows the samurai ideas of honor, while Usagi follows a code of honor more similar to today's ideas of right and wrong. Koji's comment about Usagi not being a true samurai was an interesting moment. All the more fascinating is the fact that Jotaro inherits his swords and, thus, his soul. Does this mean Jotoro will learn from Koji's error of putting all his energy into futile honor, or does it mean Jotaro will repeat that error? Good question. I never thought about that. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 30, 2016 19:02:37 GMT -5
Now this is a loss I can get behind. Nakamura is a fantastic character and the fact that he is on the same path Usagi is on and is just as steeped in honor as him yet a former servant of Hikiji makes it all the more interesting. Koji is a really interesting character. He really follows the samurai ideas of honor, while Usagi follows a code of honor more similar to today's ideas of right and wrong. Koji's comment about Usagi not being a true samurai was an interesting moment. He really is great, both the comparisons you can make to Usagi and the contrasts are interesting. |
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Post by stillpoint on Oct 29, 2016 0:57:13 GMT -5
Usagi seems to admire driven, single-minded samurai, not just Koji but also Matabei (the one who gets official permission to avenge his father's death) from "Vendetta" and "Vendetta's End".
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Oct 29, 2016 9:29:07 GMT -5
Usagi seems to admire driven, single-minded samurai, not just Koji but also Matabei (the one who gets official permission to avenge his father's death) from "Vendetta" and "Vendetta's End". And yet also feels conflicted in that loyalty -- he knows that's no longer a path he can pursue. |
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Post by stillpoint on Nov 1, 2016 0:37:18 GMT -5
Usagi seems to admire driven, single-minded samurai, not just Koji but also Matabei (the one who gets official permission to avenge his father's death) from "Vendetta" and "Vendetta's End". And yet also feels conflicted in that loyalty -- he knows that's no longer a path he can pursue. Obviously cultural ideals were far different in feudal Japan, but by our standards, Usagi might be more mature despite Koji being older and a superior swordsman. Maybe Koji has used a previous defeat to re-evaluate his life's path and hone his skills. Or maybe he's unwilling to see past one defeat a lifetime ago and actually let it impede his personal growth. Usagi lost a fight here, but he doesn't spend subsequent issues standing naked under a waterfall to cleanse his spirit in hopes of one day winning a rematch; he just goes on with his journey. I don't think I addressed your post, but it got me thinking. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Nov 1, 2016 6:18:23 GMT -5
And yet also feels conflicted in that loyalty -- he knows that's no longer a path he can pursue. Obviously cultural ideals were far different in feudal Japan, but by our standards, Usagi might be more mature despite Koji being older and a superior swordsman. Maybe Koji has used a previous defeat to re-evaluate his life's path and hone his skills. . And there's the fun convenience of Sakai's universe: it's painstakingly accurate, and yet our window to that universe is a character that slowly and anachronistically evolves into a hero aligned with our ideals instead of theirs. Those early Usagi stories feature a very different character who is fascinating and yet harder to understand and relate to; a natural distance is created through cultural norms. The Usagi of today has no such distance -- he's a character we believe in through and through, and that creates fascinating contrasts when he encounters characters like Koji, representing a different set of ideals that is commendable to an extent but ultimately problematic from our perspectives. Very much enjoying this conversation! No worries about straying off-point; that's how a conversation grows, after all. |
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Post by stillpoint on Nov 3, 2016 0:33:41 GMT -5
Obviously cultural ideals were far different in feudal Japan, but by our standards, Usagi might be more mature despite Koji being older and a superior swordsman. Maybe Koji has used a previous defeat to re-evaluate his life's path and hone his skills. . And there's the fun convenience of Sakai's universe: it's painstakingly accurate, and yet our window to that universe is a character that slowly and anachronistically evolves into a hero aligned with our ideals instead of theirs. Those early Usagi stories feature a very different character who is fascinating and yet harder to understand and relate to; a natural distance is created through cultural norms. The Usagi of today has no such distance -- he's a character we believe in through and through, and that creates fascinating contrasts when he encounters characters like Koji, representing a different set of ideals that is commendable to an extent but ultimately problematic from our perspectives. Very much enjoying this conversation! No worries about straying off-point; that's how a conversation grows, after all. That all makes sense, and might partly explain why those earliest stories aren't as universally loved as later ones. And of the many theses one could write on Usagi Yojimbo, there's one about how it reflects the synthesizing of the two cultures that Japanese immigrants or second-generation Japanese-Americans go through. You know, following a character with "Western" values through 17th Century Japan makes Usagi seem more like Shogun (the mini-series) than Seven Samurai. I'm sure I'm far from the first to be struck by that. Certain images in Usagi, like (for some reason) someone kneeling to slide open a rice-paper door, or the crucifix from a later story, forcibly calls to mind scenes from that mini-series rather than any of the several Kurosawa films I've seen. That must be because I was at a much more impressionable age in 1980. |
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Post by brutalis on Feb 12, 2018 8:24:54 GMT -5
Very interesting story with Koji here showing similarities and yet differences between both Ronin. Koji says he has grown yet seems to NOT have learned as much as he brags about or why would he feel the need to confront in battle the one who invoked such a strong change for what would be the better? Where as Usagi continues to learn and grow as a person and not just as a warrior Koju seems to be "locked" in the path of the warrior code. Rather than duel with the person who inspired you would it not be more profound to find that warrior to saying how profoundly grateful you are for him having opened your mind?
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