shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jan 11, 2016 19:57:37 GMT -5
For some reason, the only Usagi stories I recall from the early Dark Horse stretch are "Noodles" and "A Promise in the Snow." Everything else sort of blurs together for me until we get to Grasscutter.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 11, 2016 21:32:39 GMT -5
For some reason, the only Usagi stories I recall from the early Dark Horse stretch are "Noodles" and "A Promise in the Snow." Everything else sort of blurs together for me until we get to Grasscutter. Those are two pretty great ones to remember... I'd call that last one #3 though  |
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Post by coke & comics on Jan 12, 2016 2:19:17 GMT -5
For some reason, the only Usagi stories I recall from the early Dark Horse stretch are "Noodles" and "A Promise in the Snow." Everything else sort of blurs together for me until we get to Grasscutter. As I mentioned, the bonze's tale from issue 3 has haunted me since I first read it almost a decade ago. I agree the ninja issue I just reviewed is less memorable. But it's a good comic. |
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Post by coke & comics on Jan 12, 2016 3:21:21 GMT -5
"The Chrysanthemum Pass" Usagi Yojimbo #5 (August, 1996) Reprinted in Usagi Yojimbo Book 10: The Brink of Life and Death  Summary: A group of councilors to Lord Miyagi meet in secret and learn of a plot to assassinate their lord on his way to the provincial capital for a meeting. The assassins are to be Koroshi, the assassins guild, who recently killed Lord Tsuna. The plot is masterminded by the Tarako Clan, supporters of the dark lord, Hikiji. Meanwhile, Miyamoto Usagi teaches some bullies a lesson and meets Icho, the medicine dealer. He runs into Icho again on the way to the Chrysanthemum Pass and they travel together some. They run across someone who claims to be a hunter, but is really Eizo of the Koroshi working with the Mogura Ninja on a trap. Icho and Usagi come across the assassins attacking Miyagi, and it turns out everybody has some tricks up their sleeves. Thoughts: I do like the way Stan slips in details of Japan. Like a single sentence about how a traveling medicine dealer would operate. Also: more ninja! Decent little tale. A ruse we've seen before and will see again. I quite like Icho. Mainly notable for introducing the Korochi Guild. And it's been some time since we've seen the Mogura Ninja. Good to have them back.  |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 12, 2016 22:40:39 GMT -5
You know, I think vol. 10 was my favorite... I really like Icho... even if I didn't love how it all turned out.
I didn't realize those were back to back!
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jan 14, 2016 20:19:13 GMT -5
For some reason, the only Usagi stories I recall from the early Dark Horse stretch are "Noodles" and "A Promise in the Snow." Everything else sort of blurs together for me until we get to Grasscutter. So I went back to start catching up to this thread with my Usagi reading tonight when, upon pulling out my Usagi Yojimbo Saga vol. 1 to finally re-read the early Dark Horse issues, I realized I'd already re-read Dark Horse #1-6 a few months back. I had completely forgotten, thus (embarrassingly) proving my point. |
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Post by coke & comics on Jan 16, 2016 15:51:39 GMT -5
"Lightning strikes twice" Usagi Yojimbo #6 (October, 1996) Reprinted in Usagi Yojimbo Book 10: The Brink of Life and Death  Summary: Bounty hunters pursue Inazuma because of the price Boss Bakuchi has put on her head. They are no match for her. A mysterious bonze seems to be following Miyamoto Usagi. Usagi finds Inazuma in an inn and learns her story. As a young lady, she had defied her father's wishes that she marry an older councilor from a distinguished family and ran off with a young samurai, Hisashi. Their life stopped being a fairy tale as work became hard. She learned swordcraft and supported them by doing street performances. "Inazuma" was her stage name. It means "Lightning Flash". Her husband spent all her earnings on drink and gambling, until being murdered by Masakazu, son of Bakuchi. She avenged her husband's death and has been pursed by Bakuchi ever since.  Thoughts: While her origin is a fine tale about how reality can intrude on what begins as a fairy tale romance, I still find Inazuma the least compelling addition to Usagi's cast yet introduced. Her gifts with the sword are presented almost as something instinctive, rather than a product of years of training and discipline, as with Usagi or Tomoe. The fact that Inazuma is a female samurai draws comparisons with Tomoe. And the fact that she is constantly hunted draws comparisons with Zato Ino. But those two characters are both so much more compelling and better-realized. The cute ending of this tale was perhaps not as surprising as it should have been. |
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Post by coke & comics on Jan 16, 2016 15:52:47 GMT -5
I should acknowledge I received help in scanning the comic. Kyle nicely weighed the book down.  |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jan 16, 2016 16:02:40 GMT -5
I'm a few issues ahead of the reviews right now. Re-read "A Promise in the Snow" with my 7 year old while my 4 year old was in her dance class today, and I had to keep asking her to take over reading aloud because I was crying too much, even with all the other parents around and long long before the ending. Love that story.
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Post by coke & comics on Jan 16, 2016 16:12:17 GMT -5
Final thoughts on Usagi Yojimbo Book 10: The Brink of Life and Death.
The trickiest of these book reviews yet, in part because I took a long break from these reviews between the Mirage and Dark Horse series. This book has highs and lows and is probably the most uneven work since the first volume. Perhaps to be expected as the stories bridge publishers. And the Mirage series ended with a lot of set-up for the Dark Horse series, introducing Inazuma and bringing back Jei.
I'm glad to see Jei back. And I like the character of Keiko. Inazuma is uncompelling.
The beginning of the Dark Horse series is also a lot of set-up, giving us Inazuma's origin and introducing the Koroshi. There is potential here, and Sanshobo is a potential great new addition to Usagi's recurring cast. And there are hidden amongst the volume some great stories. "Kaiso" is my favorite type of Usagi tale. "Noodles" is powerful and memorable. And while pure prelude, "Black Soul" is a well-done little tale. And of course the "Bonze's Tale" is a haunting one.
So, some great stories mixed in with some mediocre ones. On the whole looks to be a series finding its place anew. Usagi Yojimbo has finally found a permanent home and good things are ahead.
Ranking of stories:
Noodles (A-)
The Bonze's Story (B+)
Black Soul (B)
Kaiso (B)
Bats, the Cat, and the Rabbit (B)
The Chrysantheum Pass (B-)
The Wrath of the Tangled Skein (B-)
Lightning Strikes Twice (C+)
A Meeting of Strangers (C+)
I'll leave "Origin Tale" out of the rankings. A bit too short and simple to adequately grade or compare.
EDIT to add: Looking at my grades compared to what I've been giving over the course of the series, these seem a little harsh. Noodles could perhaps be an A. And Black Soul and Kaiso both perhaps deserve a B+. I'll stick with them as that's what I gave when I read and reviewed them. But I may be getting stingy.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jan 18, 2016 21:56:11 GMT -5
Here's a extremely minor thing to keep your eye on as you proceed: try to keep a running total of the number of minor characters introduced named "Jiro". The first is coming up pretty soon, and I swear there must be at least sixteen more over the course of the next ten years.
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Post by coke & comics on Jan 18, 2016 23:22:39 GMT -5
Here's a extremely minor thing to keep your eye on as you proceed: try to keep a running total of the number of minor characters introduced named "Jiro". The first is coming up pretty soon, and I swear there must be at least six more over the course of the next ten years. Looking back at my reviews, we've seen a Jiro in: Usagi vol. 1 #5. Jiro is a silk-worker Usagi visits and helps against roving bandits and a greedy merchant. Space Usagi vol. 1 #1-3. A loyal advisor to Lord Hideaki Usagi vol. 2 #4: The farmer who discovered the gold, and was murdered for it. That's all I've noticed so far. If there were any others, they were too minor to the plot to get mentioned in my reviews. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jan 19, 2016 8:54:31 GMT -5
Here's a extremely minor thing to keep your eye on as you proceed: try to keep a running total of the number of minor characters introduced named "Jiro". The first is coming up pretty soon, and I swear there must be at least six more over the course of the next ten years. Looking back at my reviews, we've seen a Jiro in: Usagi vol. 1 #5. Jiro is a silk-worker Usagi visits and helps against roving bandits and a greedy merchant. Space Usagi vol. 1 #1-3. A loyal advisor to Lord Hideaki Usagi vol. 2 #4: The farmer who discovered the gold, and was murdered for it. That's all I've noticed so far. If there were any others, they were too minor to the plot to get mentioned in my reviews. That's already more than I expected. I only recalled the one from Space Usagi, MANY more Jiros coming. |
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Post by coke & comics on Jan 22, 2016 3:41:51 GMT -5
"The withered field" Usagi Yojimbo #7 (November, 1996) Reprinted in Usagi Yojimbo Book 11: Seasons  Summary: Miyamoto Usagi watches a practice duel between Nakamura Koji and an instructor of the Surudoi school. After his victory, Koji demands a duel against the school's swordmaster Ueno. Ishii agrees, but has other plans. Koji tells Usagi his story, how we became overconfident in his skills and was beaten by a young nontraditional upstart in front of the Dark Lord Hikiji. He now travels the warriors pilgrimage, as Usagi does, to hone his skills, and one day find the swordsman who bested him. Students of the Surudoi school ambush Koji, but are no match for him and Usagi. The ambush costs the school face and angers Ueno. Ishii commits seppuku. Ueno and Koji duel. Both are great swordsmen, but Koji is victorious. Then Koji demands a duel with Usagi, for it was his teacher Katsuichi who defeated Koji years ago. Koji is victorious but spares Usagi's life, so that he can deliver a message to Katsuichi: that Koji will be waiting for him at Kitanoji Temple a year from the day. Thoughts: I think this is the best issue in a good long while. And it sets up one of my favorite stories of the entire series. The story reminds me of many samurai/martial arts films. The lone swordsman, the school seeking to save face, the deadly duels to prove who is the best. It's an odd game, swordsmanship. Given that they play to the death. I love the character of Nakamura Koji. He plays the role of the perfect samurai. Usagi himself often seems as concerned with moral values we recognize as he is with samurai honor. He's a perpetual do-gooder. Koji is just a swordsman. He cares about honor. And about duels. He wants to prove himself. He wants to kill to do that. He is not a moral person, as we understand the term today. But he is an honorable one. In contrast to Ishii, who forgot his honor, but reclaimed some at the end with ritual suicide. Something also foreign to our modern notions of morality. We see sword-fights in most issues, but not as many formal duels. There have been some good ones. Usagi vs. Gunichi. Usagi vs. Shubo. And some great swordfights, notably Usagi vs. Jei and Gen vs. Ino. But this issue is the best yet. In particular, we see Usagi watching and judging matches. We see matches that end quickly and matches that take a few blows. We see how great swordsmen prepare and present themselves before a match.  More than most issues, this story seems to cut to the core of the samurai world. And there is a deep sadness to it, likened by Koji to a dried field, indicating the approach of winter. Usagi and Koji could and should be friends. Instead they will fight to the death. And although Koji spares Usagi, he has no intention of sparing Katsuichi. To see what happens next will take some time. After all, the match is set for a year from now. Much can happen in the meantime... |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jan 22, 2016 5:51:28 GMT -5
We're definitely venturing into a new phase of Usagi here (and it's a damn good one). For a while now, it seems like Sakai has grown a little restless with keeping the spotlight solely on Usagi as he wanders from place to place. First, he tried to introduce new core supporting characters (Kitsune, Inazuma, Stray Dog), but beginning with "The Bonze's Story", we've seen him instead give loving attention to new minor characters that weren't going to pop up all that often, and I feel like he does that so much better. There's no doubt that Usagi is not the primary focus of this issue, and it really works. That, of course, makes the surprise twist in this story (though it wasn't all that surprising) all the more powerful when this new and very likable character ends up on the opposite side of Usagi in his loyalties (a trick that works once again when we get to "The Patience of The Spider").
Anyway, the trend will continue for a good long while after this. We've got General Ikeada and The Lord of Owls coming up, and, when Grasscutter rolls around, we'll see that Usagi isn't a primary player in his best known epic, and, in fact, never even meets the characters who are. After that, we'll meet characters like Inspector Ishida and Sasuke The Demon Queller, who are so fascinating that they often seem like they're ready to wrestle the title away from Usagi and become our new protagonists.
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