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Usagi Yojimbo #14
Usagi Yojimbo, Vol. 14: Demon Mask
The close of 16th century Japan was a violent age, as rival feudal lords fought for land and power. Miyamoto Usagi braved many a battle only to lose his lord and find himself a masterless samurai, or ronin. While many ronin became bandits or mercenaries, Usagi chose the warrior wandering the land, fighting injustice, seeking enlightenment. Eisner Award winner Stan Sakai has crafted a truly original and delightful work, an all-ages adventure epic that creates a world of excitement, mystery, and imagination, while building each story on painstaking research of Japan's history, culture, and mythology. Demon Mask is a collection of diverse Usagi stories, featuring a graveyard encounter with creatures from Japanese folktales, a whodunit clash with a mysterious masked assassin, a young adventure-lover insistent on receiving Usagi's sword training, a peasant village terrorized by a ravaging Spider Woman, and more. Few works of graphic fiction offer -- or deliver -- as much action, depth, and sheer fun as Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Stan Sakai
888 books357 followersStan Sakai (Japanese: 坂井 スタンSakai Sutan; born May 25, 1953) is an artist who became known as an Eisner Award-winning comic book originator.
Born in Kyoto, Sakai grew up in Hawaii and studied fine arts at the University of Hawaii. He later attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He and his wife, Sharon, presently reside and work in Pasadena.
He began his career by lettering comic books (notably Groo the Wanderer by Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier) and became famous with the production of Usagi Yojimbo, the epic saga of Miyamoto Usagi, a samurai rabbit living in late-sixteenth and early-seventeenth-century Japan. First published in 1984, the comic continues to this day, with Sakai as the lone author and nearly-sole artist (Tom Luth serves as the main colorist on the series, and Sergio Aragonés has made two small contributions to the series: the story "Broken Ritual" is based on an idea by Aragonés, and he served as a guest inker for the black and white version of the story "Return to Adachi Plain" that is featured in the Volume 11 trade paper-back edition of Usagi Yojimbo). He also made a futuristic spin-off series Space Usagi. His favorite movie is Satomi Hakkenden (1959).
Born in Kyoto, Sakai grew up in Hawaii and studied fine arts at the University of Hawaii. He later attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He and his wife, Sharon, presently reside and work in Pasadena.
He began his career by lettering comic books (notably Groo the Wanderer by Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier) and became famous with the production of Usagi Yojimbo, the epic saga of Miyamoto Usagi, a samurai rabbit living in late-sixteenth and early-seventeenth-century Japan. First published in 1984, the comic continues to this day, with Sakai as the lone author and nearly-sole artist (Tom Luth serves as the main colorist on the series, and Sergio Aragonés has made two small contributions to the series: the story "Broken Ritual" is based on an idea by Aragonés, and he served as a guest inker for the black and white version of the story "Return to Adachi Plain" that is featured in the Volume 11 trade paper-back edition of Usagi Yojimbo). He also made a futuristic spin-off series Space Usagi. His favorite movie is Satomi Hakkenden (1959).
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 9, 2022
Usagi Yojimbo continues to be terrific. This volume contains mainly short stories about the anthropomorphic ronin as he wanders Japan. The longest tale is the title story, Demon Mask, about a person in a demon mask killing all the ronin he can find. It's a neat murder mystery. That's one of the things I enjoy most about the series, how it transcends genres, telling all different kinds of stories.
January 1, 2021
Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo is as charming as always. A wandering rabbit samurai encounters various challenges in the countryside of feudal Japan. The highlight of this collection is the Demon Mask story that is featured on the cover of this collection. In that story, a mysterious masked figure is murdering any wandering samurai that come into town. There are a few suspects that a revealed throughout the story but it keeps you guessing until the end. I also really liked one of the smaller stories that was about runaway ninjas. That one seems to have some potential for future storylines.
November 9, 2020
(4,6 z 5 za skvělý mix dobrodružství, humoru, děsu a "bajek")
Tuhle knihu Usagiho dobrodružství mám opravdu rád. Je to krásná směsice příběhů. Strašidelný hostinec, nebo spíš jediný úkryt v obakémono prolezlém lese, trošku bushidó ponaučení v Živit se kaší, "feel good" příběh o hrnčíři či hlavní, detektivní příběh o vrahu róninů - Maska démona. Tím to ale nekončí - další víc jak půl tucet krátkých ale krásných příběhů, od humorných, poučných, pomrknutí k možnému budoucímu ději (milenci), či rovnou nasměrování k další knize (Shledání) Ostří trav II k i takovým dojemnějším (Netsuké). Stan umí příběhy krásně vyprávět a co je hlavní - skvěle uzavírat (či neuzavírat, dle potřeby). A to je jedna z věcí, co nutí čtenáře prostě sáhnout co nejdříve po dalším.
Tuhle knihu Usagiho dobrodružství mám opravdu rád. Je to krásná směsice příběhů. Strašidelný hostinec, nebo spíš jediný úkryt v obakémono prolezlém lese, trošku bushidó ponaučení v Živit se kaší, "feel good" příběh o hrnčíři či hlavní, detektivní příběh o vrahu róninů - Maska démona. Tím to ale nekončí - další víc jak půl tucet krátkých ale krásných příběhů, od humorných, poučných, pomrknutí k možnému budoucímu ději (milenci), či rovnou nasměrování k další knize (Shledání) Ostří trav II k i takovým dojemnějším (Netsuké). Stan umí příběhy krásně vyprávět a co je hlavní - skvěle uzavírat (či neuzavírat, dle potřeby). A to je jedna z věcí, co nutí čtenáře prostě sáhnout co nejdříve po dalším.
November 26, 2021
Another excellent collection of short and long stories. They range in tone from fun (the first story about a haunted hotel) to dramatic (the Neko Ninja internal politics stories) and one long story with equal parts action and mystery surrounding a masked man killing Ronin. It also introduces Sasuke, who provides a very different, more heavily supernatural type of story to the proceedings.
As always, the stories are strong; always entertaining, but across a whole range of emotions and tones. There's not much more to say - you know what you're here for, and it's still as good as ever.
As always, the stories are strong; always entertaining, but across a whole range of emotions and tones. There's not much more to say - you know what you're here for, and it's still as good as ever.
March 10, 2021
Stan Sakain "Demon Maskissa" (Dark Horse, 2001) samuraijäniksen seikkailut jatkuvat hämmentävänkin laadukkaina, kun ottaa huomioon, että albumi on järjestyksessään jo neljästoista Usagi-kokoelma. Vastaavaan ei moni pitkäkestoinen sarja kykene.
Sarjakuva hyödyntää tälläkin kertaa japanilaista kauhu- ja fantasiakuvastoa, mutta oivallisin juttu taitaa kuitenkin taitaa olla realistisempi nimitarina, jossa selvitellään mystisen miekkamurhaajan henkilöllisyyttä.
Lukujärjestys meni vähän sekaisin, mutta vaikka minulta jäi epähuomiossa yksi osa välistä, niin eipä tuo menoa haitannut.
Sarjakuva hyödyntää tälläkin kertaa japanilaista kauhu- ja fantasiakuvastoa, mutta oivallisin juttu taitaa kuitenkin taitaa olla realistisempi nimitarina, jossa selvitellään mystisen miekkamurhaajan henkilöllisyyttä.
Lukujärjestys meni vähän sekaisin, mutta vaikka minulta jäi epähuomiossa yksi osa välistä, niin eipä tuo menoa haitannut.
October 4, 2021
This is a cumulative review of the 35 volumes of collected Usagi Yojimbo stories that have been published to date. They span a 37-year history, across the first seven volumes published by Fantagraphics, across the next 24 volumes published by Dark Horse, and finally across the most recent three volumes published by IDW, bringing us to Usagi Yojimbo v35: Homecoming, published in 2021. This review does not include the volumes Space Usagi, Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai, Usagi Yojimbo: Senso, Usagi Yojimbo/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Collection, or Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis.
In a land very much like Japan, in a time very much like the early days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, when legions of samurai suddenly found themselves out of work in a war-torn land trying to get back to normal, a masterless samurai - a ronin - named Usagi Yojimbo walks the path of a student-warrior. He goes wherever fate takes him, living by his honor, his swordsmanship and by the grace of the friends he makes along the way. On his endless adventures, Usagi confronts wicked bandits, cruel tyrants, sinister assassins, and dire supernatural fiends. He often encounters humble folk plying their trade in an often cruel and harsh world (and along the way, learns a bit about their work, like brewing sake or weaving tatami mats).
Along his way, he builds a vast cast of friends, allies and rivals, including the bounty hunger Gen, fellow samurai )and love interest) Tomoe, the ninja Chizu, the third Kitsune, the noble lord Noriyuki, the stalwart Inspector Ishida, and of course, Usagi’s own son (and chip off the old block), Jotaro. And just as well, he builds no small list of enemies, including the dire Lord Hikiji (the power-hungry lord who is the very reason why Usagi no longer has a master), the Neko and Komori ninja clans, the Koroshi league of assassins, and the demonic ronin Jei. Amid all this, Usagi strives to uphold the warrior ideals of bushido and find a sense of enlightenment on his journey.
The stories are often funny, exciting, smart, sharp, tight, and occasionally touched with tragedy. They offer an informed look at medieval Japan, and pay no small number of homages to all kinds of cultural references both ancient and modern, as a reflect of Sakai’s own journey to connect with his personal heritage and honor it with his stories. They are simultaneously suitable for adults and kids alike - despite all of the carnage, Sakai never descends into gruesome detail, and yet, the many scenes of battle never seem so sanitized that they lost their gravity.
The artwork is distinct and excellent. Sakai’s is a master of sharp lifework (as well as lettering), and since he writes, pencils, inks and letters every issue solo, there is a uniformity and consistency to Usagi Yojimbo that you just don’t find in many other comics or cartoons. Until the last few volumes, it is all B&W, but Sakai’s sense of depth as well as his supremely skilled panel composition, pulls you in so deeply that you forget if it’s in color or not. You are under Usagi’s spell from the first page, and along for the ride, however long it goes.
To get an idea of the length, breadth and depth of how beloved an impactful Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo series has been, look no further than the introductions to each of the collected volumes published to date. There you will find a dazzling array of some of the finest talents in modern cartooning, who have a seemingly endless variety of ways to say how much they love Usagi Yojimbo, how impactful it has been on their own careers, and how great Stan Sakai has been himself as a goodwill ambassador for both cartooning as well as of the Japanese culture he so masterfully serves throughout his stories.
For those who have not yet enjoyed these stories for the first time, a wonderful journey awaits you. Usagi Yojimbo was created during those days in the 80s when anthropomorphic martial arts characters were all the rage. And yet, Usagi Yojimbo stood apart almost immediately. He might have been a rabbit ronin in a world of talking, walking animals, but he never seemed to be drafting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or trying to comment on the martial-art zoo comic trend. From the beginning, Usagi Yojimbo, like its titular character, was determined to walk its own path, to be the best it could be, and to celebrate the things in life that are worth celebrating: devotion to one’s craft, honoring one’s family, upholding one’s obligations, serving one’s highest aspirations, accepting one’s limitations, and acknowledging one’s flaws.
The stories are largely episodic varying in length from just a few pages, to an entire collection. They often are self-contained, but just as often reference slowly building meta plots, or serve an entire, novel-length story on their own. Everything is delicately interconnected, and yet, without such a heavy continuity that one can not simply pick up any of these volumes and begin reading without skipping a beat. Such is this series, endlessly accessible and friendly to beginners, and endlessly rewarding to long-time fans for whom earned narrative developments deliver terrific dividends.
As with any series of this length, some moments in it won’t land as well with the reader as others. But there just are not that many lows with this - if you appreciate what Sakai is doing here, you’re likely to enjoy pretty much all of it. There are some volumes that really stand out, largely because they tell the biggest and most epic stories (v04: The Dragon Bellows Conspiracy, v12: Grasscutter, v15: Grasscutter II - Journey to Astuta Shrine, v17: Duel at Kitanoji, v19: Fathers and Sons, v28: Red Scorpion, v32: The Hidden, and v35:Homecoming all come to mind), but really, the entire catalog of worth enjoying on equal terms. It’s saying something indeed that the most recent volume of Usagi Yojimbo tells one of the most compelling and moving stories of the entire series. Some edges dull over time, but as a storyteller, Stan Sakai’s edge never does.
Usagi Yojimbo has been hailed as one of the greatest independent comics ever. And it is. But it is more than that. It is one of the greatest comics, period. Read every volume. You will be glad that you did.
In a land very much like Japan, in a time very much like the early days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, when legions of samurai suddenly found themselves out of work in a war-torn land trying to get back to normal, a masterless samurai - a ronin - named Usagi Yojimbo walks the path of a student-warrior. He goes wherever fate takes him, living by his honor, his swordsmanship and by the grace of the friends he makes along the way. On his endless adventures, Usagi confronts wicked bandits, cruel tyrants, sinister assassins, and dire supernatural fiends. He often encounters humble folk plying their trade in an often cruel and harsh world (and along the way, learns a bit about their work, like brewing sake or weaving tatami mats).
Along his way, he builds a vast cast of friends, allies and rivals, including the bounty hunger Gen, fellow samurai )and love interest) Tomoe, the ninja Chizu, the third Kitsune, the noble lord Noriyuki, the stalwart Inspector Ishida, and of course, Usagi’s own son (and chip off the old block), Jotaro. And just as well, he builds no small list of enemies, including the dire Lord Hikiji (the power-hungry lord who is the very reason why Usagi no longer has a master), the Neko and Komori ninja clans, the Koroshi league of assassins, and the demonic ronin Jei. Amid all this, Usagi strives to uphold the warrior ideals of bushido and find a sense of enlightenment on his journey.
The stories are often funny, exciting, smart, sharp, tight, and occasionally touched with tragedy. They offer an informed look at medieval Japan, and pay no small number of homages to all kinds of cultural references both ancient and modern, as a reflect of Sakai’s own journey to connect with his personal heritage and honor it with his stories. They are simultaneously suitable for adults and kids alike - despite all of the carnage, Sakai never descends into gruesome detail, and yet, the many scenes of battle never seem so sanitized that they lost their gravity.
The artwork is distinct and excellent. Sakai’s is a master of sharp lifework (as well as lettering), and since he writes, pencils, inks and letters every issue solo, there is a uniformity and consistency to Usagi Yojimbo that you just don’t find in many other comics or cartoons. Until the last few volumes, it is all B&W, but Sakai’s sense of depth as well as his supremely skilled panel composition, pulls you in so deeply that you forget if it’s in color or not. You are under Usagi’s spell from the first page, and along for the ride, however long it goes.
To get an idea of the length, breadth and depth of how beloved an impactful Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo series has been, look no further than the introductions to each of the collected volumes published to date. There you will find a dazzling array of some of the finest talents in modern cartooning, who have a seemingly endless variety of ways to say how much they love Usagi Yojimbo, how impactful it has been on their own careers, and how great Stan Sakai has been himself as a goodwill ambassador for both cartooning as well as of the Japanese culture he so masterfully serves throughout his stories.
For those who have not yet enjoyed these stories for the first time, a wonderful journey awaits you. Usagi Yojimbo was created during those days in the 80s when anthropomorphic martial arts characters were all the rage. And yet, Usagi Yojimbo stood apart almost immediately. He might have been a rabbit ronin in a world of talking, walking animals, but he never seemed to be drafting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or trying to comment on the martial-art zoo comic trend. From the beginning, Usagi Yojimbo, like its titular character, was determined to walk its own path, to be the best it could be, and to celebrate the things in life that are worth celebrating: devotion to one’s craft, honoring one’s family, upholding one’s obligations, serving one’s highest aspirations, accepting one’s limitations, and acknowledging one’s flaws.
The stories are largely episodic varying in length from just a few pages, to an entire collection. They often are self-contained, but just as often reference slowly building meta plots, or serve an entire, novel-length story on their own. Everything is delicately interconnected, and yet, without such a heavy continuity that one can not simply pick up any of these volumes and begin reading without skipping a beat. Such is this series, endlessly accessible and friendly to beginners, and endlessly rewarding to long-time fans for whom earned narrative developments deliver terrific dividends.
As with any series of this length, some moments in it won’t land as well with the reader as others. But there just are not that many lows with this - if you appreciate what Sakai is doing here, you’re likely to enjoy pretty much all of it. There are some volumes that really stand out, largely because they tell the biggest and most epic stories (v04: The Dragon Bellows Conspiracy, v12: Grasscutter, v15: Grasscutter II - Journey to Astuta Shrine, v17: Duel at Kitanoji, v19: Fathers and Sons, v28: Red Scorpion, v32: The Hidden, and v35:Homecoming all come to mind), but really, the entire catalog of worth enjoying on equal terms. It’s saying something indeed that the most recent volume of Usagi Yojimbo tells one of the most compelling and moving stories of the entire series. Some edges dull over time, but as a storyteller, Stan Sakai’s edge never does.
Usagi Yojimbo has been hailed as one of the greatest independent comics ever. And it is. But it is more than that. It is one of the greatest comics, period. Read every volume. You will be glad that you did.
March 30, 2016
Usagi Yojimbo, on the surface is a simple concept. Anthropomorphic animals in 16th century Edo Japan - with the narrative centering around a "Long Eared Samurai", a Rabbit - the eponymous Usagi of the title. Usagi,literally means Rabbit in Japanese and Yojimbo refers to "Bodyguard". Rabbit Bodyguard. It mixes several references to the Samurai films of Kurosawa with a deliberate homage to the great samurai swordsman Miyamoto Musashi while treading its own unique path. There really isn't another comic like it on the stands and Sakai has been writing, plotting and drawing this gem for the past twenty five years or more - sticking to what must seem like a cutthroat monthly schedule. He makes it all look so easy which just proves - it probably isn't.
Usagi is a Ronin - a masterless Samurai. He wanders the land on a Warriors Pilgrimage, honing his mind and his sword. A near master swordsman, Usagi practices a unique fighting style. His gentle demeanor, humble bearing and diminutive frame often leads his adversaries to underestimate him - to their detriment.
The Kill Bill films of Tarantino center around the bloodshed unleashed by Samurai swords in the hands of a skilled wielder. The aesthetization of violence is a common theme with Tarantino and he repeatedly uses Japanese samurai motifs over the course of the two Kill Bill films. I enjoyed those films but they led me to expect the same within the pages of Usagi Yojimbo. The animal characters are mostly cute. I expected decapitated bunny heads and chopped feline limbs. Stories of the seamier side of human nature and war. Sakai delivers none of this; at-least, not in the way you would expect. The violence in Usagi Yojimbo is always tinged with regret. Usagi takes no pleasure in it, tries to avoid killing and maiming as much as possible and always resorts to defense. However, once you see the click of the sword, with the picture of Usagi flicking the blade from the scabbard it is almost certain that blood will be shed.
The fight sequences are brilliant. Sakai takes his time, worrying less about space and more about the deliberate choreography of death. People are stabbed, decapitated and killed. Most of it is left up to your imagination with almost no blood. The graphics of the death continue to toe the line between humor and morbidity - the dead lie with their tongues lolling out and creative skulls paraphrasing the end of their appearance in the comic. It makes for excellent reading - the violence isn't cool, it isn't desirable and it almost always ends in tragedy for some character. This is age appropriate violence!
A centerpiece to the entire saga and one of the major plot motivators is Bushido - the unrelenting and unbending code of the Samurai. It is a harsh discipline, focusing more on the tenets laid down by it than any sense of morality. There are several instances in the story where a common question asked is if a samurai retainer who serves an evil/corrupt lord is justified in rebelling against him. The answer is invariably no. No matter how evil/corrupt and insane your lord may be, no matter what criminal activities he may indulge in, no matter how depraved his tastes it is the duty of the retainer to follow him and remain Honorable. The concept of good and evil and self righteousness is almost done away with. Usagi is our hero just because he has the good fortune to have served under Lord Mifune, a great man just prior to his death in the Battle of Adachigahara. He seems to recognize this fact and I think this influences his approach to almost all his antagonists. Those who serve an evil lord win more respect from him than the evil lords themselves.
Sakai, through his focus on the laws of Bushido manages to evoke an atmosphere of rigidity and sacrifice that makes the book quite unique at times. When Usagi's sweetheart is married off to someone else he fails to put an end to the wedding due to his loyalty to his lord - his duty forbids him from going away. The duty of a Samurai's wife is to her husband, this prevents his love Mariko from ever being with him. Honour and duty are cages within which our characters live their life. It is a harsh law that seems to hurt much more than helps but it is his adherence to this discipline that sees Usagi through his many encounters. He is unable to avoid direct challenges to a duel as a result - he must kill, albeit with regret, if he is to regain his honor. Usagi isn't a rebel. He doesn't seek to reform or buck the system. When a peasant begs to hold on to the swords of her lover, a samurai he is quite categorical about the right thing to do - the sword is the soul of a Samurai and doesn't belong with a peasant. In another episode he tells a peasant's son that there is no hope for him to ever become a Samurai. Any historical novel seeks to impose the character of a man of our times on someone dead years ago. Stan Sakai eschews this approach by depicting a man (rabbit??!) of his time in Usagi and making him a truly sympathetic character.
This focus on honour and Bushido is not the only layer to this comic. There are several more. History lessens on the culture of Japan are interwoven into the narrative - be it pot making, kite making or the fashioning of a Samurai blade. An entire episode dedicated to seaweed farming was a highlight of the series and the Grasscutter arc elaborates on the major dieties of Japanese culture. This is a meticulously researched comic that isnt heavy handed with the historical details. It mixes humor, history, culture and pathos to make a wonderfully enjoyable comic.
Rather than speaking about the artwork in the peripheral fashion I have employed so far I think I ought to come out and say it - the artwork is fascinating. It uses simple lines and expression to convey the message. At first glance it seems simplistic but as I trace my eyes over the artwork a wealth of detail leaps out. The grass bends gently with the breeze. The folds of Usagi's kimono float lazily around him as he jumps into the air. The Sword strokes are clear, easy to follow with the use of masterfully placed after images. Sakai is a master of the quiet panel. Several pages hold only movement, expression and silence, lending a wonderful quietude to the comic until a brutal explosion of action breaks the silence. Quiet panels fused with a silhouette are even more melancholy - it forms a space in which the contemplation of the character within the panel tends to wash over the reader himself. The artwork isn't simple. A lifetime of garish coloring and the bright but shallow palette of superhero comics seems to have robbed me of what little sense I possess. The black and white lines in Usagi are pieces of art I want to revisit forever.
Like most successful comics, Usagi Yojimbo doesn't succeed through the strengths of the main character alone. Usagi has a wealth of peripheral friends and enemies who recur throughout the various stories. These plot points keep diverging and melding together seamlessly over the course of the volumes I have read. I am still about halfway through the entire run but so far the side characters are vibrant, well sketched and interesting. Gen, the bounty hunter, the crime solving Inspecter Ishida, the ex samurai turned priest Sanshobo. The women in Usagi's life are a fun bunch - his lost loves Mariko and Kinuko, his comrade in arms Tomoe and his antagonist/friend Chizu. Add to this his lion sensei - Katsuichi, his frenemy Kenichi and a pet lizard Spot, not to mention the blind swordspig Zato Ino, Sakai has amassed a wealth of characters who ought to see him drawing Usagi comics well into hist nineties.
Usagi Yojimbo is to superhero comics what a glass of single malt is to spurious liquor. It is the very pinnacle of comic book art. I agree with an another reviewer who states that in the twenty five years he has been following Usagi, Sakai has yet to draw a single bad issue. I am not yet through the entire run and I must agree - the first issues are great though Sakai is still finding is feet. Seven issues in and you will be hooked till the end. This is an excellent comic, worth reading and proof that in the right hands the comic book has a significant advantage over the prose form. It should probably be the introduction to the world of comics - and I hope that those of you who havent yet started reading comics will avoid wading through a lot of garbage like i had to and start with Usagi Yojimbo.
Believe me, its worth it.
(5 on 5 stars)
Usagi is a Ronin - a masterless Samurai. He wanders the land on a Warriors Pilgrimage, honing his mind and his sword. A near master swordsman, Usagi practices a unique fighting style. His gentle demeanor, humble bearing and diminutive frame often leads his adversaries to underestimate him - to their detriment.
The Kill Bill films of Tarantino center around the bloodshed unleashed by Samurai swords in the hands of a skilled wielder. The aesthetization of violence is a common theme with Tarantino and he repeatedly uses Japanese samurai motifs over the course of the two Kill Bill films. I enjoyed those films but they led me to expect the same within the pages of Usagi Yojimbo. The animal characters are mostly cute. I expected decapitated bunny heads and chopped feline limbs. Stories of the seamier side of human nature and war. Sakai delivers none of this; at-least, not in the way you would expect. The violence in Usagi Yojimbo is always tinged with regret. Usagi takes no pleasure in it, tries to avoid killing and maiming as much as possible and always resorts to defense. However, once you see the click of the sword, with the picture of Usagi flicking the blade from the scabbard it is almost certain that blood will be shed.
The fight sequences are brilliant. Sakai takes his time, worrying less about space and more about the deliberate choreography of death. People are stabbed, decapitated and killed. Most of it is left up to your imagination with almost no blood. The graphics of the death continue to toe the line between humor and morbidity - the dead lie with their tongues lolling out and creative skulls paraphrasing the end of their appearance in the comic. It makes for excellent reading - the violence isn't cool, it isn't desirable and it almost always ends in tragedy for some character. This is age appropriate violence!
A centerpiece to the entire saga and one of the major plot motivators is Bushido - the unrelenting and unbending code of the Samurai. It is a harsh discipline, focusing more on the tenets laid down by it than any sense of morality. There are several instances in the story where a common question asked is if a samurai retainer who serves an evil/corrupt lord is justified in rebelling against him. The answer is invariably no. No matter how evil/corrupt and insane your lord may be, no matter what criminal activities he may indulge in, no matter how depraved his tastes it is the duty of the retainer to follow him and remain Honorable. The concept of good and evil and self righteousness is almost done away with. Usagi is our hero just because he has the good fortune to have served under Lord Mifune, a great man just prior to his death in the Battle of Adachigahara. He seems to recognize this fact and I think this influences his approach to almost all his antagonists. Those who serve an evil lord win more respect from him than the evil lords themselves.
Sakai, through his focus on the laws of Bushido manages to evoke an atmosphere of rigidity and sacrifice that makes the book quite unique at times. When Usagi's sweetheart is married off to someone else he fails to put an end to the wedding due to his loyalty to his lord - his duty forbids him from going away. The duty of a Samurai's wife is to her husband, this prevents his love Mariko from ever being with him. Honour and duty are cages within which our characters live their life. It is a harsh law that seems to hurt much more than helps but it is his adherence to this discipline that sees Usagi through his many encounters. He is unable to avoid direct challenges to a duel as a result - he must kill, albeit with regret, if he is to regain his honor. Usagi isn't a rebel. He doesn't seek to reform or buck the system. When a peasant begs to hold on to the swords of her lover, a samurai he is quite categorical about the right thing to do - the sword is the soul of a Samurai and doesn't belong with a peasant. In another episode he tells a peasant's son that there is no hope for him to ever become a Samurai. Any historical novel seeks to impose the character of a man of our times on someone dead years ago. Stan Sakai eschews this approach by depicting a man (rabbit??!) of his time in Usagi and making him a truly sympathetic character.
This focus on honour and Bushido is not the only layer to this comic. There are several more. History lessens on the culture of Japan are interwoven into the narrative - be it pot making, kite making or the fashioning of a Samurai blade. An entire episode dedicated to seaweed farming was a highlight of the series and the Grasscutter arc elaborates on the major dieties of Japanese culture. This is a meticulously researched comic that isnt heavy handed with the historical details. It mixes humor, history, culture and pathos to make a wonderfully enjoyable comic.
Rather than speaking about the artwork in the peripheral fashion I have employed so far I think I ought to come out and say it - the artwork is fascinating. It uses simple lines and expression to convey the message. At first glance it seems simplistic but as I trace my eyes over the artwork a wealth of detail leaps out. The grass bends gently with the breeze. The folds of Usagi's kimono float lazily around him as he jumps into the air. The Sword strokes are clear, easy to follow with the use of masterfully placed after images. Sakai is a master of the quiet panel. Several pages hold only movement, expression and silence, lending a wonderful quietude to the comic until a brutal explosion of action breaks the silence. Quiet panels fused with a silhouette are even more melancholy - it forms a space in which the contemplation of the character within the panel tends to wash over the reader himself. The artwork isn't simple. A lifetime of garish coloring and the bright but shallow palette of superhero comics seems to have robbed me of what little sense I possess. The black and white lines in Usagi are pieces of art I want to revisit forever.
Like most successful comics, Usagi Yojimbo doesn't succeed through the strengths of the main character alone. Usagi has a wealth of peripheral friends and enemies who recur throughout the various stories. These plot points keep diverging and melding together seamlessly over the course of the volumes I have read. I am still about halfway through the entire run but so far the side characters are vibrant, well sketched and interesting. Gen, the bounty hunter, the crime solving Inspecter Ishida, the ex samurai turned priest Sanshobo. The women in Usagi's life are a fun bunch - his lost loves Mariko and Kinuko, his comrade in arms Tomoe and his antagonist/friend Chizu. Add to this his lion sensei - Katsuichi, his frenemy Kenichi and a pet lizard Spot, not to mention the blind swordspig Zato Ino, Sakai has amassed a wealth of characters who ought to see him drawing Usagi comics well into hist nineties.
Usagi Yojimbo is to superhero comics what a glass of single malt is to spurious liquor. It is the very pinnacle of comic book art. I agree with an another reviewer who states that in the twenty five years he has been following Usagi, Sakai has yet to draw a single bad issue. I am not yet through the entire run and I must agree - the first issues are great though Sakai is still finding is feet. Seven issues in and you will be hooked till the end. This is an excellent comic, worth reading and proof that in the right hands the comic book has a significant advantage over the prose form. It should probably be the introduction to the world of comics - and I hope that those of you who havent yet started reading comics will avoid wading through a lot of garbage like i had to and start with Usagi Yojimbo.
Believe me, its worth it.
(5 on 5 stars)
August 26, 2023
Volume 14 of Usagi Yojimbo collects stories from Dark Horse Presents #140, Dark Horse Presents Annual #3, Wizard magazine #97,Oni Double Feature #11, Dark Horse Extra #20-23, as well as issues #31-38 of the Dark Horse run (vol. 3 of Usagi Yojimbo. The central storyline is "The Mystery of The Demon Mask", from Usagi Yojimbo v3. #34-36. Here, Usagi enters a town plagued by a serial killer who wears a demon mask and targets wandering ronin. While enjoyable enough, the mystery was pretty obvious from the onset and the result is pretty predictable. It's perhaps the weakest part of this volume, since the rest of the stories are bangers.
"Death and Taxes" is a funny tale showing how Usagi's selfless nature is easily taken advantage of, and often to Usagi's own detriment. "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Tournament" depicts the first canonical meeting of Usagi and Tomoe Ame, which demonstrates an almost destined intertwining of their lives. "Netsuke", while only a few pages long, is a heartfelt side story of Usagi visiting the grave of a fallen comrade at the Battle of the Burning Plain. "The Leaping Ninja" is a funny one page gag where Usagi faces off against an overconfident ninja. "Tsuru" are a collection of color Usagi strips that are pretty fun, though not all that memorable.
After the shorter stories, we get some longer ones starting with "The Inn on Moon Shadow Hill". This one, along with "Kumo" are both tales of light horror involving supernatural beings and haunts. This isn't new to the series so it's clear Sakai likes doing these ones, though they tend to be the least interesting of the bunch. "Kumo" does introduce one of my favorite minor supporting characters, Sasuke AKA the Demon-Queller. But my favorite stories are the ones where Sakai explores Usagi's character, and there are two really great ones in the form of "A Life of Mush" and "The Missive", the latter of which teases the return of Jotaro into the main narrative. This volume caps off with "Reunion", a fun lead into the sequel storyline to "Grasshopper"
Overall, this was a bit more of a mixed bag of stories, but even the lesser ones are highly enjoyable stories.
"Death and Taxes" is a funny tale showing how Usagi's selfless nature is easily taken advantage of, and often to Usagi's own detriment. "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Tournament" depicts the first canonical meeting of Usagi and Tomoe Ame, which demonstrates an almost destined intertwining of their lives. "Netsuke", while only a few pages long, is a heartfelt side story of Usagi visiting the grave of a fallen comrade at the Battle of the Burning Plain. "The Leaping Ninja" is a funny one page gag where Usagi faces off against an overconfident ninja. "Tsuru" are a collection of color Usagi strips that are pretty fun, though not all that memorable.
After the shorter stories, we get some longer ones starting with "The Inn on Moon Shadow Hill". This one, along with "Kumo" are both tales of light horror involving supernatural beings and haunts. This isn't new to the series so it's clear Sakai likes doing these ones, though they tend to be the least interesting of the bunch. "Kumo" does introduce one of my favorite minor supporting characters, Sasuke AKA the Demon-Queller. But my favorite stories are the ones where Sakai explores Usagi's character, and there are two really great ones in the form of "A Life of Mush" and "The Missive", the latter of which teases the return of Jotaro into the main narrative. This volume caps off with "Reunion", a fun lead into the sequel storyline to "Grasshopper"
Overall, this was a bit more of a mixed bag of stories, but even the lesser ones are highly enjoyable stories.
March 17, 2022
Welcome back to my Throwback Thursday series, where I republish old reviews, review books I have read before or review older books I have only just had a chance to read. In this latest Throwback Thursday I once again dive into the awesome and elaborate world of Usagi Yojimbo as I check out the 14th epic volume, Demon Mask.
It feels good to be on a Usagi Yojimbo review streak here at The Unseen Library, and I have been having a lot of fun diving into some of the awesome middle volumes of one of my absolute favourite comic series. My last two Throwback Thursday reviews of the 12th Usagi Yojimbo volume, Grasscutter, and the 13th volume, Grey Shadows, were really fun to pull together, and I really had no choice but to also have a look at the 14th volume this week with Demon Mask.
Demon Mask is another excellent addition to the Usagi Yojimbo series that unsurprisingly gets a full five-star rating from me. Exclusively written and drawn by Stan Sakai, this impressive entry once again follows the rabbit ronin Miyamoto Usagi as he continues his action-packed adventures through the anthropomorphic animal filled version of feudal Japan this series is set in. Containing issues #31-38 of the Dark Horse Comics run on the series, as well as a few additional issues from associated magazines, Demon Mask continues the trend of featuring several shorter stories, while also leading back towards the next volume, Grasscutter II, which will contain a big crossover story. I deeply enjoyed all the cool stories in this volume, and there are some real classics here.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2022/03/17/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
It feels good to be on a Usagi Yojimbo review streak here at The Unseen Library, and I have been having a lot of fun diving into some of the awesome middle volumes of one of my absolute favourite comic series. My last two Throwback Thursday reviews of the 12th Usagi Yojimbo volume, Grasscutter, and the 13th volume, Grey Shadows, were really fun to pull together, and I really had no choice but to also have a look at the 14th volume this week with Demon Mask.
Demon Mask is another excellent addition to the Usagi Yojimbo series that unsurprisingly gets a full five-star rating from me. Exclusively written and drawn by Stan Sakai, this impressive entry once again follows the rabbit ronin Miyamoto Usagi as he continues his action-packed adventures through the anthropomorphic animal filled version of feudal Japan this series is set in. Containing issues #31-38 of the Dark Horse Comics run on the series, as well as a few additional issues from associated magazines, Demon Mask continues the trend of featuring several shorter stories, while also leading back towards the next volume, Grasscutter II, which will contain a big crossover story. I deeply enjoyed all the cool stories in this volume, and there are some real classics here.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2022/03/17/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
July 15, 2022
I have a BookTube channel where I review books, give reading suggestions, and more! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/dragonarmybooks
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An interesting thing about this volume is that I enjoyed the excursions more than the lead tale. Typically, I have enjoyed most the lengthy centerpiece stories in the Usagi saga. This centerpiece story, The Mystery of the Demon Mask, was actually the low point of the volume for me, which is unusual. While I personally love mysteries, I'm not sure that "mystery" is Sakai's genre. And mystery was at the forefront of that story.
There are, however, some of the cutest Usagi stories in this volume. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Tournament is such an adorable story about a first meeting between baby Usagi and baby Tomoe. Neither remembered this little duel but it was so cute! Netsuké is such a beautiful story of remembrance and honor. And even the single page extra, The Leaping Ninja, was a single funny joke that really landed.
Although there are still some sidequests from time to time, Sakai has really found his storytelling flow. Almost everything that happens, almost every character that is introduced, almost every theme that is touched on has purpose. I no longer feel (and haven't felt for a while) that I'm wasting time with any individual issue. And I'm having so much fun along the way!
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An interesting thing about this volume is that I enjoyed the excursions more than the lead tale. Typically, I have enjoyed most the lengthy centerpiece stories in the Usagi saga. This centerpiece story, The Mystery of the Demon Mask, was actually the low point of the volume for me, which is unusual. While I personally love mysteries, I'm not sure that "mystery" is Sakai's genre. And mystery was at the forefront of that story.
There are, however, some of the cutest Usagi stories in this volume. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Tournament is such an adorable story about a first meeting between baby Usagi and baby Tomoe. Neither remembered this little duel but it was so cute! Netsuké is such a beautiful story of remembrance and honor. And even the single page extra, The Leaping Ninja, was a single funny joke that really landed.
Although there are still some sidequests from time to time, Sakai has really found his storytelling flow. Almost everything that happens, almost every character that is introduced, almost every theme that is touched on has purpose. I no longer feel (and haven't felt for a while) that I'm wasting time with any individual issue. And I'm having so much fun along the way!
September 23, 2022
Usagi visits a haunted inn. Usagi meets a young boy who thinks he wants to be a fighter. A pair of lovers try to leave the ninjas. Usagi makes pottery with some villagers. Usagi's old master gets summoned to a duel. Three chapters about the Demon Mask killings. Usagi fights a spider demon. Usagi returns to the temple. Usagi visits a village that is sending its tax payment into town. Three very short stories.
August 3, 2021
En este tomo usagi se enfrenta a todo tipo de asuntos infernales, desde fingidos, a monstruos verdaderos y a policías corruptos. Tragedia, aventura y un poco menos de comedia, lucen de maravilla, una vez más, en este volumen del Yojimbo de largas orejas.
February 12, 2022
Cool one! The amount of mysticism is just right, the jokes are not hillarious, but wholesome miniatures and the Demon Mask story reallly feels like a thrilling investigation with different interesting characters. Cool.
December 10, 2020
MORE SASUKE, LESS SPIDER GOBLINS
May 18, 2021
A pause in the story... as we get ready to go plowing forward in the Grasscutter arc.
April 4, 2023
Sakai es garantía de un buen comic, y ahora Segadora 2...
January 19, 2013
Dans ce tome, Usagi va rejoindre le monastère de Sanshobo (en fin de tome), mais aura auparavant dû se livrer à quelques occupations tout juste digne d'un ronin ...
Je citera par exemple un combat contre un monstre araignée au côté d'un autre ronin (expert dans le combat contre les monstres, ce qui n'est apparemment pas le cas d'Usagi, qui manque quand même d'y rester).
Mais je citerai surtout cette longue enquête urbaine dans laquelle Usagi se battra contre un homme au masque de démon, tout en négociant avec des forces de l'ordre plutôt divisées.
Un chouette ensemble d'histoire, auquel il ne manque peut-être parfois qu'un peu de poésie ...
Je citera par exemple un combat contre un monstre araignée au côté d'un autre ronin (expert dans le combat contre les monstres, ce qui n'est apparemment pas le cas d'Usagi, qui manque quand même d'y rester).
Mais je citerai surtout cette longue enquête urbaine dans laquelle Usagi se battra contre un homme au masque de démon, tout en négociant avec des forces de l'ordre plutôt divisées.
Un chouette ensemble d'histoire, auquel il ne manque peut-être parfois qu'un peu de poésie ...
March 1, 2017
I enjoyed the longer, plot-moving stories in this collection, but I really loved the shorts, especially "Death and Taxes." It amazes me that Stan Sakai can come up with so many unique and interesting stories for his characters to slot into. It's difficult to remember exactly who all of the ancillary characters are at times, but he presents the stories in such a way that it usually doesn't matter if the reader recalls every detail. At some point I'll read back through the entire series at once so I pick up on these small details, though.
January 12, 2015
Sakai is the king of the short story, although his longer ones are always the stand-outs. He's gotten smart enough at this point to be able to toy with his own style—what was once obvious and straightforward he now bends into something more nuanced. In the Demon Mask story he drops all the hints in the first few pages (like he used to do), but rips that away and tosses a few curveballs in by the end. It's not the height of storytelling, but Sakai knows how to make good, simple comics. Also: bibliography at the end: unf.
April 2, 2022
Ronin rabbit ronins rabbitly around rabbit Japan.
Continues to be a lot of fun and a surprisingly investing read. This volume is a buffer between an ongoing plot about a legendary sword that started last volume and, judging by the last issue of this volume, will continue in the next. I liked all the stories in this one, particularly the titular Demon Mask. Sakai manages to pack a lot of depth into his characters and this is a stronger outing.
Art is still a lot of fun, but maybe too cartoony for some tastes.
Continues to be a lot of fun and a surprisingly investing read. This volume is a buffer between an ongoing plot about a legendary sword that started last volume and, judging by the last issue of this volume, will continue in the next. I liked all the stories in this one, particularly the titular Demon Mask. Sakai manages to pack a lot of depth into his characters and this is a stronger outing.
Art is still a lot of fun, but maybe too cartoony for some tastes.
July 30, 2014
simplemente, asombroso el tomo. Claro, cuando llegas como paracaidista te marea un poco saber algunos detalles, pero en líneas generales es una excelente obra por todos los.costados. El trabajo de investigación así como el de guión y dibujo son magníficos. Siento que me quedo corto con lo que digo pero sale mejor que lo lean.
July 19, 2013
Really enjoying this run of books. This featured a lot of hauntings stories, and i like how stan sakai weaves that fine line between skeptic and belief- according to the story or the art and what he can have fun with!
May 15, 2016
Demon Mask is a fairly standard set of short stories with a few twists and turns that seem to be laying the groundwork for the next few volumes of Usagi adventures (Grasscutter 2, Duel at Kitanoji, and Travels with Jotaro).
July 19, 2011
Zatím jedna z nejsilnějších sbírek Usagiho. Každá povídka je něčím osobitá a snad žádná ani chvilku nenudí. A přitom soubojů je tady poskrovnu.
September 12, 2021
Retroactive Review (12 Sep 2021): Please see my review of the series
here
under the first volume.
June 25, 2014
Another continuation in Sakai's series. Does not do much character progression, but is a decent read for the Usagi fan.
January 18, 2016
This is where I gave up. The stories and characters are too one-dimensional and fake for me, and the whole thing feels very boring.
August 3, 2021
Asuntos infernales rigen el vol. 14 de Usagi Yojimbo. Yokais, pillos y mala gente pululan por este tomo que con un poco menos del humor, acostumbrado, nos prepara para el final de Segadora.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2015
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