Customer Reviews

Usagi Yojimbo, Book 2: Samurai

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was the first Usagi Yojimbo book that I had ever picked up, and I was glad I did. During the initial 80-90's TMNT boom, I first "discovered" Usagi through the TMNT cartoon. I happened by a local comic book store and saw the graphic novel on the shelves. I picked it up for around $20 (which was a large investment for me at the time!) and never regretted it.

Coming from a Japanese heritage, but with parents who never really shared their experiences, Stan Sakai's incredibly detailed and superbly researched world was like a look into a world which fascinated me, but one that I had never really gotten to know.

Usagi Yojimbo Book Two is sort of like a "Zero" issue in the way of comic book numbering. It tells the back-story of how Usagi came to be both a samurai and ended up being a masterless ronin. If you like Japanese history, are a buff for great storytelling, incredibly detailed art, and just a plain good read, Usagi and Stan Sakai will not let you down.

An essential, and hard to find, addition for the Usagi fan. I myself discovered this wonderful comic only recently. I promptly purchased all the TPBs as quickly as I could, and this particular book eluded me for about 8 months longer than the rest.

It is well worth finding, however, as it fills in a significant amount of information about Usagi's origins and early life. Much that is in later books will make much more sense once one has read this book. Unless Fantagraphics reprints this (and at last check, they hadn't and have no plans to do so) be prepared to buy a used copy for more than the original list price.

Usagi Yojimbo is the kind of quality work that transcends time, genres, demographics, and even age groups. It crafts a delicate and beautiful balance between honor and savagery, cute innocence and dark brutality, simple heart-warming stories and multi-part epics that shape a dense continuity. Whether or not you've ever been a fan of feudal Japanese culture, furry anthro characters, or independent, non-superhero comics, Usagi Yojimbo is a comic that can't help but impress even the harshest critic.

Though this is volume 2 in the Usagi series, this is really the volume where Sakai's masterpiece begins to take shape. "Samurai," which begins with Usagi's classic four part origin story, weaves an almost mythological tale of a young, reckless child growing into a serious adult and becoming burdened by the weight of his honor. We see young Usagi dream, struggle, succeed, fail, love, lose, achieve his greatest honor, face his darkest day, and gradually come to terms with the cards that fate has dealt him. This is a powerful, character-building tale that makes you truly care for the character of Miyamoto Usagi with far more emotional investment than you might care for the more serious looking characters found in those other, non-furry comics.

The volume also includes several other stories from the two issues that followed the four part "Samurai" epic. "The Test" is a truly disappointing story, written by Peter Laird as an attempt to help promote Usagi by including a beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but the story is largely self-serving and makes Usagi look like an utter chump. The rest of the stories are stand-alone adventures that do little to further any sense of continuity or character development, but they are quite fun, action-packed, and often heart-warming. I particularly enjoyed "The Silk Fair" as a story in which Usagi's heroics truly make a difference in the lives of an entire community.

In short, this is a great starting point for anyone new to Usagi. It provides a great entrypoint in the form of Usagi's four part origin story, does much to develop the character from how he appeared in Volume 1, and provides a few classic stand-alone stories as well. I highly suggest beginning here with volume 2. It will definitely leave you hungering for the next installment.

After I read the first book in the series I became hooked so I purchased several others including this one. It is in many ways superior to the first due to the fact that in the latter we are only given a small glimpse at Miyamoto Usagi's past.This volume elaborates on many of the aspects of his past including how he met his sensei, His relationship with Kenichi and a rather detailed story about the battle that would make him a Ronin. It's all told in a manner that is extremely entertaining and gives usagi a lot more depth aside from the Bushido code. The only thing I found somewhat pathetic was one of the following stories which gives orgins for Godzilla but it didn't cost the book any stars so you know it isn't all that bad. The rest of them are just as entertaining I reccomend this highly. Buy it especially if you've read the first one.

It begins with Usagi in a duel with another samurai, and once it's finished (decisive victory for Usagi) Gen reveals himself. He saw the whole thing. Gen asks just what the fight was all about. In order to adequately explain Usagi basically tells his life story: from leaving his hometown to his training with mountain hermit Katsuichi to his employ with Lord Mifune to the military defeat which found Usagi masterless.

It is with this volume that Stan Sakai really kicks in the world building after a few years of doing Usagi stories for various anthology comics (collected in Book 1). This paperback collects the beginning of the ongoing Usagi comic book which still runs today. Building up on the facts established in the earlier stories, Sakai fleshes out Usagi's back story and starts the transition from the somewhat boring hero of Book 1 into the very human character we know today. Perhaps the biggest addition in this book is the introduction of Usagi's sensei Katsuichi, one of the best characters in the series. This story gives a brief overview of Usagi's training with the master swordsman, but Sakai goes back to this time period many times in future books and fills in the blanks with all sorts of lessons and adventures young Usagi had while in training, a very rich vein of stories.

Every hero has to have an origin story, and this is Usagi's. The lengthy (90-page) title story looks back at how the "rabbit bodyguard" learned the way of the warrior under the mysterious teacher, Katsuichi, and significantly deepens Usagi's character as it shows his development from a hot-headed youth into a cool, reserved ronin. Besides the engaging plot, the technical execution is superb; every panel seems to capture just the right moment in the action.

There are three other, shorter stories in the book as well. In one, Usagi meets a kappa (water demon); in another, he befriends a very special Tokage lizard; and finally, he learns the story of a town run by a cold-hearted silk merchant. These other stories are more in the way of filler and not as satisfying as the main tale; nonetheless, they show off Stan Sakai's increasingly nuanced artwork nicely.

The construction of the book maintains the high standard set by the first volume; thick pages and bold ink make it a joy to handle and read. The "Samurai!" story alone sells this book--this is must-read material.

~

"Samurai" is the second of the collected Usagi Yojimbo books; the bulk of it is comprised of Usagi's origin story, training under a lone master until pledging to Lord Mifune, and then the day he became a Ronin upon Mifune's death. A few spare stories round out the collection.

By now the mythology and history of samurai have become almost as much of a trope in Western culture as in Eastern; it was less so in the mid-80s when Sakai originally wrote this. So any reader is likely to have encountered something akin to the training sequence here before; Sakai handles it well, however, and the fights (barring a oddly stiff duel between Usagi and his childhood friend Kenichi) are vibrantly drawn. The 3 spare stories - an encounter with a Kappa, one with an odd lizard, and the plight of a town trapped by Bandits have a more laid back approach, and are farther away the common samurai stories. Sakai's art - with its use of exaggerated expressions and character design when appropriate - fits well with both.

This is the novel where you really get to know Miyamoto Usagi. The tale beings when Usagi slays a Samurai. He soon meets up with Gen and begins to share the story of his Samurai training. We are treated to the full backstory of Usagi's life including the rivalry with Kenichi and the death of his lord. There are also three bonus stories in which Usagi confronts a Kappa (turtle demon), runs into baby Godzilla, and saves a village from oppression.

The second of the books put together from the Usagi Yojimbo comics is fun and entertaining from the humerous foreword to the good feeling the reader is left with at the last panel.

This book mostly details the important events of Miyamoto Usagi's life under the premise of telling Gensuke why he killed a man. When the tale is eventually wound up and at least four bottles of sake have been finished off the reader is left with more knowledge of Usagi himself and a little bit of food for thought on the subject of Samuri honor.

After this long story line the book is finished up with a couple of little stories that will entertain the reader.

Personally I'm a reader of novels and regular books, I'm really not too fond of pictures when I read and that includes comics, but Sakai's art is refreshing and simplistic, often including small gestures that make me laugh without overloading the reader with details and color the way some of the major publishers do. His stories and interesting and often thought provoking. I highly recommend this volume.

After reading through the first book, I was slightly disappointed and baffled at the hype that Sakai has garnered over the years. "What's the big deal?" I thought. "Usagi isn't that great; why all the hype?"

Nevertheless, after reading a review on Amazon.com, I decided to trudge through and continue on to the second book. I liked this volume much better. Usagi's past is excellently developed in Sakai's storytelling, and the wise, world-worn master is reminiscent of many Japanese samurai tales.

Reading on, nevertheless, I found the main plot getting a little tedious--that is, until a slight pause in the overarching story hit me. It was as if the Sakai knew the story was getting a little long, so he decided to place a short story to pick up the pace. (By the way, I'm referring to the water troll story.)
Things went along smoothly from there, and I decided to continue on to Book 3.

I'm trying desperately to grab a hold of all the hype that is Usagi, but I haven't just yet. I hope the next books will keep me hooked.