USAGI YOJIMBO #127 (Dark Horse Comics)
Writer & Illustrator: Stan Sakai; Editor: Diana Schutz
I have been aware of Stan Sakai’s ronin rabbit for a couple of years, but just had not gotten around to checking out the book. However, I recently got a copy of the March issue and gave it a try.
The story of the issue, “The Sword of Narukami,” has his hero Usagi encountering a very serious samurai battling a mob of bandits by himself. Inuyoshi is on a quest to reclaim the heirloom sword of his master’s clan.
I have long had a fascination with medieval Japanese history and particularly the Tokugawa Shogunate. I was first hooked by Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, which led to Yojimbo and Sanjuro. That also led to my becoming a huge fan of actor Toshiro Mifune. So reading Sakai’s story proved to be a delight. It may be peopled with anthropomorphic animals, but underneath it lies a wealth of knowledge of Japanese history and samurai tradition.
The thing that really interested me in reading the book was how Sakai handles the story. He does not actually downplay the violence inherent in a samurai story (they are after all fighting with swords, often to the death). And yet, the cartooning style and animal characters give a little distance to the violence. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Sakai treats the influences of history and tradition with a light toch, which makes the story very accessible to both young readers and those who know nothing of Japanese history and culture.
Sakai’s art has expressive charm and energy. The story is solid and tightly told. Over all, a fine issue. It also did the job of selling me on the whole series. Now I want more!
