if the cuckoo doesn't sing, kill it! if the thread doesn't appear, make it! Welcome everyone to the Ninth Annual Usagi Yojimbo Storytime!https://files.catbox.moe/4sbcj1.mp3>what is this? Written and drawn by Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo is one of the most critically acclaimed independent comic book series currently running, with over 40 years and 10 Eisner Awards since its inception in 1984. and we love it so much that for eight years now we've been dumping all of it, so if you never read it, give it a go!
Here we go
I love those top three panels, no better introduction.
>Tomoe Ame's Theme: Lady Samuraihttps://files.catbox.moe/puggch.mp3
>>152834882Let's fucking go, been waiting for this since the Shiguri storytimes
>>152835050welcome aboard
if the chapter title didn't give it away already, this bridge fight is 100% inspired by Lone Wolf and Cub
>>152834882TIME HAS COME!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKMw2it8dQY
!
>>152834882TODAY'S THE DAY!
>>152835087Darn, I was so sure that disguising my naive panda ass as a rabbit's son would work
>The Neko Ninja: Main Themehttps://youtu.be/KwdJjmz-BzI
>>152835081Tokage!
this page is definitely trying to emulate Goseki Kojima
>Gennosuke: Bounty Hunter's Themehttps://files.catbox.moe/hip8pg.mp3
>>152835081I should really read Groo one of these days
>>152835112POCKET SAND!
Aww sheet, here we go again
>>152835314"read" is not the right word. it's more of a "experience"
>>152835353Oh hey, another human spotted
>>152835412Looks familiar. Maybe an actor or character Stan likes.
the peasants were later crucified.
>>152835412can't remember off the top of my head who he is, it's a character from another series. you'll notice there are cameos once in a while.
>>152835401Can't have shit in Kyushu.
if you're new here, we have little traditions which include counting how much certain things appear or happen throughout the series. and this year I'll be counting, among other things:>jizo statues: 10
poor girl, she's so ugly. kinda looks like a hairless ape.
>>152835471Almost like she's a featherless biped of some sort. Wretched.
>>152835414>What's going on? He's not your Barber, Tono. Carry on.
>>152835499GON WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!
>Zato-Ino's Themehttps://youtu.be/fYlkWoba0pY
>>152835565>>152835576I kinda miss these 80s toon animals. Snouty wolf over there has some goon aura. Affably unsavory.
>>152835276Nerd notes for new readers:>1 Ryo was a gold coin with a fixed exchange rate of 1 koku of rice>1 koku was150 kilograms (330 lbs) of brown rice or roughly 136.5–150 kg of milled rice>This amount was calculated to last a year on average peasant use, do note that the ancient Japanese bureaucrat who calculated this, most likely used some sorta ancient starvation ration metrics>In feudal times, the value of a lords land was counted in the number of koku of rice the land was able to on average generate>While gold value to rice was fixed, the market value of rice itself was in constant flux and depended on years harvest
>>152835699I don't remember who said it, that usagi is a relic from before anthro characters became furry, or something like that. >goon aurayouths and your slang!
>>152835660His built like a teddy bear.
>>152835750careful, let's keep the number of people driven insane by currency research to a minimum this time.
>>152835749>>152835757>None may stop the mole man!
>>152835634>>152835642Five Terrors, Earthquakes, flood, fire, taxes and father. That'll be funny in a few dozen threads.
>>152835789But the people must know about the wild ride that was pre-Meiji Japanese economy!
bushido more like bullshito
>>152835789You get into ONE argument with Enmanon and suddenly nobody lets you live it down while a Horseguy saws you into slices over 5 years. Jesus.
>>152835240ENTER
>>152835179>>152835184Not every woman would jump into the fray to save you from ninjas. Usagi is a fool for not marrying Tomoe. >inb4 no game
>>152834882Is Feudal Japan time.
>>152835905well, such is karma...
>>152835789It wouldn't be Usagi without education on life in Feudal Japan
>>152835442https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrK4zrIx4Co
this is it for today, thank you for reading. for the past two weeks, I've been looking forward to be back, hope this year will be as fun as the others. I'll usually be posting around this time, so see you tomorrow. also, do remember to be careful around spoilers with new readers around.
>>152835002That's such a cute Chizu
>>152835479This is probably the fastest anyone has ever figured out a shapeshifter.
Mariko? Made for Usagi
>>152836010THAT'S NO CHIZU BOY, NO CHIZU!
>>152835750>While gold value to rice was fixed, the market value of rice itself was in constant flux and depended on years harvestFucking commodities.
>>152836010I just woke up and my brain is soup hence calling her Chizu. I plead for mercy as the sword approaches my neck
>>152834995Introducing Tomoe the Samurai snd her lord Noriyuki
>>152835749And here I thought the skull marks started with Jei.
>>152835479>>152835471Human! EVIL!!
>>152835990Mulch delivery service
>>152835008The art is quite differnt now
>>152834974It's sort of funny to see him just kick a monsters ass given how much trouble they seem to consistently give him down the line>>152834995Enter! The little bastard that does nothing but DIE.
>>152835002The dog looks disturbing like the soul of a harden middle age man is trapped in the body of a cute little dog.
>>152835134I actually really like this big snake bastard. Whenever he shows up some wild shit happens
>>152836008Thanks for storytiming again Murder.I'm starting this year a bit slowly by throwing this little exploitable at the thread.
>>152835043Is this ferryman the first character with the distinct dot eyes that'll become a staple of this comic
>>152835071Oh hey is that a lizard man in the top panel? Stan doesn't do any of those other than Hebi, right? I guess he just really centered on a smaller stable of animals to keep things simpleAlso what the hell is that big nose guy supposed to be. European?I wonder what the other animal countries look like at this point.
Man going back to the early art and proportions is always something. Characters are more cartoony. for want of a term.
>>152835276>Yes, that happened to me once.every time
>>152836405>Oh hey is that a lizard man in the top panel?Might be a Toad.
>>152835134El Humano!!
>>152835169are we counting "he can't kill us all" this year
>>152836225THE FORBIDDEN USAGI GRIPPERS
>>152836454>>152836225That innkeeper looks way too happy to see Usagi's feet.
The face of a man who killed many.
>>152835505+1 Jizo statues
>>152836470>>152836454It's how he pays for rent when he has no pocket money.
>>152834882Awesome! Also, this intro kinda describe Usagi
>>152835134>Immediate regret intensifies
>>152835757RESPECT THE JITTE!
>>152835324never noticed gen's sword poking the panel border on panel 2 there lol
>>152835423This is why I like these yearly re-reads, I pick up on details I've glossed over or forgot in the past. I'd forgotten the reveal the horse was the peasants' to begin with
>>152835832Little Jotaro has no patience for anyone's shit even back then.
>>152835046FATALITY
>>152835774>>152835789>>152835799>>152835806All this Kenichi and Mariko stuff hits differently when you know...
I tried to follow along but my post keeps getting flagged as spam so I'll just post my tally so far and give a few notes that stood out to me. Three whole rhinos appear before Gen's debut, not even counting General Toda's yokai form, I guess Stan just liked drawing them. One of the horse thieves appears to be a mole but I'm going to break my own rules and count him since he's clearly not a ninja. Might be open for interpretation but I'm going to count Gon in Village of Fear as a beaver. I'm going to tentatively count wolves for one of the gamblers in A Quiet Meal and a certain recurring character who shows up later one but I might miss a few background characters who could be mixed up with foxes or dogs. >Total: 32>Non-Mammals: 3
It's that wonderful time again!>>152835895I would love to say the panel work is subtle but amazing, look at how the tree is used in panel four to use as an outline for it
>>152836614always something new
>>152836702And of course, I forget the tally itself. In the future I'll post the number of each species per thread along with the updated totals
>>152836057There's one already earlier in the cat spirit story
>>152834941Looking back this first story is pretty clumsy with how Usagi just infodumps his whole backstory up front. Though, considering Stan never intended Usagi to be any more than a one-off side character in his other comic it's not shocking. I doubt he even planned any more solo stories beyond this one
>>152836010>>152836044>>152836046
>>152835938Enter the MAIN MAN. I never really 'assign' a voice to any character, I can sort of picture tone mostly but something about Gen instantly makes me read everything as if it were read by Brad Garret.
>>152836217The dog looks like how Araki draws dogs
>>152835134Man, early Hebi looks (comparatively) so tiny, either that or Hikiji was supposed to be a giant of a man towering over everyone else
>>152834995>>152835002Hey. It's that girl I miss.
>>152835021The elusive "Usagi does Yojimbo-ing"
>>152836826have we counted how many times the yojimbo actually yojimbos?
>>152835423>A horse shows up and doesn't actually die I'm so used to them like instantly being speared or something in these stories. Have you ever counted horse deaths?
>>152835014Damn, Usagi just casually murdered Gen. That's ice cold.
>>152836881I think we did that couple of years ago, can't remember the tally though.
>>152836895He had a premonition about all the shit shortcuts he's going to take him on and decided to save himself the trouble.
>>152835034>the death of KatsuichiRemind me, does he actually believe this at this point? He does, right?
>>152836945yes
>>152835043This is great handling of the comics medium right from the start. He's killed them all in the time it took her to run down that pier and dodge two cuts (you can see they're all alive in the last panel of the previous page).>>152835046...And right off the bat, an instance of visible dismemberment, which I remember Anon asked about last year.
>>152836764There's something like a whole year between this and the next story, so yeah, odds are it's the amount of time needed for him to start noticing people liked this one and thus to invest more on it
>>152835081First tokagé AND first sinister priest kanigga (although nothing comes of it).>>152835087First neko ninja...>>152835094...aaaand the last time the violence is ever this graphic IIRC.>>152835115Are they ever explicitly stated to be in Edo/the capital again after this?>>152835134>a short-nosed goblin
>>152837248>last time the violence is ever this graphicMaybe not as much blood spray, but theres quite a few graphic deaths later on
>>152836723I forget, do we count them more than once if its a recurring character?
First time I've ever been here since the first day I think.
>>152837360Wouldn't make much sense to me
>>152835002Noriyuki being based early, I see
>>152837248>Are they ever explicitly stated to be in Edo/the capital again after this?Usagi, Noriyuki and Tomoe? Besides Senso I think the only confirmed Edo visits are by Inazuma and Kitsune.
>>152837470Noriyuki #12 was something else, too bad he fell off the tree while trying to recover a kite one of his retainers kids had crashed there.
>>152835316First instance of a guy saying <skull> to show that he's dead?
>>152835384I'd swear the kid in panel 2 here, and panel 5 here >>152835390 is a reference/cameo, but to what?
Usagi panel counter hereAbout 400 Usagi panelsAnd about 607 panels total.
>>152835423Man, the monkey woodcutters only go down in life from here, huh.
>>152835461>Ho! Mangy villagers!What a suave pitch.
>>152837360Nah, unique cases only
>>152835461>>152835423Honestly I like it when Usagi is shown as this weird little gremlin. I know it's dropped completely and he becomes a heart throb and conventionally built, but the sort of stumpy critter look is pretty endearing.
>>152837810It's like depressing samurai wind in the willows
>>152836008I missed reading this series.God Bless You Murder Anon.
>>152835858(Kenichi wouldn't last a night in the lair of the lizard queen.)
>>152836225Why does it look like Usagi is casually flipping this guy off?
>>152837922Because he is, thought I'd add the little detail.
>>152837922That's the joke
>>152837922
>>152835944They stole a popular waifu figurine! Unforgivable!
>>152835750>this implies that Gen ate the equivalent of 750 kg of rice at that inn
>>152835944>Mother kwannonYou don't suppose there might be hidden kirishitans in the neighbourhood?
>>152838041Rice and rice products.Can't forget about the rice crackers, the rice wine and of course everything else with inflated to fuck prices.
>>152836008Another trip to Hell, thanks as always Murder.
>>152834882HERE WE GOOOOOO!>>152834935I claim the very first story page with a fresh new shitpost.>>152838041How much rice do you need to make a bottle of cheap sake? Plus the value of the labor, maybe some taxes and the innkeeper margin...
>>152835094>>152837248>>152837332Ahh the ol' Sanjuro Special. >Heh, I'm bleeding. Making me the victor!
>>152836494He never killed anyone who didnt deserve it. Why should he feel bad.
>>152836008Thanks as always, Murder. Great to be back with you anons as always.>>152835905Where is my nigga Enma anyway? I remember he had some hard times last year... I hope we see him again.
>>152835750>Feudal Japan's rice economy>USA's strategic cheese vaults>Italy's bank of parmesanMan so we never really left the bronze age at all, huh? Like all this "minted coinage" and "printed currency" and "stocks" and "financial instruments" that need 8 years of advanced study is just window dressing, we're really still just moving clay jugs beer and baskets of figs to the temple ziggurat in the end.
>>152838358 chizu crippling the wing of a komori ninja before cutting him down as he tried to limp away, or the guy who was still visibly pissing after being decapitated come to mind
>>152834974What.
>>152837685Very nice! Did you count the thought bubble panels as separate panels or put them together? I'm trying to (forgive me for this) vibe code a CLI application to make a SQL database for all the panels & pages & books in the story time so anons can use it in the future. Currently the scope for me is to just make entries of the panel and get the Scott McCloud thing of moment-to-moment, action-to-action, scene-to-scene, etc. Amd also the reading flow (read from previous panel, outer/inner panel from previous, and read order by action/flow)I currently have the data scheme to be Collection over Arc over Book over Page over Panel, though now I'm thinking for the storytime to just have each be a book so it's easier for anons in the future to log a certain page/panel.>>152835461I am honored Murderanon to have the jizo statue count, I'll make sure to double check it!As always, thank you Murderanon
I just liked his face here.
>>152834981What a weird first story.
>>152838266Top kek!>>152838439Don't get me started on Feudal Japanese rice future trading!Also, remember that time British empire formed the single largest alliance in human history, to topple an ancient empire just so they could keep buying tea from them?
>>152835021That dog is pogging.
>>152836839I'm pretty sure we have but someone else can confirm
>>152835039Welp, can't say Usagi didn't give them a fair warning.
>>152835046Holy shit.
>>152838493>Did you count the thought bubble panels as separate panels or put them together?I went with separate, it seemed like the best approach.
>>152838434>Where is my nigga Enma anyway?I'm here my guy. The times were and are indeed hard but I'm here. The archival work will continue. It MUST continue. And I also have some Usagi Yojimbo relevant lore to share with the class that I found while I was in the Land of Dragons last year in the summer. >>152836839Times Usagi actually yojimbo'd: 18 (counted in 2022)>>152836881Horse deaths: 34 (+11 Stan forgot moments) (counted in 2019, first year we started doing counts RIP in pepperoni dharmanon)
>>152835081Dude you are WAY too well dressed to be a Ronin's son.
>>152835112I was not expecting the panda boy to have blood on his hands.
>>152837685impressive, very nice
>>152838774You don't get to stay lord if you don't know how to merc a bitch
>>152838690Thanks anon, though did you count the bottom as 2 or 1 panels for >>152834941 ? I assume just one, but I didn't know if you might have done it separately due to it seeming like Usagi is both telling it and on the white horse (unless that is a different samurai rabbit)>>152838694Very nice, I hope to grow the fanart folder myself!
>>152838694Here's an edited version of my Kanbe drawing, if you don't mind replacing it, Enmanon.
>>152835134This is my first time reading this series, but the appearance of just a straight up non-anthro snake and human is already just so jarring.
>>152835151>Hijiki?!
>>152838850Then you have nothing to worry about, the snake guy will make a handful of appearances, but Hikiji (da man) won't be appearing ever again.
>>152838850We got a storytime or two left of early issue weirdness that needs to get ironed out. Right around the first major multi-issue story-arc, The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy, everything solidifies into the Usagi Yojimbo that's been going for +40(!!) years now.>>152838821I'll put your new version in with the old one and that way we get to enjoy two kanbe's!
>>152838694Enma, my man! Nice to see you around, this ain't a proper hell without you.
>>152838850yeah the early issues are nutty. It's in that kind of "we don't know if this is gonna catch on or where it's going phase"
>>152838850It's an element that disappears with time. This series was originally meant to be a spinoff of a different comic about furries in a medieval fantasy setting being attacked by goblins and where the reveal would be humans were conquering the world, and elements like Hijiki being a human or the way the goblins look in this early on are remainders of that but get phased out as Stan's focus evolves to be in just this comic itself and making it a more grounded depiction of real feudal Japan of sorts.
>>152838439I mean, coins were ultimately just predefined weights of precious metals stamped by an (ideally trustworthy) authority to spare people most of the routine assaying anyway. It's fundamentally not that different from paying in beer (in fact, in China bricks of tea were used as currency at various times).
>>152838992Likewise my friend. I read everyone's comments from last year, thank you all, sincerely, for your kindness towards me. /co/ is indeed love, as it always has been.>>152837685>aboutUnacceptable. You count those panels again until you have a precise and exact number. No half-assed statistics in Enma's Hell, or you'll see what happened to Mon-Anon!
>>152835184RIP horse.
>>152835414>struck by a sudden suspicion>go check pic relatedFuck, I was right. He really missed this clan's mon.
>>152835217Hmm, something tells me you can't be trusted.
>>152839257A Treacherous councilor? Who could have ever seen that coming.
>>152835179>horse going OH MY GOOOOOOD NINJAS, I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS SHIT>>152835184>its fears instantly proven correct
>>152835229Aw son of a bitch! All those ninjas died for nothing!
>>152839225There's at least three more clan mons that are missing
>>152835217He got some black teeth.
>>152839293It's a by-that-point ancient Japanese court custom. Heian ladies would blacken their teeth so they would seem to have a perfectly toothless smile; it was considered aesthetically superior. That Okii is doing it here is an indication of his rank in the bakufu, essentially.
>>152839285...Can relate
>It's Monday
>>152835276Fell into a sewer? Hope you met some nice turtles while you were down there.
>>152837810Nah you're not alone in this I like the early Albedo-era gremlinmaxxed designs too.
>>152839053>I read everyone's comments from last year, thank you all, sincerely, for your kindness towards me.Hey man, anytime. I think many of us have been through some rough patches and know what it's like. Sympathy's most all we can offer between anons, but you have it.
>>152835276>"Go away!">"Thanks, I will join you!"I love these two.
>>152839321Wow, I learned more about japanese culture with UY then anywhere else. Thanks Sakai.
>>152839353>LASAGAAAAAA
>>152835324Man, that priest really took it personal when Gen said he didn't care for him.
>>152839321I remember seeing that in Sanjuro. That was a good movie.>It never occurred to her that I would escape, so I couldn't. Heh. Oh closest guard.
>>152838850don't ever question the giant snake
>>152839503Why are Asian's so bureaucratic. You read Journey to the west or Water Margin and a not insignificant portion of them is just protocol
>>152835353Hey, at least it's ALMOST 50 Ryo. He gets to keep a few.
>>152839538Confucianism.
>>152835412This was the early days of the comic before Stan had decided if this was going to be an all furry setting or not.
>>152839369>turtles
>>152835461Someone should count dango
>>152839579She bought that cup and saucer from the foreign merchants
>>152839579Can't wait until the TMNT crossover.
>>152835158>Revenge of Shinobi musicGreat taste
>>152839606Count Dango is my wrestler name.
>>152838799I actually missed that one <_< but I think its definitely Usagi. Also looking back, I thought the second row, left panel here >>152835767 had Usagi handing the brush over, but its just Mariko reaching out. So the count still evens out.Being the focal character, Usagi is definitely more complicated than Gen was last year. Your example is clearly one panel/two distinct appearances, whereas top here >>152835846or middle here >>152835858 could be understood as one or two panels, with two distinct appearances. If we were being REALLY silly about it, we could say that bottom panel here >>152835046 actually has "three" Usagis, but of course I only counted it as one.Maybe the correct interpretation of my count leans more towards Usagi's appearances on page rather than by panel; I'll keep doing the full panel count so we can still have a percentage of how much he appears in Usagi Yojimbo.
>>152838493>I am honored Murderanon to have the jizo statue count, I'll make sure to double check it!I appreciate it, I already missed one >>152836527>>152838694>counted in 2019, time sure flies, huh? it's already the year of the horse even. >>152839329dammit, retsudou! you smoked all the shogun's grass!
meow meow meow meow
>>152835377>"I defeated an entire horde of bandits, and all I got was this lousy horse."
>>152835390Lmao, this whole page is comedy gold.
>>152835401That horse is fucking cursed, dear lord.
>>152838358phun phact; in this show the special effect didn't work right and the pressure was way too high (at the end of the shot the actor is even being pushed backwards by it) but they decided to keep it.
>>152835390Early Usagi lied a lot.
>>152835423Easily my favorite chapter so far, what a glorious comedy of errors.
>>152834960>>152834969>GoblinsOh yeah goblin creature well know for looking like a demonic rhino.
>>152834981No wonder everyone wants to seppuku themselves if this is what happens when you don't do it.
>>152835471Another human? That's a red flag if I ever saw one.>"A small cut while sharpening chopsticks"....uh-huh.
>>152835479I knew it!
>>152835499RIP Gon.
>>152835071>>152836405Yeah, early Usagi had all sort of animal creatutes, some humans here and there too, later or Stan sort of homogenize the animal pool.
>>152835505>an entire chapter dedicated solely to set up a punI'm liking this comic already.
>>152835565King Ghidorah jumpscare.
>>152835774Yeah, you can tell when an artist wants to make funny looking animals or just something they want to bone. The stuff in these chapters are easily the former.
>>152835593>>152835606>"Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru"
>>152835620That sobered them up real quick.
One of the few wonderful traditions of /co/, always fun
>>152835034I absolutelly love the middle panel, there is a Radness to it. The clouds, the vegetation full of bugs and the little dinosaurs eating fireflies.
>>152835021Usagi Yojimbo
It is time once again, as is our karma
>>152836811Hebi's also consistently more cartoony early on as opposed to the highly realistic look he adopts later on
>>152835134>"I'll get that wascally wabbti if it's the last thing I do!"
>>152835212>>152835071
>>152835071>How dare you value the life of a servant the same as a lord!>Bullshido never dissapoint.
>>152840241
>>152839874Probably meant it as the original meaning; a generic evil spirit
>>152835642>with no provocationLmao, even the villagers can be utter sacks of shit sometimes.
taking a break for dinner but doodling characters from today's stories. taking more cues from how they were drawn in their intros, though for usagi and hebi I'm taking some elements from later on because I think it makes them more appealing- usagi needs the sideburns for me, and I like how hebi later looks more dinosaur-like
>>152840453>SometimesAfter thinking about it, I have come to the conclusion that raiding armies did nothing wrong.
>>152840483Hebi remains one of the more normal samurai lords despite absolutely everything about him.
>>152835671https://youtu.be/HvHFlt3bipA?si=MkvTog-LOfnCxLhY
>>152835713Man, what a bummer of a chapter. Can't help but feel bad for both Usagi and Zato here.
>>152840586It begins...
>>152840483That's an extremely cute Tomoe. The thick eyeliner makes me think of 60s-early 70s anime heroines.
>>152835767Woof, between the backstory and the family reveal this is some of the harshest whiplash I've felt from a comic in a while.
>>152835774Hijiki?!
>>152835825>>152835832Ninjas always forget kids are nasty little biters.
>>152840483t-there's nothing wrong with that hairline
>>152840632I wonder how new readers are going to react when we get to the Noodles....
>>152840788Of course there isn't it's a very noble hairline.>>152840798Oh yes, the noodles incident...
>>152840713H-I-K-I-J-I. 10,000 years in Jigoku for anyone who gets his name wrong again past this point.
>>152835767>Mariko>Somewhere, Logan smiles bitterly >>152835757>Jotaro>Yare Yare Daze
Hey, Auditanon here. Last year, I counted screams of honor and bravery but I wonder what should I do since taking that bureaucracy pledge to Lord Shoki. What should I start/keep up with?Pic is the total from last year.
>>152835249>>152835276Somehow I think this is the first time I noticed Gen has Mifune's scraggly beard from Yojimbo
>>152840928Death screams?I'm partial to "Floo!" myself.
>>152835651>>152835684You know, thinking about it further, I find it funny how Usagi never caught on to the villagers lying about Zato's attack being unprovoked, despite literally every other detail of the story being demonstrably false.
>>152835123Another great panel
>>152840980Usagi is demonstrably a himbo borderline retard at the beginning of his warrior journey but I guess good on him for realizing his shortcomings in the brains department and seeking to better himself by going on the journey in the first place.
>>152835142>>152835151Geishu Special: 1You old timer know what I mean.
>>152835184>>152839203Horse are both, costly assets and canon fodder
>>152835103>SHOOK in the last panelMan I'm so sick of these California nepo hire libtards putting their 21st Century woke slang into historical period pieces.
>>152840788>And what'll it be today sir?>Yeah just make me look like a scheming 16th Century Japanese warlord>say no more f@m I got you
>>152841043>>152840483I think everyone should doodle an Usagi
>>152835229Clever to have a shitty forgery replace the real one instead of just destroying the real thing.
>>152835981...Huh, Gens on the other side. So I guess it wasn't a total set-up?
>>152835151So what makes ninja arrows different from regular arrows?
>>152841150OH WE SHOULD TOTALLY COUNT FORGERIES!
>>152841153>>152835997Nevermind, Gen's such a bastard.
His face is so silly. Make what you want with it.
>>152836004Kek, nice to see Usagi finally got even.
>>152841170
>>152841159I like this idea too!
>>152841105>YOU WA SHOOK
>>152841203Sauce now.
>>152839538Neo-Confucianism, aka, cancer incarnate.
>>152836008Finally made it on time this year, usually stuck reading the archives and trying to catch up
>>152841159guess that was forgery #1
>>152838774There is no such thing as a feudal lord who doesn't kill, the first duty of a gentleman of peerage is to go to war and there are a great number of kings and dukes who were fighting for survival as just a boy.
>>152841148I agree. Here's mine for today finished. I think I'll just keep adding characters thread by thread until it's just a big collage
>>152835217Thinking about it, the shogun is never referred to by name in Usagi is he? Historically speaking it'd be Tokugawa Hidetada at this time, but as far as I know he's explicitly only ever called "the shogun"
>>152835390Usagi tries to be a jerk ONE TIME and he practically starts a war with the entire province.
>>152841148Okay
>>152835276>>152835750How does Usagi ( the comic) treats Ryo? Like a dollar?
>>15284177850 dollars to go risk your life wouldn't make sense. Dunno how it tracks to real use of Ryo, but it's clearly within this comic a good chunk of money at least.
>>152841672>>152841721wicked cool
>>152837248>...aaaand the last time the violence is ever this graphic IIRC.The blood spray I don't think we see again but the most graphic death I remember in the series is that guy whose head gets cut in half horizontally just below the eyes..
>>152841895my favorite is still the triple ninja head chop
>>152835298I see a lizardman
>>152837550I think so
>>152842016Scaramouche, Scaramouche
>>152835371Cut three guys in one swing.
>>152835384Is that a human kid in the background?
>>152842064Will you eat a fat dango?
>>152834882Awwwww yeeeeeeahhhhh
>>152842155Inazuma's fighting
>>152840835It's weird how this keeps happening every year.
>>152841043NAYRT but yeah, the "you have to be brought to the authorities because I'm a fucking retard" thing in particular is ridiculously out of character for later Usagi but it's also obvious that experiences like this are exactly what cause him to reevaluate that type of shit.
>>152839579>what do you MEAN, "not seen since 2004"?! I'm the second reoccurring character to appear in this comic!>okay fine, third after Hikiji
>>152842359beri beri furaitoningu mi
>>152836881>Have you ever counted horse deaths?Think that was the second thing we counted. First was Usagi's kill count, which was the subject of an article of wizard that piqued our curiosity.
>>152839321Man, feudal Japan had utterly dogshit taste at times, huh?
>>152841672Rabbit Girlfriend a cute! CUTE!
>>152842441>I AM A VERY IMPORTANT CHARACTER
>>152837685He's actually doing. Dear god.
>>152841679Correct. Stan gets more and more vague about the details of the setting as the story goes along, these early issues are notable for characters saying "Edo", "Kyoto", "Gombei Pass" as well instead of just making reference to traveling north or south, "the capital", "the city where Ishida lives". Atsuta Shrine might be the last real-Japan location ever mentioned in the comic as far as I can recall. I think it's just because he got scared of boxing himself in story-wise if he committed to something that turned out to be inconvenient later, c.f. the thing about Hikiji being a human.
>>152841317better or worse than legalism
>>152841672hikiji got the vegeta widow's peak going on
>>152842534What's the best way to buy the full Usagi Yojimbo collection physically?
>>152836008Thanks OP, it's a fun read so far. In a lot of ways, it kinda reminds me of Dororo, only with slightly less focus on the supernatural.
>>152842534>Hikiji! What does the scouter say about the odds of him killing all of us?
>>152842857>He's only one man!!!!
>>152840835Remember, HIKIji the feudal lord is a HIKIkomori who hasn't been out of his room in 40 years
>>152836225
>>152835390Grand theft horse.
>>152842522unironically worse. At least Legalism is upfront with how it's essentially just political hedonism. Neo-Confucianism on the other hand is pure schizo-babble, incapable of justifying it's own existence with anything other than vague and inconsistent notions of filial piety and random metaphysical concepts stolen from Taoism and Buddhism and crudely stitched to itself. If Kongzi could see how his "disciples" have butchered his wisdom, he'd die of shame.
>>152835390Gen and a human kid.
>>152835423Notice the woodcutters are human here.
>>152842819Lol. Lmao, even.The Fantagraphics hardcover box set that covers this coming week or so of storytime is readily available. After that, you're stuck buying the Usagi Yojimbo Saga phonebooks, which are... inconsistently reprinted – notably, an anon in the warmup thread posted a photo of his Usagi shelf containing the only known copy of Usagi Saga volume 9 in existence – or chasing out-of-print individual volumes used on Ebay. After a certain point there aren't any more Saga volumes (yet, anyhow) and you're stuck collecting single volumes, but at least they're kinda in print, maybe?
>>152843278Are they? The structure of their faces is already pretty monkey-like, the man's eyebrows and protruding upper lip and round nose are all the structure of a chimp's face. They don't actually match any other time we've seen Stan drawing humans, I think they're monkeys from the start and he just made it clearer later on.
>>152842893And who hires the KOMORI ninja!
Alright got the Box made. Just need to sand it down and its ready to rock.
>>152843026kek, saved
>>152842385A possible explanation is that Hijiki is an actual thing, a seaweed dish that contains inoragnic arsenic.
>>152842501Yeah, Stan has mentioned that time doesn’t work in Usagis world as it does in our world. This is why characters don’t really age, except in the spin-offs that occasionally take place in the “future.” Kaito 84 is actually a significant departure because it’s set in a specific time and place. Overall, while there’s a stable continuity, the duration of the adventure doesn’t matter.
>>152835390>>152835390Man, it's weird seeing pet dogs in these. Especially on the second page since there's also a tokage right next to it.
>>152835895Usagi simping for another man's wife when there's a fine piece of ass willing to ride or die for him right here >>152835184.
>>152834882I caught it! First day!Welcome back, Murderanon!
>>152841679There's a bit of a sliding timescale in effect where some things have happened earlier than in real life and a few things coming later though it's largely set around the first few decades of the 1600s. It's mentioned that the war between Mifune and Hikiji was largely possible because the shogun's peace was new but that was three years before the start of the series. So the start of the series is roughly 1610 while current day is around 1613-1615 since that's when the crackdown on Catholicism began. Some events can be a few decades earlier than they should be though like Sendai existing when Usagi was a kid while others are much, much late; Hikiji basically conquers Mifune's lands four centuries after those lands were unified in actual history.
>>152843862Yeah, Adachigahara is also pretty clearly the equivalent of the real world's battle of Sekigahara (which nobody ever mentions happening in Usagi IIRC), yet apparently the Shogunate forces weren't even involved and it's more of a Takeda Shingen/Uesugi Kenshin situation. Nevertheless there are some allusions to Hikiji's position in the shogunate system being rooted in his victory in the battle, which seems to have entrenched the shogun's power. Usagi's Japan is clearly not directly historical Japan, even leaving out the ninja and the droves of supernatural bullshit.
>>152835908The one that got away... despite the mutual pining for each other.
>>152835908>Upon reflection I think she got the better deal.
I'll try to make a point of actively updating this during this year's marathon. I keep meaning to sit down and read the series for that point so might as well finally get around to doing it. Also, man, it's been almost seven years since I made this map.
>>152843862>>152843945Usagi's life is very dense with adventures. His kills go into triple digits each year.Sakai once mentioned how one reader counted years passing by counting seasons and he was correct.And speaking of measurable time, we also have "one year till we fight at Kitanoji".
>>152843315>>152842472>>152841721>>152841672>>152841148We have barely started and we already have new readers, new edits, new fanart and even one guy going full ronin on his MTG deck. This is going to be a good year.
>>152841148your absolutely right anon
>>152843315What is it? Is there some weird game in ancient japan where they put cards on big blocks? Because I would be down with that.
I've played Ghost of Tsushima and am now playing Nioh and Yakuza Isshun. Any games that give you the feel of UY? Isshun is at least close in being more realistic and not so punishing but Nioh 2 is also a lot of fun.
>>152842359Never get into a gunfight with a guy who wears an ascot knot first. They aint afraid of how they look because that smoke is real.
>>152844438>Any games that give you the feel of UY?This https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slBHx5_8fms
>>152841148The maximum of my abilities.
>>152844451>RYO 2>KARMA 54This is almost unreasonably true to the comic.
>>152844451Fun fact, you can kill the goblin of Akigahara forest in this, (I know because I did it) though it's better to go around because holy shit, is he hard to beat
>>152835419>>152835412I think it's supposed to be Mifune
>>152834981Another retcon I see is the timing of Adachigahara. In this first comic, Usagi says it happened many years ago, and the flashback of Buichi and his wife show 'grandmother' to be young enough that her hair was solid black and appeared somewhat youthful, suggesting Usagi was originally much older here. Also unless I missed something these early stories don't mention Hikiji hunting down Mifune loyalists, which would make sense if that was long ago at this point.
>>152844796That particular story has been fully retconned, as you'll see in a bit over a month. Sakai simply retold it fully in a more suitable place in the story.
>>152835471Can't tell if she's got long bangs or a serious norwood developing
>>152836008Thank you as always murderanon
>>152840483Looks cool, Hebi definitelly looks more monstrous later on.
>>152835678Those guys look cool.
>>152835684Usagi can't live and let live.
>>152840660I liss those ultra sparkly eyes in anime.
>>152842841Speaking of Dororo, Village of Fear is almost beat for beat the same plot as the Kanekozo arc of that manga.>monster lures Hyakkimaru into a village>monster disguises itself as a beautiful lady so she can corner them later through her true form as a beastly demon>ends up getting her shit rocked by the villagers and Hyakkimaru does the finishing blowCan't help but wonder if Dororo directly inspired this comic in some way. It's a hell of a coincidence otherwise; though if it did that would explain quite a bit.
>>152836470
>>152835818Everyone say thank you Dennis
I remain here, awaiting my waifu's appearance. Cold is the wind, many pages will turn before she arrives.Cutting is the laughter, the derision, how can he simp? That fox is not worth it.I remain here, waiting for my waifu.
>>152842501I must say though I am impressed Stan went this long without retconning Hikiji, even if it means the big bad is essentially irrelevant
>>152845559You live a cursed existence, mesmerized by a trickster demon!
I like the Hijiki scene with Habu in Senso.
The fool is yet another victim, this time the item stolen was his heart
>>15284555932.
>>152845735>HijikiTEN THOUSAND YEARS IN JIGOKU>HabuI don't even know what the prescribed penalty is for this one.Possibly you'll be able to recover some of your absolutely destroyed karma through your correct opinion on Senso, though. That scene is indeed great.
>>152845930:^)Waiting for the next storytime makes a ronin do reckless things.On that note, I also decided to count the number of Neko and Mogura ninja members. Neko have gone through 47 so far, Mogura 19.
>>152845142Dororo is unironically one of the most foundational manga there is and an obligatory read for anyone who likes the wandering hero story type.Sadly I don't remember this scene, which confuses me because IIRC I read all of the original manga.On a more /co/ note, I now own a Sarah-Myer-signed copy of WhereWhen #1. Apparently Stan shows up in Baltimore, rather than my native DC.
Apart from catching up with the comic by buying the Ten Thousand Plums trade, I have also expanded my Usagi collection in other ways since the last storytime.Behold, the meddler himself (and his trusty tokage Spot)!
>>152845616I seem to recall that last year there was a pretty serious debate about whether he'd been quietly retconned in the reworking of the goblin story or if it was just a colorist's goof. But yeah, I agree that it's remarkably consistent for something that most people would probably have just changed, or even gone back and edited for the TPB. I mean hell, it's one panel.
>>152845944>one volume done>four dozen neko ninja dead alreadyMeddler is depopulating Iga province at a shocking rate.
>>152846038Rev up those recruitment posters Chizu, that ninja clan won't staff itself.
>>152844197>BingoHuehuehueh
>>152844197Ah, my Otomo playthroughs will finally pay off.
>>152843315Rock!? ROCK!!!???
>>152846024I don't recall when he did that rework but from what little we see of Hikiji in Senso he still appears to be human so I'm going to say coloring error
>>152835081i never remember to mention this and no one else does so much cause groo shows up here but I love the first 2 panels so much, honestly one of my favorite bits in the whole>HOW DARE YOU TELL ME WHAT I CAN DO UNDERLING>also damn am i dripped tf out or what!
>>152846920
>>152834882bnuuy
>>152845142>monster lures Hyakkimaru into a village>monster disguises itself as a beautiful lady so she can corner them later through her true form as a beastly demonThat's a pretty standard Japanese myth, with parallels in myths all over the world
>>152844256>His kills go into triple digits each year.Holy shit. At that rate this dude is going wipe out the entire population of Feudal Japan.
testan
