previously: >>152902707
>>152916898Man, I got here early.
Relaxing Melody - Kitsuné's Theme:https://youtu.be/reVJaN49v1g>>152916926good morning
>>152916931My mu activated and I knew I had to come around.
>>152916939ENTER
>>152917038I'd glad Usagi got his purse back. It would be terrible if his new friend took advantage of him.
>>152917058I can't believe Katsuichi is fucking dead!
>>152916939LA LADRONA PUTA
>>152916939I. WILL. NOT. RELAX.
https://youtu.be/PzZihoS2VIs
>>152917091Kino is back on the menu, boys!
>>152916939UNFORTUNATELY, ENTER
Oh wow, I'm very early today, I'm really luc...>>152916925>KitsuneFuck me, I guess.
>>152917097fuck yes
>>152916939And so, my troubles truly began.
>>152916964What was that again ? Learn something new everyday ?
it's bizarre to think this sort of story was written by sergio "absolutamente loco" aragonés.
>>152917231Here it is, the first Usagi story I ever saw, some 30 or so years ago (couldn't read back then and can barely even now).
>>152917222Sergio clearly only uses 10% of his power most of the time.
>>152916939https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5HASJYdIDg
>>152916931This comic has given me an aversion to tops and fans.
>>152917050Life lessons right there.
>>152917222>>152917243A friend of mine knows him and has had lunch with him several times. According to this guy, Sergio Aragones is a very learned man. My friend tells me of a particular evening where they discussed egyptology.
>>152917342There we go, I felt like this might be this story, but these two confirm it.New guys, prepare for some Gen kino!
>>152916939Enter the vriska of usagi yojimbo
>>152917352>Lord Asano NOBUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lDJGM2jTEU
>>152916939ah yes best girl
>>152917222>sergio "absolutamente loco" aragonés.The mad magazine guy?
>>152906221Stan is tasteful around this topic, but doesn't shy away from it either.
>>152917428the very same.
>>152917289I always think this bad is not very good because the tokage, as silly cartoon replacements for dogs, are incapable of menace.
>>152917452>>152917461Cute feudal waifu was bandit!?
>>152917231>Usagi shows up for the pivotal battle wearing the equivalent of a US infantryman in Iraq c. 2007 wearing his great-great-great grandfather's Continental Army blue greatcoat, wool breeches, leather buckle-boots and felt tricorn capSo we all agree Lord Hikiji did nothing wrong, right?
>>152917222My assumption is that Sergio had the broad idea, like, "a guy is haunting a town because his sudoku failed and Usagi has to complete it", and then Stan did all the actual Usagi writing. I remember in Stan's little explanatory comic for how Sukanku was written he shows Sergio pitching the idea and it's on a similar high level.
>>152917523lolI am not too well versed in this to say with any certainty, but ACKSHUALLY he isn't wearing ooyoroi so I figure it's a more modern design.
>>152917243That's weird, this is my first Usagi story too. The second one I read was the one with the demon cat which is literally the second Usagi story he ever drew.
>>152917468>Gen's preference for vixen women and pickled vegs begins
>>152917018Maybe my memory is failing me, but I think Kitsune doesn't really use her tops as weapons much after this.
>>152917561>but ACKSHUALLY he isn't wearing ooyoroiHe's not?? I really need to see some side by side pics then.
>>152917566Huh, was it in a Finnish TMNT anthology comic book?
>>152917348>dude is one step from Sergio LITERALMENTE LOCO AragonesElaborate, for Buddha's sake, elaborate!
>>152917263>implied choppaI always like these. I think this is the second one we see? (The first one is the tatami mat in front of a brigand getting chopped through from behind the guy in Circles)
>>152917523Usagi was a poor country samurai, please understand.
>>152917428Also Sakai's mentor, coworker and best friend for the last 45 years or so.
>>152916939KILL
>>152917474Gen barking some facts here!
>>152917133This Nishimura guy looks like the gambler we saw a while back.Did Stan have an editor with this face or something? It's not unusual for authors to parody the other staff they work with in their works.
>>152917661He's right, but Usagi isn't.
>>152917610There's not much else, really. He was attached to a Spanish publisher and was friends with some artists, like the late Carlos Pacheco, who introduced him to Aragones, and Juanjo Guarnido. I myself volunteered back in my college days to act as an unofficial translator for some of the guest artists the editorial brought at Spanish conventions and so on. One of my fondest memories from that period is meeting George Perez, what a great guy.
>>152917597for one it doesn't have the shoulder straps (one larger then the other) and maybe the shoulder pads should be a little bigger. when we get to grasscutter you can see what it should look like.
>>152916939Crucify
>>152917733guarnido too? goddamn what luck
>>152917138>the virgin Japanese-American Stan 'ehh whatever I'll draw them with 'Japanese-y' armor' it's good enough>the CHAD ESPANA-MEXICANO Sergio depicting late Sengoku samurai with period-accurate gusoku armor down to the correct number of do-maru skirt piecesI fucking KNEEL
>>152917246Osteoporosis is a hell of a thing.Either that or leprosy
cute.
>>152917835>Yuden the oil merchanthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkF4KDYCzFo
>>152917270Sadly this lord Noriyuki died by falling down the platform right after Usagi left because his legs had fallen asleep.Long live the next lord Noriyuki.
>>152917275Revenge of the Tokage queen.
>>152917328I've gotta sayNo homo, but Gen with a stubble makes for a very handsome bastard.
>>152917895>Yuden the Oil merchant, voiced by Ed Asner
>>152916939I see we're off to a good start today.
>kitsune lies: 0
>>152917962>Kitsune annoyed because someone was mean to UsagiUsagi's lucky to have such a good friend.
>>152917091Now we're talkin.
>>152917124Never really had a chance to stop and appreciate all the wild takes in this last panel.
>>152916939Around foxes watch your pockets
>>152918165Not even Spot can escape feudalism
>>152918086>>152918188>barely more than a child>pregnant with Ino's childoh ho
>>152917377Usagi tells a grotesque lie.jpg
>>152916925https://youtu.be/GXFSK0ogeg4?si=vzmJbMyVWBofz1j2
iconic last panel.
again, no letters I could find for these. will anon come for the rescue again?
>>152917483Gandalf levels of: You would take a walking stick from an old man?
this is it for today, thanks for reading. I forgot to mention it earlier, we have a "soundtrack" for the storytime that I've been posting occasionally, the idea came from this old usagi fan site someone found two years ago: https://web.archive.org/web/20080404210817/http://www.usagiyojimbo.com/downloads/sounds.html. and since then we've expanded it. you can find it here: https://pastebin.com/nmCSpxP1 be careful because there are some spoilers. if you think of any song or music track that could fit a certain scene or character, post it and I'll add it.
It seems unusual in a long-runing series that Sakai is willing to "retire" characters like Ino.
>>152917503The more we go on the more I have the sneaking suspicion that Usagi just likes experienced women's company more, not even in a sexual way (probably) but just on principle.
>>152916949I thought stealing from your friends was your speciality.
>>152917007It's the lustful peasant woman that I made a template of last year!
>>152917390Meddling senses triggered
>>152917061Yeah, that's Gen's job!
>>152916954In another timeline she would be know as the beyblade.
>>152918335Innocent virgins just remind him of Mariko.
>>152918366She has a nice ass.
>>152916996Stan is really good at drawing goofy faces.
>>152917700It might be Mark Evanier again.
>>152917091This one is good.
>>152917528>patented rhino silent landing
>>152917625>>152917632On the verge of death yet looks so livelier than before.
>>152917602No, actually, they were both in the Swedish Turtles comic, the crappy one with the Archie comic.
>>152917943Kitsune! I know it's you! Stop endangering your friends and I'll let you leave this board alive!
>>152917561>ACKSHUALLY he isn't wearing ooyoroiYeah, it's weird, in this one he's depicted wearing some kind of very difficult-to-place armor that Sakai might have just amalgamated from different types (except normally he wouldn't do that). General Tadaoka's armor is a bit odd too, we get several good looks at it (>>152917155particularly) and it's clearly a gusoku, with a single-plate breast and four lamellae for each skirt- and shoulder-piece, very normal, but then it has the asymmetric strapping of an ō-yoroi which I don't think was ever done historically. Easy mistake though, I figure.
>>152917328Who would bankrupt Usagi first, Kitsune or Gen?
>>152917069What's the triangular hat or cloth Gaki Katsuichi is wearing? I know the ghost girl from last thread had something similar and it pops up in other japanese portrayals of ghosts
>>152917989>The last KINO story
>>152917434I just realized. Murakami has a topknot. Gen doesn't. Says it all, doesn't it?
Reject onna <wenches>, embrace meddling.
>>152917591>the inexplicable thing on the groundStrong Aragonés influence here.
>>152918703IIRC, it's a funeral thing.
>>152918297I've been meaning to ask, did you purposefully reuse Tomoe's theme as dragonbellow theme?
>>152917611>There's only one of him!They never learn, do they?
>>152917535>Cue Metal Gear Alert
>>152917848>Gen takes a liking to her the first time he sees herHuh, remarkably consistent.
>>152918720Gen is bald?
>>152918766I believe it's meant to be fold down over the face of the deceased but is shown folded up in things like this for cartoon ghosts...but I can't remember if I read that somewhere or just made it up.
>>152917875>his instincts awakenFucking hell, Usagi.
>>152917097Sergio de Aragones is the most Spanish name that ever Spanish.
>>152918007>They look like they could be rich merchants!Now THAT'S inexperience.
>>152918068>the owl laughs at themNow that's fucking sinister.
>>152917018LETS BEYBALDE!
>>152917011>HE'S>SIMPLY>ONE>CHAP
>>152917700>This Nishimura guy looks like the gambler we saw a while back.Maybe he just shaved.
>>152916939She's just one girl! (doing what she can to get by)
>>152917133Did they sold books in feudal Japan?
>>152918303He stops doing it essentially with this, actually. IIRC only one more recurring character gets retired, not going to spoil who though.
>>152917770Keep reading, there is one comic were Stan acknowledge this in a fun meta way.
>>152918297For as much as he's associated with Friday the 13th, I always felt this symbolized him just as well. The jarring cacophony mixed with the chanting representing the voices of the Gods. If not a proper theme, then an equally appropriate jumpscare cue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OChx37ef5zU
>>152918724>Sakai actually drew the UsagibowlThe madman!
>>152917164Japanese are sore loosers> You didn't win, I killed myself before you could get me.
>>152919288Yes, actually. That pierce binding they sometimes still use to this day dates way back.
>>152916939Finally, best girl is here. I have nothing but sorrow for those who cannot understand.
When do the ninja turtles show up?
>>152919347Welp, I thought I put Jei's name in there. Guess I'm still not running on all cylinders there.
>>152908706Hes still a cuckold though? He claimed Jotaro as his own while knowing he's Usagis child, and not as an adoption but that Jotaro is born of his seed?
>>152919341I know, I've been here since Dharmanon
>>152918242Have had this panel saved for what feels like forever. Fuck you owl.>>152917407>>152919389GEN CHADS RISE UPWE WILL TOLERATE NO SLANDER OF OUR WAIFU
>>152919288I gave it a look and found a very interesting wikipedia article about early edo-period book printing, found also a nice source linked to that article.To give you the tl;dr, around late 1500s two different printing methods made their way to Japan, a Koren method called Chōsen kokatsuji, using tightly packed sand and lead lettering made with it, used for official writings commissioned by the emperor and shogun.The Other method was the Guttenberg printing press system brought by Christian missionaries and called Kirishitanban, which in turn was mostly used by the missionaries in order to learn the local language as well as to introduce western literature to Japan.There was also a third home grown method, created based on these two methods, but the guy who created it was like me with my AI sloppa generator, and printed stuff mostly for personal use.It might have been a bit early for a book store to be around by Usagi's time, but around 1660s there were already plenty enough books on sale to create sizable catalogues of them.Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Was%C5%8Dbon#The_early-modern_printing_revolutionhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/41303212
>>152917246Usagi, don't be a pucky eater.
>>152917275Ladies and gentlemen, kino incoming
Last thread's uh """"discussion""" planted this imagine in my head: Jei if he was a thuggee bandit (some might say a freedom fighter)>"Heh heh heh the Lady Kali speaks to me, Usagi. She says you are EVIL and must be killed to slake her thirst."
>>152919383It's a honor culture thing (and a bit shinto buddhism), you wouldn't get it.
>>152919590Yes, he's a cuck by the most literal, longstanding definition: raising a cuckoo in his nest. It seems like the weird sexual fetishism has distorted a lot of people's ideas about what it means.
>>152917497The tokage remind of the little dinos that eat the little girl in Jurassic park 2 so I can see how a pack of them might be scary.
>>152917253>HellhagThats a good one
>>152917358So Sekigahara did happen?
>>152917611>HE'S>SIMPLY>A>DUDE
>>152917381Typo here, it would be spitting image not splitting
>>152919730>little dinos that eat the little girl in Jurassic park 2I don't remember this part.
>>152918223
>>152917352Lady Asano looks quite dignified, I love the way she serves the tea.
>>152919891Really? It was right at the start of the movie.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brVVDnXPjz0
>>152917867Good ol' Geishus, single-handedly keeping the kagemusha industry alive
>>152917377>Is not in my nature to meddle...sigh...
>>152919394Literally tomorrow. "The Last Ino Story" closes out Usagi Yojimbo's publication time at Fantagraphics. Tomorrow's storytime begins with "Shades of Green," a story-arc that canonically introduces the TMNT from the Eastman & Laird's comic to Feudal Japan as a welcoming party to Stan's decision to switch publishers from Fantagraphics to Mirage.
>>152919795It doesn't really say that, just that the sengoku jidai happened and that the shogun ended up consolidating Japan (which we knew).
>>152918708
>>152920132>filenamekek
>>152917399LEEEEEEEROY JENKINS!
>>152913784>>152909188New crackship?
>>152917950This plot resolution is kinda lame.
>>152920132Top kek my dude.
>>152920163Yeah, imagine the damage Usagi could have caused by bringing that letter to the officials.>Local officials advance the letter to shogunate officials>Shogun hears that officials have received a report from a samurai that there's a rebellion brewing in the north>Punitive force is dispatched and the entire northern provinces burn>In the aftermath thousands of peasants lay dead, hundreds of samurai are dead and even more are without a job>Several clans are disbanded and their members executed, charged with a rebellion they didn't committ>Meanwhile a happy mendicant ronin is hopping along somewhere south near Geishu province, blissfully ignorant of all the carnage he caused by meddling
>>152917097Absolutely metal first page
>>152917461Wood cutters trascend time and space.
>>152920252>Meanwhile a happy mendicant ronin is hopping along somewhere south near Geishu province, blissfully ignorant of all the carnage he caused by meddlingImagining Usagi jumping down the road like a cartoon rabbit gives me such joy.
>>152917474Is interesting how the story before this one is about samurai loyalty to their lord, while this one feels like a rebutal.
>>152918788nope, that was purely my mistake. please overlook this shameful display. >>152918676that's interesting. >>152919347that one is actually there as a jei alt theme! I agree it fits him well.>>152919633irrc the gutenberg style press never took off in asia because there's too many kanji to keep track off, you'd need thousands of dies instead of 26 + numbers with the latin alphabet. that's why other forms of printing were popular like woodblocks for instance. >>152919701>thuggee TIL, never heard of them before.
>>152920371It's all fun and games until he starts hopping towards you.
>>152916939
>>152917517>he has the moneyI love this asshole. Also, nothing quite stealthy as a Rhino.
>>152917628Like Don Quixote wearing his grandfather armor...
>>152918266Last of the Fantagraphics Letters
>>152920431If only he had subscribed to Steiner scouting methods, none of that nonsense about him getting captured would have happened.
>>152920463
>>152917554Here we see the narrative flexibility of the Tokage, since all animals sans horses are people the lizards serve as dogs, poultry and rats.
>>152920486wrong image sorry
>>152920501
>>152920381>It fits him wellCards on the table: I'm the one usually posting that little melody each year. My meager contribution to these storytimes that I've been following since the year the Tea Master issue was published.>ThugeeYeah, they're where we get the term 'thug' from. The Thugee show up as the antagonists in 'Gunga Din' and in a more exaggerated form in 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'
>>152920511
>>152920528
>>152917612Is a noce way to show the cut without showing the cut
How old is Usagi? I always assumed he was in his 30s at least.
>>152920543
>>152920511>Rogue trader/40K 1st edition style fan art of Usagi in power armorHoly shit, this is awesome!
>>152917998>owl being an evil omen and premonition of deaththis is a thing in arab culture too tf?
>>152920557>▶
>>152916939Awww piss
>>152920575
>>152920586
>>152916939Aww here it goes
>>152920598
>>152920556I can't remember when we calculated it, but we based it off of stuff like Usagi leaving for training around age 10 or 12, then spending about 6 years with Katsuichi (if i recall correctly), then he leaves to serve Mifune, becomes a ronin at some point and now we are another 10 to 12 years after Usagi started serving Mifune, so based on this messy math, he'd be 26 to 30.
>>152919701Cool idea, like the bodyhair.
>>152920614
>>152920614awesome stuff, thanks anon
>>152920556He's in his mid 20s at this moment of the storytime
>>152920629
>>152920644
>>152920666
>>152920677
>>152920488>all animals sans horses are peopleYou forget Noriyuki's dog. (Which was actually also Usagi's dog at first, just like Spot #1 was his lizard. He has a habit of giving away his pets, huh?)
>>152920692
>>152920710
>>152920725
>>152920734
>>152920751
>>152917771>>152917762>Fulfills his family's obligation and gets his lady and clans revenge>Gets his family blades>samurai swords are his soul>We discover Gen isnt totally a dickpottery!
>>152920760>>152920501 see for UY 38 letters page 2
>>152917097This was the first Usagi story I had my grandpa read, its pure kino
>>152917950>>152917940Did yokichi ever meet kitsune? Also she looks almost not completely sinister in this first appearance.
>>152920488Ecologically I think they have to be something like a coyote. They're predator/scavengers that seem willing to eat anything, acting individually or roaming in groups.
>>152918261>peace and cunnythis is what all true warriors strive for
>>152920822Yes, when she was at her worst
>>152920792Murderanon, does your repository have the Mirage and DH letters?
>>152917962Lmao anyone got the Bogodoff-dono/financial runner copy pasta
>>152920910
>>152918261not gonna lie, this page did get me a bit misty eyed
>>152919716Stepfather. The word for Kenichi is "stepfather", you ignoramus.
Murderanon, I've got a song suggestion for when Inazuma makes an appearance if you dont have one alreadyhttps://youtu.be/2b6Jh-FhGbM?si=Xlr-5lsBsd1EkVZT
>>152919716That would mean he doesn't know of it though and is thus "fooled" into raising someone else's kid.
>>152918366
>>152916939Welp, time to finally see what all the hubbub's about.
>>152916960>guy gives her money and compliments >steals his wallet anywayOh.
>>152916969Aw fucking hell, Hatsu's back. We're just dealing with all kinds of unsavory characters this story, huh?
>>152921208
>>152916974>serves him right for underpaying his employeesMan, everyone's a scumbag today.
>>152916954>>152918385
awesome
>>152916996Once again I'm shocked at Usagi's restraint here. He's been really holding back as of late, early Usagi would've turned this joint into a butchers shop.
>>152917011>HE'S JUST ONE GUY!
>>152921415>>152917018Oh, there it is.
>>152917038Girl, the fact you tried doing this twice tells me you don't "regret" this nearly as much as you claim.
>>152921111Kenichi is claiming Jotaro as his own biological son despite knowing it to be untrue, so I guess he's TECHNICALLY not a cuckold (husband of an adulterous wife who is unaware or unaccepting of the fact), and he's TECHNICALLY not a wittold (A husband who is aware of or even tolerates his wife's infidelity) since Mariko never actually commits adultery while married to him (she fornicated with Usagi before marrying Kenichi) but it still skirts very close so I understand why people see him as a cuckold. TECHNICALLY Kenichi is only a stepfather falsely claiming biological parentage.I keep saying biological because if Kenichi admitted Jotaro wasn't his and then just adopted him I don't think anyone would bat an eye, but that would expose Mariko's shameful secret of being a fornicator and birthing a bastard. Adoption was common in Japan in this period I believe.
>>152921448Gotta keep in mind your surroundings, killing a bunch of randos in an establishment would have meant Usagi having to pay for potential damages, body transportation and ritual cleansing afterwards.
>>152920955>Devilering rice stock reports>imagining someone in a loincloth thats been running for three provinces to report a three cart collisin dumped a ton of rice into a drainage ditch>"OUT OF MY WAY, ASSHOLES! IF THE LORD DOESNT KNOW THE MARKET HAS BECOME BEAR WE WILL BE EATING COW SHIT AND CALLING IT MOUNTAIN POTATOES"
>>152916983All this hype for this big guy to die immediately
Book 7471 Usagis (2785 total)899 panels (5105 total)Percentage of Usagi in Usagi Yojimbo has dipped under half today...
>>152917053Usagi you FOOL.
>>152921505looking like a bad ass got him far enough in life...but the skilled hawk hides it's talons.
>>152917082I find it funnier how Katsuichi wasn't even trying to mess with.
>>152921505He invested too much on the intimidation skill over awareness and fighting instincts and thus he got got in an ambush.
>>152920908only what I can find on RCO and the likes. there's some yes.
>>152917058>Usagi! You can't do that! You've changed the future! You created a time paradox!
>>152921490Oh, and Kenichi admitting Jotaro's true parentage to adopt him would also cause him to lose face because then he would have married a fornicatress with a bastard child, so Kenichi really saved everyone's hides here. Mariko and Usagi are still seen as virtuous, and Jotaro isn't seen as a bastard, all thanks to Kenichi's sacrifice.I guess it's not as bad as marrying an adulteress. Did Tokugawa-era Japan even tolerate female adultery?
>>152921250It could be argued that this is their first interaction where they’re both strangers, but now that they’ve better acquainted themselves as friends i’m sure she won’t steal from him again, or repeatedly for that matter
>>152921565Edo period Japan was kinda weird with female sexuality.It wasn't ok for women to sleep around for pleasure, but if they were helping the family finances by letting their husbands pimp them then it was ok.
>>152921005Yes, and...? There's a reason that history really only records stepmothers before a certain point (and there's also a reason that fairy tales tend to make them out to be villains)
>>152917021Somehow, I'm not surprised Kitsune has a body count.
Here's the updated totals, nothing special to note this time>+2 Rhinos>New Total: 61
>>152916960She stole my heart. And then my wallet.
>>152920486The first, and maybe only, letter from Japan.>>152920586>incompatibilities My favourite type of letters are the ones that read normally until devolving into a self-indulgent stream of consciousness that Sakai either doesn't acknowledge or gives an incredulous response too.
>>152917155Aw shit, it's Sepukku time.
>>152917191That's such a cool day-night transition.
>>152917497Counterpoint: Spot.
>>152917222Pretty solid story. If it weren't for the darker, more eerie tone I wouldn't have realized a guest writer worked on it.
>>152920463Adding these to the archives, thanks again Anon. Clearly we need to crowdsource you a scanner or I guess I could,at some point, buy the books myself>>152920381>irrc the gutenberg style press never took off in asia because there's too many kanji to keep track off, you'd need thousands of dies instead of 26 + numbers with the latin alphabet.Oh man I knew the spirits moved me to go to into this exhibit for a reason. Take a look at what else I found in Hong Kong, everyone.>>152921490>Adoption was common in Japan in this period I believe.Adoption was very common especially given that both infant mortality and a woman dying in childbirth were depressingly common. It was very common for merchant families to give up one of their male sons to a samurai family for adoption. The samurai family gets a male heir to continue their name if not direct bloodline, the merchant family gets some prestige from breaking through the bamboo ceiling, and the boy being adopted, usually not the firstborn male, gets to do something besides scheme for his older brother to die so he can finally inherit dad's business. >>152921565>Did Tokugawa-era Japan even tolerate female adultery?The shogunate did not officially tolerate it. Duty and loyalty to the husband in a marriage is metaphorically duty and loyalty to the state. An adultress upsets the social fabric and the cuckolded husband is also guilty of not being strong enough to keep his wife in line (thus also failing the state by allowing anarchy in his domestic life). And of course, if the cheating happens across social lines, it's all that much worse (a samurai's wife sleeping with one of her husband's peasant stableboys??? Immediate execution for everyone.) Sources: “Adoption and Samurai Mobility in Tokugawa Japan.” The Journal of Asian Studieshttps://doi.org/10.2307/2943247. “Adultery, Punishment, and Reconciliation in Tokugawa Japan. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25064722.
>>152918936you've just made me realise I don't know what samurai did in that circumstance. did they attach fake topknots?>>152917434is this the start of sakai showing flashbacks not just by rougher inking, but also still keeping the construction lines in background faces?>>152920574Owls are screeching banshees that swoop around at night with reflective creepy eyes, if anything it's probably weirder that the Greeks went "oh yeah they're nice and wise" and that bled over to Europe at large>>152918007>Gen basically going "No creo en brujas, pero que las hay, las hay"Wonder if coincidence or maybe something Sergio passed on to Stan>>152918111A side element that doesn't get focused on much is Usagi seems to be decently good as a medical practicioner. I could imagine a story on one of his descendants having said descendant as a nurse or doctor>>152918142never noticed on panel 4- is he looking up at his ears as if to say "they already are in a knot, goofball"?>>152918165I forgot Usagi does get to learn Spot got killed. Somber moment
>>152917241Oh shit, Usagi what have you stumbled into.
>>152919357>the winner is the literal bowl
Sigh, okay Went for a more recent design because I think this one sometimes makes her looks like she has horns or a very unfortunate hairline
>>152916939KITSUNEBEST GIRL? OR BESTEST GIRL!?
>>152921999>>152922020Kitsune? Made for the Hammers of Justice
>>152917275Ah hell yeah, more Gen.
>>152917289>>152917297Gen, what the hell did you do to piss them off like this?
>>152921722Anon, you're rambling. You're one step away from using Tangled as an argument for... I'm not quite sure even you know for what. Take a breather, okay?
>>152921937Tangentially related, heres how they managed to make a mechanical typewriter for Chinese while still keeping the thousands of different symbolshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riZ5hZUOlk8
>>152917301Wasn't expecting Tokage getting chopped up today. Feels more brutal than the normal action of this comic.>>152917310Ah. A pied piper.
>>152917328I'm surprised you don't see the togake actively weaponized more often. They're brutal opponents to deal with and are loyal to anyone willing to give them food.
>>152921999>this one sometimes makes her looks like she has hornsShe's THE DEVIL, how much proof do you need?! The truth was always right under our noses!
>>152922109>She's THE DEVILIn the sheets!
>>152917332...does Stan not know rhino horns grow back?
>>152921205Yep, that's the one. Stan really does have a type doesn't he?
>>152922140Probably not. With that said, I'd assume it's not that quick to happen either, so still makes sense Gen'd need a prosthetic
>>152922140Doesn't fit the tone of the comic where they (almost) never mention funny animal species. When a person gets a (small) piece cuts off them in a swordfight it doesn't grow back. It's as if he got a scar on his face.
>>152917358I like how Oda has devil horns in the second and fourth panel.
Ah, one of the rare incidences of Usagi actually taking advantage of the fact he's a rabbit and can jump well. Nice to see.
>>152922140>rhino horns grow back?They do? I thought they didn't.
>>152918068This motherfucker. Look at that face. Pure evil.
>>152922023Bruce......
>>152922157
>>152921504>Trading Places but staring Usagi & Gen
>>152917381Neat how every new Gen story reveals a bit more about his past.
>>152921565I remember reading something off the internet(I know, not reliable) about bukkake being the penalty for female adultery. But it's more likely they just unlocked her death via the knife-key.
>>152922257The life of crime leads to only suffering.
>>152922199Rhino horns never actually stop growing, they're basically overgrown fingernails. They just get worn down naturally though usage.
>>152922258https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZy80khfFjE
>>152918703From what I recall the custom started because one rather prominent person died and they did that for his funeral, and it just kind of caught on. There doesn't appear to be any real origin for it spiritually
>>152917399Wow, what are the odds? Also neat, the Woodcutters are back.
>>152920486>Bustillo drew Gen as Dürer's rhinocerosThat's pretty clever, I have to give him that. Besides this though I always really wonder how Sakai put up with this guy constantly writing him these spegular letters.
>>152920528>Several months ago Sergio showed up at my door at 2:30 in the morningClassic Sergio!
>>152917439Wow, that's fucked.
>>152917461These guys are fucking EVERYWHERE!
>>152921804>Thomas C. Chester-YamanoI know he probably just married a Japanese girl but his letter gives extreme Ken-Sama vibes.
>>152921937>Take a look at what else I found in Hong Kong, everyone.That's off the hook. Nice picture, Enma!
>>152917058That third panel is great, lol
>>152917474Thing is, I can see both sides here. Yeah, Usagi is technically more noble, but I can't really blame Gen here considering his own circumstances.
>>152921965>is this the start of sakai showing flashbacks not just by rougher inking, but also still keeping the construction lines in background faces?I think this is the first time we see this inking technique, yeah.
>>152917483>"I don't want no trouble!"
>>152922455Not probably, he did. He writes so himself in the letter. "I'm writing this letter from Japan, where I live with my Japanese wife and study Japanese."
>>152918392>Mariko>innocent>virginA shiggy diggy.
>>152920334>>152922443The funniest thing is that he's actually taken care to draw them looking younger.
>>152922548Oh shit, I totally missed that somehow. I was overpowered by his desire to embody the true spirit of the samurai. (Imagine his poor wife having to explain this fuckin' rabbit tattoo to other Japanese people, yeesh.)
>>152916939that bitch we all hate
>>152921250don't worry anonshe gets much worse
>>152922635Ex-fucking-scuse me? What did you just say about my wife?
>>152920528>Sergio thinks up a lot of stories that don't fit in to GrooKinda sad that we don't have an anthology collection of weird and dark Sergio one-shots.
>>152920528Wonder what Sergio's Terminator 3 would had been like.
>>152922298>the weed of crime bears bitter fruit>crime does NOT pay>who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men
>>152922674>the mon is shining>...but the rice is slippery
>>152917583Oh she's definitely going to take matters into her own hands.
Any interest in the Kaito '84 spinoff? The storytimes reminded me that first issue recently came out so I was thinking about dumping it.
>>152922725Murder is gonna post it at the end of the storytime, so please be patient.
>>152922517I would argue Gen is the more noble of the two. Compare their adolescence to one another: Usagi is from a peaceful farming community far from the troubles of the times. His father is the headman of his village, making him local royalty. His childhood was spent fishing and farming and playing with kids his age. He then went immediately to train with Katsuichi-sensei in the mountains, a noble man of infinite patience and wisdom who taught Usagi how to be a moral and upright person. Then Usagi again immediately begins his service to Lord Mifune as not just a samurai, but a hatamoto. By the standards of the time Usagi has led an extremely sheltered and privileged life. Contrast that with how Gen grew up. A life on the road, in the gutters. Constant deprivation, shame and isolation. A distant father who gave his son only two things: the way of the sword and a single-minded devotion to revenge. A mother who had to sell her body to get them food to eat, before dying from whatever slow, wasting illness that kind of job inevitably infected her with. That kind of shit really messes you up, especially when you're young. In spite of all this, Gen still (mostly) does the right thing. And I think that speaks mountains to the depths of his nobility, because it's much, much harder to give to the world when you've got barely anything yourself.
>>152922735>>152922725Awesome!
>>152921937>>Clearly we need to crowdsource you a scannerI'll see if I can get a secondhand scanner or something sometime before the storytime ends.
>>152922735Alright I'll leave it to him.
>>152917609FUCK, REALLY!?
>>152917434>>152917439>>152917448bullshitdo strikes again
>>152917771Wow, wasn't expecting a Gen story to pull at the heartstrings like this.
>>152917798>>152917809Oh boy, a double dose of this bitc- er, LADY, today.
>>152922664>Mr. Feldman, come with me if you want to live.
>>152922815If you're looking to save money, I'm pretty sure used inkjet scanner combos are cheap and plentiful
>>152922924>Dies
>>152917817Cute.
>>152922936>Did I err?
>>152917848Gen has horrible taste in women.
>>152917817Spotted the monkey couple
>>152922815No don't do it I was just being facetious! In order to make a proper page scan you would have to tear up the binding to your books and I could not in good conscience ask you to make that sacrifice. I bought two copies of Kaito '84 because I wanted to keep one but if murder wasn't going to storytime it or he couldn't find a digital copy to share I was planning on unbinding one of the copies and scanning it myself to share with the class.>>152920371>Imagining Usagi jumping down the road like a cartoon rabbitOur boy gets positively W H I M S I C A L some times.
>>152917143>>152917148The fact that the bookstore owner seems to almost agree with General Tadoka accusing the villagers of being cowards, despite how unreasonable his demands are, always stuck with me.
>>152922725As the other anon mentioned, it'll be posted at the end. We did consider posting it in the pre-game thread we had last week a few days before the storytime started, but it felt kinda useless- we might as well just wait and post it when we're done. Plus since we'll be here for over a month, it means there'll be at least one more issue to post when its time comes at the end of this storytime!also sorry for no drawings yet these threads are going by very fast this year eesh
>>152919794Knew a guy who played bass for Hellhag
>>152922587She was for most of the time he knew her.
>>152923058I was thinking of starting a thread earlier today between the storytimes.What do you guys think? Should we have some sorta in between threads in case a thread dies before a storytime starts, dedicated for shitposting, debating, researching and memes?
>>152922932Space is the bigger concern for me, but yeah, used printers are basically just being given away. I'd hate to just grab one one and then have to give it away again a short time later.>>152923004Oh I wasn't going to unbind them, just see if I can lay them flat on it to get a better copy rather than off of a budget smartphone. Almost all of these have been thumbed through by some grubby kid anyway, they're certainly not 9.5+ graded issues.
>>152923161I want to say no because it starts to feel like a general thread and I've got bad experiences with those, but if they're already going so fast now, by the time we're hitting grasscutter etc these threads are probably just going to be blazing by, so maybe a separate discussion thread is starting to be needed, yeah
>>152923222Ok, I'll hold back for now, but let's say, if we hit the bump limit within couple of hours of storytime ending, then we should have a discussion thread?
>>152921633It's Feudal Japan and times are always tough. Even back then it's hard to blame a woman for doing what she can just to survive.
>>152922612we know for sure there was/is(?) a japanese usagi fandom somewhere. >>152923282personally I wouldn't do that, the chances of getting a mod's or some autist's attention would increase. but I'm just a post, I can't stop you.
>>152923007Institutionalized bushido is real and has real consequences. Break the cycle of abuse. Real change begins with (you).>>152923171>just see if I can lay them flat on it to get a better copyIt has been my personal experience that way usually ends up being not much better than taking pictures with a budget smartphone, especially with a thicker book. >>152923222>>152923282I did a quick glance at last years storytimes on desuarchive and the average post for each thread was about 450. Some did hit 500 but that's not always the case. Maybe this year will be different though but I am also wary of this turning into /uyg/
>>152923374>we know for sure there was/is(?) a japanese usagi fandom somewhere.That's cool, and also makes a lot of sense, but did it already exist in 1992? Was it large enough to take the edge off a tattoo of a rabbit samurai on the arm of some weeb who won't shut up about bushido?
>>152917989FUCK, so this was what that one anon was warning about in a previous storytime. Didn't think it'd happen so soon.
>>152921005he's not the stefather, he's the father who stepped up.
ok there's like five posts to bump limit so making this quick- added the gambler whom I'd also forgotten was a recurring, added Kitsune best girl, whom I now see I forgot to shade- she'll be shaded tomorrow- added the Lady, servant, and Magistrate from Gen's story. Rearranged locations, Hikiji and Hebi moved near Mifune into a sort of "lords area", freeing space in the middle for Kitsune to be near Gen and have space near Kitsune for a certain couple more characters, and Tomoe having space for another two characters related to her. Alright, see everyone tomorrow with more drawings!>>152923407>I did a quick glance at last years storytimes on desuarchive and the average post for each thread was about 450. Some did hit 500 but that's not always the case. Maybe this year will be different though but I am also wary of this turning into /uyg/the concern is more that I think already we've not even gotten to day 10 and the past three threads did bump limit. I don't want a /uyg/ at all, but anon's suggestion of "if bump limit within two hours of end of storytime, make a follow up thread" might end up being the best compromise, if we keep not just hitting bump limit but eventually probably reaching it fast by the time of Grasscutter or the Sasuke stories
>>152918125I guess bacon wasn't all that popular in feudal japan.
>>152923481With the addition of the best girl bar none (I will not accept argument on this matter) this art is now a masterpiece. Put it in the louvre.
I've also got a layer with character names and since I rearranged locations of the drawings I've accidentally done this
>>152923606What a way to close the thread.
>>152917358Around Oda, Never Relax
>>152918142Softie.
>>152923606>Kitsune branches out into identity theftHikiji's gonna find someone's buying real estate under his name
>>152917399>>152920148
>>152917771Its a terrible day for rain.
>>152917474And then they kiss
>>152918188Oh shit.
>>152923374>>152923407Well now I'm not so sure about making that thread anymore, fuck, guess this is Feudal Japan striking at us yet again!
>>152923606This is honestly more accurate than the truth.
>>152923481>I don't want a /uyg/ at all, but anon's suggestion of "if bump limit within two hours of end of storytime, make a follow up thread" might end up being the best compromise, if we keep not just hitting bump limit but eventually probably reaching it fast by the time of Grasscutter or the Sasuke storiesVery much same, I mean the thread's basically hitting bump limit mid-afternoon Pacific time now, that's already kinda crazy. Our Eurofriends presumably don't mind so much, but...
>>152917875(TN: "abura" means oil)
>>152917246How feudal society is actually supposed to work, bonds of honor work both ways
>>152923938Aburaage means "fried tofu skin". It's the stuff they make inarizushi with.
>>152923866>storytime threads are just long enough that they don't justify a follow-up talkback thread>but too short to contain all the discussion we want to have>we are neither starved but neither are we full, just kept barely goingI can't believe it. We have literally manifested Feudal Japan into the meta of the threads themselves.
>>152923938>>152917835Additional TN: the kanji for oil can also be read as "yuu"
>>152923961>we are neither starved but neither are we full, just kept barely goingWe are literally feudal japanese peasants right now!
>>152918142Usagi's scar suddenly disappears in this page
>>152918261And Ino, his wife, and child to be lived happily ever after and true to his word Stan never used them again.
>>152918261Aw, what a sweet ending. Honestly wasn't especting that.
>>152924070Until he turned Ino's daughter into Darth Maul in Senso prequel.
>>152924098>>152924070They found oil and moved to Beverly Hills.
>>152924098sssssssshhhhhhhhh, that's only canon if we agree it to be canon, and either way I blame Michaelangelo
>>152924179>Blame the turtlesShredder.... you're right
>>152922258>Usagi: Gen will never be ballin'>Gen:
>>152923986I'd be all right with that so long as I have a cute monkey woodcutter wife.
>>152924389You know where we are, we'll be lucky to get a bottle of (low quality) sake at the end of the day.
>>152923957If we wanna be technical "aburaage" literally means "fried oil" but yes does refer to fried tofu. Note that his name is "Aburage" with 2 'a's
>>152924389Then you'd be cut down by Jei, any manner of Yokai, bandits, ninjas, Martians and/or meddling ronin.
>>152916939I really like those little spiders. They're cute.
>>152924636You're generally fine as long as you mind your own business and don't go out in the dark and the rain and all that kinda shit. The monkey woodcutters keep on keepin' on, after all
>>152918261Just this time, a happy ending!
>>152918297Thank you Murdern this was a nice volume.
>>152920557Look at those manly samurai.
>>152921349Could Kitsune part the red sea with her beyblade?
>>152921652hehehe
>>152924792Only if she could get some money off of it
>>152923374Usagi has a Manga? Like an actual made for Japan manga?
>>152918676my guess is that parts of it were pieced together from family heirlooms because poor ass country samurai
>>152917038This story was pretty good. Kitsune had a very similar introducton to Gen.
>>152924851Doujinshi*, but yes, there's some Usagi content made by and for Japan, someone posted pictures at the end of the last year storytime*And just in case, no, doujin doesnt automatically means porn, its a catch-all term for self published fanworks
Welcome back to the death rattle tally! Here are the new screams found in today's storytime:>*Wail*: 1>Yurk!: 1>Gyaa!: 1See attachment for total cry so far. As always, if you have any questions about the count, feel free to ask.
>>152923606What a twist.
>>152923606>>152923788Well, I guess that's one way to get by.
