Testing out an idea that was floated to have a secondary talk-back/discussion thread if the storytime thread of the day hit the bump limit too quickly, so Pacific Coast chads and Euro gods can get in on the fun. Discuss meddlesome ronin, The Final Solution to The Bushido Question, the current exchange rate of rice, and other topics relating to Feudal Japan, pre-Feudal Japan, or post-Feudal Japan spoiler: they all suck. If this thread serves its purpose maybe we can have more as the storytime continues. Otherwise we'll know that a second thread is unnecessary.previously: >>152983060
>>152989255I had a feudal japan once. It was awful.
>>152989255I'm honestly shocked at how fast we burned through the last thread.
underlining too this is NOT a general- even if we make more of these, by the end of the storytime, these are over>>152989313is that by smekbo?anyway>>152989260>is it too late to try to make that usagi world map idea we had?I'd really like both that and the chronological order of stories idea, to get a proper vibe for the timeline, especially with early idw making it very confusing to me
>>152989313Yo we got animation now! Excellent work!
>>152983331Tomomori you fucking RAT.
>>152989313MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW
>>152983350>Just think about the rabbits, Lennie.
>>152989421He's just doing the honoroboru thing so his lord doesn't shame them all. Sometimes the boss just needs a little push in the right direction, like over the side of the boat.
>>152983353RIP, poor kid.
>>152989367>is that by smekbo?I don't remember>>152989400this is a few years old now
>>152983364
Fanart I commedHe's a new artist, be nice
>>152989690Cool! And thank you, anon, for supporting new artists
>>152989690good job, ambitious. next step for him is to start practicing structure. good on you supporting him too
>>152989706He remembered the scar, so you gotta give props for that.Whenever I find a new artist, I like to send them a copy of a random volume and ask them to draw fan art of a random character from the comic. Picrel, spoilered because she doesn't show up for a whileI've got some other fanart I've commed, but a lot of it is too large of a filesize to post, and I am not good at computers
>>152989690Pretty cute. Its been mentioned in one of the earlier letters segments, but I do like how this series tends to inspire people to draw art of it.
>>152988412Can you apply a color scale so it's easier to read?
>>152989313/a/ styled Usagi fan animations are kino. If you did this then nice job
>>152989690>paid commissionIf it was $5 or so then it's acceptable but anything else is too much. The artist needs to study Stan's style more closely
Realized I could just screenshot the full image. I have lost face.
>>152989823sometimes overpaying to give a confidence boost to a starting artist is worthwhile, let's take it in kindness and good faith
>>152989355It wasn't even the fastest we torched one so far this year, although Grasscutter does invite more discussion than most books so I'm not agains tthis thread or anything. It's just been a mad year.
>>152989892It's the second Big Arc after Dragon Bellows, where lots of plot threads begin and end. It's important to the comic as a whole in ways that, say, that one story about the douchebag peasant that tricks Usagi into being his bodyguard isn't
>>152989421By the social moors of his country he is in the right for attempting to help the commander meet an honorable endWith no christianity to stigmatize suicide falling on your sword is still a preferable alternative to getting paraded as a captive and maybe ransomed.
>>152989313so cool.
>>152989926Right, my point exactly.
>>152989993>Colt Model 1848 DragoonsAs if I couldn't love her any more. I wish I could animate, I would love to see her challenge some bounty hunters to Bangkok Ruleshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue8TvvYik74
>>152989968Imagine if St. Thomas or Prester John got there before the zen-fags did. Maybe (Pre-)Feudal japan would suck a little less.
>>152983373Decided to look into this further, and apparently the crabs this page is referring to is called the Samurai Crab. Yeah, I can sort of see the resemblance.
>>152989367>underlining too this is NOT a general- even if we make more of these, by the end of the storytime, these are overThat's right. We love storytimes here. Storytimes are subarashii. But generals are cringe and will steal your swords because they have no honor.
>>152989255I think Dragon Bellow was a better event, Grasscutter is cool but it feels like a series of plotlines that happen to intersect instead of a big even were everyone participates.
>>152990157Imagine dying staying loyal to your lord, only to end up spending the rest of eternity reincarnating as a crab.
>>152989765>>152989826You could upload it to catbox.moe
>>152990336Yeah, see that's why they're crabs. They drowned their emperor and they get to stay down there with him forever. Poetic bullshit innit
>>152983404Ah shit, Mr. Murderhobo's back.
>>152990257NAYRT but I also find it striking that the two core plot threads of Grasscutter never cross or interact in any way.
>>152990157You know what get's me, it's not just that it looks like a face but it has some really Japanese aesthetic to it
>>152983427>"Did Jei...do this?"Oh wait, now that I think about it, Gen never actually met Jei up to this point, has he? Or any of Usagi's usual entourage.
>>152989784Here's a color scale of today's results. Hope it's readable.
>>152990574Five floo's already? I must have missed a couple, lol
>>152989993well, it's as good as time as any to bring up feudal america. would you back the plot to bring the President back to power, or stay loyal to the General of the Armies? https://youtu.be/ACr7AiORNmM
Okay, lots of places and things to talk about.Izumo, which is to the right of Iwami, which is directly north of the Geishu province, is the site of the entrance to Yomi and Izumo Shrine are located. The oldest Shinto shrine, this was where the kami ruled from in ancient days.Some of the other major shrines in Japan include Ise and Atsuta. Atsuta will become more important in a bit. Ise is up there with Izumo in importance and is where the Yata-no-Kagami is located. The Sacred Jewel is in Tokyo and Grasscutter, well, you know. It was in the body of water near the Kanmon Strait before Ryoko had it dredged up. Speaking of Grasscutter, Usagi traveling northeast to Geishu means that he was in Suo when he found the sword. This is a risky play on Kotetsu's part since that province is ruled by a Hikiji supporter but that's true of a lot of the region. Which Hikiji supporter will come a bit later but he's actually infinitely less important to the story than one of his retainers. On that note, Bingo is likely the domain of Sakamoto from the ceramic persimmon story and Noriyuki's route to the shogunate capital of Edo runs right through it.Lord Sakana Ashiyubi is presumably related to Okii Ashiyubi, who is the shogun vassal being bribed by Hikiji, and was probably on a procession for the same purpose as Noriyuki. Unfortunately for him, Jei is much more competent than your average Geishu counselor. Sakana was likely from Nagato or a Kyushu province since those cops don't seem the right level of shocked by his death if he were their own lord. On other points of interest, the Genji victors of the Battle of Dan-no-ura set up their shogunate at Kamakura, which is not too far from the Tokugawa shogunate's capital in Edo. The Ashikaga shogunate that overthrew Kamakura in 1333 would rule from the Imperial Capital at Kyoto from 1336 to 1573. Ieyasu Tokugawa would move the seat of the shogunate back east when he took power in 1603.
>>152990773The President is the direct descendent of Columbia, the goddess of Liberty! To suggest that his sacred duty of leading our great nation should be held instead by a glorified tyrant is not just grave heresy, but would make us no better than the barbarians across the oceans!
>>152990872the imperial congress lawfully bestowed the title of General to Grant-no-Ulysses for a reason, without his leadership the Dixie clan would rule with an iron fist!
I’m days behind but wanted to post about how heart breaking The Duel was, where the samurai and gambler are setting up duels for money and underestimate Usagi
Just finished Cultic. I am now in desperate need of an Usagi boomer shooter.Shadow Warrior, with furries.
Oh I’ve been meaning to ask, what’s up with when samurai sometimes tie like a harness around their chest before fights? I can’t find a good picture of it but Usagi’s done it, I’ve seen it in Kurosawa movies, I don’t get it. Also most of the images I’m looking at are porn
>>152990958Fool that you are for falling for such myths! The Righteous clan of Dixie sought a return to the old ways and the proper separation of powers. Had they but heeded the counsel of Longstreet, this great land would be free of the tyranny of the General and his dogs the Pinkertons.
>>152990356Usagi has been with us the whole time.
>>152991029Oh yeah, the Duel is absolute misery to get through. If Stan wanted to teach people not to get into gambling he succeeded.
>>152991029
>>152991053Sorry, not sad enough.
>>152991066They got long sleeves, the tying the straps around is to hold the sleeves back so they're not in the way of movement
>>152983438Gen, don't pretend like you didn't have that coming.
>>152983447>>152983455I swear this catgirl exists solely to aurafarm.
>>152983464No one seems to learn that graverobbing is bad luck.
>>152983471I almost thought Gen mistook her for Tomoe. Wouldn't put it past him to think all cats sword wielding cat ladies look the same.
>>152991090A sign from Nike herselfTO BULL RUN ONCE MORE! Down with the tyrant of the masses, suffrage for the deserving!
>>152991066It's in memorium of backpacks, banned by the shogun.
>>152983516>The four terrors of life: Earthquake, Fire, Thunder, and DADSay what you will about Fuedal Japan, they've got an incredible sense of humor.
>>152990773>the General of the ArmiesHe should be called the Chief of the Joint Staff, and his regalia should be a Comanche chief's buffalo headdress and a three-jointed staff.
>>152991656The language is basically purpose built for puns
>>152990958This is sheer nonsense! Guranto received the honor posthumously, just like the great Washing-tono! And both were of the lineage of presidents, suitable recipients of such glory!
>>152983546>"Why the long face?"
>>152990157>>152985394Fun fact, Heike Crabs are terrible meals regardless. They have almost no meat to them like most crabs do, people in Japan don't even bother eating them. It almost feels like it lends to the idea that these are reincarnated humans, in a way.
>>152989255Reading Grasscutter...how long has it been since we've seen a new non-cat girl? Feels like there's Kitsune and a buncha cats>>152990284This rules>>152991004So does this
>>152991895Stan really started to homogenize the animal people as time carried on.
>>152991895Think there was a dog girl in this issue somewhere, but drawn cute enough she could be mistaken for a cat girl with a bit more nose.
>>152989826Dude, that is so cool.
>>152990574Very nice. Thank you.
>>152983566I like her. Dunno why, but I like her.
>>152992360She's got presence
Oh wait, tomorrow's/today's thread introduces best character, doesn't it
>>152992419Gen's in every issue
>>152992419What are you talking about? We already got introduced to GENERAL MOTHERFUCKING IKEDA.
>>152983596Lmao, this girl's got her own Quasimodo.
>>152992456>>152992474
>>152983627Stan loves his gigantic kitty titties.
>>152983647https://youtu.be/emjLXdsj6xA?si=cg5kWKIgjoyBMlAo
>>152992514There's apparently a whole tribe of guys like Kitanamono somewhere since another character like him pops up later. Not sure if they're supposed to be an indigenous tribe like the Emishi or what.
>>152992611He went toe to toe with Jei and he's explicitly a witch's familiar so I think he's at least somewhat supernatural, even if he's not unique
>>152990336Nobody was fucking loyal to this guy. He was betrayed by man, god and fish. Because oh look, that cloud is white and Dave was hot with a Bow last night.
>>152983657https://youtu.be/CmiFCg0_0eM?si=RoPmEUUONhodDaupOh that is some of the most egregious jobbing I've seen in a LONG time.
>>152992712Hey man, lord slip and fall takes the best of us sometimes.Goes to show that despite the more fantastical elements there is still the realistic grounding beneath it all where the greatest fighter you know can get fucked up by sheer kriegsluck
>>152983686This girl has the worst fucking luck.
>>152983702>to us, one ruler is just as bad as another!And boy does this series go out of its way to prove him right.
>>152992611It might be based on an Urban Legend about a village of Cannibals that live in a semi-explicable Autonomous Zone deep in the Hills.
>>152983800Usagi, Noriyuki's going to shit a chicken if you give him that sword.
>>152983728>>152983813This chapter's very decapitation heavy it seems.
Unfortunately the most enjoyable game with Usagi isn't even a Usagi game it's Shredder's Revenge.>>152991053If only.
>>152983839Are you fucking KIDDING ME?! Come the fuck ON!
>>152992968IKR?
>>152983854>Eta - lowest social classEven lower than PEASANTS?!
>>152983862>>152983871Wow, what are the odds of finding ANOTHER ronin rabbit in this part of town?
>>152983887Tomoe my beloved.
>>152993013"Peasant" is actually a modestly respectable social class in medieval terms, what you didn't want to be was a serf or a slave.
>>152983913RIP unobservant guardsmen.
>>152983938>shrugs off an entire arrow shot to the armEvery time panda boy shows up, I'm impressed at the levels of badassery he's capable of.
>>152983963I find it really funny how Sanshobo didn't even try to go after her. He sees exactly what Jei is and knows better than to meddle further and stick his head into the wolf's maw.
>>152983996Just throw it back in the ocean where you found it! It's not hard, damn it!
>>152984033No, please NO! He got his happy ending, don't undo it now!
>>152993082If it was found once from that it can be found againUsagi isn't the kind of man who just leaves problems alone and hopes that someone else down the line will deal with it.
>>152984060Kid, shut the fuck UP!
>>152993013Socially peasant wasn't a bad gig, you had a bit of your own land to work along with your lord's land, generally got protection and could still elevate your status in some societies Whores, merchants, and untouchables were lower though they each still got some privileges from it since they lived in a functional society. It'll come up more when the terminator and columbo drop in.
>>152984074>Coward...>hiding in the shadows, hiding who you truly are...>The Bushido Moment is calling, General Ikeda... >time to pick up the call!
>>152989367>usagi world mapI made a map for FX Shogun though I wasnt very familiar with Japan's geography and just used material from the shows trailers
>>152984106Even tired as hell he can take on over half a dozen men, Jesus.>>152984116>"I don't fare well against spearmen"Could've fooled me.
>>152984164>"That Tokage...was filled with evil!"
>>152984200https://youtu.be/SFLnkrWr6tQ?si=dOtm1rnLA8KvDNAr
>>152984215Aw SHIT.
>>152984250>even Ryuko's scared shitless of this dude That's actually horrifying, she isn't exactly a pushover herself.
>>152984281RIP weird magic lady. I really liked her.
>>152990773For newfriends, Feudal America if you couldn't already guess is this running joke in the storytime about the conventions of Feudal Japan but transplanted to America. This seems to be a popular theme because /a/ also has their own version of this (Washington of the Revolution). Hell even Japan itself likes the idea of Feudal America: https://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/bunko11_a0380_0002/bunko11_a0380_0002.html
>>152990872Columbia, Lady Liberty, and Lady Justice make up the three aspects of the triad goddess who's worship is widespread across the Neo-Amerykan states and even spreading into territories that were never ruled by Old Ameryka. Lady Luck popular amongst gamblers and sailors is typically added as a fourth aspect, or replacing one of the classical 3.
>>152990528You've got that backwards. It's JAPAN that has a CRAB aesthetic.
>>152993253>many of America's sacred treasures are less... regal than other countriesThat isnt true at all lol, 2 of japans 3 sacred relics are a hand mirror and a bead, not very impressive.>Colonial Man
Something you guys might enjoy, a very simple game about samurai duels. Use this to help visualise the appropriate amount of gore and blood that Usagi should be spilling but have been censored.https://drasnus(dot)itch(dot)io/first-cut
>>152984342>"Oh no, my son!">"Dammit! He saved my son!">"Now I'm in his debt!"
>>152993299Mirrors are pretty regal. The modern glass mirrors we're used to only came to be around the 1500s and we've all seen mirrors with really ornate framing, signifying their value. Only the very rich and powerful would have needed or could afford mirrors back in those days. The bead too was carved from precious stone and had to be shaped by an expert craftsman in a delicate and time-consuming process into the curves of the magatama.
>>152984357The ubiverse conspires against this man's legs.
>>152984367FUCK.
>>152984370Oh shit! I actually wasn't expecting that, but dammit I'll take it!
>>152993013Not to pile on you but in the "classic" division of the four castes in Japan, it goes samurai, peasants, artisans, merchants. Since the peasants grow the food everyone needs to live and which forms the basis of the samurai class' wealth, they had the second highest notional status. Artisans make other less necessary things, and merchants don't make anything at all which makes them scum.Of course, money talks and it speaks in the opposite order, but that was the theory. Notably most samurai were pulled from the ranks of the peasants before Toyotomi Hideyoshi made it illegal to move up to the samurai class.
>>152993289>It's JAPAN that has a CRAB aesthetic.Another victim of carcinization. Just like in my Japanese Dandadans!
>>152993013Eta and Hinin (higher then Eta) were so low they werent even in the caste system. They were out-castes, like Dalits and untouchables in Hinduism. Eta means 'abundance of filth', Hinin means 'not-human'Descendants of these people still suffer discrimination today
>>152984433Rest in piss.>>152984441His comrades were true bros all along, you love to see it.
>>152993357It was required by bushido. Remember how Sanshobo's son threw himself off the same cliff that killed their lord's son? In this case the lord saved his son from falling off the bridge, so as atonement, Ikeda has to not fall from the same bridge.
>>152993333>dubs of inconsequential 9's vs my quads of threes, like the 3 sacred treasuresHEAVEN IS WITH ME. RALLY TO ME ANONS! RALLY TO ME! Kagemusha is such a beautiful movie. I love how colorful it is. Even the 'dark' scenes that happen at night are vivid. Compare it to the washed out and grey sloppa like FX's Shogun it's night and day the difference https://youtu.be/n_plDbB-Bpo
>>152993144>when the terminator and Columbo drop inThis may seem like a joke to new readers, but it's actually true.
>>152984524>>152984534>>152984537What the actual fuck.
Live reaction anon is one of my favorite things this year, it's great to know what goes through a new reader's head.
>>152990893>sneaking in a new kanbe dropHell yeah this secondary thread is already paying dividends.
>>152984604Tomoe just wants ANYONE as a companion at this point.
>>152993486Was trying to make this meme with an Usagi face but couldnt really find one I liked
>>152984653...huh. That might actually work. At least, until it doesn't.
>>152993450older movies are just so much more colorful and crisp-looking. it's weird that there isn't anything quite like it today, even looking at indie or fan films.
>>152984786Man, this arc was absolute insanity. I can see why we needed the extra thread for this one, what a wild ride.
>>152993013>>152993409Expanding on what this anon said. Nowadays the term used that Eta and Hinin are lumped under (as their castes were technically dissolved in the Meiji era) tends to be Buraku. You might have heard it come up if you are a big comsuner of Yakuza related media, as to no big surprise there is a very strong connection between historiclly marginalized groups and organized crime. Even today it is recond more than half the Yakuza have Buraku ancestry. Naturally this creates a kind of self fufilling prophecy of further adding to the stigma.
>>152993531It's got to be the cameras themselves. The cameras and the lighting and the patience to put it all together. You just can't do that on an indie or fan budget these days. And I fear LLMs are just going to make it worse.
>>152983839I'm not sure if it's a blessing or all the more harrowing that they never showed the destroyed village.
>>152993531I'm pretty sure it could still be done, it's just that filmmakers are bored with it. The creative impulse is sort of necessarily an urge to do something new, so when color film was still new enough for directors to remember black and white (most of Kurosawa's classic films are monochrome, for example), just making color movies was enough; before anyone's filmed Lawrence of Arabia, it's innovative enough just to film Lawrence of Arabia. It's really the same principle as straight genre vs. the tiresome ubiquity of "subverting genre expectations" until nobody's seen a new straight genre movie for decades.
>>152993518maybe the one he makes after learning Mariko got married?
>>152993658That makes sense. Just gotta stay alive until 2051 when Gen alpha starts making films. I know! I'll join Koroshi - the League of Assassins. Those guys seem to have a great pension plan.
>>152990773Are those suppose to be blacks?
>>152993868I think they're supposed to be demons
>>152991136Heh
>>152993868Bri'ish
>>152992611I always assumed they're created through a spell so the dude is sort of like a recipe. It would make sense why another one would look like him in that case
>>152993537Wait till he finds out there's part two.
All hail Sock-Man!
>>152993299I know the artist is kind of a fag, but I would absolutely watch a movie about a chinaman who travels to America and fights in the revolution
Silly as it may seem, Space Witch and Lord Heated Blanket instantly became my favorite villains in the entire comic, just because of this page. I love the dynamic of two smart and ruthless equals hatching evil schemes together.Ever since I first read Grasscutter I lamented that they just ended up dying. I would have loved to see them be reoccurring villains. And become a couple.
>>152994292>You're fighting the British? >I'm in.
Link to the MEGA? I need to check and see if a meme has been made before.
>>152993658Filmmakers aren't necessarily bored with it, a lot of people who are into film still fetishize shooting on physical film. But it's very expensive to work like that, and especially for indie filmmakers working with limited funding opportunities it's hard to justify making room in the budget for physical film when that money could be put elsewhere in the production by going digital.
I'm going to say it.I prefer Grasscutter II over Grasscutter.Sure, part one is more epic, has more plot points and is heavier on the mythos and even has a proper final boss, it's great, but it's a bit like Usagivengers, everyone's here, everyone has a story, but some stories are very short and simple and some barely connect to the rest. It's much less personal and a bit bloated. Usagi finds the sword, bumps into Gen, fights a surprise Jei and gets found by Sanshobo. Despite not sharing any goals at the start, everyone appear in the right area just by accident. Tomoe's part is so disconnected from everything else that I'd call it useless if it wasn't a set-up for other characters.Part II is a proper quest with twists, turns, rival factions, tests of trust and tough choices and all the members of the cast having a huge influence on the outcome. It's not an epic story, but a better story.
>>152994726>anyway, we still have our headsSuccess or failure metrics in Feudal Japan were a lot more straightforward.
>>152993361>Notably most samurai were pulled from the ranks of the peasants before Toyotomi Hideyoshi made it illegal to move up to the samurai class.Which was even more outrageous, considering he himself was a peasant who started as Nobunaga's sandal carrier and ultimately climbed all the way to the rank of Taiko.
>>152993458Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 ending.>>152991137Best OST
>>152993299We need some artfag who draws a Spanish Jesuit or a Dutch Merchant saying "Konnichiwa Dude" to Usagi
>>152995383Pulling the ladder up behind you is a classic power move.
new thread: >>152995601>>152995383monkey boy did nothing wrong
>>152993332>God damned Wookiee life debts!
>>152994816Here you gohttps://mega.nz/folder/Dsd31LiR#grnO0n2INCHplEWo4nOCYQ
>>152993531I know nothing about cinematography and camera work but from what I heard the color grading of films is a big thing that's made them look way different since like the 00's or so
>>152994726>spoilerdamn bro really likes long facesimagine what their children would look like
>>152993409>>152993541That discrimination forms a viscous cycle flys over the head of so much of the world frustrates me to no endFUCK WHY CANT WE JUST BE NICE
>>152996412Because there's a harsher, underlying truth. Prejudices are just the ability to spot patterns.
>>152996464Did you spot them or let others with their own agendas or axes to grind do it for you?
>>152996584If the eta don't want to be discriminated against why don't they just, like, stop being ritualistically impure filth? Curious.>turn-point-feudal-japan.scrollpainting
>>152996412Ill explain my theory of where castes even come from when i come back from ritual purification, might take a few hours
>>152993490
>>152993518There's other options besides Usagi though.
>>152993518
>>152993518Ironically, the most expressive faces in the series are not from the living
>>152996412Because lots of people are stupid assholes on this feudal planet
>>152993409>>152993541The fact that this shit carried over to the modern day is crazy to me. Caste systems were, and still are, a fucking mistake.
>>152994726Same, I really wasn't expecting to like the magic lady as much as I did. She's like an embodiment of the unconventional; unconventional design, powerset, even her mannerisms and speech. In a series stuffed to the brim with literal catgirl waifus, she stands out by being so unique and fascinating.Easily a top 10 character for me, and that's saying a lot with competition so stiff. Makes me want to read Space Usagi just so I can get more of her.
>>152999127Well, people haven't moved beyond racism either.
>>152993518I'm a fan of this one.
>>153000293>Then who was phone!?
>>152995383the shogunate's first concern was with maintaining power and stabilityambitious peasants having the ability to rise above their status is great for dynamically getting amazing subordinates who clutch unwinnable situations but its terrible if you no longer have any military campaigning planned and hope they just sit on their hands
>>152992514>"Ya know, Kitanamono predicted all of this"
>>152991004Neat, didn't think Japan knew about this series.
>>153000293>>153000350Kek at the greentext. I've saved it in our archives in a HQ version, your contribution to the storytime lives on in spirit.
>>152989826Sick, I love the mustache.
>try to find an audiobook of the Heike Monogatari on jewtube>All I could find is one narrated by a britbong with a disgustingly nasally voiceoh well, at least I have Beowulf to scratch that itch.
>>152997591Looks so cute & cuddly & lovable here :3c
>>152993490Saved.
