previously: >>153112677
>>153125596Tomoe!
>>153125596I'm ready!
First for I can fix Noriko
>>1531256042moe4tomoe>>153125605>>153125616h-hayai!
>it's called suspension of disbelief. Simply, you believe it. this might be the most succint response to >>153114305 really.
>>153125648What a bitch
>>153125643>>153125648STOP LIKING DISHONORABLE WOMEN!
>>153125665>The hunter saw Tomoe
>>153125618Oh. It's time already?
completely forgot to say ENTER for Lord Horikawa a.k.a. Geishu Clan's Most Loyal Retainer yesterday
also, ENTER Motokazu
>>153125689yep. also surprises me we're still midway through.
>>153125705He is way too smug about this, I don’t like him
>>153125730>Boy I'm thirsty, let me dip into this well in a plague zone. What could go wrong?
>>153125676Out of context it looks like he has food poisoning.
>>153125698>>153125705The man is not wrong, magical time traveling quantum leap flashbacks are not a valid source of information.
>FLOO!: 13
>>153125621something something john landis something something max landis something something dead children, but I gotta say, watched Blues Brothers for the first time recently and it was a stark reminder that John Landis is actually a good director
>>153125787Hentai moment inbound!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE3vexar8Mc>>153125797Hentai averted.
>>153125810Tomoe, please.
>Blood Princess: Noriko's themehttps://youtu.be/Vl-8yncLiE4
>>153125803isn't there a rance title set in feudal japan?
>>153125772I think that might be the most annoying thing about him. He's not wrong, he's not disloyal, he's not scheming self interested or anything. He's just the office jerk.
>>153125803Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!What if Tomoe as Shizuka and Noriko as Nagi?
>>153125840Yup, called Sengoku Rance.To go full "acshually" here, it's set in the land of JAPAN, a Japan shaped island floating separate from the continent, a flat earth type world. It's attached to the continent via a single super strong bridge, which also keeps it from falling into the abyss below the world. The Continent itself is held up by 4 heavenly beasts, a lizard, a elephant, a monk and a fly.
>>153125662FUCKING MAKE ME GAIJIN!!!! I will help Noriko in her petty revenge quest and none of your Moralokama can stop me!!!
>>153125887NOW we're talking!
>>153125913the more I hear about this series the more intriguing it seems. er, from purely a inquiring point of view...
>>153125770please don't post images during storytime, wait for after the whole thing's been posted.
>>153125802he looks so wonky compared to Gen.
>>153125810>and tell him what?that it's not a plague but poisoned water; and that you were then attacked right after, indicating it's a ruse and not accidental poison? Tomoe you dope
>>153125616do NOT stick your dick in crazy, man.
>>153125810>I was sent to plague infested den of plague in order to verify the plague....Waaaaaaaaaaaaait a second
>>153126021I can fix her!!!
>>153125596>>153125618Ah yes, Treasure of Sierra Madre, my favorite Usagi story!No, serioualy, it's amazing, it reads like an adaptation of a Kurosawa movie.
>>153126062it's a very western story too.
>>153126083I think it just goes to show that there's a lot of overlapping humanism in these kinds of stories
>>153125803>Hentai moment inbound>Usagi Yojimbo by Teruaki Murakami
>>153125798While Blues Brothers is amazing, Orson Welles summed up Landis the best:>People have died, children are dead, it's entirely his fault and the dipshit only cries about his career!
>>153126123yes, well we can't all get into the lucrative industry of selling peas now can we.
Jesus, lady.
>>153126062It IS amusing to me the title is such a blunt calque when the story is actually fairly different
>>153126164https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8FC-1vzdrc
>>153126147That's no way to talk about a man who shilled the finest French wine, sensibly priced at a dollar, a jug!
I was going to be skeptical on the existence of vein mining shown here instead of mining in alluvial deposits, but turns out feudal japan did have some mines just like this one:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sado_minehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toi_gold_mine
>>153126123>>153126147>>153126184For some reason that just made me imagine Orson Welles as an Usagi character. Translate his name to Inoue Kumaichi and have him do the peak kabuki shows
>>153126174>Noriko: TOMOE, TOMOE, TOMOE!! NEVER "NORIKO!!"
>>153126184What luck! there's a french fry stuck in my beard.
>>153126196never noticed the bit of foreshadowing here with Noriko sensing the air
>>153126264SMURFS DON'T LAY EGGS!
>>153126311HEY HOE!
>>153126347Usagi jumpscare
>>153126170>>153126174I don't approve, but I get why she did it.
>>153126174IT WAS ME TOMOE!!!
>>153125711How does lords warring or taking eahcothers land work when theres either Shogun or an emperor, is it just something that you can do and theres no real consequence?
>>153126174>ahhh, the Okinawan Awamori has always been celebrated for it's excellence.
>>153126387So long as you pay your tithe to the Shogun and not move against him, you should be fine
>>153126303>the last panelThis is why he left, Tomoe. No tea can erase that.
>>153126461>YOU FIGHT LIKE A DAIRY FARMER!>HOW APPROPRIATE YOU FIGHT LIKE A COW!
>well, the ninja didn't.
>>153126279https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T9ZZlQWhGQ
>>153126524Hunter-san's joy always makes me smile.
>>153126415Thats pretty fucked up, so many people perishing without so much as thought by the people who send their personal armies to rape and murder trough country side for a sliver of land.
>>153126587NORIKO! BURN IN YOUR GOLDEN HELL!
>>153126654https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUG-wzYxHVI
>FLOO!: 14
>>153126654ENTER!! THE BOOB QUEEN
poor Enma, having to deal with that bomb. also, tomoe absolutely has game.
>>153126689Noriko's norikos make more than half the total cleavage seen in this entire series.
>>153126693And to this day nobody's /34/ed this scene.
>>153125705Southern border for Geishu is Suo which makes Sanada their neighbor in that direction.Imagine Noriko getting her hands on Grasscutter.
>>153126387>is it just something that you can do and theres no real consequence?for most of japanese history no, you'd most likely be branded a rebel and your peers would be happy to aid the emperor or the shogun against you in order to receive rewards (i.e. your former lands). Bushi would go to great leghnts to make war legally, within the system. Crucially, that's exactly the reason why the sengoku period is called sengoku- warring states. the shogunate lost the influence they had over these powerful landowning warrior lords both physically and politically. if you invaded your neighbor the shogun couldn't do much about it, which lead to everyone arming themselves for defense or attack. the exact mechanics as to why this happened is murky to me, but I think it's a mixture of 1. the shogunate not having much private lands and a tax base with which to raise armies and 2. the cultural shift among the warrior class in how much they benefited from working withing the shogun's rule waning in favor of working their fief independently, thus leading to increase militarization. UY takes place just after or towards the tail end of this period, depending on how you count, so the threat would be perceived as real. it wasn't known if the Tokugawa alliance was going to keep or be defeated like Hideyoshi's. also it's implied sanada would attack the geishu lands after hikiji makes his play for toppling the shogunate. >>153126415well I think that would depend if the side being attacked is on the shit list of the tokugawa, otherwise I don't think territorial expansion like that would fly. especially not against an ally, which the geishu seem to be.
>>153126693so by the ruleset of how sexual encounters have been depicted in this comic and generally are in this sort of family-toned "must be readable by kids but edgier than kid's fare", we're absolutely to take that "would you stay with me for a while" then cut to scenery as them fucking, right? Not doing horny shipper posting, it just genuinely is the language of these sorts of moments, right, like when Don Rosa depicted Scrooge McDuck having sex?
>>153126716I wonder what their child would look like, and how fierece of a fighter that hybrid create would turn out.
>>153126775Sadly, we're never going to know one way or another. Stan's going to pass away before we ever make it back to Geishu Lands.
>>153126693Longtime readers, post yfw Tomoe's arranged marriage husband ends up raising Usagi's second child.
>>153126756who knows, I think it makes sense. but they could also just had gazed at the moon and composed waka instead, like a couple of dorks.
this is it for today, thanks for reading. more tomoe tomoe-rrow, get your tea sets in order.
>>153126364White rabbit jumpscare
>>153126712>>153126706>Motokazu, you're a Maverick who doesn't care for the rules.......but, goddammit, you get results!!
>>153126826Thanks Murder, I'll get my finest tea cup ready.>>153126802My face when.
>>153126756It could be anything honestly but I personally interpet it him comforting her, I doubt they have enough privacy for some wild anthro sex to drive away her PTSD.
>>153126174So Noriko’s absolutely drunk during this scene, isn’t she
>>153126802
Absolutely abysmal showing from Usagi today, yet he remains near the 48% mark overall.Book 21270 Usagis (9511 total)943 Panels (19808 total)No Neko (969 total)No Komori (197 total)No Mogura (37 total)No Ninjas of the Dark Light (4 total)
>>153126802He could get drunk with Kenichi and rage about how unfair life is.
>>153125886>he's not scheming self interested or anything. He's just the office jerk.Keep reading.
>>153126693Now, the Auferstanden aus Ruinen Feudal Japan Remix.>>153126721>It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight / Risin' up to the challenge of our rival / And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night / And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger>>153126796Oh no, no, no... Usagi-Freaks, "Tomoe's weeding" story arch>>153126804>KONNICHIWA STAN-DUDE!
>>153125676Heh, the position of that wood in the 4th panel
>>153126796>"Tomoe's wedding" story arc, which will not be for many years.>Post made 20 years ago>Still no Tomoe's wedding arc
>>153126756I mean there's not a lot of ways to read that tea ceremony
>>153125878From this, seems likely Kojima is the lord of Hizen Province, which is both about as far west as you can go and also the location of Nagasaki, which was the principal foreign trade port.So, yes, one of the best allies you could get at the time short of the Shogun himself.
>>153126673No, no, you're supposed to eat the eyes, not the neck.
>>153125969Sorry.
>>153125753Dumbass, everyone knows plague spreads by foul air, not through water. It being POISONED wasn't what anyone expected.
>>153125826>broken linkHere's the fixed linkhttps://youtu.be/qrgy5rgIxGY?si=2M2DGWZnuYIVTlnd
>>153126863No wonder, it's a Tomoe story with Usagi in a supporting role. It's also the first time I found Tomoe truly interesting. She always was ok, just a bit boring, but after this? She's amazing.I also like how they kinda-sorta confirm she has some spiritual sixth sense.
>>153126689She might be the most endowed character in the series.
>>153125952>>153126103Even more than Jotaro every year I forget just how hard Motokazu is.
>>153127393Well, he is the son of General MOTHERFUCKING Ikeda.
>>153127393peasant children are just built different
>>153126632>Now he's QUEEN of the devil's!I know it doesn't fit, but I wanted a Ninja scrolls quote too
>>153126632>>153127487Ninja Scroll is always a good time.>Oh. Hey there, I know the way now.>You're mistaken, the way to hell is THIS way!
>>153126108>Had it not been for the needs of my lord, I would have slaughtered you.
>>153125749>SHE'S>A>SINGLE>LADY
That settles it, I'm playing Kenshi again. The mine story pushed me over the edge.
Tomoe x Noriko yuri would go pretty hard
I see this particular story remains the horniest one of them all every year.
>>153126876>Keep reading.He's not. He's there by Noriyuki even into Senso.
>>153126045The contrast between Usagi's cartoony uWu face and his jacked physique is funny.
>>153125997It's because he's trying to draw a vaguely rhino like humanoid instead of an actual ass rhino. It's why he has no snoutGunichi would look just like this fucker if her were introduced at this point.
>>153126021A crucified bunny... Easter isn't that far passed. It's pretty topical
>>153126056>AND THIS IS WHY EVIL WILL ALWAYS WIN>BECAUSE MEDDLERS ARE DUMB
>>153126177It's not the first time Stan has just picked a name because it sounds cool or is a reference to something interesting. What does a weird horny artsy sadomasochistic love affair have to do with delivering a sacred sword to a shrine?
>>153125886>>153128265I agree with you about Jerko-san overall, but that said, him advising Lord Noriyuki to have Tomoe married off is motivated out of spite and jealousy and his own petty wounded pride, even if a marriage alliance is to the benefit of the Geishu clan. Of course, Usagi is also somewhat culpable in this as well, since he's turned down Noriyuki's offer what like three times at this point to just be a Geishu samurai, because I'm sure kid Panda would absolutely let Tomoe marry her sweetheart no matter what any slimy advisor had to say about losing a potential ally if they were both in the clan.
>>153128524>Solid Tomoe>Liquid AmeDear god, it's so simple yet so brilliant... Why didn't we think of this before?
>>153125766>>153125773This is the fourth time this exact thing happens to Usagi.
>>153128442Isn't Empire of the Senses, the movie, itself a title lifted from a book? I'd assume odds are Stan took it from the book too
>>153125878Noriyuki is swapping her queen for a bishop here.
>>153125878
>>153128540Show me what you've got, Tomoe!
>>153128540>Sister, it's been too long! Rejoice! We are not copies of our father after all! We are freed from the shackles of Bushido! Tomoe, sister...We are free! Watch, Tomoe, as I surpass my own origin!
>>153125916To this day I don't get the note on a stick thing.
>>153128761Don't question it. Last time we brought this up it ended in the Great Backpacks Shitshow of '24.
>>153125958>>153125962Modern Noriyuki is such a dumbass.
>>153126051Oh god! He cut his pinky!
>>153126083This is straight up tbe plot of Ninja Scroll expect there is a ship wreck full of gold.
>>153126098Jerk world.
>>153128908https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5YC7y-3qYcJerk world....Jerk world....
>>153126123Who is John Landis? He killed kids?
>>153126164Tomoe's dad was an asshole, he deserved it.
>>153126231>In my clan we think the shoyu you garnish with the most should be the best. We like Mitsui-san's koikuchi. It's smooth and rich. We serve it to our vassals and a now a lot of them are serving it to their vassals. Why don't you join us? Next time you're going shopping and choosing a shoyu, choose Mitsui-san koikuchi. Mitsui-san said it himself: "we will sell no shoyu...before its time."
>from top kabuki performer to voicing the giant yokai in a children's puppet show
>>153126226Usagi stop blaming Hikiji of every bit of skulldugery in japan. Lords are perfectly capable of being assholes on their own.
>>153129066>>153129117Good on you, was just doing this too
>>153129066
>>153129120I'm telling you man! It's gotta be that damn Hikiji!
>>153129117>>153129124Absolute kino.
>>153126147We don't disrespect Mr. Welles in this house, sir!
>>153126689
>>153129117>>153129124lmao. good lord
>>153126574>>153126524>>153126524The joy of blowing up stuff
>>153128212it's tradition
>>153126712Remove the stone of shame. Attach the stone of triumph!
>>153129117>>153129124This is why I love these storytimes>Pah, you take Neko Ninja sleep drug one time and now everyone thinks you can't hold your sake well enough to sell it!
>>153128998https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Zone_accident
>>153126174God that fucking smug toast at the end always gets me. Noriko is such a BITCH>>153126855No she just realized it's been hours since she made someone cry their guts out and decided it was time to drop the MOAB on her sister while she was still alive to appreciate it. Nothing makes liquor go down better than a little closure.
>>153126614>>153126619>>153126627>>153126639I've always found this sequence interesting as iirc we never see another villainous character go through a real slobberknocker like this, they usually die in page or something, we never really see a bad guy struggle in pain like this, and really never got a full issue unless they're a good meaning adversary like chizu.Makes me a little sympathetic towards noriko even though she's a huge bitch and isn't presented as redeemable in the slightest, idk it's hard not to feel bad for someone trying not to drown and freeze or get eatenalso it just fucking sucks she never shows up again
>>153126775whenever it comes to mix species children in furry stuff and there's no official depiction of the products of a union, I just default to assuming Elder Scrolls/Pokemon rules where the children are just the species of the mother with some traits of the father, be it physical and/or mental
>>153126756>like when Don Rosa depicted Scrooge McDuck having sex?when tf was this
>>153129354Here you go man.
>>153129066>>153129117>>153129124>>153129185>mention Orson Welles>come back a few hours later>all of THIS happensI love these threads so very, very much. Even after so many years, there's a surprise on each day.
>>153128510To play devil's advocate you do have to look at it in terms of the time. Tomoe is an aberration. While is a commendable warrior and ally having a women in her position does reflect a certain way. Even if they acknowledge her the rest of the world won't and how they see the Geishu matters
>>153129484The last story he made. There's a bit where Scrooge and Goldie are angrily shooting in the cabin, then calm down, and the camera just keeps holding on the cabin without showing what's inside while a character outside makes a comment of some sort like "if what's going on there was a hangable crime, we'd all be in big trouble", and it cuts to hours later and Scrooge and Goldie acting very bashful at each other
>>153125886>he's not schemingBro why do you think he had her sent to the plague area? He's hoping for her to coof herself to death so he can usurp her place as Noriyuki's closest advisor. Then he suggests marrying her off to get rid of her. He's a conniving faggot, but it's true that it's extremely annoying that he's nevertheless loyal to the Geishu clan.
>>153129439That's a pretty valid point you're raising. As far as extended downfalls that come to mind the only one that comes close would be the head conspirator of the grasscutter who has a whole page or two about going insane from the witch lady before he tried to fly off the peak of his castle. But this is much more brutal And it just being written off as a dream is absolutely weak sauce I know it's an incredibly improbable series of events that lead to her surviving but honestly it seems such a waste to kill her off if this isn't to be interpreted as what is literally happening. It gives Tomoe some much needed depth by giving her a genuine personal enemy, not just another guy trying to put pandas on the extinction list but someone that personally hates her guts. Noriko would have been perfect for at least one more major appearance, I'd hate for her to be always recurring, thwarted, and then coming back again. But one last hurrah for the absolute player hater of the series would be fantastic. Maybe when Tomoe finally gets married, eh?
>>153129484
>>153129768
>>153129704oh damn i forgot all about that bithad to pull out my of life and times>>153129768oh thanks didn't need to
>>153128404I think it's just because he's meant to look fat. Gen is meant to look like a rhino Mifune or Sonny Chiba.
>>153129682>in terms of the timeIn the terms of the time, historically, someone like Tomoe wouldn't have existed in the first place so I don't think that's a good counter-argument. We're working in a fictional mirror world of Feudal Japan and the rules of the game, while they have a lot of historical grounding, are also kind of "whatever Stan feels like atm." So sometimes Tomoe is just there strictly as Usagi's ally and love interest, sometimes here she's used as a plot driver to expound on how, like with Mariko, samurai duty bound both men and women unhappily. Big egghead can make all the patriarchal arguments he wants about how unseemly it is to have a woman so close to Noriyuki, seemingly manipulating him, and he is right, absolutely right, that the cutthroat game of politics being played is not to his lord's advantage with Tomoe, but it's also true he's speaking out of his own self-interest. These statements are not mutually exclusive, more is the pity to poor Tomoe's love life.
>>153126170>It was me, Barry!
>>153129727I remember an anon making a post a few storytime years ago about Noriko crashing Tomoe's arranged wedding and killing the groom, thinking this would break her heart but of course this just freed her to finally marry Usagi and invalidating Senso and all the heartache that reality ends up causing
>>153129727Yeah, she'd be a good return villain no doubt. I wouldn't mind her being recurring though, the comic has exactly fucking one after 40 years not counting simple plot element at this point Hikiji, though I think she'd maybe not be a great fit for that.Another big point for her and tomoe feuding is that Tomoe didn't get a victory over her, and only really "beat" her with motokazu's help. It's a good hook for a return.>Maybe when Tomoe finally gets married, eh?That's a great idea I never considered. Would be a good way to spice it up, and could help put a twist in the whole thing.>usagi hears through the grape vine that tomoe is getting an arranged marriage>gets torn up about the whole thing and his feelings for Tomoe, his relationship with bushido and Tomoe's own relationship with expectations of loyalty and love.>like typical usagi he painfully decides not to get involved, thinking back to his foolish attempt at the arranged marriage lady (i can never remember her name)>later learns that noriko is going to bomb the wedding in an attempt to kill tomoe and maybe some other lords idk>gives Usagi an ostensible reason to head there and maybe stop the wedding in preparation of the attackand so on and so forth
>>153126324LET'S GO! Whack 'em in the back now
>>153129820well gen does that weird temporary fat redesign when he first shows up in idw iirc
>>153129901oh that's nice, didn't think about that
>>153126467>You allow you anger to get the better of you.>proceeds to throw the same cut fourteen times
>>153126689>>153126702>>153127358>>153129280>Noriko's norikos make more than half the total cleavage seen in this entire seriesIt's true!>BOOBA! count (2025): 47
>>153126533>Kid, your dad died the most freakass hardcore way I've ever seen – and I've seen some shit, believe me.>He decapitated three ninja with one blow AFTER they'd nailed him to a tree with spears. I didn't see him do it, but I could tell from the cuts. Even that was the damnedest thing I ever saw.>Also, did you ever notice that he had two moustaches at the same time?
>>153126540Pedantry time: she is WAY too close to that gunpowder explosion to have the remotest chance of surviving it. She probably got dismembered in the blast; the rest of this issue takes place in Enma's hell.
>>153129527Orson Welles kind of looks like Daikokuten, god of wealth and bountiful harvests.
>>153126619How the FUCK did she see that air pocket?
>>153125662No
>>153125886He's not disloyal, but he is quite self-interested and scheming. What makes him different is that he knows how to ride the line for the benefit of his own clan and he's generally much more competent than most previous schemers we've seen. He's constantly vying to reduce the risk to his own men and increase benefits to his house while shunting burdens on other retainers, but he's not a betrayal monkey with grandiose plans of being the guy in charge.
>>153130132Lord Hebi can only wish that Kagemaru was as half as competent in running his affairs and playing the game as Horikawa is.
>>153126728>also it's implied sanada would attack the geishu lands after hikiji makes his play for toppling the shogunate.I don't think that's implied, I got the impression that the plan was they woudl stage the border incident to line Sanada's coffers so that Hikiji's position for usurping the shogunate would be strengthened.>UY takes place just after or towards the tail end of this period, depending on how you count, so the threat would be perceived as real. it wasn't known if the Tokugawa alliance was going to keep or be defeated like Hideyoshi's.I totally agree with this however, the core issue is that the shogunate hasn't stabilized yet (it's spring 1606, right?), the shogun's control over the daimyo and realm isn't strong, and lords are still seizing the opportunity to settle old scores before it's too late.
>Betray the Geishu clan? Strengthen my position in court?>Nah, I'm just here to give good solid advice to my liege lord, Noriyuki. Tennoheika banzai!
>>153125648Oh, so Tomoe has her own Blackfire now.
>>153126685Sure, it's just a dream this time, but it wasn't when Horikawa is involved. I see how it is.
>>153126804>I still get comments about "A Mother's Love."I fuckin' believe it.>>153126952Well? He was clearly telling the truth!>>153128590Sacrificing a horse is the traditional way of welcoming him to the Geishu province.
>>153129117>>153129124Kek, peak.
>>153129919>Tomoe didn't get victory over herThis is always the one part that leaves me dissatisfied in Mother of Mountains and really hoping we get a follow up story with Noriko. Tomoe or anyone else didn't even get a chance to call Noriko out on her whole "It's your fault I murdered your dad!" bullshit.
>>153130356Will this one also be unwillingly married to a tentacle monster and impregated with slugs?
>>153130175Well, maybe yes and maybe no. Their roles are pretty different, and Horikawa's way of doing things might be too risk-averse for a leader of ninja. He's better suited to court politics.
lmao everyone in Feudal Japan has had an awful shit dad except for Jotaro. Common Kenichi dub.
>>153126802I could see Kubo accepting that she loves Usagi and is carrying his child so he remains being her husband but doesn't do anything.
>>153128540>Snake, have you ever heard of Big Chungus>The Samurai Rabbit?>No, that's a different cartoon rabbit.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srTqxL_6Ysg
>>153130446I sure hope so. Let's get Krang in on one of those TMNT crossovers.
>>153126685It was terrible Usagi, her rack was bigger that mine!!!
>>153130002We need Noriko & Inazuma or Tomoe to recreate this. For comparison their sizes, of course.
>>153125770For a moment I thought was the case in context.
>>153125687That's the second time someone assumed a dying man was just drunk. With how often people die here you'd think they'd pick up on the signs sooner.
>>153125698I can't help but hear this asshole as Chi-Fu from Mulan.
>>153131097The incomparable James Hong! There's a lot of characters his voice fits but I think this is the best
>>153126654certainly the most visually complete boob Sakai has drawn
>>153119448OK, I'll explain; dying with her eyes raised, she's likely thinking of her Heavenly Father, not her mortal one.
>>153129901Senso wouldn't be invalidated, it's an alternate timeline caused by Dr. WhereWhen's time travel shenanigans. Main timeline Usagi's & Tomoe's options are still open.
Welcome back to the death rattle tally! Here are the new scream found in today's storytime:>Googh!: 1>Flook!: 1>Gark!: 1>Nyakk!: 1See attachment for total cry so far. As always, if you have any questions about the count, feel free to ask.
>>153125712Neat to see Ikeda's kid again.
>>153125865>Someone like Noriko>Noriko>First name. No suffix.Walker, you have competition.
>>153125724Tomoe wandered into a Resident Evil game.
>>153125736https://youtu.be/4F4qzPbcFiA?si=XL9oPFRjEyePQn6B
>>153125739Goddamn, Tomoe must have some Wonder Woman level reflexes to cut through all thise arrows at once.
>>153125745RIP soldier.
>>153125749SHE'S JUST ONE GAL
>>153125928That's enough Mr. Horikawa.
>>153125802Punk ass bitch.
>>153131680Onimusha
>>153125810God, just make out already.
>>153125952>3 on 1He's Iké's boy alright.
>>153131832Older lads too. Probably not hugely so but still.
>>153128359Was he this jacked the last time we saw him shirtless?
>>153131855Even two years can make a hell of a difference, it's why bullying is such a problem in middleschool.
>>153126387The king is just a man who demands loyalty, if his personal forces are equal or lesser to that of his vassals then the only authority he has over one is how much they respect himIf the shogunate is weak, if they have no ability to personally raise loyal armies, then the most they can hope to do is rally a pseudo crusade force from the other regions to stop any wars. But politics be what they are and there's plenty of reasons why a daimyo or duke or whatever would not intercede in the wars of his neighbors, near or distant. If everyone has knives at each other's backs how can you move to take one away from your possible friend without catching one between your own shoulderblades?
>>153129682Onna Musha weren't by any means aberrent. In fact, Tomoe herself is named after a legendary one from the Tale of the Heike. >>153129723That's also assuming he's not in on it. Which given it was his idea to send her down there where there just so happened to be a patrol, I'm skeptical.
>>153127114I think in Fuedal Japan they believed it was evil spirits or punishment from your ancestors, and "foul air" would be a foreign idea
>>153129439Yeah, it reminds me a bit of some old Dick Tracy sequences. Anyway, the lack of follow-up on Noriko is kind of inevitable as long as Tomoe also stays out of the picture.
>>153126855
>>153131680>Where's everyone going? Goita?
>>153130356>>153125826So she IS just Blackfire.
>>153130356Yeah it will be really crazy to watch how this story line develops. I'm sure we're gonna get a lot of interesting stories about them. Right? RIGHT!?
>>153126118This is not how man hours work.
>>153126129WHAT DID i JUST SAY! MAN HOURS WOMAN! THE MORE YOU KILL THE LONGER THIS WILL TAKE! JOHNNY! HORIKAWA! ONE OF YOU RONIN PUT YOUR BITCH ON A DAMN LEASH!
>>153129901>Noriko crashing Tomoe's arranged wedding and killing the groomI've got a funnier idea>Noriko returns on the day of the wedding>bonks Tomoe on the head, strips her and ties her up>puts on wedding garb, covering her face>groom marries Noriko, oblivious>Noriko and groom consummate the marriage>Noriko returns in the morning to let Tomoe out and gloat about her victory>groom doesn't want to correct the marriage because Noriko fucks like a tiger>baka Noriko doesn't realize that Tomoe didn't want the marriage to begin with
>>153132496>Evil woman accidentally happily married>everyone baffled at the events, especially herAbsolute Theater
>>153132206Please tell me there’s more…
>Norkio's themehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgpfovCda0o
>>153131505Why doesn't Sanshobo just use Grasscutter on the Invaders?
>>153132538Straight out of Shakespeare.
>>153125840Wow, what a bitch.
>>153132588I don't think Grasscutter is that powerful. The emperor's sacred mirror seems like a better weapon for the occasion considering that it zaps anyone who looks at it.
>>153126665
>>153125878>Rats, the sexism card didn't work.>time for plan B; marrying her off!
>>153132599>>153132496>>153132538"You fools! I was Noriko the whole time, I replaced my pathetic sister the day before the wedding, and took her place!""That's nice dear, but the kids still need to be picked up from their sword practice and our 10 year anniversary dinner reservations won't last forever."
>>153130002Remember, evil is stored in the boobs. You have to suck out the poison. >>153129117>>153129200https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzNsOGt3bHk>Hijiki's final gambit
>>153130684We got Usagi, the Power Rangers, and the TMNT together in the latest TMNTxPower Rangers team up.
>>153125858It's kind of funny Tomoe's vision actually had repercussions like this.
>>153125858>>153132962He's just calling her emotionally unstable and crazy because she became emotionally unstable and crazy.
How would Noriko and Jei get along?
>>153132206Nice
>>153126387No. But manufacturing a believable border dispute when you have a bunch of dead local peasants and the Uniforms of some MIA non-locals wouldn't be hard.
>>153130615Tbh, one reason I am iffy on Tomoe being yet another example of Usagi fumbling his love life is because it is starting to feel repetitive, especially given how the rule of three works with repeating ideas in stories.
>>153127688>YOU FOOLS! SHE'S LOOKING TO MINGLE! TAKE TO YOUR HEELS!
>>153126503Hell of a distraction, Hunter.
>>153126524I just realized something troubling. Sanada had dynamite. Black powder. Either the Komori or Neko and therefore Hikiji found another source of the chemical recipe, or Chizu's playing a dangerous game.
>>153133605They were probably just importing it.
>>153128265Remind me to look you up if I need someone to sell a bridge.
>>153126572>Hand gesturesDroll.
>>153133650>importing it...Through Nagasaki?
>>153133605The black powder in the previous story was a newly invented, high explosive type that Chizu tried to acquire, this is presumably the regular stuff.
>>153126685>>153126681>>153126673>>153126639>>153126685Given how Noriko never shows up again I’m leaning towards this really just being a nightmare. Hell Tomoe barely shows up after this too. But we never get even a hint of Noriko still kicking so she probably is just red paste in a collapsed cave.
>>153133744The "regular stuff" being acquired in those amounts should still be alarming, being that it's a controlled substance. It suggests Hikiji, through Sanada (and some other procies we won't argue about.) is planning for some real shit once the rubber hits the road. Some Shiroyama horseshit, albeit 200 years early.
>>153133806>Hell Tomoe barely shows up after this tootwenty years...stan simply does not want to come to grips with having to finally deal with Usagi and Tomoe's relationship
>>153126728Fellas. Getchu a girl who'll bring you the head of an enemy general who tried to get fresh.
>>153129901Senso canonicity is still up in the air. Technically all the “future” stories we’ve gotten can still be retconned,
>>153130125We can see her pointy cat ear is above water, she probaly felt it first. Somehow.
>>153133823I mean he technically has but those stories are loosely canon and have several elements that can easily excuse them NOT being canon to the main series.
>>153133919>have several elements that can easily excuse them NOT being canon to the main seriesBit of an understatement there
>>153125886>>153128510>>153129723>>153130132>>153130175Horikawa is that asshole brown nosing middle manager who is super dedicated to the company, has no life outside of work and feels superior because of that. Good for the company (in theory, at least), but a nightmare to work with.
>>153126775There was a letter awhile back asking a similar question about Ino and his wife, and Stan's answer was that he pictured the kids following the sex of their parent, ie cat girls and pig boys. I'd assume Usagi and Tomoe would work the same way. >>153132994Judging by the boat story Jei would not take her randomly killing people well, but then the peasants would get freaked out and he'd kill them too.
>>153133729Or just having secret shipments made like that teppo plot. The capital of Suo, Hofu, isn't that far from Nagasaki.
>>153126597>>153126681I like how self aware she is. She knows that’s she’s a sadistic bloodthirsty bitch with a mean streak. Probably could actually turn a new leaf but is too evil to care.
>>153131876The last time we saw him shirtless was only a few issues ago in Vendetta's End. Before that I don't think we've ever seen Usagi shirtless.>>153133999Trips of truth. Horikawa is a true samurai through and through.>>153134025The Blade of the Gods is nothing if not consistent.
>>153133999>>153130132>>153125886>>153125698Dudes a perfect foil for tomoe and in a perfect position to play panda like a fiddle. Every time he’s on screen we’re reminded that the panda lord is still a child with dead parents. His parents both being dead and tomoe being the closest thing to a mother probably messes him more deep down than anyone realizes. He doesn’t really have anyone that doesn’t put him on a pedestal as a lord to keep him in line like a parent.
>>153131629>still new death criesStan is sure creative with them.>>153132934Oh wow, I had no idea about that cameo! And it seems canon to the MMPR/Usagi crossover too.
>>153134156>woman openly involved in court affairs with the men>child lord enthroned and not a pawn in the hands of a council of scheming regents>an ugly dwarf peasant they keep around as a "pet" for their sick amusementGeishu clan are messed up. I'm Team Hikiji now.
>>153134216I mean, yeah, turning peasants into pets I can understand, but the rest, especially that woman part? Absolutely disgusting.
>>153134216Kid also doesn’t have parents to teach him shit. Advisors are good but loving parents that can teach you what’s what without it just being part of their job make a big difference.
>>153134216Pretty sure the “pet” is dead. It never shows up again.
>>153133605>>153133816We never see guns again in the story because that's just how Stan wants it but it's only been like 3 years or so inside the timeline that Usagi is experiencing so the Dragon Bellows Conspiracy happened basically like yesterday for him. I don't think it's impossible or even unlikely that guns and gunpowders are being stocked and traded illicitly by other daimyo besides Hikiji, we just never encounter it because it's largely removed from Usagi's POV.>Chizu's playing a dangerous game.Well, the funds to build Outer Nirvana have to come from somewhere.
>>153134354Koro literally shows up in the next storytime.
>>153131629Back in 2023 we tracked Skull Balloons and came to a total of 423. I'm glad you're tracking them in your spreadsheet as well this year, it will be good to revisit some old statistics and see if they still match up (accounting for new issues having been published and all).
>>153134409Maybe he got another one.
>>153134390I just think it's a situation like atomics in Dune; every major clan has arquebus stockpiles but nobody openly uses them after Tamakuro's shenanigans because they don't want the entire shogunate and everybody trying to curry favor with it coming down on their heads
>>153134460It's the same Koro but the eighth Noriyuki.
>>153133999If he was that, he would have been satisfied with forcing Tomoe to apologize. Instead he sends her off into danger and tries to get her married off to a lord that's far away. He's Isolating Noriyuki, from a woman who took an arrow for him twice.
>>153134549With a better chief mana... advisor in place, there will be no need to catch any arrows.As we see in spin-offs, he's NOT sending her away, just making her a tool for the benefit of the clan and shoving her slightly further from Noriyuki by giving her extra duties, so he can shimmy a bit closer. Typical middle manger.
>>153129884
>>153125787>>153125803Hentai, you say?
>>153134549>>153134590Saving Face can be fuckin' brutal in Japan.
>>153129522Burdened to a life of feudal bushido bullshit. Truly a curse disguised as honor.
>Noriko's elongated, pointy ears, extremely angular chin, thin eyebrows and sanpaku eyes make her look like a hannyaYou all see it too, right?
>>153135559Horikawa calls her a devil at one point. Plus Hannya were women condemned to turn into demons because of resentment and jealousy, which are pretty much Noriko's entire motivation for her entire adult life.
>>153126009Man, he's really built up a reputation for meddling.
So I checked that MMPR/TMNT III comic and Usagi does in fact appear. He's in gor only 3 pages, but they are pretty sick.They also call him Usagi Yojimbo which is hilarious.
>>153126021Now it's Usagi's turn to die for our sins.
>>153135909He fights a bit like he does in Shredder's Revenge. That air time is overpowered.
>>153135913Indeed.
>>153135915This being canon to all previous crossovers opens the door to an entire crossover universe.Usagi/Batman and Usagi vs Godzilla when? Ok that last one kinda happened, but you know what I mean.
>>153126098That seems...very short sighted, even for peasants.
>>153135928>Usagi vs GodzillaThey would never be enemies usagi fed him rice balls as a baby usagi gundam and godzilla would beat up tentacle aliens
>>153126113He's gotta admit though, the eyepatch suits him.
>>153126118At this point I'm convinced she doesn't actually give a damn about the gold. She just wanted an excuse to be a sadist towards an entire village.
>>153126129Jesus, even by this comic's standards this bitch is next level evil.
>>153135955>the canon reason why Godzilla stopped being a destroyed and started being a protector is him meeting time-displaced Usagi which triggered the monster's old memories
>>153126137Something tells me Tomoe REALLY wanted that massage.
>>153129066>>153129124Perfection.
>>153126160>they're sisters instead of cousinsAh, so she's actually Azula then.
>>153135928Whenever I think of all these crossovers I hate how none of it matters when it's done. So seeing crossovers continue and be brought up in newer stories is great.
>>153126174I'm genuinely impressed at how she manages to top her own evil ass antics with each passing page . Truly the GOAT of psycho bitches.
>>153126185Oh Usagi's absolutely taking note of this guy so that he can die first whenever he escapes.
>>153126201They've all outlived their usefullness, now its time to wipe out the witnesses.
>>153125916Bunda
>>153126211Even One-eyed Pete over here is shocked at her depravity.
>>153126299Is it just me or is her forehead getting bigger with each passing page?
>>153126442Get rekt, fat rhino
>>153126303Once again, Feudal Japan is filled with FOOLS.
>>153136007>>153136068You might have heard that already, but "live" reactions of new readers are among the best things a veteran of these storytimes can find here. Keep going, would you kindly.
>>153126311https://youtu.be/ZXK427oXjn8
>>153126315You got this, kid.
>>153136134Her ears are also getting longer.
>>153136134Considering magic is real in Usagi world, she might be on her way to become a yokai out of pure hate she emanates. >>153135559Hell, we even witnessed something similar in THE FIRST ISSUE EVER.
>>153126336Usagi if she couldn't even leave you behind she sure as hell isn't dropping the rest.
>>153126340Goddamn can nobody in this book recognize a body when they see one?
>>153126396Nononononono DUDE NO
>>153126416Bitch, I don't think he could tell without a neck.
>>153136187I can believe it, someone like her would gladly cast off what little humanity she has left.
>>153126434>using an underling as a shieldShit, everyone in this gang are a buncha irredeemable bastards.
>>153126442Better start putting that nose to good use use.
>>153126467Yeah kid, beat her ass!
>>153126477Are you fucking serious, she fell for THAT?!
>>153136316EMOTIONAL DAMAGEHonestly, it's still many times more believable than "Martha".
>>153126486Oh good, I honestly thought this dude was going to end up blowing himself up somehow.
>>153126503https://youtu.be/kPIdRJlzERo
>>153126514Oh Stan's teasing the shippers HARD with this page.
>>153126563I guess Stan realized this bitch was WAY too good to be just a one-off villain.
>>153127358I think Tomoe's got her beat, the little we've seen of hers she was absurdly stacked. But Noriko's no slouch for sure.
>>153126693>"Your enemy is not dead until you see the corpse"She's getting too powerful, she's starting to see right through Stan's usual tropes!
>>153136701They are half-sisters, and their mothers are sisters, so naturally they'd be very close or identical. I'd say they share the #1 spot.
>>153135928Usagi dueling Baki's Musashi would be funny
>>153136663
>>153126712I'm proud of ya, kid! Ya made it to the big leagues!https://youtu.be/T0eCoI87PZs
>>153126721They finally got that rematch with each other they promised as kids, what a fitting end to this arc.
>>153126826Thanks OP, this arc was fantastic. Noriko was such a fun character, greatest bitch to ever do it.
>>153136810Thanks for commenting anon, your commentary was great reading.t: oldfag
>>153129522Heh
>>153134409>>153134506>Koro isn't actually a dog>he's the head of KOROshiBros...
>>153132218Kek.
>>153136742He doesn't know.
>>153134111Hey, hey the blade of the gods will go out of his way to protect innocents, even if it means giving up on killing the great evil, that meddling ronin. It's not his fault there are so few innocents in this fallen world
>>153136992Deepest lore
>>153134216Why doesn't Hebi just eat Noriyuki in front of the Shogun? Like he constricts the panda and unhinges his jaw to the horror of the full court.