previously: >>153125596
>>153139008MY MU HAS BROUGHT ME HERE
>>153139008Oh well
so, the next three stories were published in color. this first one was redrawn for the DH saga book (I believe) so I'll leave it untouched, but the other too I'll post their color versions so you all can rage about the changing eye colors- I mean so you can appreciate how it compares to modern color UY.
>>153139078>Posting the HD remakeI hope we get to see the original too.
>>153139105well, would you like to see the original too? I can just post it right after too. the thread image limit can handle it.
>>153139153That'd be great!
>>153139140>Unfortunately, this is Feudal Japan so I must be on the bullshit.
>>153139164coming right up, then. just look at those tasteful flat colors and how they enhance the gradients on the sky.
>>153139115>I am one of just three to whom he taught this new styleI kinda get why he didn't, but I still think he really should have fixed this line for the redraw. It makes no sense placed here in the chronology since we know of four students of Katsuichi and the two preceding Usagi presumably didn't evaporate.
>>153139236>Ordered to commit seppukuWhich generally would mean a "seppuku as punishment" rather than a "seppuku as a way to restore honor".
>>153139310know your ritual disembowelments, it can save your face!
>>153139334The Implication there is that instead of councilor Odo cutting his belly and then having someone cut his neck for a fast and merciful death, had to spend several agonizing minutes there bleeding to death, while having to maintain a kneeling position.
>>153139155>two generations of the Geishu have had faggot advisorsIs this some sort of hereditary mental deficiency? Gullible trust in evil retards? Noriyuki's usually portrayed as wise for his years, but he consistently fails to see through Horikawa's bullshit this exact same way.
the following two stories have no redrawn panels in the their black-and-white versions.
>>153139174>You will put your blade away immediatelyThis pig hoe lives in Feudal Japan and still can't tell the difference between a sword and a stick?
>>153139302>>153139312Poor little Tomoe. So much sadness in those big, pretty brown eyes. It breaks my heart.After seeing those pages, can you understand why I rage so hard when they're colored green or grey and keep switching?
>>153139380Multiple reasons.1, Conniving and treasonous counselors were the norm. Remember the guy who got headshot during Grasscutter episode 1?2, Lead based makeup was a thing back then and women were not told to stop wearing it during pregnancy.
this is the equivalent of a teen putting up an edgy poster in their room
>>153139221FLOO! counter not incremented?
>>153139465rip Lord Noriyuki #14
>>153139458sir, FLOO counter at 15 and counting, sir!
top two panels remind me of woodblock prints.
.........>>153139363Like here! Violet? Are you shitting me?>>153139408And here! Suddenly green then back to brown in a span of two panels!This comic is cursed when it's in color. Apparently it always has been.
>>153139278>panel 4>one eye brown>other eye greyI can feel Eye Anon seething from here.
>>153139507Oh no! We cannot enter this room through these rice paper doors!If only there was another way into that room, like a wall made out of similar low durability material!
>>153139542Holy shit! It's a giant lord Hebi!
>>153139505Since I fiercely vented during the last storytime, I promised myself not to overreact this year. But yes, I am always seething.However, I'm choosing to believe that the panel in question is just badly scanned and the compression did not help.
>>153139438>Conniving and treasonous counselors were the norm.That should just make the lords warier.>Lead based makeup was a thing back then and women were not told to stop wearing it during pregnancy.I guess that wouldn't.
>>153139425https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFeUko-lQHg
>>153139554I mean, you'd freak out too if it was an aggressive 5 meters tall Lebron James. A giant giant snake must be equally scary for them.
ugly ass artstyle
ugly little gradient here but overall, these color editions are so much better than what we have today it's not even funny. it's actually quite sad, in my opinion. but I'm sure there some of you who enjoy modern UY.
like, just look at this cloud- it's straight out of a shin-hanga design.
>>153139496>Guards Guards Not my favorite Discoworld novel but it's solid
>>153139623I enjoy modern UY for the stories and line art, not for its colors.
>>153139629DAMMIT USAGI! SETTLE DOWN! GIVE JOTARO A HALF SIBLING!
>>153139644Remember when we head canoned this fox hunter as Sasuke's mentor and predecessor?
>>153139672Ever since here Usagi has been a simp for fox girls.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaKNAAAcZF4
>>153139457>Usagi is the one who's fought like a dozen yokai>Tomoe is still the one who catches onI guess this also made more sense circa Dragon Bellow than it does here.
the "BITCH!" comment was changed to SNARL! in the black-and-white edition btw.
>>153139718>>153139724Uh oh, more incoming hentai!
>>153139623When Emi Fuji is doing the coloring, it's alright. Anyone else and it's mediocre at best.
>>153139528Wait a minute... this is the fuckin' bandit who stole the sumi set!That's crazy that he set that up several books ago to tie this story into the continuity better.
a ghost in the well doesn't sound so bad as a ghost in the machine.
>>153139783Kojima trade delegation!?In that case you should be wary of everything, from vampires to cyborg ninjas to giant robots with nuclear missiles!
>>153139788Do note that this color story came out before the sumi set story, which is probably why the kid at the end hasn't fallen under the control of the sumi set.Or maybe it only starts working when it has child blood ink in it?
>>153139623Digital coloring and its consequences have been a disaster for the rabbit race.
>>153139783AND DON'T CALL ME SHIRLEY!
>>153139153Don't worry, Odo is a trustworthy guy even though he's made of goo
>>153139684>that fox is a FOX!>that bitch!I get it but kek
>>153139979You should see that Cardassian neck trick
>>153139748And yet in spite of everything this is only the third-worst fox in the comic.
>>153139985SHE'S A YOKAI AND A BITCH!
>>153139493Have you seen the cover for Usagi Yojimbo Fantagraphics 1? Does appearance order change the canonical eye colour?
>>153140071HOW ARE THERE STILL MORE OF YOU!
>>153140044I love that dub like you wouldn't believe.
>>153139078>>153139084>>153139098>>153139107The closest we will ever get to a lovemaking scene. Ever.
>>153140108THE OLD RELIABLE
!
>>153140165>>153140174As much as I detest the notion of marrying off Tomoe(I know, I'm a degenerate shipper), I have to admit I find Saburo here to be an interesting Dark Horse candidate as a husband, if only because he'd so very obviously be in the same boat as Tomoe, and I think you could, in theory develop an unorthodox sort of relationship out of that.
I love kitsune
>>153140215Now imagine if she was married to lord Ito.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xGpo8CPQz0
>>153136992>>153139416>>153139496>DOG painter brings evil portrait to NoriyukiYou aren't fooling anyone, Koro
>>153140263Such an interesting thought. Now, what would happen if Lord Ito passed away before Tomoe could produce any heirs?
>>153140284Usagi waltzes in to netorare the shit out of Ito.
>>153139833>Do note that this color story came out before the sumi set storyThat's what I'm saying, it's nutty that he wrote the entire sumi set story so he could set up the reprint of this story in continuity later.
>>153140307Ah, my mistake, I mistook your earlier posts meaning.I will now commit seppuku.
>>153139819>Hm, someone else is doing the exact same thing I am.>I'd better stalk him!It's extra funny that he's right.
>>153139140Between this and Noriko, I gotta say; he's kind of s dipshit.
>>153139623I like the idea of color Usagi since the world is colorful and color can add a lot to scenes, but that clashes with the fact that Stan spent decades drawing in B&W and a lot of artistic choices were made with that in mind. Doesn't help that the editors/colorists often seem to be asleep at the wheel but I consider that a problem of competence instead of style.
lol
welp, the time has come to say goodbye.
>>153139844Hard not to overinterpret that sixth panel.
>>153139800>a ghost in the well doesn't sound so bad as a ghost in the machine.How about a Ghost in The Shell?
>>153140391https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfDTuNyup9Y
>all that empty space it's a beautiful chapter, but my girl Tomoe doesn't deserve this...
>A Quiet Time - The Road Beckons: Usagi Leaves The Geishu Provincehttps://youtu.be/rg4OREDwy9k
>>153140113Vega claws!
>>153139438Also, Hikiji seems to have ongoing designs on the Geishu lands, and getting a man inside (Arimura, Odo, Iké's first wife, plausibly Horikawa), is a key part of that. He probably spent years doing the same thing under Mifune's nose.
>>153140458that's alright, as long as it's not Man-Machine Interface. that thing gave me headaches.
>>153140588If he ever makes it back and discovers what's happened, I hope somebody reeeeeeally rubs his nose in it.
>>153140568Now I must take this opportunity to shill the shit out of the excellent manga series, Hyouge mono.What does it have? It has everything you'd want!>late sengoku period warfare>samurai politics>historical characters>comedy>boobaand most importantly, TEA CEREMONY AND AESTHETICS AUTISM OUTTA WAZOO!So what are you waiting for? Go and set out to find some high culture!
>>153140549FUCK ALREADY
>>153140718>Actually, your father started fucking with us, first.
>>153139946Oh Christ, this fucker again.
>>153140705a series by and for the gentlemen aesthete.
>>153140346Well the guy he saw wasn't out for a pleasant stroll at night, he was running. And running in the dark is not something you do unless you have to, which probably means trouble of some kind. Either the figure is in trouble or is causing trouble. Both are worth investigating.
>orphans: +1
>>153140767>Soon ronin, soon...>Never seen again after thisWhat did Stan mean by this?
>>153140797GODDAMMIT, FEUDAL JAPAN.
>>153140792>>153140797To be frank, this guy brought it upon himself.
>>153140823https://youtu.be/umO0QJQoNOo?si=H2THMNgRJneY4B6G&t=3t: Feudal Japan
>>153140805he's going to crash into tomoe's wedding ceremony, and be ignored as norkio did the same just before.
>>153139623>>153139629this looks like shit
and that's it for today, thank you for reading.
>>153140108>nailed the ginkgo leafCute detail.
>>153141046Thank you for storytiming, murder.Looking forward to tomorrow and gaijin cabron
>>153140588USAGI YOU GODDAMN FUCK KNUCKLE!
I miss Tomoe.
>>153140215The suggestion isn't that Saburo would marry her – the idea is that Lord Ito would. He was already named previously, "Ito Noren, a vassal of Lord Kojima". Saburo was merely sent to assess her suitability as a bride for Lord Ito, which he obviously couldn't do himself.
If the numbers seem high, it's because I doubled the specific counts for the three stories in color and in black and white. ISBN rule.Book 22637 Usagis (10148 total)1339 Panels (21147 total)85 Neko (1054 total)No Komori (197 total)No Mogura (37 total)No Ninjas of the Dark Light (4 total)
>>153140380Good on you, Usagi. Nice to see him not simping and making excuses for her shit this time.
>>153140210>haha but she technically isn't lying because it was actually Kiyoko so she's not being a massive bitch to Usagi here and--Kitsunefags make me mad without even saying anything.
>>153141139[Spoiler]I originally read it the same way. Then I read Senso. So how did Tomoe end up with a different guy?[/spoiler]
>>153140549How funny it would be if they did embraced and Usagi get Tomoe pregnant before she gets married to the lord and Usagi would have another kid from a married woman.
>>153140383....and he lets her walk off with Tomoe's purse. Fuckin' hell, Usagi!Though I suppose if he calls her on that in front of Tomoe she's probably getting arrested.
>>153141135tfw reading this in a foxu v-tuber voice
>>153141194>Don't tell Usagi you're his child>But I'm a rabbit>And?>you're a cat and the other guy is a bear... dog thing>So?>I think he's gonna notice>Son there is so much bullshitdo going on in this era you could wear a shirt that said I AM YOUR SON on it and he'd still block it out.
Why Tomoe doesn't scream Usagi about marrying her and having tons of samurai-sexo aimed to procreation?Noriyuki #31 will be happy and will appoint Usagi ultra general of his army in less of two weeks.Thanks to nepotism Jotaro could be enlisted in Noriyuki samurai entourageThey can push Chizu against the jonin traitor and transform the Neko Ninja Clan as an ally.The moustached courtesan has no weapons against Usagi (for now).No, Tomoe should marry Ito furry-mole ancestor daimyo of the ancestral Kuril IslandsProbably there is an answer in these past stories but I am too stupid for understand itAnd probably in Senso has been explained too.
>>153139155what did he meant by this character
>>153141249'Tomoe has no game' has been a meme here for a REASON.
>>153140174I always found it so Feudal Japan that he didn’t even bother to mention her combat skills or personality. She's pretty and from a good family, and that's all they were looking for.
>>153139078>>153139084>>153139098>>153139107I know this was originally an early story, but at this poing Usagi should be leagues above Tomoe or any other castle samurai. He's been fighting almost daily and walking across Japan should keep him in better shape that any normal training routine could.
>>153141323He called her honorable and actually said she was a samurai. It may not seem like a lot but that's kind of huge.
>>153141301Never trust the bucktoothed
>>153141335And she can't go a weekend without having to PROTECT THE LORD!
>>153141341Samurai is a class, not an occupation. Lady Maple described herself as such as well and she's certainly no fighter.
>>153140046The funny thing is, there's an actual canon answer from Sakai himself!>What color are Usagi's eyes? Sometimes they look pink, and other times they look blue.>(UY Vol 1, #8) Usagi's eyes are indeed pink, but he tends to wear tinted contact lenses, hence the discrepancy. No, actually, I tend to color his eyes pink, while Tom Luth colors them blue. We'll try to be more consistent in the future.https://web.archive.org/web/20040725183315/https://www.usagiyojimbo.com/intro/faq/faq_uy.html#faq6Also:>We'll try to be more consistent in the future.Lmao. Lol.
>>153139569Last panel's fucking sick. From a particular angle it'd be Stoner Van painting material. Colornhas problems but done well and it can really elevate a scene.
>>153139569>CHEEEEEEEEEESUTO! >WAGA WA TOMOE! TOMOE AME! AKU WO TACHI TSURUGI NARI!
>>153140568It's cool that he did a whole issue showing the exact procedure of a formal tea ceremony in detail. It's not so cool that he basically used it to kill off Tomoe for all practical purposes.
>>153140588>ending on a tardbird
>>153140592>Yark!I can't believe Usagi is fucking dead.
>>153140588>>153141503https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-Ckdg-dRpM
>>153140681Ohhhhh, she's actually "special". I did not pick up on that initially.
>>153140797BOOOOOOOOOOOO! BOOOOOOOOOOOO! BOOO ON YOU! I feel bad for little girl.
>>153139131>It doesn't matter who is better with the sword in this sword school. No wonder he got killed by an angry girl, this man clearly was trained wrong as a joke.
>>153141654https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFcb-XF1RPQ
>>153139155Well, looks like being a stupid idiot lord runs in the family.
>>153139174Looks like the few Neurons Noriyuki has came from his mom.
>>153139205Have you notice Ninjas in Usagi's don't do much Ninja stuff, they just attack in swarms instead of being sneaky and killing people while they sleep.
>>153139310Know the difference it could save your lif...I mean honor.
>>153139256Usagi looks great in color, the problem is that the coloring in the later comic sucks ass.
>>153141189You fucked up your spoiler.It's obviously not clear since we haven't seen that story but my suspicion is that the Tomoe Wedding arc drama is going to be about something like Usagi finding out about Lord Ito's intentions, eharing that Tomoe is getting married and rushing to the Geishu province, finding out Ito was killed by the neko ninja or abandoned negotiations or some shit months ago, and this jolting him into deciding to propose to Tomoe himself, but then in a sour twist of dramatic irony discovering that Tomoe was already married off to a Geishu retainer instead, which is the situation in Senso.
>>153139322I like the difference between this page and its B&W counterpart, there they travel by palanquin and they redraw the POV so the castle feels big and majestic. Both are great in their own right but intent is as important as quality, and I think the B&W version does a better job on helping the story.
>>153140705it's definitely a step a boha a lot of other similar manga. The main character is very distinctive.
>>153141226>the other guy is a bear... dog thingIto is a beaver or hamster or some other type of rodent, look at those teeth: >>153140174
>>153139425The return of Koro.
>>153141896Yeah, figured I'd screw myself over because I still capitalize beginning words like a civilized person.In truth, the story should hit harder than that. Having him show up during the final negotiations would so much better emphasize how powerless he is due to voluntarily choosing to be a wanderer, which would greatly add to his bitterness. Add in the details you mentioned, especially how it ends(Noriyuki with the last-minute yet well-meaning spoiler of hope to really dig in the blade)
>>153141323>her combat skills or personalityThose are drawbacks. Just listen to Tomoe's dad. Saburo is unironically giving her a good writeup by leaving those out.
>>153139432Japan has a very loose definition of goblin.
>>153139465Fugu poisoning, the invisible killer.
>>153140797Again it's striking how often these assassination attempts end up coming off the moment Usagi's left. At this point it almost feels like he should've learned to stick around for six more hours after he thinks he's done every time.
>>153141985The other happier possibility is that he actually secretly intends the wedding arc to be the final story of the comic whenever he dies or retires and that the twist is the wedding of Tomoe Ame ends up being to Usagi. Besides that it would most likely read much the same I suspect.
>>153139507If only Homer was here
>>153142089...why do you gotta give me hope, bro? It's Feudal Japan!
>>153139534Again with Hikiji, Not everything bad that happens in this miserable era is Hikiji's fault Usagi.
>>153142108All you need to do is read the Koroshi story above to learn that the rugpulls don't work without hope first.You cannot get off Mr. Sakai's Wild Ride.
>>153139608>an aggressive 5 meters tall Lebron JamesAn aggressive and Naked 5 meters tall Lebron James.
>>153141083>spoilerWait, is that tomorrow already? I thought that happened much later for some reason.
>>153142149No, you have it right. I think we still have around fifty or so issues to go before we get to THAT guy.
>>153142120I'M NOT CRAZY! YOU'RE CRAZY! OR A NEKO NINJA IN DISGUISE! DID HIKIJI SEND YOU TO DISCREDIT ME!?
>>153139644God dammit Chinese medicine.
>>153139650Tomoe cares about her hair.
>>153142175I could have sworn it happened almost right after the Tomoe tea ceremony.
>>153139654Oh fuck is Kitsune!!!>>153139713Never mind its just a Kitsune!!!
>>153141794They sneak into the castle in hidden swarms, and then attack in swarms because they got spotted. And you need swarms when one master swordsman on site is gonna kill like thirty of your guys -- if you don't have forty you'll fail the job.
>>153139654>>153139662I think we discover the secret, Usagi has a type.
>>153142204You might be misremembering because Stan wrote Senso(the first time in a long while we saw Tomoe) while on a long hiatus from the actual comic and when he came back to it, it was the foreigner's tale he did.
>>153142210That Kitsune isn't Kitsune, it's a Kitsune!
>>153140035Who's the second?
>>153139763A good ending who would have thought.
>>153140805>>153140767Is this the same old fart who was making that vague threat towards Usagi last time?
>>153142268Preesumably Kiyoko, the one who stole Jotaro's purse immediately after Usagi and Jotaro saved her and Kitsune's lives.
>>153142216It's like getting silverfish. Lift up a bathmat one day and just EEEEWWWWW
>>153142311Kiyoko is a cat and is generally forgiven on grounds of being a child
>>153142311I'm pretty sure Kiyoko is a cat
>>153142295That guy had a pointy beard but was otherwise similar looking.
>>153139897Damn, Usagi, quit being dumb for the sake of drama. He could point out the slashed trees as physical proof at least.
>>153140568>Smile status: unprotected
>>153142333>>153142351Oh yeah, dunno why I thought she was a fox.
>>153141189Oh, I know this one: Given his age, Ito probably already has a wife and was going to take Tomoe as a Mistress before passing him off to a Subordinate, possibly when another girl catches his eye or when he realizes Clan Ito needs kids and his dick ain't up to the process.That just kind of happens, a similiar thing happened in Samurai Rebellion, directed by Masaki Kobayashi, starring Toshiro Mifune.
>>153141452>Tomoe as Motherfucking SangerWe got good taste in these threads
>>153142391Old men are obsessed with Usagi
>>153141083no, that's a little ways out still. tomorrow it's about beggars, bridges and best girl.>>153141482chanyou is one of the best uses of the "how it's made" trope, weaving character development into it. and I'm sure it wasn't stan's intention to not use tomoe for 20 years, my theory is he has tomoe and usagi's re-encounter ready but will only do it if he wishes to end the series, or at least move it to an "end state".
>>153142683>SpoilerHell no, she's only a marginal improvement over Kitsune
>>153142295The one predating egg head in the forest?
>>153139098Tomoe with the "come at me bro" stance.
>>153140797>He grabs the walking staff by the top>The blade slides right out of its sheath>They both stand there in awkard silence while the gears turn>The assassin lunges at the merchant, hoping to seize his weapon>The merchant raises the blade in panic and the assassin skewers himself on the blade>The assassin never meets Usagi because he is fucking dead>The merchant and his autistic daughter go on to live a long and happy lifeA man can dream dammit
>>153142683Oh fuck it's that time already.Then I must hurry with my slopping, otherwise I won't be ready when the time comes.
>>153142792You shut your BITCH mouth!
>>153142683>bridges and best girl.I'm not ready for this. Every year.
>>153141335Tbf Tomoe's utterly cracked in her owm right. She pulled some ridiculous feats in the last arc.
>>153142843I love me a happy ending as much as anyone, but we’re in feudal japan, I cannot suspend my disbelief for an outcome like this
Eye color anon, I need your strength!Tell me, what color eyes does Chizu have?
>>153139123She had a brother as well? I'm surprised that didn't come up the previous arc.
>>153139140I can see why Noriko killed him, what a douche.
>>153139153Hikiji?!
>>153143013He's a feudal man livin' in a feudal world.All in all he was a ok father, he could have been the type to beat his daughter for acting tomboyish in that era.
>>153139438>Lead based makeup was a thing back then and women were not told to stop wearing it during pregnancyOkay yeah, that explains a LOT about Feudal Japan.
>>153139214https://youtu.be/YG6DifUtPvs?si=V9FkptsCx-H8KMgF
>>153139221Poor Noriyuki got a front row seat to this level of carnage so early. I'm sure this event ended up traumatizing him.
>>153142268That one is new for this year's storytime. Kinda. We did the beginning of that one last year but not the end, IIRC.
>>153143197Ah, you mean umeboshi? umeboshi umeboshi. umeboshi umeboshi! umeboshi? UMEBOSHIIIIII!!!
>>153141985>Yeah, figured I'd screw myself over because I still capitalize beginning words like a civilized person.You know you don't have to type the spoiler tags by hand, right? Just whack Ctrl-S and spoiler tags will be placed around whatever text you've got selected. (If you haven't got any text selected, it will proc a pair of empty tags at the location of the text cursor.)
>>153142974Her brother was ME, TOMOE! I WAS YOUR BROTHER!No, but he was actually mentioned in that arc, as the guy Motokazu studies swordsmanship under.
>>153139282Yeesh, that bottom panel is rough. I can see why Stan opted to redaw the whole thing.
>>153143210Exactly. I see you just plum forgot about her.
>400 replies in a little over 4 hours since thread creation timeOh yeah, we're gonna need a talk-back thread for this one.Old usagiheads will already know this, but Tomoe Ame is based in part on Stan's first wife, Sharon Sakai. Sharon was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in 2004. Treatment kept the disease at bay until late 2011 when Sharon's health took a turn for the worse. Chanoyu was published in April 2006. The last UY issue before Stan took a work hiatus was published in 2012. In between he stopped working on Usagi to take care of Sharon. Dark Horse rallied 262 artists and published The Sakai Project in 2014 to help the Sakai family with medical expenses including 24-hour care for Sharon. Sharon passed away that year.. Stan began working on Usagi Yojimbo again in 2015. This included the mainline comic and also "Senso" a sort of what-if ending to Usagi Yojimbo the series which we traditionally storytime out of chronological sequence to end the yearly storytimes. The 47 Ronin, a separate comic about the titular 47 Ronin from history, was something Stan worked on in 2014. If the next few stories seem miserable and very Feudal Japan, well. Our guy was going through a lot.
>>153139860his clean clothes comment made me think how many things we take for granted
>>153139155I just want to say that Noriyuki's mom has got it going on.
>>153139372Lmao, this panel is so goofy looking.
>>153143375>Our guy was going through a lot.Yeah, I mean, don't people frequently attribute the entire decade-long Kitsune & Ishida Show to it just being easier for him to deal with during all this shit? The comic becomes notably more episodic.
>>153140361I agree. Usagi can be wonderful in color but the results we've seen so far leave much to be desired.
>>153143426https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtNnrcl1vV4
>>153139388I swear this color version is a goldmine of reaction images.
>>153139408I find these two versions fascinating, especially the final pages. The colored version is framed in a way that reflects Usagi and Tomoe barely even knowing each other, while the Black and White version feels a lot more intimate and friendly.
>>153140805>>153142295>>153142608I like to imagine there's a whole gang of bored old men who make vague, smug threats at any ronin they see. You know they're hard up for entertainment in Feudal Japan.>>153141189The Ugly Bastard reveal could have been a double-fakeout. Like you're meant to believe Tomoe is destined for Lord Ito, but ACKSHULLY what Lord Ito himself meant was that Tomoe should be wed to one of his younger samurai. >>153141249>Why Tomoe doesn't scream Usagi about marrying her and having tons of samurai-sexo aimed to procreation?That was the tea ceremony we just witnessed.>Noriyuki #31 will be happy and will appoint Usagi ultra general of his army in less of two weeks.Absolutely. It's Usagi himself that has refused the offer, on more than one occasion.>Jotaro could be enlisted in Noriyuki samurai entourage. They can push Chizu against the jonin traitor and transform the Neko Ninja Clan as an ally. probably in Senso has been explained too.So that's interesting you mention those two possibilities, and Senso.....
>>153139425Hey wait, that dog looks familiar.
>>153139236>>153139408So there's no confirmation that Lady Etsuko is dead, right? It's only Lord Mataichi. Kid Panda is not an orphan after all, his mom just isn't a part of daily court deliberations any more.
>>153139293>>153139123I wonder when the concept of an evil sister for Tomoe came up in stans mind as shes absent in the older color draft.
>>153143632Of course it looks familiar, that's Noriyuki's dwarf peasant servant, Koro.
>>153139229Panda Mama is CUTE
>>153139833>which is probably why the kid at the end hasn't fallen under the control of the sumi set.I thought the line he settled on was that it worked with the darkness within the heart. An innocent child should be able to use it safely. Hope he's raised with good moral fortitude But he'll probably run out of kids blood before he's a teenager so he'll be safe
>>153143642He created it for Mother of Mountains, p. sure. The color version was originally effectively part of a sequence of stories taking place during Usagi's first stay with the Geishus; it's not totally clear why he held the rest back for so long, but the story with Usagi telling Noriyuki about how he got lost in the Tanged Skein is part of the same sequence, as I'm sure you can see if you go back and look.
>>153143725>Hope he's raised with good moral fortitudeIn Feudal Japan? No way!
>>153139534There's a couple of differences between the Fantagraphics Color Special version and the reprint in Dark Horse. For one, every reference to Goyemon as a painter is replaced with artist. And there is an explicit connection between his magical sumi-e set and the cursed one Sasuke and his ronin sidekick helped to quell.
>>153139611
>>153139098Didn't someone in LW&C do Tomoe's pose? Something about the empty meeting the empty?
>>153139432What's fun about this is how this is an actual painting IRL.
>>153139465Oh my god, you killed Noriyuki! You bastards!
>>153139491>"I'm here to relieve you"I'm so shipbrained I thought for a second she had a different meaning for "relieve" there.
>>153141366Samurai is both a class and an occupation. If you want to be extremely pendantic, the occupation is samurai (the kanji is 侍) and the class is bushi (武士) though of course the terms are used interchangeably. So you're right, someone like Lady Maple is from the bushi or samurai class but her occupation is not a samurai. Tomoe can be described as both samurai the class and samurai the profession.
>>153143979She did. Usagi just didn't get it, as usual. It's like when that girl you had a crush on in high school hit on you and you didn't realize until years later, remember?
>>153139496It's so weird how this story has both Noriyuki's dog and an actual Dog guy at the same time. Like it's literally a Goofy/Pluto situation here.
>>153144030I guess it's like looking at a man and a monkey.
>>153139833>>153140307Wait, seriously? That's insane, I wonder how much of this story got retconned/altered in the BW version.
>>153139534This is another painting that exists IRL.
>>153139548This is retroactively made funnier knowing he's canonically traumatized by Tengu.
>>153144116Enma just posted the changes:>>153143791>>153143834
>>153139593Shit, I'm so used to bloodless carnage that seeing someone's throat get realistically sliced is jarring.
>>153139440>I don't know about this, wife. Kids these days, with their rhyming couplets and bakugan tops>Oh let him have the doors, husband. Look how happy it makes him.
>>153139440>*dejected shutter* giant spiders and whutnot...>I tell ya Tomoe, sometimes that panda a'yours ain't right...>Now now, Usagi...he is just as the heavenly kami made him.
>>153139205>I just pray they have not penetrated Lady Etsuko's private chamberAye yo!
>>153139623I do think the earlier colors have a specific charm to them, I agree. It really leans into the surrealist cartoon aesthetic, and I feel that's a much better approach than the more "realistic" modern colors we saw in the previous storytime.
>>153144254Ha, anon and I both saw each other's posts and then deleted them almost at the same time to save post count space in this thread.
>>153139654Wet Tomoe is so adorable.
>>153139662>This rice tastes like mud!Tbf, that's a step up for Usagi.
>>153139748Lmao get fucked.
>>153144314I saw them, none of you saved face.
>>153139800RIP slacker bodyguard.
>>153143869Who is the red guy, why is he red and why is he holding a big lego square piece?
>>153143834You know, is weird he changed paints for ink set when its suppose to be a painting.
>>153139363
>>153142216Neko ninjas don't know the Inverse Ninja Law.
>>153144314>cursed Wacom tabletkek
>>153144645They clearly do or at least kinda intuit it, they only sent in those three guys with the claw chains the second time and that made them pretty durable.
>>153139167>we purposely trained her wrong as a women, as a jokeit's like the inverse of getting feudal japan'd
>>153139496did that dog just say "huh"? is this confirmation that he is, in fact, noriyuki's full-time gimp slave?
>>153139851Such is karma.
>>153140155>>153140165>>153140174Pandas an idiot for not mentioning this to her. But Usagi the bigger idiot for not expecting the whole world to keep moving while he’s wandering,
>>153142521Or his own sleeve being slashed.
>>153134502I love Dune almost as much as Usagi. Reflecting on Feudal Japan, it's interesting how much overlap there is between the shogunate and the imperium in Dune. Both are held in deliberate cultural stasis, both exist in a delicate balance-of-power between the Big Dawg and the lesser clans almost to a perfect 51:49 ratio, both have warrior cultures that have semi-purposefully been nerfed to pagentry and play-fighting, both are hostage to the most retarded economic policy imaginable (the rice must flow). If I hadn't known that Frank Herbert was inspired by the wars of Czarist Russia against the Caucuses I would have absolutely believed he was talking about Feudal Japan.
>>153145451Hey Enmanon, did you know that the Arrakis-era Imperium was still a barter economy?
>>153139860Usagi really is just a hobo with a sword, huh?
>>153145929It's not like the average peasant in this time has a washer-dryer in his shack.
>>153145528>reees in landsraad
>>153144487
>>153142929Honestly, given how retarded the average Kuroshi hitman seems to be, I can see it.Waiting for the one where Usagi pulls the ol' double switcheroo on some poisoned tea.
>>153142885Stay strong anon. For her.>>153141188Hey, I just fag for Cartoon Kitsune, where she goes from worst girl(behind even Noriko) to a sold contender for best.
>>153139998They warned you about ghosts bro! They told you, dog!
>>153140371>>153140380see, if she had a comeuppance like this more often, I don't think people would hate Kitsune half as much as they do.
>>153140071You mean KUNAI WITH CHAIN.
>>153146402Those aren't kunai, they're tekkō-kagi (as the comic itself will state much later). Kunai are throwing knives.
>>153140113Oh no, they discovered my weakness, moving towards me!
>>153139662Eat your hamburgers, Tomoe
>>153140697>A>SINGULAR>MENDICANT>RONIN
>>153140183Tomoe stuck in the friend zone.
>>153140198UGGGH
>>153140210>"Would I ever lie to a friend?"Even ripped a page right out of Gen's playbook. Is there nothing she wouldn't steal?
>>153141219If you're talking about Tenma Maemi, I also think about her a lot during these story times. I bet she'd like the series, though she would undoubtedly despise Kitsune like everyone else does
>>153144149A nice cute assortment of draws, very nice
>>153143426she looks like she's about to rape Usagi
>>153140588One Anon compared the swordfight to a lovemaking scene but I'd argue the tea ceremony was their actual love making scene. Just pure private intimacy between them
>>153146980Except... that's not what happens during the tea ceremony at all? The communication between them in Chanoyu is very different from that in tone.
Welcome back to the death rattle tally! Here are the new scream found in today's storytime:>Egaah!: 1>Umph!: 1>Glook!: 1See attachment for total cry so far. As always, if you have any questions about the count, feel free to ask.
>>153140588>>153140588Usagi you retard
>>153147019It's about the feeling though, like I said it's pure intimacy between them, it's a time where everything outside of that ceremony doesn't exist, it's just the two of them in this singular moment
>>153140310RIP Fence. Make that another person killed because of Kitsune's bullshit.
>>153140549Only Stan can make an entire educational chapter about tea ceremonies, and not only make it interesting but deeply character driven as well. Like, this whole thing feels so melancholic, like Usagi knows he's going to regret leaving her again.
>>153140582Alone in a crowd, huh?
>>153143050Yeah from his point of view he's doing the kindest thing he can for her. He even has the decency to feel bad about it where most samurai dads in his shoes would just feel annoyed and embarrassed. He had no way of knowing she was going to become a major supporting character and get a bunch of protagonist exemptions from the normal rules of life.
>>153140588; _ ;
>>153140380She's so goddamn salty about losing for once. What a cunt.
>>153140644I don't know what this dude expected here.
>>153140697He's just ONE GUY!
>>153147594
>>153140718I'm going to be honest, I'm drawing a total blank over who she might be referring to here. Usagi's killed a LOT of people up to this point.
>>153147291I don't think that you can really pin that on her, that guy just got feudal japan'd. They didn't really need to kill him, they just did it anyway because they're gangster thugs. Kistune's theft kicked it off, but it's the gangsters who decided "let's kill the guy who pointed us in the right direction because we can't have a fence go singing to the cops like fences obviously do all the time!"
>>153140757Aw what the fuck.
>>153140568[pain]
>>153140797This is somehow more fucked than just cutting to the poor bastards dead body.
>>153147291I agree with Anon, I think this is a rare case where you can't pin it on Worst Girl, because she didn't know in advance that Boss Sanno was unusually crazy and brutal. She only found out about that after the fence told her.
>>153141046Thanks OP. Pretty solid cooldown period from the last arc.
>>153142931Not him but green
>>153148060Ignore this, theyre brown
>>153141219>tfw reading this in a foxu v-tuber voiceOf the Bostonian variety or Canadian (Japanese) variety?
>>153147447They both regret it but neither of them is willing to change their way of life for the other and they're mutually coming to terms with this meaning a parting. That's what's happening in the chapter.
>>153147691It's the street performer gang that Usagi, Jotaro, Katsuichi and Shunji fought. She backflipped away from Shunji and the others beat her dad and friends to death. Katsuichi did an extremely cool throwing-knife catch-and-return and overshadowed the others, even Jotaro who killed a huge guy with nothing but a bokken.
>>153139946>Usagi>OutsiderIf this Daimyo don't shut the fuck up...
>>153148308He's not a daimyo, he's just an advisor.
>>153148191Oh yeah, now I remember! Man, now I'm sad she got so unceremoniously killed off like that. I really liked her debut chapter and hoped she'd be more important as a villain.
>>153140295>Tomoe pays snd we see her purseStan. You cad.
>>153140380It probably happens about here, second to last panel.
>>153139977Late for the party but...
>>153147594Give her 10 years and she'd be in the Usagi Bowl
>>153140543>Zen fountain keeps time>Tied up rock the period equivalent of a Do Not Enter sign>Usagi's sandals, he has to leaveThey never had a shot. It hurts.
>>153142048The league of assassins are incredibly effective at actually getting their targets. They don’t fuck off after the first failure like the ninjas they keep coming until the target is in the ground.
>>153140549>>153140559>>153140568Beautiful send off. A great parting of friends but one that also damns then to just being that. Tomoe fate is sealed and Usagi walked out on what could’ve been the next true love of his life.
>>153140588>Usagi would later regret that.
>>153147535Hey, that was Kiyoko's first solo job. That was a moment to celebrate and make memories, and Usagi denied them that. Kitsune's just being a good nee-san.
>>153149036Didn't she steal Usagi's purse last time they showed up? I'm pretty sure she's been stealing stuff this whole time.
>>153149054That's just light pickpocketing. It's the difference between a kid's lemonade stand and their first real paycheck.
