previously: >>153255039
it's time to relax.
just love the full ink used to make the scene darker.
>>153268999Another thing color cannot replicate.
>>153269041>doing what a girl needs to do to get by, eh?Robbing, the correct term is robbing
>>153268985>that middle panel
>>153269122This is the moment Chizu becomes your favorite character.
>>153268945>NO>I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!
it's actually a root, usagi.
>>153269009This feels like the beginning of a screwball comedy, all that's missing is a smash cut of them handcuffed together.
>>153269211they make a very funny duo, and kiyoko is just the cherry on top
>fat crime bosses: 3
>>153269096Oh Anon, it's a clear case of burglary~
>>153269311You just know kitsune’s smiling about it cause she knows Usagi won’t let chizu kill her. She knows she’s safe and is being smug about it
>>153269354Chizu would settle for a few punches and Kitsune knows it.
>>153269362why did chizu get her buccal fat removed?
>FLOO!: 28
>>153269418>what makes me a good demoman? if I were a bad demoman, I wouldn't be sitting here discussing it with you, now would I!?
>>153268958This might just take the cake as the worst, most infuriating story of the whole series
>>153269033>I spoke too soonEven Mister Meddler has pattern recognition>hello KiyokoAnd he ignores itThis is why what happens to you happens to you, Usagi
that kitsune-smitten anon must be happy.
by the way, it's around this volume that I notice the artstyle changed again, but I can't quite put my finger where.
>>153269516>shoot her, stab her, smash her, set her on fire
>>153269516Definitely one of kitsune’s worst showings so far, but this story’s certainly one of the most entertaining. Least she gets some pushback
>>153269511>>153269516Usagi probably gets a boner when people steal from him now
>>153269547I see this is the fixed/edited version.
>jizo statues: 229 >>153257368duly noted and counted, thanks.
>>153269501Sensing some jealousy here…
>jizo statues: 230
>>153268958There goes my blood pressure
>>153269470>Tags: Ugly bastard
one of the hardest lines ever
>jizo statues: 231
>>153269516>Kitsune's not so bad!>This story>Oh wait
https://youtu.be/SRwrg0db_zY?t=82
to be fair, being the result of very recent volcanic and tectonic activity, I imagine japan does have some very interesting rocks.
>>153269754https://youtu.be/MgyAWij3SLk?si=7zUmdhvfMxJxQWV6
>>153269350>STOP>BEING>SHIT!!!
>>153269236>The longer I live the more his power slips>Especially since he presumably keeps sending loyalists to kill me; right?
>>153269694Tune in next time for the sequel: "One-Armed Swordsman vs. The Flying Guillotine"
>At the Edge of the World: Don Rodriguez's Themehttps://youtu.be/QrxfKXJMu4s
>>153269354>>153269311I also think Chizu is playing it up because she likes Usagi holding her back. If she wanted Kitsune dead she'd just throw a shuriken.
>>153269754https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPlQjENZldU
>>153269877Even if he has a point, pretty bold of usagi to outright criticize a lord of all people. Can definitely tell he’s seeing through bushido’s lies
>>153269516I like this story. Kitsune is super shit in it, but all the characrer interactions are really fun. Till the very last page, that is.
>>153269754Huh. I thought we did this one. I thought the ice and the rock were spaced out better.
>>153269900I like to imagine that as soon as Usagi leaves Chizu just bolts back and Izuna drops Kitsune
>>153269893The most recent chapter to come out when I picked up UY thanks to theses threads.
>>153269979god today is just a feudal bullshit kind of day.
>>153269122Man, Chizu looks emaciated
obligatory https://youtu.be/jcwoBVUqlW0https://youtu.be/w2A_NISUX-w
>>153270045>>153270040It's really frustrating how strong he actually is
my head cannon is Rodriguez is just a swindler pretending to be a special diplomat, but got a little carried away. >>153270055iberian genes, son!
>jizo statues: 232
>>153270074It's just a jizo usagi we've seen hundreds of them
now that I think about it, the koroshi do have a bigger presence than I usually remember them having. they're not neko ninja, but they're not at mogura level either.
>>153270106Yojimboing
>>153269522Almost correct, my dear Murder! The art style has slightly changed in Senso, which was released directly before the first story in this thread and after a long period of Stan not drawing Usagi. Changes which carried over include Chizu's slimmer face. Probably because in Senso she has been drawn near Tomoe for the first time ever and they looked too similar, so Sakai has updated the design a bit. But the main change, which gives you that weird feel?The lines are thinner. Just slightly, but your brain notices even if you don't.WHY are they thinner? I think it's a combination of a long break, new ink and/or pen, and years of stress subtly showing up in Stan's art.Anyway, want me to post a short comic made by some upstart named Stanley Sakai, age 19, after this storytime is done?
>>153269754A fucking rock
>>153270172He said the word
>want me to post a short comic made by some upstart named Stanley Sakai, age 19, after this storytime is done?well I couldn't possibly say no to that.
>>153269893Damn Spaniards
>>153270209I mean how many assassin groups are the really? If someone said THE BASEBALL TEAM in my area am I really being suspicious if I say the Red Sox?
>>153270230Uuuuuuuuuh, Hmm. Does this count as a happy ending or a twist?
>>153269109He ought to cut her into mulch!
>>153270253what's mulch?
just look at this pompous bastard
>>153270272Usagi can be a little stubborn but I wouldn't call him.. oh you meant
>>153269511Kitsune now has a whole new way of picking pockets.I want to kiss Kitsune
that is it for today, thanks for reading! unfortunately this sunday I probably won't be able to post like usual. I have a social engagement I can't really miss without losing face, and I don't know if I can get home to dump at a reasonable time. if I do, I'll post Yokai. if I don't, I'd be glad if someone could step up to do it. my sincere apologies. now, for something different, courtesy of deviant anon...
>>153269516I could justify Kitsune's bullshit in previous stories to some degree but this one broke me. It's not even that it's a low moral bar, but that she's almost suicidally stupid. >Chizu almost kills her but Usagi deescalates the situation>instead of recognizing she's out of her depth she immediately tries to blackmail the dangerous merchant>he makes the obvious choice to kill her >Usagi and Chizu bail her out of that situation>immediately steals from Chizu, who threatened she'd kill her for less and has shown she can track her>somehow STILL doesn't realize she's out of her depth she immediately plans to blackmail a presumably dangerous lordI'm pretty sure Kitsune working at the brothel was actually the good ending. I don't know enough about how social class intersected with prostitute class but given that she's actually a fairly skilled performer she might be able to become an oiran like Lady Maple>>153269978Many are saying this
>>153270014He's got the same "I converted to Catholicism to so I can use its organizational power to make people I hate suffer" energy I'm picking up from young men at church these days.
>>153270329Yeah, about that. Small family emergency, gonna be back in an hour. Please hold.
>>153270416Kitsune got brain damage after getting possessed
>>153270467oh shit, good luck.
>>153269754Here it is new readers! The One! The Original! THE FUCKING ROCK!The Reason why we keep on freaking out about rocks every time any of those little things appear.
Thanks, Murderanon
>>153269779This is a GENIUS scam for feudal japan. Get a random rock, don't let anyone see it but constantly talk up how great this rock is and make other people covet it for honor and prestige.These people would have loved NFTs.
>>153270416Here's something about Edo-period prostitution.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLRzw-PQs_Qhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5hUQlm_-nYHope you get a clue what sorta life Kitsune could have lived.
>>153270416That she's also in her way actively assisting someone who will bring harm to others for a handful of coin.
>>153270571>This is a GENIUS scam for feudal japan. Get a random rock, don't let anyone see it but constantly talk up how great this rock is and make other people covet it for honor and prestige.Hey they're still doing that shit with grasscutter. >You have a sword and other regalia that directly prove you're connected to the gods?!>Yes.>Can I see it?>No.
>>153269128Chizu's starting to look more leonine here. I should go back and check how she looked at the end of Volume 4, though of course everyone looked different back then.
>>153269900Or just cack her while she and Usagi were initially talking. Instead she repeatedly threatens her (almost like she was trying to convince herself) and chases her around with a sword. She doesn't try to leverage Kiyoko as a hostage. Chizu is a sweetheart and isn't cut out for the rough stuff. Kitsune knows, maybe Kiyoko too.
>>153270571all fun and games until they call an actual rock appraiser and you're crucified for selling low quality rocks
>>153270650>implying we just won't send assassins over the rock appraiser
>>153269109Everyone knows about Usagi's need to meddle but unlike Gen, Kitsune loves it and how it works in her benefit without her trying.
>>153270067Meanwhile, at Philip III court:"We have a new report from the Jesuit Chapter in Nippon, my king.""...""Lord Odo is a coward.""Prepare an envoy to the Nippon King about this cowardice...""Yes, my king...""Ah... Write how Quark was right again."
>>153270106>The Koroshi never failsHistorically that's not entirely true
>>153269834Always appreciate these moments when the nameless thugs just stop being aggro and are practically minded.
>>153270062Come to think of it, he doesn’t dual wield nearly as much as his namesake
>>153270272>It's called Baroque, you wouldn't get it>Just paint the portrait
>>153269983>you can't fire me, I quit!
>>153270329Hey Murder, I hope you don't mind if I bump this post from yesterday? >>153257368 I think it got missed and I'm all about pedantic counting, but by Monday I'll probably have forgotten all about it.Also, thanks for posting!
>>153270416>there's a timeline where Usagi is friends with the finest prostitute in all the lands, the ethereal beauty Kitsune>Maple is a thief, constantly on the run with her infant son who is secretly the heir to a lordThis could make for a great RPG adventure.
>>153270815Oh shit wait, I'm retarded. I'm the one who can't read. >>153269586 My bad and thanks, Murderbro!
>>153270055Rapier > katana, it's a simple fact.Katana are top heavy, slow and cumbersome, and these are mostly peace-time samurai. To them a guy with a rapier is like a meteor hammer user to us.
>>153270905>meteor hammerThat seems impractical
>>153270160It's by Stanislaus Sakai?
>>153270154The thing with the league of jobbers is that they dress, act, and fight like regular bandits and brigards, so they feel less memorable.
>>153269516Karma's a bitch Kitsune. Especially in Feudal Japan.
>>153269754Usagi you just don't get it man. It's the fucking rock!
>>153271138Karma seems to be taking it's sweet fucking time with Kitsune
>>153270954It probably is, but imagine having to fight someone using one. You just don't know where to keep your eyes or how to counter it.
>>153269122https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOV6H4NcGEsGo ninja Go ninja Go!Go ninja Go ninja Go!
>>153271189Just give it time.You never know where and when karma might strike.
>>153269021The west hasn't taught Japan "honor among thieves" yet I guess.
>>153271189Think about how long it's taking for Lord Hikiji
>>153268958Around the fox, check your locks
>>153269322Go Kiyoko!
>>153269146I hope this helps a certain anon relax.
>>153269424It's hard living as a ninja outcast.
>>153269426Does it count as a FLOO! if it's a boat?
>>153271548If nothing else I'm happy to have left some mark on the threads
>>153271548
>>153269362Okay.We love punished Chizu and we know the little change of artstyle by Sakai... But... why Chizu is becoming Sanshobo
>>153271395Karma's waiting until he is on the cusp of achieving everything he desires only to then make him lose absolutely everything
>>153271968The aliens are going to touch him inappropriately
>>153269675I don't think I ever noticed before that you can actually tell he cuts Te's throat – the necklace is cut from the blow.
>>153270494>>153270467>>153270329CRISIS AVERTED.Now back to our regular programming. It is the year 1972. In Chronicle, a fanzine for comic book readers and artists, a 19 years old Stanley Sakai publishes his newest work. His very own comic for everyone to see.It's a glorious mess. [also censored, because this is a buddhist website]
>>153269709>AkagawaThat's the faggot who made the ice bet, isn't it?
>>153272027I give you what is possibly the first published work of Stan Sakai from 54 years ago.I give you... Dante!
>>153272047Be amazed by the plot!
>>153272063>that faceStan is never beating the furry allegations.
>>153269775jizo
>>153272080Marvel at the action scenes and the very tell-don't-show take on presenting the ongoing events!
>>153269779>Nudists! Nudists in the rushes!
Book 30418 Usagis (13606 total)756 Panels (28575 total)6 Neko Ninja (1190 total)No Komori (199 total)No Mogura (37 total)No Ninjas of the Dark Light (4 total)>>153268958The single worst story. Kitsune's point of no return.>>153269205>six neko>>153269228>six bodiesFinally some consistency, arigato Sakai-sama
>>153272100You may say I am harsh, and I am. But Sakai has made incredible progress over the years and his first comics being messy only make his later work look even better.
My apologies for interrupting the mini storytime, I humbly request a second.
>>153272141
>>153272150Go for it, we're at part two, which came out in 1973. Also>John Byrne>Chuck DixonHoly fuck!
>>153272181*a second for seppuku
>>153269893It bothers me more than it probably should that Rowdy Roddy here has a completely ahistorical sword.
>>153272192Lmao. Anyway...Welcome at part 2.
>>153272262
>>153272279The plot thickens!
>>153272293Don't you love arrows telling you the reading order?
>>153272315We're almost there, sit tight.
>>153272326
>>153269979>the tea master is so aesthetic that he has calligraphic eyebrows
>>153272342The final fight begins!
>>153272357>defeated by rocksSome things never change.
>>153272383And that's the end of this story! While Dante kept occasionally appearing in the Chronicle fanzine, Sakai never did anything more with that character.
>>153272181>Bob CampFrom Ren & Stimpy?
>>153270081At this point it seems like riding in a palanquin is basically a death sentence, even if you're a rock. You'd want to get out and walk.
>>153272405... apart from this 3 pages long epilogue/backstory, that is.
>>153269754Oh god not this one.>>153269870A FUCKING ROCK
>>153272445Sooo... imteresting character, yay or nay?
>A FUCKING ROCK
A FUCKING ROCK
>>153272471>Whenever Dante is not in the room with them, other characters should ask "Where is Dante?"And that's really it for Stan Sakai's Dante. The first known comic by the beloved author of Usagi Yojimbo.
>>153272509Happy to hear your family emergency was resolved and thanks for sharing some really obscure Stan lore. But->A FUCKING ROCK
Suiseki and its consequences have been a disaster for humankind
>>153270160>I think it's a combination of a long break, new ink and/or pen, and years of stress subtly showing up in Stan's art.This is just a guess, but a qualified one: in one of the interviews, letter pages or art books, Stan mentioned that his favored nib pen was no longer made. This was years and years ago in comic production terms; my guess is that when he came back from his hiatus he realized his pen was turbofucked and had to get used to a new one. (That sort of thing often happens; you don't really notice how shit your equipment is in the thick of it, but when you put it aside for a while and come back to it, you realize it's a shambles.) That's why the lineart is less uneven in weight from here on in: his new pen has a stiffer nib, or maybe he's even using a marker pen of some type.
A rock. Literally a FUCKING ROCK.
>>153270162>panel 1Kek, she looks like she aged about 40 years since the previous page
>>153270329Thanks Murder! Also, did I already miss The Hidden?
>>153270329I'll storytime Yokai this Sunday.>mfw A FUCKING ROCK
>>153272520That's a very nice rock. Really ties the thread together.But something is still missing...
>>153272556We're still a ways away from The Hidden.>a fucking ROCK
>>153272047>>153272063This plot reads like a 90s boomer shooter.>>153272157Sewer count +1>>153272471>further endowedOh my>Analitical mindOH MY!>>153272509Thanks DeviantArt Anon, it was a painful read, but it's always interesting to see where great people come from.
>>153269137Greed is an unattractive trait
>>153272561Like THE SECOND KNOWN OLDEST COMIC by Stan Sakai! From 1975, also published in Chronicle.I give you: THE MAN.This one is only 5 pages long, but get ready, it's gonna get MESSY really fast.
>>153272606I promise this is the last thing for today! Tomorrow we will have something short, relatively new and actually good!
>>153270230>I have heard they are not very reliableKek, even teenage girls are roasting the League of Jobbers.
>>153272621Why do I get Anakin and the Sand People flashbacks?
>>153272606>a future of eroded ROCKSGood. GOOD.https://litter.catbox.moe/rg336az6ki4lo9yz.mp4
>>153272635Oh. Oooh nooo...
>>153269199come on usagi you're a rabbit
>>153270302It's interesting he still sees Nilson Groundthumper as happening in a real world of northern Europe, despite the fact that it's a much more openly fantastical comic. I wonder if in the same way Usagi's setting evolved from a slightly more fantastical chanbara Japan into pretty much historical fiction, Stan would nowadays have Nilson and Hermy in a more realistic depiction of 17th century Denmark or something.
>>153272645Uhhh... So what have we learned?Truly, the man is the worst monster of them all.>>153272640I have only respect for a man with a grudge against a very specific type of inanimate objects.
>>153270620>It's an Atsuta expression.
>>153270905It's this. The c. 1600 rapier is such an unbelievable longboi that it fucks the katana user without the rapierist even needing much ability.That being said, the duel between Usagi and Rodriguez clearly isn't representative of this, what he's actually got is something more like a stage-combat sabre.
>>153272677>Nilson and Hermy in a more realistic depiction of 17th century Denmark or something.Nilson and Hermy come across villagers who call Swedes the foreign devils who aren't human.
>>153272027>Clyde CaldwellKek, that's crazy. For those of you who don't know, he went on to become one of the Big Four classic artists of TSR during the '80s, specifically the guy drawing the cheesiest cake in all D&D.
>>153267042>>153267975You know who does have a scanner though?
>>153272872This year will be remembered as the one filled with fanart of a record number of characters and deepest, oldest Sakai lore.>>153272810>>153272409Before the internet, fanzines were THE place for finding talent. Next to conventions, that is.Here, a little gift for any interested comic book historian:https://www.kenmeyerjr.com/ink-stains.html
>>153270620>>153272688
>>153272640Correct me if I'm wrong, Enma, but all these rocks look like Chinese Scholar's Stones, not the quite different Japanese suiseki rocks.(TL;DR on the difference is that the Chinese liked "weird rocks that look all fucked up with holes and such" and the Japanese preferred "rocks that look like little bonsai mountains and cliffs")
>>153272645no johnny, the nipples give you nurishment!
>>153269122>[Everybody liked that]
>>153268958thisthis is the the one that pushes it over the edgei didn't get the hate on my first read until this story
>>153273099No, you're spot on. There are in fact different autists in different parts of Asia obsessed over different kinds of rocks. ROCKS. Pic related>me and my elephant on the right shaking our damn heads at >a fucking rock
>>153269164Jesus Christ those insane eyes on kiyoko and Kitsune They're genuinely fucked in the head
>>153269511>Kitsune and Kiyoko sieg heil the great dictator
>>153269109look at the soulless stare in her eyes in panel threethere's nothing there
>>153270621chizu has had it maybe the worst of the more main characters in terms of often looking pretty different from appearance to appearancelike the part with her talking to saru and her boyfriend her cheeks were like concave that whole issue very weird lookalso I get it's kinda there to show how rough off she is on the run but i don't like how plainly ugly she looks at times
>>153269464>BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT
>>153269900nah at that point chizu wants the satisfaction of feeling kitsune's life slip away and her death rattle as she chokes her to death with her bare hands (as we all do)
>>153270416>Besides they were right, and this poor Kitsunefag will soon see for himself why that is.
>>153269445usagi got that chickenfoot in the middle panel
>>153269625usagi looking like butthead in the bottom left panel
>>153269307>Usagi: "Kitsune would not betray us!">Morgan Freeman: "She had already betrayed them."
>>153273255>also I get it's kinda there to show how rough off she is on the run but i don't like how plainly ugly she looks at timesIt really isn't, we noticed it this time- her design gets changed to be like this before she's on the run. It's probably entirely because Tomoe was used shortly before that story, making it too obvious to Stan both of them looked the same
>>153269030Is the kimono of a street wench really indisinguishable from that of a serving-woman in a rich house?Nice butt tee bee eitch
>>153269920this fucker caught odo in one hell of a trap
>>153269077Another man dies so Kitsune can fill her pocket(in her sleeve)
>>153269516Epilogue courtesy of a drawfriend in a previous storytime to ease the pain
>>153270905>>153272731not really a history or martial combat guy but from what i understand real life melee combat in ages past and really now length is pretty much the be-all-end-allthe longer your weapon (that you can still readily heft without wearing out) the better your chances are of reaching your opponent before he youalso the motion of stabbing is simply physically more cost effective than swinging or chopping motionsarmor can complicate this some but there's a reason the spear was used much much more than the sword in combat in years past
>>153269569He has JUSTONEARM
>>153270416The cope-canon that Kitsune is steadily losing her marbles and taking more and more foolhardy risks is hard to keep out of one's head.
>>153270062this is a cool moment as it's sensible technique like this would throw rodriguez off as he presumably didn't fight any that bothered to use the sidearm, and also usagi is very adept with dual wielding as it seems to be the unique aspect of katsuichi's type of sword fighting>>153270787he did it a lot more early on
>>153269540When did Usagi become a near-teetotaler?
>>153269581No foid is safe around Usagi!
>>153272027oh, this is interesting>>153272141even then, his lettering is alright for being his first comic ever >>153272509this was awesome, thanks for posting! it wasn't so bad, I dig it. >>153272520actually beautiful. I'd send a bad of thugs or two over these ones
>>153269754Also known as "Notable Feldspar Tokens" or NFTs.
>>153269694Averting the feudal revenge-fetish at the last second is interesting, and also "justifies" that he "cheated". Te actually beat him (again).
>>153269754>but that can be said of ANY rockZen desu
>>153273669This is honestly the only thing that would make the ending remotely make sense.
>>153270236man kitsune's eyes are fucked herealso i hate to say it but man the art did take quite a downgrade from this point on
>>153270905Also rapiers are basically designed for dueling in giving maxinum amount of reach while also being hard to judge said reach as an opponent do to it being held horizontally to the eyeline. >>153273783I mean even with the hidden blade he was now fighting with a handicap so I also don't really think you can blame him for the second loss.
>>153273778kek
>>153269920>>153273616I think a lone European braggart coercing his way like this is highly anachronistic for the time period. It's not like he can telegraph his capital and have them send gunboats to intimimate the primitives.
>>153269805>Kagemaru's log>Day 512 of the 3-day special mission to eliminate Chizu>6 more loyal ninja sent out, 0 returned>Ratio of loyal to disloyal ninja in my ranks continues to worsen>Still unsure why this is happening
>>153270242It got counted as a debateable last year, as in entirely came down to ones own viewpoint and interpretation.
>>153269033He actually said >except some scavenger lizard lizards
>>153273911It is probably arguably the biggest anachronism of the whole comic
>>153273977No gunpowder in Japan is probably bigger.
>>153269150sometimes you gotta smack a bitch
>>153269911He's a dick, but he's kinda got a point. The shogun ordered compliance, and the tea master failed to obey, which is valid grounds for his lord to demand he sudoku himself
>>153273977I mean depends how you define biggest anachronism. Effect on the plot and world? Yeah there is arguement there. Most out of time chronoligcally? Bacteria knowledge and Takoyaki still have it beat.
>>153273669I wish.
>>153274056In terms of how hard it is to gloss over. Bacteria knowledge? You can just kinda imagine the character talking about mold and not mentioning bacteria, and the story works fine. Takoyaki? They could just be eating a different snack. But a foreigner getting to wander Tokugawa isolation-era Japan and boss others around is just too big a thing to gloss over, it just openly doesn't work with the general time period of the setting- it's as if a caveman was around.With that said, >>153273983 is probably right, the lack of gunpowder and firearms is probably a bigger anachronism still.
>>153269418>drunkenpipebomb.mp3
>>153269086>Usagi Yojimbo once again flicking his sword so fast it shatters the sound barrier>two crippled beggars nearby are killed by their eardrums bursting inside their heads>"This one's for you, Tomiko"
>>153273795Heh
>>153273208>>153273843Oh, so NOW you want to talk about eyes, huh?
>>153272233>this small historical anachronism has me seethingMy friend you're right where you're supposed to be.>>153270715>Sorry that's a typo. It should read "The koroshi never. Fail."
>>153270122Great, she's got a better dairokkan than you at this point, Usagi. You clearly need more bonks on the head!
>>153269311Fire the Chizu cannon!>>153269350Ninja Finger!
>>153273911>>153273977>>153274056>>153274131ACKSHULLY the total isolationism 'sakoku' policy wasn't issued until 1639 with the total expulsion of the Portuguese and a serious 'we're not joking this time fuck off Amakusa' crackdown on Christianity. And ACKSHULLY ackshully, much like bushidō, 'sakoku' is a more recent term retconned into history. None of this makes Rodriguez or this contrived scenario of On-Demand Access Seppuku any less fantastical, of course Sorry for over-namefagging ITT I just hate rocks so goddamn much
>>153272872>enmanon causing me lose face by casually mentioning his scannermy honor won't stand for this.Sleep with one eye open motherfucker.
>>153274814I'm not complaining about the lack of the country being closed and not open, I'm saying this is bascially a cartoon version of the 19th century where Europe rocketed so far ahead of other countries that a blowhard could threaten powerful men in those other countries and they'd have to take him seriously just in case he wasn't actually full of shit.
>>153273351>quickly became known as... F A T
>>153274814>>153274131Imagine if the lord just send a letter back along the lines of "Hey your representative is trying to get my retainers to all commit suicide so he can watch. What's up with that? Please respond at your earliest convenience."Meanwhile a samurai in France is demanding to sleep with a peasant on her wedding night.
>>153272080To be fair, he apparently didn't create this character
>>153271138>>153271189Karma and FEUDAL JAPAN recognizes Kitsune's game. Same reason the snitch has several layers of plot armor.
>>153272955>https://www.kenmeyerjr.com/ink-stains.htmlfucking awesome, thanks!
>>153269333I feel Kiyoko tends to emulate Kitsune a lot when they are side by side. Nearly every interaction with Kiyoko Usagi has, when Kitsune is elsewhere, seems to be more calm and reasonable for a kid instead of having the "crazy eye" feel.
>>153272383>"I can't see his body, so I'll just assume he's dead and will never return again!"Some things never change.
>>153269228>>153269236I swear she's already had this conversation with Usagi. Is this just something Stan put in there for newcomers?
>>153268968>Must've been the wind
>>153275182>pre-teen orphan emulates only person who's ever been nice to herNot big surprise.
>>153275195This series spans a LONG time. If it brings back something from years and years back it really have better explain for relative newbs.There'll be tons of this in the soft reboot of the IDW issues.
>>153268973>>153268981https://youtu.be/YlJU-SScRHk?si=h5fbH54tbBqBPGCi
>>153269350>Kitsune almost got the Shinobi rape correction she desperately neededGod damn it.
>>153269501>>153269511Wait a minute, I thought kissing was a universal thing...
>>153268985I see she's subscribed to the Lockpicking Lawyer.
>>153272606YAMS? Seriously, that's the best name you could come up with for alien invaders? Was The Turnips taken already?
I mean, rodriguez-san wasn't threatening to bomb out lord Odo, he was threatening to call him a bitch in front of the shogun for losing a bet and not making good on it. He didn't have any power but face, Lord Odo simply shouldn't have made a bet to give him anything he wants on conclusion of what should be a friendly duel
>>153269379oh shit, he said the thing!
>>153269003https://youtu.be/2P5qbcRAXVk?si=41WheJ1GJWGmr9yB
>>153274451>The Koroshi? Never! Fails!
>>153269015Neko ninjas are such fucking jobbers.
>>153271383>Kitsune>honor
>>153274964But he's not engaging in gunboat diplomacy, he's invoking the authority of the shogun and trying (successfully) to shame Lord Odo by using Feudal Japan's own messed up rules of social etiquette. If we replaced Rodriguez with a native Japanese, someone who has a personal vendetta against the Odo clan, it would be only slightly less ridiculous.>I defeated all your samurai, Lord Odo. I demand you grant me my boon. >Very well, Ryouto, name your price.>I want the tea master Nobu to commit hari-kiri! Otherwise I will let it be known that Lord Odo cannot keep his word!>>153274870S-stay back!
>>153269516>some dipshit child being able to pickpocket a master ninjajesus christ Stan, I'm not normally one to power-level-fag but this is stupid.
>>153269122Based Chizu doing us all a favor.
>>153269311(I'm having trouble following the storytime this year and it shames me to only be able to repost edits from last year.)
I'm gonna come out and say it, rocks are COOL. they're full of MINERALS and CRYSTALS which are also COOL. >>153273911I'm telling you, he's full of shit but lord Odo is just too dumb to realize it.
>>153269669>>153269675ok, that's clearly cheating
>>153275459I want to let you know your edits kill my sides every time I read them.
>>153275195Again, this is right after the three-year hiatus. I don't remember off the top of my head exactly when was the last time before this that Cheese appeared in the comic, but it was definitely before A Town Called Hell, so this is her first showing in, what, eight years? Ten?Reading at this clip of a volume a day compresses what was often a long-ass production schedule. The way I remember it, back before the hiatus the trades lagged terribly behind the single issues and the hiatus really just allowed them to catch up by publishing one a year. I could be wrong about that though because again, it was fuckin' ages ago.
>>153275195>I swear she's already had this conversation with Usagi.Yes. Chizu "Big Kashira" did. But this is Venom Kashira
>>153273795I had to do it, it's not the same without the funny floating skull
>>153269754>>153269766>>153269775this is some Hyouge Mono type of shit
>>153275465>I'm telling you, he's full of shit but lord Odo is just too dumb to realize it.I definitely think a minor thread of the story is that Odo is kind of an unconfident bumpkin who's insecure in his own status. He hired Nobu in the first place so he wouldn't look retarded at court, which by Nobu's implication neither Mifune nor the Geishus would have had an issue with, and in the same way he doesn't have any confidence in his own standing with the shogun even if the shit he refused was obviously retarded. That's why he's susceptible to these dumbass arguments and gets crudely manipulated by Rodriguez (arguably it's also why he was stupid enough to offer whatever the winner of the duel wanted as a reward).
>>153275380Yeah, and he implies the Shogun told Odo to treat him as a respected guest and show him whatever he wants to be shown. The tea master would be kinda disobeying the shogun's commands by refusing.
>>153275502Thanks, I'll try to come up with something new when I get some free time.
>>153275635>>153275640Okay, I see what's going on here. It's obvious that HIKIJI is behind these shenanigans! He'll even go so far as to ally himself with the inhuman foreigners to undermine the shogunate!
>>153275684Settle down, Usagi!
>>153270621>>153273255>>153273545I think it all comes down to Stan's preference of drawing "traditionally attractive" women as cats biting him in the ass. There's only so many ways to draw a hot catgirl without resorting to sameface and that got exhausted pretty early on. His attempts to make Chizu more distinct just made her less conventionally attractive in the process.
>>153270114>wow, you're literally me!
Why are you all so worked up over this issue in particular? It's the biggest nothingdonburi ever. Like I was actually upset that Stan was charging money for this obvious filler episode.
>>153269146>This is the second time I've been hit on the head!Oh walk it off ya big baby. Katsuichi's probably bonked your head harder.
>>153270272I didn't know him long, but i loved this jack-ass
>>153275606Transparent skull idfk
>>153274814>fuck off Amakusa'MAKE ME!
>>153252916This thread has me thinking about Usagi stealing and actually enjoying it. The tension, the thrill, the satisfaction of pulling it off. Not to mention always having money.>kitsune was right>stealing is better than meddling
>>153271593It would be a fluÿt, then.
>>153269927So he just wanders around to any tea house willing to give him a ceremony, does he? Tea slut!
>>153272475>>153272498puts me in the mood for some rock-soup
>>153275568>Chizu has never met Kitsune which is why she becomes friends with her in the WhereWhen timeline>Mayumi has sworn bipolar blood vengeance against Kitsune
>>153274814>>153276090ENTER
>>153276090KekBust Jubei is fun as shit to play in SS4, with his counters.
Nobunga was very fond of the Christians...'s guns
>>153269172Stan must have saw National Treasure before writing this issue.
>>153269179Hikiji?!
>>153276530>Hikiji? My nemesis? HIKIJI MY NEMESISI?!
>>153272541It's too bad, because with the less uneven lineart there's not as much difference between the foreground and background so it all ends up looking flat. Makes the panels harder to read as well
>>153276432>Bust Jubei
>>153269516You know, it was really Chizu who was in the wrong in this story. If she had just shown some professional curtesy to Kitsune instead of attacking her they would have both gotten away clean with their own loot. And then instead of acknowledging her mistake and showing gratitude to Kitsune for getting the scroll out when SHE lost it she just continues to threaten her.
>>153270621For example, here she is in issue 17
>>153269030Night plaps with Kitsune
>>153276441He should've won damn it. Imagine the kino of a Korean campaign with him at the helm. Imagine the endless proliferation of fire-arms. Imagine the clash of wills with Admiral Yi. Imagine the Ming intervention having to deal with his horseshit. Akechi Mitsuhide robbed us and he's rotting in Jingoku for it.
>>153276836Did he want to conquer China like Hideyoshi did?
>>153269511Kissing Kitsune...
>>153269264>Nezumi-mitsu-doki>the third quarter of the hour of the rat>12:00-12:30Why not just say 12:00 to 12:30 from the start?!
>>153269307>Kitsune would not betray usYou lying bitch, you don't even believe that.
>>153277010Translator's note: Kitsune means bitch
>>153276869yeah. iirc it had something to do with being ineligible to become the Shogun since his clan descended from the Taira, and that the plan was to become emperor of China, make Hideyoshi the king of Korea, and let Tokugawa become the Shogun. I can't really find anything looking it up though, so it might just be a hallucination of mine.
Why is Kitsune so greedy? Is it just that she's a career thief or am I missing some kitsune lore? Yes I'm smitten.
>>153277064What about the Japanese emperor? I recall reading that Hideyoshi wanted him to abdicate in favor of his son so he could make him emperor of China instead (figurehead)
>>153269342Usagi you absolute idiot.>Kitsune is a friendNo she isn't, not by any definition. >Kiyoko's a childThat Kitsune regularly endangers to begin with.
>>153269379>IT'S JUST ONE GUY!
>>153269418Holy shit, I forgot Chizu knew how to make bombs.
>>153276696plump bouncy bon bons
>>153269451Once again tree roots being the enemy of running.
>>153269470RIP Jabba the Hutt.
>>153269511I want to hurl.
>>153270416It also doesn't help how she just feels Flanderized here. Like she barely even feels like a character anymore.
>>153276596>Bendis?
>>153277222
>>153277084She was taught by a thief when she was a child, her other option was to be a whore
>>153277407Whore KitsuneI'd be the simpmurai that fell for her...
>>153269516Woof. You can tell this was after a three year hiatus, because this was rough.
>>153269581https://youtu.be/GiB6_AQM70k?si=82P-w3EJxd6sB88r
>>153270062>Pathetic Asian has to use a cheap trick to beat master European swordsman
>>153269593Man, that cannot he sanitary.
>>153269470Imagine if the fatso crushed Kitsune to death.
>>153269598Such is Karma.
>>153277533I would cry
>>153269669>>153269675Hyakkimaru would be proud.
Welcome back to the death rattle tally! Here are the new scream found in today's storytime:>Gurt!: 1>Blagh!: 1>Goo!: 1See attachment for total cry so far. As always, if you have any questions about the count, feel free to ask.
>>153269722Way to jynx it, Usagi.
>>153269754All those people died for a ROCK?!
>>153277442But wait: it gets worse!
>>153277640Does the boat FLOO count?
>>153269122Chizu must be related to Peter Cushing with those cheek bones.
>>153269249The Kingpin of Crime!!
>>153269810RIP Yoshi.
>>153269675RULES OF NATURE!!
>>153269823You had ONE JOB Usagi!
>>153269694Oh thank goodness, it wasn't a Feudal Japan feud just a good ole fashioned Franking
>>153269779ENTER!! THE JACKED SCUBA BANDITS!!!
Kitsune manic expressions alone make her pretty obnoxious in this story. Its her look arrogant and cruel.
>>153275830I thought this was a joke until I started reading the comic. Fucking picrel
>>153277967Honestly it's stealing Usagi's wallet that does it for me here. Usagi's gotta eat too, you know!
>>153270209Koroshi? Just how many guys do they have left? This is what, the 7th or so team Usagi wacked?
>>153269865Dude's holding a cow pie.
>>153277995I wonder Stan included Usagi making a shit ton here so you wouldn't worry about his lack of money >>153269687
>>153277967I love crazy bitches so it makes her even better. Stan if you're in here please post the Usagi Kitsune Chizu threesome.
>>153269865So is this asserting that suiseki is bullshit or just that this guy is a poser?
>>153269516>scorpion does what it does>anons are somehow shocked>>153277640No questions, I just can't help but applaud your sheer manic genius of tracking every single death onomatopoeia said in the story so far
>>153277998Usgai has killed half of Japan's population at this point don't think too hard about it
>>153278050Usagi is a poetic soul with a fine sense for the aesthetic arts and has chosen a stone with peak natural beauty from those around the river.
>>153269905
>>153269911So Spaniards at the very least are animal people as well. Makes me wonder where Hikiji fits into all this.
>>153277998There's a reason we call them the League of Jobbers.
>>153269991>Oh SHIT, they're actually going through with it!
>>153269998What a sadistic little freak.
>>153273724Major ongoing copes:-Kitsune will get comeuppance someday.-Hikiji will act on his own rather than through Hebi.The Lord of Owls is important for something.-Tomoe will appear again.-Gen will lose weight.
>>153278050My read is that the guy is a poser, and that it's fine to enjoy rocks but paying a quarter of your fortune and a dozen or so retainers' lives for one rock is retarded. This is a metaphor for contemporary fine art.
>>153270032Kick his ass, Usag!
>>153272100To be fair telling the action mostly through narration was still common in comics at th time.
>>153278190In the old Nilson Groundthumper framework he was supposed to have been from another dimension (ours, by implication). IIRC the animal people would have called humans "goblins" if he'd kept that storyline going. Within the current Usagi setting Stan has been pretty upfront about having no idea how to deal with it, and it's probably the main reason we keep seeing Lord Hebi do shit instead of Hikiji himself.
>>153270062Hardcore.
>>153270498It's kind of the worst one too. It's an absolute bloodbath of an issue over a rock. And unlike nearly every other>A FUCKING ROCKIt's not even a twist, all parties killing each other besides Usagi knew they were laying their lives on the line for>A FUCKING ROCK! Even the Ice Cube Squad at least had pride in their ability deliver Ice at stake, which isn't mch but it's more than >YOU GET THE POINT BY NOW
>>153270067I can believe it.
>>153270620Boy, it'd be really nice to use the Sword of the Gods around incase we're invaded by something from beyond the stars, but the chances of that are a million to one they said.
>>153272645Very Ditko-esque page here. The early comics posted today generally feel very Ditko inspired, seeing them it's a lot easier to understand Stan's comments in the interview here >>153260052Now I'm curious how long he had been hanging out with Sergio before he started Usagi. I don't remember what year they met.
>>153278341Always a pleasure to see your new art stuff and you made up for the missing ice cube by drawing>THE ROCK
>>153269418>Think fast Chucklenuts!
>>153270114This is the second time Usagi had to deal with a loveless arranged marriage.
>>153270166Wait a minute, somethin ain't right here.
>>153278137>Odo is reluctantly made to force his best samurai to do the gayest shit imaginable for Rodriguez’s viewing pleasure>He doesn’t have to look to confirm Rodriguez’s enjoyment of the homoerotic display. In fact, he’d rather not
>>153270179Aw shit.
>>153278540>>153278592Crazy murder lady
>>153269834>It would only lead to useless deathsA regular comedian, this one.
>>153269865Usagi is screaming internally.
>>153269900>I also think Chizu is playing it up because she likes Usagi holding her backIt's the most funny animal contact she's had this year.
>>153270230Oh wow, I genuinely wasn't expecting that. Neat how this comic can still surprise me even this far in.
>>153270329Thanks OP. And no probs if you can't make it tomorrow, we'll all be here monday.
>>153278713Chizu: please Usagi help me make her a cuckquean. I am begging you on hands and knees.
>>153278743*Sunday Forgot what day today was.
>>153278591>a repressed Catholic gets to vent out his sexual frustrations in a foreign land, far away from any clergymen
>>153270192Honestly. Call up Matsu, get him and Setsuko in on it. There is absolutely minimal need for uxoricide here. >>153270198Oh FINE!
>>153273524>"It's doggy dog world"Shouldn't that be>"It's a doggy dog world"instead?
>>153269379>HE'S>JUST>A>simp
>>153275314Have you met the Saiya-jin?
>>153275459You have good comedic timing, you should write stuff.
Abayo, meddlers.
>>153279119Are they turnips?
