previously: >>153324836
goodbye black-and-white Dark Horse, hello colored IDW.
>>153340829I'm just going to say this right off the bat: I don't understand why some anons hate this run. Yes, a couple of the arcs are pretty inarguably padded for length, but nothing about this run is Kitsune-tier annoying except Kitsune.
https://youtu.be/Z_TEgBHyqY4>>153340868I don't hate it at all, I just really dislike the change to color. plus all the recap gets a little tiresome if you already know it all...
>>153340904>KO-HO KEN!!>>153340926>Lord Shoki, can I get a sandwich?>No.
>>153340939>I just really dislike the change to colorBummer. I kinda like it myself, I mostly just think the color of Usagi's kimono is too saturated.>all the recap gets a little tiresome if you already know it allThat's fair, but as previously noted during storytime it's an inevitable casualty of a long running series, it seems to me.
>>153341053>>153341063>Usagi: Ah, shit. Here we go again.
>>153340868I think this run has some very good stories. But I also think that the coloring is extremely mediocre and does a great disservice to the artwork, unless done by Emi Fuji.
>>153341053>The owner is a Nukekubi in disguiseI always liked this, the implication that there are a bunch of reformed bakemono living among people and just kinda... trying not to be so autistic that they get caught.>>153341063>You saw him yourself, UsagiHuh. I'd forgotten that Sasuke outright confirms it here. I guess Stan must've gotten a few questions about that, kek.
>>153340868Ha. Ha. Ha.
>>153341149>unless done by Emi Fuji.Fujii--!
>>153341213lmao
>"More Sinister Than Children?!" - Sasuke Quells The Bunraku Troupehttps://youtu.be/UlWOk9b5cWw
>>153341295This is a great, weird twist.
>>153340855>Sasuke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHf0-CHdQCo&pp=ygUUWXUgeXUgSGFrdXNobyB0aGVtZSA%3D
>>153341251Usagi, let’s be real, you were gonna meddle anyway
>>153340855>>153340861There he is, the hardest working man in Japan. He does it for free while waiting for his 12 year vacation to start in 1933.
now for some obligatory viewing on real life bunraku theater: https://youtu.be/124HrR-M0iQhttps://youtu.be/ie9t442Auy4https://youtu.be/YStTTTBdhJ8and this one is some thousand kilometers removed from japanese puppet theater, but it's just as interesting and illustrates how difficult puppetry can become (turn on subtitles): https://youtu.be/QsYHNUA8ZeM?t=1178>it took me around 3.5 years to master the support role >six to seven years to master a lead role
>>153340926T E C H N I C O L O R SHOKI!
>>153341450>Sasuke absorbs this guy's life force and feels betterKinda... skirting dangerously close to the yokai edge there, Sasuke.>>153341512>freely admits he would've died otherwiseIt's... I mean, it's something.>>153341534>actually gets some rest for onceHow nice.
>>153341005>NobuThis is probably the fourth or fifth Nobu we've come across or heard about
>>153340954Well, at least Enma's daughter isn't on onlyfans.
>>153341558Boutta get real feudal in here again.
>>153340868Hate is a strong word but it definitely has its problems, exacerbated because, for a lot of anons, specially those whose introduction to the comic were the storytimes, this is the point where they had the chance to experience new comics as they come out, but what they got are garish bordering on amateurish digital colouring, lots of recaps, Kitsune at her Kitsunest, etc
>>153341557And has a single one of them lived up to their name "trustworthy"?
>>153341617That's the joke
having played too much sakuna: of rice and ruin, seeing these golden rice stalks being harvested really activates my almonds.
>>153341557We've seen about the same number of Ishiis. I always just sort of took it for granted that it's like how in the same period, one in every five Englishmen was named Richard.
>>153341534The puppet remains were gathered by the lowest Eta and hurled in the drainage channel, until they were taken by a humble merchant.The merchant roamed through the Feudal Japan cruel and souless roads, using the puppet remains as firelogs.When the merchant reached Nagasaki with only a puppet, he met a curious nanban...The nanban, a jesuit priest, from the far mythical, barbarian and pervert land known as France, bought the last puppet, reduced to a burnt skelton.His name? Jean-Pierre from Ihaveafetishforballerinas village in the County of Champagne.
>>153341637>Usagi once again defies bushido in favor of common sense and basic human decency
>>153341710>We'll remember you, Ronin!>I know you will!Kek, that's a good burn.
>>153341669jean-pierre... as seen in the hit manga by comedy author junji ito?
>>153341669Sorry man, but I don't get your reference.
>>153341727>the thatched roofs are burgundy colored somehowOkay, I don't want to fire up the color reeing, but what did Luth mean by this?
>>153341755My schizo theory is that he was trying to imply the sun setting and coloring the lands, without coloring the sky or the lands in sunset colors.
>>153341803Well, looking at the subsequent pages I see the roofs are actually tiled, so it would appear that I'm the retard.
>>153341197>more sinister than children?this nigga intent on not paying a cent of child support
>>153341427>Now pucker up handsome! *kissu* *kissu*
>>153340868Coloring for meAlso not a huge fan of Bunraku, I think its the weakest Sasuke story
>>153341610yeah the first time I chanced upon an Usagi storytime was this thread and the previous. Going from the last thread to this one was not a good first impression
>>153341005IS THAT AN ISHIDA DOLL?
>>153341980it's the standard "loose cannon cop" character
>>153342001Kek loser
>>153341575>The longer she stays here the longer she becomes like us-Just gonna wait a few decades for natural causes? How polite!
>>153342001I prefer the black and white edit anon made of this page.
>>153341980Kek, it totally isRESPECT THE WOODEN JITTE
here it is, the biggest shakeup in the entire series so far. we can only imagine the implications, but I think it means usagi wants to serve under the geishu and live with tomoe- which, of course, won't be possible...
>>153342075I will never not see this Hikiji as anything but as a caricature of a black man.
>>153341895Notable slip-up here and on following pages (Mon-Anon can correct me if I'm wrong). The rectangle mon is Mura's father's clan's; going by the samurai Usagi beat up earlier, Seizo and his lord should be wearing the fan mon.
>>153342001>Had a hot smart wife>Was high ranking samurai >Lord actually liked youWhat a fucking idiot, to throw it away.
https://youtu.be/dv13gl0a-FA
>>153341956It feels out of chracter for Usagi not to murder this guy, but I'm cool with it because his actual comeuppance is worse.
>>153341659>...I can still relate to their struggles!>What do you mean Usagi? How often do you fight undead armies?>Only did it a couple of times.>Ha, you kidder!
>>153341028This feels like Stan poking a bit at reader response
>>153342118https://youtu.be/YC1E8yVJIS4?si=VEUBm_dp1HLs60P7&t=46
>>153342027As much as anons have expressed their distaste for recaps, I will say that this episode makes much more sense retconned into this point in the storyline than where it was originally placed.>>153342044Here's that 4x4 layout again!>>153342075Hikiji is officially™ retconned into an animal person.
>>153341755At least it's not drab medieval dirt.
>>153342095It's definitely a setup for his return to the Geishu province and the Wedding storyline finally coming off – as to the results, who the fuck even knows at this point. I think Senso at least implies that Usagi *will* eventually settle with the Geishus, but I suspect that since Stan wants to keep drawing the comic, he'll use an unatisfactory-for-Usagi outcome of the wedding ac as a reason for him to put it off, while Oribaa is offloaded onto the Geishus as a new retainer, the situation as seen in Wherewhen, leaving Usagi to wander on his own again.
>>153342171Yeah; I'm pretty sure I remember an interview or something where Stan says that while happy endings are preferred by westerners, Japanese people prefer tragic endings and so he tries to make Usagi reflect that to some extent.
>>153342238yeah, that makes sense.
>>153342258I sense a great disturbance in the force...
>>153342258>RE-ENTER after a mirrion years away!
>>153342318A FUCKING ROCK
>>153341878>Disgrace upon yourself, your father, your family, and your cow!
>>153341979RIP Feudal Japan Mary Shelley >>153342001Burn in hell, Feudal Japan Mary Shelley's husband
>>153340855We're here for you Eye Color Anon.
>>153340868Given we're talking about IDW, there were probably a lot of logistic boondoggles thst caused delays in the comic's publication, along with some absolutely questionable coloring and editing.
>jizo statues: 237>>153335044yes.
>>153342044(I saw a situation like this in a mickey mouse comic where they were parodying low budget films that abused close ups to cover the lack of actual props.)
>>153342239I know this is a remake of the original story, but wasn't there another story where a different person from the battle at adachi came back as a goblin or yokai or something as well?
>>153342100Netflix adaptation?
lol, lmao
>>153342476>appears in one panel>manages to be monumentally annoying anyway
>>153342466we'll get there
>>153342476I'm a kitsune fag and this is probably the one time I'm actually kind of pissed off at her in any of the stories.
>>153342180Usagi, stop blinding the rhinos one eye at a time
>>153342171Or ruminating over his own beliefs as a creator. We shout about feudal Japan between Kitsune appearances but I think the tragedy and unfairness of the setting makes it more compelling when the good guys carve a win out of it. We would not cheer for Iké's last stand if we didn't read about the losses and struggles he faced as a Peasant. Or if he didn't resist the temptation Grasscutter offered.
this is it for today, thank you for reading.
>>153340954Enmanon, you've got some 'splainin' to do!
>>153342229You know, I kind of understand why self-restraint to the point of retardation and suicide as a response for anything would be much more accepted then given how dishonor can lead you to become a monster.
>>153342570Thanks for storytiming.
>>153342570Thanks for the storytime, Murder! As for this volume's story notes, I have to say that I like that Stan put a lot of the recap/explanatory stuff in these instead of in the comic itself.
>>153341878>It may not be right but I don't give a shit>Our code is harsh bullshit but we're not going to change it>>153341886>This is faggotry but I can't interveneI feel like Stan is maybe laying it on a bit thick here.
>>153341063Confirmation that Usagi can see Shoki. This along with all the ghosts he meets, seeing Jei's blade suggests he has the 1600's Japan equivalent of the Sight. That Sight may be what put him in the Crosshairs of whatever entity is empowering Jei.
>>153341200Iirc, a Nukekubi keeping it on the downlow is paet of their.. thing. Same with the wing heads and two mouthed women.
>>153342116This. Dude had it made
>>153342239This story with Toda would oddly have made a very good bittersweet final tale for Usagi. He doesn't get Hikiji's head or reunites with Tomoe or meets someone. He just kills an old ghost that played a significant part in his life taking this direction then wanders off into the snow once more. This is now my unofficial end to the series even though I'll keep reading.
>>153342797To some extent, definitely. But asuke says that one's sworn off eating people and by implication, doesn't need to be quelled.
Book 35479 Usagis (15753 total)752 Panels (32156 total)No Neko Ninja (1191 total)No Komori (203 total)No Mogura (37 total)No Ninjas of the Dark Light (4 total)No Zō Ninja (1 total)I do like The Swords of Higashi.
>>153341387>See a man getting attacked by fucking puppets>Whistle for ReinforcementsI want to run into THIS guy while fleeing supernatural booggedy boos.
>>153341482>I knew one day I would have to kill you.. Sasuke were you in a relationship with this Full Moon Production bootleg?
>>153341519"These aren't the meddlers you're looking for"
>>153343310No one is above THE LAW. Not even spooky puppet demons.
>>153342476Will Kitsune ever get a taste of her own medicine? Would be funny if she got purse snatched by someone else
>>153343444Usagi stole his own purse back once.
>>153341121>when he turns around he sees a one-eyed lion>the lion hits him on the head with his walking stick and shouts about how he knew someone was there
>>153343474I mean more someone else with something she hadnt stolen from them that they are just stealing back
>>153343444Kitsune robs someoneThe snitch's third cousin swindles her out of it
>>153343523kek
>>153342067>>153342038So one of Hikiji's vassals before Adachigahara is a clan with a pineapple mon
>>153342001This really benefits from that ugly gray radiant
>>153343815For me, it's the exquisite turquoise of the blade and fittings.
I kind of don't like the IDW run. There's good stuff but even color issues aside there's something that just FEELs different
>>153342943funny how the first ever story works just as well as the last. And Usagi's line about doubting blind loyalty is a good sendoff.
Lady Maru is a sleeper for the Usagi Bowl. Damn successful milf.
>>153342423>STUPID GEN! YOU MADE ME LOOK BAD!>OOGA BOOGA!
>>153342100A villainous machivellian take on Yasuke would be pretty sick. Especially if it's implied he was a loyal and earnest retainer when Nobunaga was alive.
>>153341045This gag never gets old>>153341197https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deVlcKhNLLk>>153342239>... and you're probably gonna want to call a carpenter too while you've got the yellow pages open
>>153340868I only hate the colors, not the stories.
>>153340954>>153340968Stan Winston japanese puppet.
>>153342001Some fellas would rather destroy themselves than lie in a woman's shadow
>>153343935To be honest, the art for the characters gets kind of sloppy but I don't know if you can say that started with this run.
>>153341732I think is a reference to The Puppet master.
>>153343815I disagree.
>>153340868I think The Hidden marks the last truly high point in Usagi. A bunch of stories right before that felt sort of mediocre, and despite the fresh coat of paint, the move to IDW had that same "running on fumes" vibe.Except that coat of paint also happens to be pretty mediocre, which only exacerbates the issue.
>>153342703That presumes most people CAN'T see them, but that's a modern storytelling idea to square the apparent lack of supernatural monsters all over the place.
>>153342430Ever wonder how many times we pass by the same jizo without realizing it?
>>153344639I'd agree that The Hidden marks the end of the golden age, where would we mark of the beginning of it? I'd probably say Grasscutter? I know some people really like Dragon Bellow but I think Grasscutter is the first point where the series starts to really start knocking out back-to-back amazing stories.
>>153341352I remember from last year, anon pointing out that this would be consistent with the Netflix show. But it probably isn't with Kaito.>>153340855>Toss a bu to your queller
>>153341554>Kinda... skirting dangerously close to the yokai edge there, SasukeLike I said in an earlier thread. I'm pretty sure Sasuke was never an entirely nice guy and this has got to be part punishment for past deeds.
>>153342135Doesn't it just mean he isn't completely confident he's right and doesn't want to kill over it if he isn't sure?
>>153342476A truly enormous number of men died for Kitsune's greed this time.
>>153345028Dragon Bellow is the climax of the pure chanbara phase, before Usagi's life became frequently sad and he started losing and fucking up every now and then.
>>153344639>>153345028The Hidden also marks the point where Stan decisively shifts towards having longer fewer stories per book.https://usagiyojimbo.fandom.com/wiki/CollectionsLook at this list, most books pre 33 have more than 6 stories per book, but afterwards there's at most 4. I don't think the decline can really be blamed on IDW, but rather from Stan wanting to write more long form stories and doing a bunch of them back to back without any short stories to fill as a breather. (Ice and Snow and The Crow were way too long imo to be back to back.)With Stan getting older this was probably inevitable.
>>153341727Okay what the fuck is it with pineapples suddenly.
>>153345406Anon noticed!
>>153345426It was one thing when it was specifically the very wealthy merchants house who specializes in foreign goodsBut the Sasuke story had one being carried in and it was the size of a dudes torsoNow it's some random Joe blow in a remote village carrying one the size of a suckling pig That's a lot of pineapple for something that's hard to grow outside of South America!
>>153341745Oh hey did you not update the Jizo count? One wearing the bandana there
>>153345510Yeah, we took notice of those in past years too.Seems like they are a little visual gag/easter egg Stan started adding into his comics.
>>153326308This seems backwards; Mexico and the Phillipines were conquered, then evangelized. Japan was being evangelized directly, aiming to convert rulers first to gain their protection and support. It seems more like the conversion of the Scandinavian pagan kingdoms; this resulted in new Christian kingdoms, not in a takeover by an existing Christian state.The idea of Japan being invaded by a European country in the 16th century seems silly. Far beyond the logistical abilities of the time.
>>153342038>Gunichi is absent in this flashback as wellPig erasure is a hell of a thing.
>>153341121>it's no fun getting oldy-yeah
>>153340868>but nothing about this run is Kitsune-tier annoyingThere's nothing super annoying but it's rarely as super exciting as it used to be. A lot of the stories are just drawn out longer than they really need to be and a lot of it feels like it's trying way to hard to reintroduce everyone too fast.
>>153340855I would like to read a Sasuke spin off series, if just for 5 issues
>>153344399That almost inarguably started after the hiatus, Anon commented on it at the time ( week or so ago?).
>>153344637This really makes it incredibly clear that the art is the same as before, IMO.(Also, pedant alert but Anon clearly didn't improve on *Stan's* work, he improved on Luth's work by doing nothing and leaving Stan's work as-is)
>>153341991>>153342001>Lord walks back and sees him randomly disemboweled on his carpet I bet dude is gonna wonder what the fuck he said that makes this happen
>>153346248Man dudes committing seppeku on your rug is worse than people walking in with dirty shoes
>>153345341She's killed billions.
>>153341053>HIS menu>giant fucking yokai titties on the nukekubiI'm glad Sasuke respects people's pronouns but.
>>153346314to save trillions (of ryo)
>>153345610It was silly which is why it never materialised. But it was very much considered. Plans were also drawn up for a crusade into China
>>153344639>>153345028I said this already earlier in this year's storytime, but for me the golden age is from Koji's first appearance on the first page of Seasons through Duel at Kitanoji. There are many great moments after that, but the series never regains the same level of intertwining, engaging stories, or art. To my mind The Hidden is more like a late peak – Red Scorpion is the same, all of book 28 is markedly better than the surrounding volumes IMO and I've never really managed to understand where the rise came from if it's not just random chance. I still hold out hope for future absolute cinema.
>>153340926Its the fact Shoki himself points out Sasuke is exhausted before telling him to quell more that gets me.
Stray Dog's head has finished its metamorphosis into a rectangle
>>153341583>>153342592W-well. That isn't. It's not what. You don't-HEY IS THAT AN AESTHETIC LOOKING ROCK? go go go!
>>153345280I guess, but as Usagi himself points out, the surroundings give no evidence at all of a scuffle, no blood or footprints, nothing. If anything they disprove his story. If this were an Ishida mystery, no fucking way they'd accept it.Also, Usagi's killed people on a weaker basis before, lmao
>>153342135I feel like in general Usagi murders a lot less people in IDW
>>153341471>kept Takagi alive for centuriesShoki dropped the ball on that one
>>153346841>Usagi's killed people on a weaker basis before, lmaoExamples?
>>153345510>Now it's some random Joe blow in a remote village carrying one the size of a suckling pigThis is just an instance of the recurring background gag "the peasant's cargo is just one comically oversized item". We've seen it with turnips, fish and other things before.
>>153342181>Hikiji is officially™ retconned into an animal person.No he's not. It's clearly a men-yoroi mask
>>153341575>Groo!wrong comic there bud, Groo is a bit further down the rack
Big lore today in Kaito 84
>>153346873Pretty much any time there's a scuffle he'd run in and gut the perceived aggressor
>>153347149I realize the irony of saying it in this thread but Kaito is a bit TOO furry for my liking
>>153346472The thing is the Duel at Kitanoji is followed by the Jotaro arc which is also some of the best stuff in the series and not long after Mother of Mountains, the tea ceremony and Bridge of Tears. And that's not just great moments but pretty consistently good stuff with only a few duds (and one of those is because a fairly weak earlier story got moved into Tomoe's Story).
>>153346841True, but in this case there's no way he'd get away with killing the husband without becoming a wanted man.
>>153345397Yeah, the Hidden feels great because it was a great idea for a longer story, if it wasn't for the final twist I don't think it would be as good but the fact that it's all leading towards that makes it one of the most philosophical.>>153346605someone once said that Sasuke's role may be some kind of punishment and this would lend credence to that
>>153346314Bros I love her what the fuck kinda kitsune magic did she weave?
>>153341063I find it interesting that Usagi can't remember all of his adventures with Sasuke.
>>153341534Hell yeah puppets.
>>153347347Toxoplasmosis
>>153345406>>153345510Stan started growing pineapples and thought it would be fun to throw one into every issue of Usagi, as anon >>153345559 mentions. That's it, nothing more than that. I also started growing a pineapple because of Stan.
>>153345720That's the one that feels like Stan speaking directly through a character, unfortunately.
>>153346286>That rug really tied the room together!>Given that the room is otherwise empty
>>153346350I am genuinely not seeing the tiddy. He's just stocky.
>>153347550The colorist mis-colored his under-kimono or whatever it's called.
>>153347149must... resist... reading it before... the storytime....
>>153346605>>153347269>lmao, ur dying>go immediately to over there without resting at allNow that you guys mention it it does kinda seem like deliberate torment.>>153347269>if it wasn't for the final twist I don't think it would be as goodHard same, parts of the story are pretty clunky, like the ongoing, unnecessary interference of Hama and that both barging into Kin's house to demand the loot and questioning Oda followed by him running off are doubled. It's hard not to see some of it as wheel spinning/padding out the arc, only the tweest and some scenes (e.g. lighting the lantern for Nezumi) are so good it brushes all that away.
>>153347149Is Kaito like a future reincarnation story or a what if type story?
>>153341554>>153345085>>153347269>In order to preserve his ties to the mortal realm through the ages, Sasuke has to dip deeper and deeper into the dark side. Eventually, it's not clear where the queller begins and the yokai ends.>Sasuke's final mission from Lord Shoki.>quell himself....oh :(https://youtu.be/lGf2b1H91JA
>>153347435Is that a Hitler puppet? Is Frieren watching a puppet show about WWII from the Japanese perspective?
>>153341755I think he saw the tiled roofs further down the page and figured they were all supposed to be tiled.
>>153347476>filenamelmao
>>153341615
>>153347435very interesting that european(?) puppetry involves a lot of strings, very different from bunraku. >>153345610I admit I don't know enough to say with any certainty what is what. what came to mind was the missions in south america and how they took away agency from local chieftains, but then again some of these missions actually fought against the colonial state later. I do have some books about the portuguese presence in asia and japan I should get to reading. >>153347476>enma growing a child with the sole purpose to be consumed later. sounds about right for jigoku...
>>153347709That's more or less the plot of The Boys.>>153347601You mean to tell me that Tom Luth made a mistake?! Why, if Eye Color Anon were here, he'd give you such an earful–!>>153347759You mean to tell me that Tom Luth made a–Nah, but actually, that style of roof *is* tiled. The thatched roofs look very different, Anon just made a mistake which I would call understandable if it weren't for the fact that that anon was me and I am just a dumbass who really knew better and had a brainfart.
>>153347743>sees a man with a mustache fighting some kind of goblin monster>immediately thinks of HitlerOkay, there's no need for this kind of anti-semitism on r/4chan. I know we like to have our jokes and memes but let's exercise a little decorum please.Edit: thanks for the Reddit gold, kind stranger!No so the puppet show takes place in an episode where Frieren and co. are in a village that is in a region of the world where the titular hero isn't Himmel, but 'The Hero of The South,' a man who was gifted with the power of precognition. The Hero Of The South charged ahead and cleared a path for Himmel's company to ultimately defeat the Demon Lord but at the cost of his own life, which was an event he foresaw. A lesser man would have wavered from the path destiny laid out for him but the Hero Of The South never broke faith even though it meant he would die. Very bushido, come to think of it.
>>153347095No, he's clearly black!https://youtu.be/3tyvvUas6G0?si=Ys42w7Nq5Gzpf3uo&t=7
>>153347884It was less the moustache than the SA uniform, to be honest. Also, kek>spoilerHIMMLER, you say?That does sound extremely bushidous.
>>153347095It's not a full-face men-yoroi, he's clearly shown wearing a half-face mask elsewhere and this is the same one.I wish we could've found that fully painted version of Return to Adachi Plain that Stan mentioned in the first Dark Horse collection
>>153347149Must resist... spoiling.... until storytime....
>>153347701I don't want to go into too much detail incase Murderanon does it at the end but short answer is yes
>>153347943The fully painted version is in The Art of Usagi Yojimbo which has been storytimed before. >he's clearly shown wearing a half-face mask elsewhere and this is the same one.Okay which is more likely, that Stan forgot what kind of mask Hikiji is supposed to be wearing, or he finally after 40 years decided to retcon the one thing that he's kept consistent in spite of all the the issues it raises? Let's not even mention the coloring inconsistencies that render every arguable detail open to interpretation because I think we can all agree that really throws a spanner in the works no matter what side of the fence you're on.
>>153347838>>enma growing a child with the sole purpose to be consumed later.>sounds about right for jigoku...Lord Enma confirmed to be Saturn.
>>153347943>>153348018 (me)Here's all the HIKIJI?! panels isolated from the colored version. It is in my opinion far, FAR more likely that Stan retconned Hikiji to be wearing a full men-yoroi armored mask, to further obfusticate the fact that he is the only human in a world of furry people, than it is that he finally made Hikiji a monke.
>>153340926>that look of complete and utter despair in the third paneldelightful
>>153348098There's also the possibility that Tom Luth fucked up.
>>153348123also the sudden heterochromia
>>153347920The haircut certainly isn't helping eithert. fellow Hitler-seer
>>153348018>The fully painted version is in The Art of Usagi YojimboOh shit, for real?So it is, and pic extremely related. Thanks for pointing it out! Unfortunately, the clearest view we get of Hikiji's face (bottom left panel) is clearly deliberately obscured; this version is actually significantly different on this point from the ink version which I'll post next.>Okay which is more likely, that Stan forgot what kind of mask Hikiji is supposed to be wearing, or he finally after 40 years decided to retcon the one thing that he's kept consistent in spite of all the the issues it raises? Let's not even mention the coloring inconsistenciesI think that Tom Luth making an error is far more likely than either of the other explanations, actually, but Stan *absolutely* did not forget about the mask (see next post).
>>153341053is this the first non-komori bat?
>>153348242Looks more like a badger to me.
>>153342114Yeah I don't know what this was either. I think after some discussion among anons we settled on it being feudal things in Feudal Japan.t. Mon-anon
>>153341177pineapple spotted
>>153348098Oh shit, you beat me to it! Good compilation too, I am officially™ BTFO.That said:>>153348215Here's the clearest panel of Hikiji from the pen and ink version, and frankly it's extremely clear; on the right side (his left) we can even see where the half mask is coming off the bare bottom half of his face, not quite touching. It's also obviously the exact same mask that he's drawn having in Adachi, down to the peculiar shape of the mask's nostrils. Stan, true to form, very obviously did not forget and carefully reproduced Hikiji's characteristic armor with the half-mask and Date Masamune crescent in Adachi. So the two possibilities are retcon and Tom Luth fuckup. I'll now cede the floor to our worthy comrade Eye Color Anon for his views on this matter.
>>153340897>I'm not very tasty! I think it's funnier to imagine him saying this with complete deadpan sincerity instead of being a quip.
>>153348287>we settled on it being feudal things in Feudal Japan.Makes sense. I don't think it can really be courtesy, though, because Seizo's lord is also wearing the rectangle mon: >>153341991
>>153340926Oh COME ON! A day, a SINGLE day off, would that he too much to ask?!
>>153340954Lmao, get fucked.
>>153340968Oh, it's a puppet show. Neat.
>>153340954Incidentally, this is apparently a real class of bunraku puppet: "puppet with a face that transforms into a demon face".
>>153341534Pineapple 2: Yuzu's Revenge
>>153341005It's weird how apparently puppet shows have been a thing for over a decade here. That would mean it predates Kabuki theater by several years at the very least.
>>153348215>>153348301Okay, so I made a HIKIJI?! compiliation from the painted version, the version published as a DH issue, and the latest IDW issue, and I also applied a threshold filter and b/w to the IDW panels so we could get an idea of what Stan's inks were meant to convey. My new interpretation is:A) We got LUTHED and Hikiji's big minstrel show baboon lips are a miscolor.B) You are correct, the IDW version is not and never was meant to be a retcon of a full men-yoroi mask covering HIKIJI?!'s entire face, but C) He's still a human in a funny animal world, this is not Stan retconning the last remaining bit of early pre-standalone UY lore.
>>153341648>almost too much!Usagi's killer drum solo seems to have laid the groundwork for a Malthusian trap in Feudal Japan.
>>153348482>That would mean it predates Kabuki theater by several years at the very least.It might seem odd, but bunraku supposedly is older than kabuki in the real world too. Kabuki is traditionally dated to 1603 but definitely originates in the late Edo period (so is very new during Usagi's adventures, as mentioned in an earlier storytime), but bunraku was apparently invented in the late Muromachi period.
>>153348582Are you telling me Japan invented puppet shows before inventing stage acting?
>>153341053Very interesting little lore development of good obakemono or yokai or whatever living in society. I wonder if Hebi would qualify>>153341352i kinda think sasuke may actually be grooming usagi>>153341956>>153342135Yeah this seems a little weird, especially while there is not evidence of him conclusively doing it, there's enough there for Usagi to go at him or at least draw his sword and decide not too or somethingIshida would probably merc him (or just eagle eye his way into proof)>>153342075Only thing I dislike about this retelling is we lose the cool panels of Hikiji's mask in good quality, it's very smudgy looking here>>153342161I really like goblin toda's design here>>153342258Doesn't gen look more normal in his next appearance? I wonder why stan drew him so differently here.>>153342476wow even when she's not really there she's still shitting things upyou don't hate kitsune enough
>>153341727Pineapple 3: Peach-boy Returns
>>153348601stage acting was mostly Noh Theater
>>153348609>i kinda think sasuke may actually be grooming usagiThis is a fairly popular opinion in the storytime. You're definitely not the first anon to be thinking along these lines. The Samurai Rabbit Usagi Chronicles Netflix cartoon more or less canonizes this theory, too, at least for that version.>the cool panels of Hikiji's mask in good quality, it's very smudgy looking hereThat's a lot of the IDW run, unfortunately. I would go so far as to say that right around The Mother of Mountains arc is when this era of Usagi begins. I also miss the 90s run for Stan's more detailed style.
>>153348630That's what he's asking; did they really have no theater but puppets?
>>153348715Shut the fuck up.
>>153348609>I wonder why stan drew him so differently here.It might just be rust. He hadn't drawn him for a long time at this point, maybe since Senso?
>>153348695Yeah, it's interesting doing runs of the storytime over the years and noticing art changes more closely.I think the art hits the nadir with the chizu and kitsune story and picks up a bit before getting kinda eh in general with idw, but even sometime before that you'd see stuff like panels with no background here and there
>>153348715https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQeezCdF4mk
>>153348358Shoki's a dick or Sasuke was a horrible necromancer and black priest hundreds of years ago or both.
>>153348715
>>153348835Definitely both. Remember he was married to the Witch Queen and knows Soul Suck as a spell.
>>153348779>stuff like panels with no background here and thereIshida painting the lantern is a notable example of this, the whole page lacks backgrounds: >>153325559 It looks great there though IMO.
>>153347802Very cool edit anon!
>>153348715Rodney Dangerfield....
>>153348843Reminds me of pic related
>>153348444You weren't kidding, holy shit.
>>153348993Q-queller! I need a demon queller!!
>>153342943>His yojimbo-ing done, Usagi doffed his hat, rummaged his sleeves, and departed into the snow >And the stories continued...Absolute kino.
>>153348847She's the one evil he cannot bring himself to quell
>>153349033>[epic music]
>>153348582>definitely originates in the late Edo periodWhat the fuck is wrong with my head today? In the EARLY Edo period, of course. I got tripped up on the late Muromachi, I guess.
>>153348555His chin is quite manly.
>>153348972I, for one, can't wait for the inventible Scooby-Doo Usagi crossover.
>>153348847The story aa I see it is:>A man and a woman have a child>She died tragically>Her parents get up to some dumb shit to bring her back>Woman keeps going to darker and darker places>The man can't do it, and dedicated himself to stopping her>This somehow puts him under the thumb of a dead guy who rage quitted life because he flunked out of Bureaucracy>You are here, so are the spiders..>So many spiders..
>>153348555Very nice compilation, Anon. The only thing I really disagree with in your post is the baboon-lips thing; I'm pretty sure Luth didn't think those were his massive horking lips but intended Hikiji to have a ruddy brown fur (not far different from the ashigaru directly below him in the top right panel), whether Stan told him to do it or not. I feel sure that Stan Sakai and Tom Luth have known each other and worked together for long enough that Luth would have known that whatever else, Hikiji is not meant to be a golliwog-esque racial caricature.
Hikiji is a human male living the dream in an anthro world
>>153345899Man you drew all the puppers.
>>153349033Is that the netflix show? Is it as good as that clip?
>>153348555>this is not Stan retconning the last remaining bit of early pre-standalone UY lore.I still to this day do not understand why he didn't just go in and give Hikiji cat ears in the TPB, long ago. It's one fuckin' panel, and we know he's done similar things on other occasions, such as adding Noriko into the background of the redrawn Tomoe's Story and changing the dialogue for The Doors.
>>153341534God, every time I read a Sasuke story it makes me think just how fucking good a UY fighting game would be. Just imagine:>Huge Roster of unique characters to use>Usagi being the Ryu of the game, using both his swords as his unorthodox style>Gen's tanky, one-handed style using his sheath for extra combo potential>Sasuke having magic that balances itself out by making him weaker the more he uses it>Jei long-range spear style>Chizu, Inazuma, Tomoe, and Kitsune + many more>The Snitch being a joke character that's actually really fucking good with a puppet-character system of him spending coins as resources to send hired thugs instead of fighting head onImagine all the matchups, what if scenarios, every character having a customized death skull for losing. It'd be the fucking best thing ever.
>>153341672Check him out, he's managed to combine the arts of Yojimbo'ing and Meddling into one!
>>153340926This has that NES energy of you finishing the game after much effort and the game asking you to do it again but harder.
>>15334100520 fucking years to puppet the head?
>>153349182No, that clip is from the TMNT 3DCG cartoon from 2012(?). The Samurai Rabbit Netflix show has some tantalizing bits of actual comic Usagi, drawn in 2D, where Yuichi is reminicising about his famous ancestor but the actual show is very divorced from anything going on in our storytime.https://youtu.be/VqxVxxIN6hs>>153349135Yeah I mean I would hope Luth knows better than that, which is why my first instinct is to read baboon-lips Hikiji as wearing a full men-yoroi mask with exaggerated, ghoulish facial features, but poorly colored so it comes off looking like a racial caricature.
>>153349255I'm'a main Katsuichi
>>153348555I say Luth messed up any way you slice it because his hands should be the same color as his mouth area
>>153349299that "ikuzo!" made me cringe like never before.
>>153349255How does Keiko figure into Jei? Just set-dressing? Like Anita is for Donovan in Night Warriors?
>>153341053I alway love how Usagi alway is like 3 steps behind in the conversation when he talks to Sasuke.
>>153349299 (me)To clarify my point, I'm not saying Stan Sakai is retconning Hikiji's mask from a half-mask to a full mask, I'm saying TOM LUTH looked at the b/w and misinterpreted+misremembered that HIKIJI?! is only supposed to be wearing a half-mask, and he colored it accordingly. Or I suppose you could interpret the red as being colored fur too, but I'm still not 100% convinced that Stan's intent here is a quiet but deliberate retcon of HIKIJI?!'s status as the sole human in this world.
>>153349381She could work similarly like Them's Fightin' Herds' Pom's dogs that she can summon to put pressure on opponents; Keiko can use her flute and or be a general nuisance for a time before retreating after a time has passed.
>>153341895>"Are you questioning my honor?"Oh man, this Seizu jerk almost got himself killed in a Bushido Moment right here. Kind of a shame he didn't escalate and get Yojimbo'd, couldn't happen to a nicer guy
>>153341145I see the Dead Silence sequel has taken a weird turn.
>>153341927"The horse's name is Muppet Underbite"
>>153348288First pineapple?
hoping this post gets through - ive been getting nothing but "connection lost" whenever t try and post.which Jei are on now?
>>153341150I can't imagine a more humiliating fate for a former samurai than to be ganged up on and curbstomped by puppets. Poor dude did not deserve this.
>>153349033That dialogue is iffy, Usagi wanders and meddles but he doesn't have a code to defend innocents like a superhero or whatever
>>153349255I'd like it if there was a playable Jei but also a boss form Jei that takes up half the screen. Really sell what an unstoppable supernatural menace he is.
>>153349509Priest Jei. The one after Inazuma.
>>153349509Jei 4: The Final Chapter
>>153349540That's incredible
>>153341251I like in any other situation including Yokai related ones he is fine meddling. But the second Sasuke shows up Usagi wants to get the fuck out of there.
>>153349553thanks - was late joining in on the readathon
>>153341167https://youtu.be/75kHq9cHSEg
>>153342055>>153342067Mifune seems to have been retconned from a tiger to a bear
>>153341295So the puppets are real and the puppeters are puppets?
>>153349255Usagi musou or beat em up would be more accurate than all the major characters fighting each other
>>153341337I like how everone knows Sasuke.
>>153349634You have Shredders' Revenge for that. Main characters fighting each other would be the selling point of a fightan
>>153341387>>153341391That sucks.
>>153348993I've seen that face
>>153341197So that's where that one panel came from.
>>153341629Seizo sounds like a piece of shit.
>>153348570Maltusian trap?
>>153342141OH YEAH!
>>153349325Hey, good catch! I guess you could say he thought Hikiji was wearing gloves underneath his tekko, but clearly nobody else does – and the finger color is also not a human skin tone, so...
>>153349381Keiko is to Jei what Marky is to Kevin Rian in Mark of the Wolves: a cheerleader in the stage background. The only differnece being that if Jei loses she wanders off in search of her new uncle instead of looking frustrated.
>>153349540reminds me of Takemitsuzamurai
>>153349477kek
>>153341808Undead warrior has a alive head instead of a skull.
>>153340855Oh thank goodness, you guys haven't yet reached Yukichi, I'll be able to catch up.
>>153341284>I forgot you cannot see in the shadowsDude's just bragging at this point.
>>153349255I think it's work better as a Beat-em-Up. Though a 2d fighting game would be pretty sick.
>>153349971Except in Inazuma wins, then she follows after her.
>>153341145That reminds me, I need to rewatch Puppet-Master
>>153350327>Ah yes, I forgot you were a FILTHY FUCKING MUGGLE
>>153341314https://youtu.be/N34i_E1B2d8
>>153346350That's not cleavage, it's an undergarment
>>153341405>wasting magic on a trap door he could just walk through
>>153349854>more food=more people>population growth outstrips production growth>faminemany such cases in Feudal Japan, i'm sure.
>>153350370Yes!
>>153350481Nah, they have an infallible way to regulate such issues. Simply ubasutize leftover ancients until population is in balance with production.
>>153341437>>153341450
>>153341886>>153341895The one fucking time Usagi should have meddle.
>>153341490First I've seen Usagi so genuinely scared for his life. No wonder he feels nothing but dread whenever Sasuke shows up.
>>153350596I'm not sure I agree that he was any less scared in Yokai, but yeah, he ain't happy.
>>153341490>>153350596>I cannot kill them!>I'm out of ideas!
>>153346357Kek
>>153349523Yeah, like they got Bushido mixed up with Chivalry, where knights are (in theory, lol) supposed to defend the weak.
>>153341506>I'm burning I'm burning oh what a world
>>153341512Impressive how he manages to look even more decrepit every time his life is drained.
>>153348843>The absolute fuck are we reading?!
>>153348843>Onsen?
>>153341534Shoki ACTUALLY gave him the night off?! It's a Kirismas miracle!
>>153341558Usagi having pinkish irises is such a strange choice. I guess it's appropriate given he's a white rabbit, but you only ever see them when he's in an extreme mood, otherwise it's the usual black dot eyes.
>>153342050It's not like he has anything better to do.
>>153349255Few threads ago anon had an idea how a story could go in a Usagi fighter >Noriko is planning to get revenge on those who crossed her/mainly to murder Tomoe. >She also unearthed some supernatural shit which drags in the likes of Sasuke & Jei>Usagi is there. Born to meddle.>Tomoe is sent to investigate the area. It just so happens that Noriko is fucking with Geishu Lands while doing this.>Chizu is on the run.>Kagemaru is still chasing Chizu/also sent to investigate by Hebi to see if the strange happenings are a threat to the Shadow Lord(It fucking is)>Kazehime is there to fuck over the Neko Clan/Enhance her clan's prestige >Gen & Stray Dog are after a bounty>Inazuma is A bounty but not the bounty >Ishida is there to lay the law
>>153349186I don't get why he's never retconned it either, but if he did retcon it he'd be very open about it, not play coy like this. I admit I've always found it frustrating how people here take what's clearly a bad colouring choice and go "oh my god Hikiji retconned???". As late as Senso, he makes sure to never show Hikiji's face. Why would he be hiding the face of the one human character, the one relic of an earlier concept for the comic and setting, if he'd retconned him into being a normal animal person?
>>153350903They're just making him more heroic.
>>153341745>There is little chance of Seizo finding me.Man, this sentence is charged if you think about it.
>>153341629Yet another example as to why arraigned marriages were a mistake.
>>153351085It's the kitsuneanon manifesto
>>153341927Usagi unlocks fast travel.
>>153341945>>153341956>>153341969>>153341979Fuck Japan
>>153341028>>153341814I think Stan is trying to tell us something.
>>153342001What kind of suicide is this?
>>153342437kek, I want to see that.
>>153342055Lord Mifune, is consistently inconsistent, now he isn't even a Tiger. >>153342100
>>153351383
>>153342095This is huge! and so subtle otherwise.
>>153351431was lord Mifune a good lord? I'm beginning to have my doubts
>>153342196In any other situation I would say turning into a monster would be an issue on his plan but Hikiji has a giant snake as a subordinate so he doesn't discriminate.
>>153342223The black and white on the original story makes Toda look like stone creature, here he looks more rotten and cuttable.
>>153341251>what do you mean we, Kemosabe?
>>153342223desperately wishing there was an artist edition reprint or something where we got back to no colours
>>153349033>There are other innocents in need of my sword...Reading the comic makes me think he is gonna finish of Keiko as a way to wrap loose threads. Also this ending makes me think in the movie Shane.
>>153351276Specially when we have see his face as clear as day.
>>153351458He never did anything shitty that we ever saw but otherwise I don't think he is better or worse that your average Lord.
>>153351401I think this would be considered funshi, "indignation suicide" or "death by asshurt".
>>153351276>Why would he be hiding the face of the one human character, the one relic of an earlier concept for the comic and setting, if he'd retconned him into being a normal animal person?Well, thinking about it that way, why would he hide Hikiji's face if he'd already reconciled himself to the fact that he's shown it clearly early on, he is in fact a human and what's done is done? I can agree that he seems to have some sort of strange attachment to the idea for all that he says he regrets it, but his consistent hiding of Hikiji's face seems more like indecisiveness to me than a commitment either way.
>>153351276I think at this point it's just Stans little joke. I love the idea that he will be forever Mike Wazowski'd to the reader. Fitting for someone called the Shadow Lord that you never get a good look at him.
>>153351697It's basically "this was a mistake but I don't want to contradict it, so I'll just hide it". With probably an element of >>153351716. I think Stan by now probably regrets Hikiji existing at all- for the scale of stories he does with Usagi, giving him a mastermind evil arch nemesis villain feels really out of place- so by now he just treats the character's existence as basically an in-joke relic of a different time.
>>153351732Iamgining the daimoyo who destroyed Mifune being an inconsequential character who never plays a signifigant role ever again seems to fit the feel of the series better, actually.
>>153351769And Usagi's just meant to be a wanderer having adventures but not being like, a Great Man of History. We're not supposed to imagine a world where 200 years later the history books go "early in the Shogunate period the Dark Sun Lord Hikiji led a rebellion against the newly-established Tokugawa but this one ronin, Miyamoto Usagi, was so important that he defeated him, out of justice and a personal grudge", but that's clearly the early setup and why Hikiji exists at all. The comic just evolved past that vibe and setting
>>153351769Because he operates in an entirely different world from Usagi. If they ever met it would probably be somewhere between Raul Julia for me it was Thursday and>I don't think about you at allIf anything Hikiji's proper opponent should be lord Noriyuki. But little panda putz will never get any sort of focus story that isn't him killing another body double so what's even the point of entertaining that train of thought
>>153351796>We're not supposed to imagine a world where 200 years later the history books go "early in the Shogunate period the Dark Sun Lord Hikiji led a rebellion against the newly-established Tokugawa but this one ronin, Miyamoto Usagi, was so important that he defeated him, out of justice and a personal grudge", but that's clearly the early setupSpace Usagi clearly implies this setup, as late as Senso.
>>153351250The Ishida part feels a bit flimsy. He's not even a Geishu retainer right? So why would he be LAWing in Geishu lands?Also, didnt Inasuma already die by the time Noriko shows up in the comic? Timeline doesn't seem to work out very well if you want to be strictly canon.
>>153352234>why would he be LAWing in Geishu lands?Shogun's orders.
>>153352194Space Usagi and Senso also feel like relics of the earlier concept of the comic, though. The comic itself as it's existed since the early 1990s doesn't feel like that direction of Usagi as historically significant works, he's just a ronin. Also worth noting that in Space Usagi the only ones that know about him are Usagi himself and any other family members, making it less "this is important history" and more "this is something his family remembers".
>>153352234Anon >>153352241 has a point, Hell Screen established that Ishida is known to the bakufu and they requested him to travel away from Yamahashi's lands to settle the matter of the temple.
>>153351276>>153351769I strongly disagree. Moments like Usagi asking to be released from his vows or his interactions with his former clan mates wouldn't hit as hard if Hikiji was just some complete rando with no presence in the story. That's not to say that Usagi needs to be a hero and take him down, but rather that his loyalty to Mifune would just seem rather feudal japan-y in a stupid way if he was killed by nameless daimyo. Hikiji should be a major threat, but he should be someone else's problem than Usagi's.
>>153348843>>153348972My quick and dirty effort.
>>153341086I like how atmospheric this is. It would be a creepy page even without the final panel.
>>153341738Usagi's planning on giving Jotaro a younger sibling.
>>153352469>when they see you Stray Dog x Inspector Ishida slashfic
>>153341794...I don't think that was necessary.
>>153341808RIP Story Usagi.
>>153341826>We don't want no trouble!Really channeling his inner Jackie Chan here.
>>153341843Gotta give these goons credit for being somewhat more clever than usual.
>>153341927Can't believe he just gave him Epona for free.
>>153341945I see no death balloon, she might still be okay!
>>153341969>>153352639Ah HA! So she IS alive!
>>153342238My cope is that Stan has been delaying the wedding plotline until he's basically at death's door because he's been saving it to give the comic an at least semi-happy ending that would render Senso non-canon. The reason some of the more recent stories feel kinda wheel-spinny is so that a certain level of status-quo is upheld enough for that story.
>>153352629He completed the escort sidequest
>>153341979God fucking DAMMIT!
>>153342001The way it just INSTANTLY cuts from the start of the ritual to him just lying on the ground Yamcha style is incredible, pure cinema. Rest in Piss, Bozo.
>>153345899Oh, lady Mura has those big, sad eyes.Good job.
>>153342075Hikiji!?
>>153342100>>153342181I think Stan might be going for having Hikiji as an actual demon, wearing the usual samurai mask.
>>153341615Interesting to realize we got back to back stories that start off with stories in the story.
>>153342171
>>153342161...huh. And here I thought this was just a redo of the first Usagi story.
>>153341629I suppose this comes up in the actual "arranged marriage but then they fall in love" romance stories, but it'd be interesting to see the more nuanced side of this. Where marriage isn't just about politics, it's also because societies arrange for the men and women to have particular skills and interfaces with the larger social structure and life ways, to the extent that you MUST rely upon each other to have even a half way decent life.With the rich, perhaps, this is less important since you have the menials do the hard stuff, but it happened with middle and lower classes too. Unless you had a "good reason" to hate each other, as outlined here, it'd be interesting to get a story where the couple learns to try and play nice, and then even be genuine, as they realize that sometimes getting along with someone involves some initial effort.
>>153350105Haw, that's pretty good. Never noticed that before.
>>153352791It's a weird retcon remake of the story that instead positions it as having happened years after the other stories. Odd choice that makes the chronology of things a bit confusing
>>153342116Might be a commentary on how Bushido not only leads you to tragedy, but even prevents you from enjoying what you do have. Consider Ike and the lesson he learned. He was more fulfilled in the end living a humble life, casting aside his ambitions (more than once!) after experiencing a life full of tragedy and success.
>>153342285>It's just TWO GUYS!
>>153342116>>153342870You don't understand, he wanted to go on long military campaigns where he could slaughter a bunch of people and put villages to the torch, all at great risk of personal injury.
>>153342318Rock saves the day yet again.
>>153342343Just further proof Kitsune really just stealing for the love if the game.
>>153342357I may be blind, because I really don't see how Gen looks all that different.
>>153342401Okay, now this is getting ridiculous.
>>153342423The Neko Ninjas have less of a bodycount than these bandits, good lord.
>>153342462WHAT? Oh fuck OFF!
>>153342476What a terrible ending, and this storytime was so solid otherwise.>>153342570Thanks OP.
>>153342476I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't hate this ending. I consider it an improvement over Kitsune's past shenanigans since she's not consciously screwing over Usagi and friends. Which is a low bar, but one she's failed to clear for a while now.
>>153342116More importantly his wife didnt hate him or anything like that, and their political marriage could have easily become a normal one >>153352793 or at least they couldve been friendlyBut no, the guy is such an unpleasant asshole he made his wife an enemy and even then she doesnt hate him as much as he hates her
>>153346863He does! I know, because I'm the guy who has been updating the kill count picture each year. And it's not just because the OTHER guy is constantly stealing half the kills.>>153347210No, I get that. UY is a cartoon, like Bark's and Rosa's Duck stories, while Kaito has semi-realistic animal people.It's like the difference between Asterix and Thorgal.>>153347230The thing is, after the death of Inazuma the comic runs out of background subplots and things feel much less connected. The one active thing left is Chizu's struggle with her clan, while the only thing somewhat related to Tomoe's plot we got in 20 years was Ice Runners.Supporting cast had their own stories, there were issues where Usagi wasn't the main focus or was entirely absent. Remember Mayumi's kidnapping, Katsuichi's and Jotaro's travel to Kitanoji, Chizu running for her life, Ikeda's story, Zato finding a home, Tomoe having visions? Now almost everything is focused exclusively on Usagi and whatever is happening in a 5 mile radius. It makes the comic feel smaller.
>>153349540And suddenly, it's Kaito #2
>>153342067Wait a minute, why is a pineapple a battle standard?
>>153348149I really like that detail, it shows how using too much magic fucks Sasuke up in different ways than making him all wrinkly.See, I'm reasonable.
>>153347210It got me thinking of other art style takes on Usagi and reminded me how this thing is still, IMO, the best Usagi's looked when not drawn by Stan
>>153348301>>153348555Lmao, yes please, drag in the color autist into the racially loaded lips discussion.We absolutely got Luthed and his face should have a brighter tone.
>>153346248actually i think it adds to the hilarity that he didn't write a death poem, so nobody will know why he killed himself. I imagine them going "oh why did Seizo commit seppeku?" "Well, his wife was killed by bandits, and he failed to protect her, so he probably was ashamed by that." "Poor guy, hope they're reunited in death.
>>153342278>>153342285Honestly, pretend you have backup to distract the thugs wouldn't be a bad move.
