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USAGI YOJIMBO LETTERS COLUMN
Send comments to: Usagi Yojimbo ~ Letters Column c/o Dark Horse Comics
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Dear Stan,
The Jotaro thread has always bothered me, and this issue pushed it over the edge. I hope that you are leaning in this direction, too. Jotaro has a father. He also has a sire. It’s not Japanese culture and certainly would be tough to tell in context, but perhaps there is a way to do it and be true to the title. Usagi is chasing Jotaro through the streets. Kenichi and Mariko have certainly done a great deal of chasing before this. They have raised him, loved him, taught him. Usagi has spent little time with this obviously cherished child, did not teach him to become who he is. And, more than that, I’m sure that Kenichi’s whole family has done the same as Kenichi. There is no way Jotaro is “truly Usagi’s son” unless germ cells outweigh identity. Yes, Jotaro would need to know which people have what relationship to his life, and that Usagi would have done more but was driven off by Mariko. Mariko is right; biologically, he’s Usagi’s. But, in fact, he is Kenichi’s son. The only one who has the right to tell the tale for Jotaro is Kenichi. Jotaro will need his father, more than anyone, to understand about love and honor - and trust. Usagi telling him alone would be untrustworthy to Kenichi and probably harmful to Jotaro.
Julie Biales
biales@adelphia.net
That is the same question that Usagi had, whether to tell the truth or break the bond with Jotaro and the only father the child knew. As you read in this episode, Jotaro had his own dilemma.
Dear Stan,
I am a huge fan of your comics and would like to say thank you for bringing us Usagi! I just read UY #73 and I loved it! It touched me to think that Watanabe Ken died in battle, in honor. Which brings me to my next question: if you reverse the name of Watanabe Ken you get Ken Watanabe, who was a supporting actor in The Last Samurai. Ken Watanabe just won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and I was wondering if he had any influence on Watanabe Ken in issue #73?
Matt Hicks
mlaker7@yahoo.com
P.S. One of my favorite Usagi characters is Priest Sanshobo - are you planning on bringing him back for any upcoming Usagi stories?
“The Pride of the Samurai” was written and drawn long before the actor received his Best Supporting Role nomination. I think it was just a coincidence. I have not yet seen The Last Samurai, though I’ll pick it up when it comes to DVD. I have known of Watanabe Ken (the actor) for about 15 years. He starred in a terrific 52-episode series on the life of Date Masamune, and was a samurai-spirited truck driver looking for the perfect bowl of ramen noodles in the 1986 film Tampopo (a wonderful movie, though the egg scene did make me want to gag). Though plans may change, I do have Sanshobo scheduled to return in issue #81 or so.
Dear Mr. Sakai,
Just wanted to tell you that I have really been enjoying the adventures of Usagi and Jotaro. I especially liked “ The Pride of the Samurai.” I really felt for Watanabe Ken and Ichirozuke. What happened to them could have happened to anyone - the economics of the times made all kinds of victims. Watanabe could have accepted help or moved on, but he just wasn’t that kind of person. Unfortunately, it’s Ichirozuke who paid the price for the samurai’s pride. Will we be seeing more of him?
Loved the panel on page 17 where Jataro talks about how his father taught him what it means to be a samurai. Usagi’s expression says so much. And does Jotaro suspect more than he’s letting on about his “uncle”?
Thanks for creating such a great series. Looking forward to 20 more years (at least) of Usagi.
Penny L. Kenny
PKenny@deckerville.k12.mi.us
Ichi, of course, went on to live with his sister and her husband, under whom he apprenticed. He eventually took over the business and founded a number of lumber dealerships throughout the province. He became very successful, and the one thing his father despised - a merchant.
Now another question would be: which father was Jotaro talking about?
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2004 SUMMER CONVENTION SCHEDULE I will be a guest at two major conventions this summer: Anthrocon will take place July 8-11 at the Adams Mark Hotel in Philadelphia. It is the world’s largest convention dedicated to anthropomorphic characters. The other guest will be animator and children’s book creator Michel Gagné. The convention’s website is www.anthrocon.org. I will be a special guest at Comic-Con International: San Diego (July 22-25), the nation’s largest convention of its kind. One of the convention themes celebrated this year is the 20th anniversary of Usagi Yojimbo. Visit www.comic-con.org for more information.] |
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Usagi Yojimbo, including all prominent characters featured in the stories and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Stan Sakai and Usagi Studios. Usagi Yojimbo is a registered trademark of Stan Sakai. Names, characters, places, and incidents featured in this publication either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, institutions, or locales, without satiric content, is coincidental.