General discussion about Usagi Yojimbo, the comics, the stories, the characters, collectibles, TV appearances, Stan Sakai, Space Usagi, Nilson & Hermy, and all other related topics.
Cybercubed wrote:Just bought and read the collection amazing. After all these years I've always wondered how Usagi Yojimbo would finally "end" and even though this might not be the ultimate ending (the main series is still ongoing), it provided some closure for the characters we've been following for decades.
I have to say, I'm not sure if I really want this to be the canon ending for Usagi (and Gen). I always thought Usagi would live to a ripe old age, and be one of those old Japanese masters passing down his knowledge to young students, sort of like Usagi's mentor was.
I thought that this was canon ending for Usagi and then someone here in the Dojo corrected me and pointed me to an interview where Stan said that it is NOT canon but just another story on how things "might" have gone. Made me happy as I loved the Senso series but I am still holding out for Usagi and Mariko to get married!!!
The Credit Belongs to the Man Who is Actually in the Arena ....
I'm surprised at how much i enjoyed this book. I usually don't care for these 'what if' books when companies do them. I loved this book. The interactions between Gen and Jotaro, Uasgi and Tomoe, and the different villains made this book so much fun.
SPOILER:
Between Jei being killed by a random blast, to lord Hebi finally doing the right thing.
The ending was great as well. I couldn't help but smile at the tie in to Space Usagi, perfect.
END SPOILERS
The fact that it's a hardcover book is a really nice touch. I wonder how much more expensive it would be to make these micro hardcovers the same size as the Saga editions. I guess if i want the full size i could stop being cheap and buy the issues. I just don't like storing them.
Mormegil wrote:In the letters column to Usagi #146 Stan mention someone getting jei's black soul during part 4 of senso. I can't tell who gets it. Is it Hijiki?
That is awesome! Guy Davis is one of my favorite creators, so it's cool to see his take on Usagi. I'm not sure if it is featured in any Usagi Yojimbo books, but in the back of the Modern Masters: Guy Davis book there is a Space Usagi drawing by him as well. I also enjoyed seeing his drawing of Usagi fighting a demon from the Marquis's world in the back of the latest UY Saga edition.
Was Senso on the drawing board/planning stages for Stan already back in 2007? Or is it just a coincidence that Guy did a War of the Worlds theme to that drawing?
I agree, it would have been a nice addition to the HC.
Hi, everyone. Newly registered, and I just bought a copy of the Senso hardcover. I'm looking forward to reading it, but while flipping through the book, I noticed something I hope someone here can clear up for me:
The ink on the two-page spread on pages 78 and 79 (near the end of Part 3, when one of the martian pods crashes into a town while Usagi and Tomoe try to escape), as well as pages 82 and 83 (beginning of Part 4, where Usagi and Tomoe are coming to after the crash) is much lighter than the rest of the book. Is this deliberate, or did I get a bad printing?
Loopy wrote:Hi, everyone. Newly registered, and I just bought a copy of the Senso hardcover. I'm looking forward to reading it, but while flipping through the book, I noticed something I hope someone here can clear up for me:
The ink on the two-page spread on pages 78 and 79 (near the end of Part 3, when one of the martian pods crashes into a town while Usagi and Tomoe try to escape), as well as pages 82 and 83 (beginning of Part 4, where Usagi and Tomoe are coming to after the crash) is much lighter than the rest of the book. Is this deliberate, or did I get a bad printing?
Thanks for your help!
First of all, welcome! Nice avatar, by the way. I love that cover.
As for the hardcover, I just checked and I don't think my copy has lighter ink on those pages.
Thanks for checking. Looks like I'll be procuring another copy.
Glad you like the avvie. I only recently got into Usagi thanks to that Fantagraphics set. I believe my exact thought was, "Well, I've been meaning to try the book out, and I'd be a fool to pass that up." Now I'm devouring the saga omnibuses.
Loopy wrote:Thanks for checking. Looks like I'll be procuring another copy.
Glad you like the avvie. I only recently got into Usagi thanks to that Fantagraphics set. I believe my exact thought was, "Well, I've been meaning to try the book out, and I'd be a fool to pass that up." Now I'm devouring the saga omnibuses.
Welcome to the wonderfulness that is all things Usagi!!!
You've entered an amazing parallel universe!
The Credit Belongs to the Man Who is Actually in the Arena ....
Well, it has been 5 years since Senso was released, and I read it in the Usagi Yojimbo Saga: Legends omnibus, and here's what I thought of it. To be more specific, what I find to be the pros and cons.
Pros
* Intense action
* Yet another ensemble story
* Grown-up Motokazu and Jotaro were badass
* Horikawa isn't nearly as slimy as he was in the main series, and his animosity towards Tomoe, while still present has lessened drastically (I hope Stan plans a character arc for him in the main series that would lead him there)
* TOMOE CAME BACK!!!!
Cons
* Aliens invading feudal Japan is a ludicrous premise (Usagi even said this in the Usagi And Stan segment before Senso.)
* A few fan-favorite characters die, including Usagi himself. Tomoe herself survived, though.
* We saw Lord Hikiji's face in the second issue of the Albedo comics. What's the point of hiding it here?
* Wasn't Lord Ito of the Kojima clan supposed to be the guy Tomoe was married off to? Why is she married to this Buichi Kubo guy instead? Speaking of which...
* Who is Buichi Kubo? Where did he come from? What's his story?
* Having Noriko show up as one of lord Hikiji's generals would have been nice.
These are my thoughts on Senso in a nutshell. Anyway, thanks, Sakai-sama, for this story, and thank you for giving Tomoe a chance to shine after many years of her absence.
Restriction Number 666 Released! Dimensional Interference Field Deployed! Code SOL! BlazeBlue Activate!
Eltanin wrote:
I find comfort in the fact that Space Usagi said it is not completely sure Usagi died this way, and records from medieval Japan are uncertain.
So I can imagine Usagi survived his last wound, but he has never been able to use swords again after that (which is why he passed them to Jotaro). He spent the remaining of his life as a councellor of lord Noriyuki and married Tomoe. Years later, when storytellers and bards wrote down Usagi's story for the generations to come, they decided a peaceful ending as a wounded samurai was not epic enough, so they invented this fantasy of Usagi dying in his last battle. And this is the story that was written down and survived for centuries.
Yes. That must be it.
I actually prefer it that way to be honest.
Restriction Number 666 Released! Dimensional Interference Field Deployed! Code SOL! BlazeBlue Activate!
Tomoe herself survived, though.
