Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

Nobody seems to be in a big hurry to talk about this issue. Oh, well.

I'm curious to see what happens to Senzo. All signs point to him being the next candidate for "Jei-ification", but it doesn't seem characteristic of Sakai-san to make a future plot development so obvious (especially taking the last line from #109's summary into account). Could Senzo possibly be a red herring?

In the meantime, it's cool to see that even a Jei-possessed Inazuma couldn't hold out against the entire bounty-hunter population of Japan. I'm completely baffled as to how Stan will resolve her story. Even if she's freed from the Black Soul's influence, she'll still have the biggest bounty in the country pinned on the back of her head. She'll either have to die, or take the fight straight to Boss Bakuchi.

But then there's the new player in our little game...Isamu. What's his deal, anyway? Could he be a relative of Inazuma's? Or a bounty hunter with a different agenda?

SPOILERS - continue at your own risk!














I really enjoyed the issue. Im looking forward to learning more about Isamu. I was also shocked when Inazuma/Jei got stabbed. I actually shouted out 'no way!' My wife then peeked her head in and asked what was wrong. I told her, someone stabbed Jei. She rolled her eyes and left again. I did love the bounty hunter's reaction. "I'm rich. I'm rich!"

The interaction between Stray Dog and Gen are always awesome.

Looking forward to next issue.

MikeM

I thought the story was great. Pacing sort of reminded me of the Dragon Bellow saga, with the introduction of all the key players.

MikeM wrote: I was also shocked when Inazuma/Jei got stabbed. I actually shouted out 'no way!'

I was a little disappointed to see that Jei/Inazuma could be wounded so easily by a single bounty hunter. Maybe there is some explanation behind it. After all, Inazuma is the most skilled swordsperson in the UY universe, even possessed by Jei. Maybe being on the run from bounty hunters has tired him/her out in the physical aspect. Jei as Jizonobu did not have the same inconvenience and thus was fresher in battle. Or maybe the real Inazuma within is fighting against the Jei demon, slowing him down in some way. I just don't buy that she could be so unskilled as to leave herself open like that...

Spoilers ahead; read at own risk!

Todd Shogun wrote: I was a little disappointed to see that Jei/Inazuma could be wounded so easily by a single bounty hunter. Maybe there is some explanation behind it. After all, Inazuma is the most skilled swordsperson in the UY universe, even possessed by Jei. Maybe being on the run from bounty hunters has tired him/her out in the physical aspect. Jei as Jizonobu did not have the same inconvenience and thus was fresher in battle. Or maybe the real Inazuma within is fighting against the Jei demon, slowing him down in some way. I just don't buy that she could be so unskilled as to leave herself open like that...

Well, it has been one out of three bounty hunters (not counting the miserable fool who was stabbed while still in hiding) who fought Jei/Inazuma, plus the attack was aided by his feint attack with his straw cloak.
The attack itself was the doing of an overexcited swordsman: a classic over-kill, which is never a good idea. Normally, it's the first third of a sword that does the killing, not the cross guard .


It could very well be that Jei is not in the best of conditions and that he hasn't gained total control over Inazuma yet; I think his invasion of her body is quite recent (compared to his stay in Jizonobu's body), even though we've had soo many other stories in between.

It's interesting to see that he/she has suffered a wound similar to priest Hama's (in 104) and that he/she dismisses it as being merely a flesh wound.
In real life, a wound such as this would regularly lead to a slow and painful death without medical help, i.e. abdominal surgery. It's almost impossible to pierce the lower abdomen without cutting the intestine, thus causing fatal inflamation.

And, yes, the gathering of key characters reminds me of the Dragon Bellow Conspiracy as well. What a great start to a long awaited story arc.

On a side note, I've decided with this issue to restrain myself from reading any previews (including the ones you so kindly provide us with, Todd) in order not to kill the suspence. I'll see how long I can keep this up...

good luck with that Thomas!