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Why isn't Usagi Yojimbo printed in Japan?
Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 22:55 -0700
by SakuradaKaoru
1. I find that ironic.
2. I promoted the series on a Japanese site, and got asked why.
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 9:34 -0700
by Jet_Jaguar
Well, I think the fact that no U.S. comic book has ever become popular in Japan has a lot to do with it. I think the closest things to U.S. comic books to become popular in Japan are the manga featuring licensed Marvel characters.
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 17:37 -0700
by shaxper
1. Usagi does have fans in Japan:
http://www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown/5723/
2. Popularity is a relative term. By most standards, Usagi is not popular in the US either. It maintains a monthly title and a series of trade paperbacks, but it's certainly off the beaten path.
In Japan, Usagi may be no less popular, but his format is. Though the subject is feudal Japan, Usagi is an American comic book, and there isn't as much as a market for that in Japan. Semi-obscure character plus semi-obscure genre/format compounds the problem.
3. I have no factual basis for this, but I'd wager a guess that the feudal Japan theme has been done to death in Japan. Just as stories of cowboys and dragon-killing knights have largely fallen out of vogue in the US, I would assume that their Japanese equivalents have equally fallen by the wayside. Historical fiction about ones own place of origin seem to have cultural expiration dates for some reason.