Discussion: Is Usagi "all-ages"?

[Usagi-chan]

So, I read a lot of the interviews on these boards the other day, and I saw that many people called Usagi "all-ages". Personally, I really don't think it is. I mean, it's light-hearted at times, but there is a lot of killing and other stuff like that. Any else think this?





Usagi-chan

[BuckRogers]

Ahhh, great discussion!

At first I thought that it had to be "all ages" b/c it was a rabbit! I had never read anthropormorphic comics before.

Now after reading all of them and pondering this very question myself I do find that I think it is okay for all ages. My youngest was 5 when I started to read them to her and my older kids were 7-12 when they started them and they are are fine with them. And I am a parent that does not let my kiddos watch TV/movies without me and no watching any PG-13 movies until they are actually 13. We do not have cable at my house, only netflix with a filter block to keep the kids from being able to watch anything when we are not around.

UY does have some adult situations and definitely violence but not any nudity or really extreme violence. It is actually very mild in my opinion, esp for what it portrays. I truly believe in not exposing kids to too much violence and gore/sex at a young age but I also wonder if we are not raising our kids in too much of a bubble at times.

I was raised on a small dairy farm in Vermont and I often saw a lof of bloodshed when I was being raised, whether it was having to kill a sick cow that my Dad would have to shoot himself, deer hunting in the autumn and having to gut the deer or the annual killing of the two pigs, even though my sisters and I had grown to love them. REAL life is a bit harsh and in our sterile world of "all food comes from the supermarket" and our removal from hunting and killing and skinning ourselves, I think that it is important that we actually expose our kids, with guidance and being able to answer questions, to the realities of life, in measured doses.

How's that for an answer?!?!?

Sorry to go on like that but I have really thought about this since I have so many young kids.

[Mayhem]

I definitely agree with some of that. Kids today are protected perhaps a bit too much in bubbles. As for the subject at hand, well Usagi is a more adult (read, mature) comic in some of its themes and messages, even though it delivers laughs and lighter hearted moments often. But aside from a few of the VERY early stories, the violence isn't really graphic or extensive even during the fight sequences (if you want a comparison for example, read "Lone Rabbit And Child" where Usagi meets Tomoe and Noriyuki for the first time), and on the same level in my mind as what you'd see in a Marvel film today. You know the bad guys are dying, but there isn't anything over the top in how that is portrayed.

[Spam Musubi #7]

Good topic. My own take is that like all great works of art Usagi can be read on multiple levels. If "All-Ages" is defined as "will kids and adults enjoy this" my answer would be yes. When I was a kid I used to love the Simpsons, mainly because Homer was fat and funny. When I got older I learned to appreciate how well crafted the stories were (at least the earlier seasons) and all the cultural references. The same can be said for the Warner Bros. cartoons. I think both kids and adults can enjoy the adventures of Usagi.

If "All-Ages" is defined as "should kids read this" because it is too violent, my answer would probably be yes. Many fairy tales before they were Disneyfied were ultra violent (ie. Cinderella's sisters cut their toes off in the original story). Warner Bros. cartoons are super violent. All super hero comics are violent... I don't remember reading many comics where heroes and villains solve their problems by calmly discussing their issues and feelings. Usagi Yojimbo isn't a psychopathic killer, he often tries to avoid violence when possible. Plus I think the good out weighs the bad. Your kid might learn something about honor, friendship, humor, great story telling, the importance of good lettering, Japanese culture and history or that "kid" is another name for a baby goat.

Then again I don't have any kids. All I know is "Lone Wolf and Cub" is definitely not "All-Ages."

Side tangent that might make some people angry but - many people believe religion is good for kids but The Bible is waaaay more violent than any comic. I'm not sure but I think Sergio Aragonés did a funny comic about the story of Abraham and Isaac in Mad magazine. If anyone has a link please post it.

- D

[maichan]

I also don't have kids, but I think I'm a good judge of such things, and I also feel I make a good uncle... ...at least I hope so.

I agree that kids today are often protected too much in that bubble others have mentioned.

I'm 55. I grew up on the comics and cartoons of the 60's and 70's. I think I turned out okay. There is a lot more mature and graphic content out there these days, but I think a lot of what kids see and do is up to the parents and not the industry. I guess it's really a two-way road.... or more like a highway, with lots of on-ramps, off-ramps, and twists & turns along the way.

My friend's daughter grew up watching Aliens and Terminator from the day she was born. She has grown up into a wonderful young woman that has ventured forth to do missionary work abroad for the past 3 years. So I think it's how you raise kids, not just what you 'feed' them (or keep from them).

I think the early Usagi stories were a bit more graphical in certain content, and Stan seemed to have toned that down quite early on, but overall I feel all the Usagi Yojimbo stories are fine for all ages. Maybe some story lines are too involved for younger kids, but the art is what will 'hook' them, and hopefully 'reel' them in to read again and again as they grow up - and they can see the stories in a new light as they grow older.

A quick check reveals Stan received the 1990 Parents' Choice Award for "Skillful weaving of facts and legends into his work"

[Usagi-chan]

I see what all of you are saying. I was thinking more of the 1st graphic novel when I posted the topic, considering it's rather bloody. However, stories like the story where Usagi is trailed by the lizards for a while and annoy him constantly, that one is fine, I would say, and really any story that isn't too complicated could be good... The nice thing about Stan Sakai's writing and art is that there isn't much blood.

[Maka]

I wanted to introduce my oldest daughter to Usagi at age 7. I talked to Cheryl and she thought that was too early. So we waited until age 9. But the younger daughter started reading Usagi around age 6 or 7. She is a little more sassy than her older sister but I don't think we can blame Usagi for that.

Now that my older daughter is almost 16, I let her read comics like Sandman, Fables, the dark knight returns. I let her read a little bit of Saga but felt bad when I remembered there was sex and lots of graphic violence. But she also reads a lot of dystopia now. I asked her, "In your YA books, are they as graphic as the TV people sex scene in Saga?" Yep, some YA books are very graphic sex and violence.

When I think of "all age books" in comics, I think of books like Smile, Crogan Adventures, Lumberjanes, The Wizard of Oz books, Reed Gunther, and Usagi. Usagi does have a lot of violence (at one point I was trying to keep a death tally but that became boring) but it isn't as graphic as superhero comics from the big two.

The Walking Dead and Invincible - don't let your kids read those two comics.

Peace, maka

[BuckRogers]

As I was thinking about this today I thought why do we not ask the Maestro himself? Not sure if that is okay or not (not being an author myself) but Stan, as a father and grandfather, do you feel that your comics are suitable for all ages?

[Usagi-chan]

Good idea! Should I PM him, or does someone else want to?


Just to clear up my opinion, I don't think Usagi is a bad book for kids, but I was more saying that it is a bit violent, so maybe it shouldn't be given to really young kids? Of course, I know nothing about parenting, so I really have no idea.

[BuckRogers]

Good idea! Should I PM him, or does someone else want to?


Just to clear up my opinion, I don't think Usagi is a bad book for kids, but I was more saying that it is a bit violent, so maybe it shouldn't be given to really young kids? Of course, I know nothing about parenting, so I really have no idea.

He often checks the site and will respond if he sees questions but I suppose it would not hurt to try PM'ing him.

As for parenting, I am like you, I know nothing about it either, even though I have five kids!!!

[Robert Kassebaum]

Yes.

[go]

Dear Readers,
A part of life is violent.
The sooner a child figures this out the better, imho.
Children can begin to understand violence by learning martial arts.
Usagi Yojimbo books gave my son and I a context to discuss ideas like violence but also love and honor and loss.
When do you give a child a pocket knife?
One of the first things we do with the knife is accidentally cut ourselves.
Hopefully we learn quickly how to respect the knife.
Is it better to get cut at 6 or 12 or 16 or? years?
Imho the child should be given the opportunity to learn as soon as the child is able.
I gave my friend Emmett (now 13) the first few Usagi Yojimbo paperbacks when he was 5.
Emmett stayed up all night reading the first book.
The next day he organized his friends into a 6 member book club determined to read all Usagi.
The parents of the 6 have indicated reading Usagi Yojimbo has improved their children's behavior.
Children will also tell you when it is too much.
In the final moment, do what you know to be correct.
Best wishes to all,
go

ps I think Robert Kassebaum actually said it best.

[Steve Hubbell]

I have always thought of Usagi as an all-ages comic and both of my nephews have been reading them since about 2002 (I believe they would have been around 6 and 8 then) so they have pretty much grown up with the series.

Both kids also followed their parents into taekwondo and had earned their black belts before they reached their teens.

[Jubei]

While violence is a necessary part of Usagi's story and life, Stan doesn't present such actions in an over-stylized fashion as most mainstream comics do. In fact, given the morals and fabric of Usagi's stories, not to mention the level of detail and research that Stan injects into the stories about Japanese culture and history, I can't think of a better comic to introduce to children.

[estee]

Usagi has never taken any pleasure when he takes a life. He always fights with honour and tries to avoid a confrontation.

Remember that rude traveler, when they touched scabbards? Usagi bested him but left him alive to teach him a lesson in humility.

There are more life-lesson in Usagi than mindless violence for its own sake.

Oh yeah...and floating death skulls.

They rule!!!