I Just bought #78 yesterday, I was a little surprised how imperious the old lady was to Usagi, correct me if I'm wrong but that attitude toward another samurai could have cost her her head couldn't it?
I also see on individual issues but not on TPB, a sereis of characters next to the title on the cover, can anybody tell me what they say?
Coplue of things
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ziritrion
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The characters (kanji) next to the title are read "usagi", "yô" or "you", "jin" and "bô" or "bou". Everything together is Usagi Yojimbo ("n" next to "b" and "p" and probably a bunch of other letters are almost always pronounced "m"), with long "o"s.
About the lady in #78: my guess is that Usagi is too much of a nice guy to feel offended by her, as he felt that her harsh behavior should have somewhat of a cause behind. Usagi ends fed up anyway, as he sees how egocentric the woman is. I don't recall seeing Usagi taking advantage of his samurai condition over the peasants.
About the lady in #78: my guess is that Usagi is too much of a nice guy to feel offended by her, as he felt that her harsh behavior should have somewhat of a cause behind. Usagi ends fed up anyway, as he sees how egocentric the woman is. I don't recall seeing Usagi taking advantage of his samurai condition over the peasants.
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Todd Shogun
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Usagi's attitude towards the "Mother" was not surprising at all, given his past dealings with older ladies of this sort. Remember, Usagi is a warm-hearted samurai, not a cold-blooded killer. He honestly felt sorry for her, and his tolerance limit for such rudeness is quite high, although we did get to see him snap (without pulling his sword). I think it is more of a Westerner's view that all samurai would slay anyone for displaying such disrespect. In Usagi's world there are most likely exceptions, but I don't think it's the norm. I think most samurai would probably find it annoying and just leave, or find it amusing and curious as to what could be possessing the old lady. She was hardly threatening his life.
What confused me the most was his dealing with the bandits...he practically allowed them to grab the Mother hostage. With two bandits running towards him swords drawn, Usagi should have slew them on the spot, especially with the Mother's life at stake. The only thing I can think of is that Usagi is such a good judge of character that he sensed the two were very unskilled with the blade and obviously had no idea what they were getting themselves into...perhaps that might explain why he wasn't so quick to kill them (didn't he tell one of them "Hey Watch out" or something as they attacked him??). Had they been Neko Ninja, it may have been a different story.
Stan, your take on this?
What confused me the most was his dealing with the bandits...he practically allowed them to grab the Mother hostage. With two bandits running towards him swords drawn, Usagi should have slew them on the spot, especially with the Mother's life at stake. The only thing I can think of is that Usagi is such a good judge of character that he sensed the two were very unskilled with the blade and obviously had no idea what they were getting themselves into...perhaps that might explain why he wasn't so quick to kill them (didn't he tell one of them "Hey Watch out" or something as they attacked him??). Had they been Neko Ninja, it may have been a different story.
Stan, your take on this?
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Indiana Usagi
- Shugyosha<Student Warrior>
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I think the original poster was referring to the fact that all the OTHER Samurai she had met hadn't slain her for impudence. REmember in "Shrouded Moon" where Kitsune's teacher is caught just being an accomplice to stealing? Dead in a hurry. And so far, Usagi and the dog-guy (his name has escaped me--he helps that orphanage) are the only benevolent samurai I've seen...(not including Gen or Katsuichi's protege...seeing as how Gen is a mercenary and Katsuichi's boy hasn't passed the proverbial bar yet.)
Other than that, though, I think he was tired of the old woman's prattling and decided to give her a taste of her own medicine with that kidnapping business. We know he's better than these guyus simply from experience, and he also suspected what they were after. i think he was trying to avoid a non-violent confrontation, even if it put them in a hostage situation.
Other than that, though, I think he was tired of the old woman's prattling and decided to give her a taste of her own medicine with that kidnapping business. We know he's better than these guyus simply from experience, and he also suspected what they were after. i think he was trying to avoid a non-violent confrontation, even if it put them in a hostage situation.
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Stan Sakai
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In Japan, respect for elders is quite high, and is something that is ingrain in their society. In fact, Respect the Aged Day is a national holiday, and Japan does not have nearly as many holidays as in the US. During times of overpopulation, it was infants who were killed not the older members of society.
So, it is no wonder that Usagi treated her with such tolerance. She chose him as a hireling because Usagi was the first person to acknowledge her existance on the side of the road--he mumbled a good morning to her.
Usagi does not kill so wantonly. He probably gauged the skill level of the two bandits as they held their swords running down the hill, and decided they were not so threatening as to deseve killing.
So, it is no wonder that Usagi treated her with such tolerance. She chose him as a hireling because Usagi was the first person to acknowledge her existance on the side of the road--he mumbled a good morning to her.
Usagi does not kill so wantonly. He probably gauged the skill level of the two bandits as they held their swords running down the hill, and decided they were not so threatening as to deseve killing.
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miyamoto musashi
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