by YOON S. PARK (NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY, OCTOBER 15, 2005)
I must admit that before Oct. 5, I knew absolutely nothing about Stan Sakai or his popular comic book series about a samurai rabbit called Usagi Yojimbo. My boyfriend, who self-admittedly is about 12 years old at heart (he’s actually almost 30), thought it would be fun to go listen to Sakai’s presentation at the downtown Central Library that day.
We arrived at the library well before the talk was to begin and sat in the front row of the auditorium, watching the crowd slowly file in. About 100 fans, ranging from the young (about 8 to 12 years of age) to the young at heart, eventually joined us to hear the Japanese American speak and get their comic books autographed.
Shortly before the lecture was to begin, we saw a pleasant-looking middle-aged Asian gentleman come in and stand off to the front side of the auditorium. He reminded me of my favorite law school professor — tweed jacket, khakis, comfortable shoes and an endearing smile. He greeted the library officials and then walked over to us, asking if we wanted our comic book (purchased shortly before the start of the lecture) autographed.
Within seconds, he returned our comic book back to us with an impromptu drawing of his famous samurai rabbit on the inside front cover and his signature. My boyfriend, who was obviously tickled that he would take the time to draw something for us, thanked him repeatedly. We watched him sign a few more books before his presentation began.
For the rest of the hour, the audience of fans listened intently as this cartoonist with a wry sense of humor composed drawing after drawing, explaining the process of creating comics and his 27 years in the business of drawing. He explained that much of Usagi Yojimbo is based on his research about Japan and is very much historically accurate. Literally translated, “usagi yojimbo” means “rabbit samurai warrior.” As he spoke, Sakai drew figures on a large sketchpad so that the audience could see as well as hear about the famous rabbit warrior.
I found it quite charming that he singled out an 8- or 9-year-old girl named Abby who had come in with a drawing of her own for Sakai to sign. He composed a storyboard of her day, drawing upon a few questions he asked her while the audience sat and watched the genius at work. He engaged the rest of the audience, answering question after eager question from his many fans.
As I mentioned earlier, I knew nothing about Sakai or the cult following of his warrior bunny rabbit, but through this wonderful presentation organized by the Seattle Public Library, I can no longer say that is true. I used to equate comic book fans with nerdy band geeks and the like. Alas, I am no longer in middle school and have long since stopped caring about the silly monikers that children use to label others whose interests are outside of the mainstream.
My brief encounter with Stan Sakai reminded me how refreshing it is to break out of one’s comfort zone and try something different once in a while.
Stan Sakai shows one of his drawings to students at Eckstein Middle School during a recent visit to Seattle.