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2nd out of 79 books
—
47 voters
Usagi Yojimbo, Vol. 1: The Ronin (Usagi Yojimbo #1)
by
Stan Sakai
Miyamoto Usagi is no Bugs Bunny. He's a rabbit bodyguard, a samurai who wanders the mountains, plains, and villages of a 17th-century Japan populated almost exclusively by anthropomorphic animals. Cats, snakes, rhinos, and ninja moles plot and fight their way across a land ravaged by civil war. The 10 stories in this first collection introduce Usagi, the evil Lord Hikiji,...more
Paperback, 144 pages
Published
by Fantagraphics Books
(first published April 1987)
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Kaninchen-Ronin gegen Schweine-Samurai
"Usagi Yojimbo" (Kaninchen-Leibwächter) ist der seltene Fall eines Comics, der oft ernste und brutale Geschichten durch eine komische, anthropomorphe Alternativwelt aufbereitet. Alle Protagonisten sind Tiere, Kaninchen, Stiere, Schweine, Füchse und so weiter, aber sie handeln wie Menschen; keineswegs ist dies ein Kindercomic, denn die erzählten Geschichten sind zwar ab und an komisch, meist aber doch recht ernsthaft - ich würde sagen, die Geschichte von "Lon...more
"Usagi Yojimbo" (Kaninchen-Leibwächter) ist der seltene Fall eines Comics, der oft ernste und brutale Geschichten durch eine komische, anthropomorphe Alternativwelt aufbereitet. Alle Protagonisten sind Tiere, Kaninchen, Stiere, Schweine, Füchse und so weiter, aber sie handeln wie Menschen; keineswegs ist dies ein Kindercomic, denn die erzählten Geschichten sind zwar ab und an komisch, meist aber doch recht ernsthaft - ich würde sagen, die Geschichte von "Lon...more
Wanting a break from the heavier books I've been piling up in my to-read pile, my more recent trips to the library have been picking up lighter items to consume in less time as interludes. At the moment I'm enjoying an extended interlude of children's books and comics.
In the 80s there was a tremendous flurry of Nippon mania, as the backlash against the dominance of Japanese consumer products inevitably weakened against the rise of Japanese cultural awareness in the United States. With kaiju fil...more
In the 80s there was a tremendous flurry of Nippon mania, as the backlash against the dominance of Japanese consumer products inevitably weakened against the rise of Japanese cultural awareness in the United States. With kaiju fil...more
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Miyamoto Usagi, adalah samurai yang hidup di penghujung abad ke 16. Jalan hidupnya sarat dengan pertempuran. Ia hidup pada zaman dimana para tuan tanah (Lord) harus bertarung guna memperebutkan tanah dan kekuasaan. Usagi mengabdikan dirinya pada Lord Mifune. Dalam sebuah pertempuran yang dahsyat Usagi harus kehilangan majikannya yang tewas terbunuh. Otomatis Usagi menjadi seorang Ronin, samurai tanpa majikan. Daripada mengabdi pada majikan lain ia memilih menjadi samurai pengelana untuk memerang...more
I have avoided reading Usagi Yojimbo literally for years because while I'm generally pretty open-minded in my graphic novel reading and more than willing to cross genres, subject matter, etc. I admit, I do have certain biases I am just starting to get over. I've resisted reading both manga as a whole and those specific comics with a cartoonish, personified animal style forever because after being one of the only girls I knew who liked comic books for years, I accidentally turned into kind of a s...more
I wasn't too sure of what to expect when I started this graphic novel. I remember Usagi Yojimbo as one of the many "mutants" on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, when I was a kid, and I remember him having his own comic series. But I honestly thought that he was an offshoot of the Ninja Turtles, not that he was an entirely different character in his entirely different universe in feudal Japan. He was just a guest on the Ninja Turtles. I even had a toy of him! Now, going back to the graph...more
Jan 16, 2008
Trevor
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who loves the Japanese culture and/or amazing storytelling, as long as they're 13 or older.
Recommended to Trevor by:
I found it while browsing the web.
Stan Sakai's "Usagi Yojimbo" is brilliant at best.
Following the adventures of a Ronin (masterless samurai) by the name of Miyamoto Usagi, each book is simply amazing. Each panel is drawn with detail and beauty, and the characters are all wonderfully fleshed out. The stories weaved throughout each book are filled with emotion, and you will soon be pulled into the amazing world Stan has created.
Following the adventures of a Ronin (masterless samurai) by the name of Miyamoto Usagi, each book is simply amazing. Each panel is drawn with detail and beauty, and the characters are all wonderfully fleshed out. The stories weaved throughout each book are filled with emotion, and you will soon be pulled into the amazing world Stan has created.
The first volume in the Usagi series is a collection of short pieces that introduce the principle characters and establish the setting and premise. Stan Sakai's art has evolved considerably over the last couple of decades and these early versions of the characters are more self-consciously cute than what would come later. Sakai walks a fine line between realistic and cute, and is not afraid to be cute, but is never gratuitous about the cuteness. I would define an Ewok from Star Wars as gratuitou...more
For some, these earlier Usagi Yojimbo stories seem foreign compared to the rest of the series, the shift from Sakai's later art style to these earlier drawings has been described as jarring and the writing seems a bit more tongue-in-cheek than later work. Regardless, this first volume introduces us to many of the core characters and themes found throughout the series. It also includes the infamous “Hikiji Panel” in which the series villain is shown as a human.
My biggest complaint with most comic...more
My biggest complaint with most comic...more
Usagi is great. I love this book. The art has a simple and cartoony but can shift from comedy to drama in a heartbeat. Sometimes, it has some beautiful moments with Usagi walking through a field during sunrise. Color would harm this art as the black and white focus the detail and keep you following the story.
This volume was fun. It's a nice introduction to Usagi and his personality. He's a great lead; calm and efficient, but there are those moments he looses his cool. The characters he runs into...more
This volume was fun. It's a nice introduction to Usagi and his personality. He's a great lead; calm and efficient, but there are those moments he looses his cool. The characters he runs into...more
Usagi Yojimbo, c'est un concept : celui d'animaux anthropomorphes vivant à la façon du japon médiéval.
Notre héros est donc usagi, devenu ronin (samouraï sans maître) à la suite d'une bataille perdue. Et dans ses aventures de ronin, il rencontrera de méchants lutins, mais aussi des amis qu'il reverra à l'occasion de multiples aventures. Come Gen le chasseur de primes rhinocéros, ou le jeune seigneur panda.
Le mélange entre le dessin naï, les personnages animaux (souvent rigolos par leur conformati...more
Notre héros est donc usagi, devenu ronin (samouraï sans maître) à la suite d'une bataille perdue. Et dans ses aventures de ronin, il rencontrera de méchants lutins, mais aussi des amis qu'il reverra à l'occasion de multiples aventures. Come Gen le chasseur de primes rhinocéros, ou le jeune seigneur panda.
Le mélange entre le dessin naï, les personnages animaux (souvent rigolos par leur conformati...more
Usagi Yojimbo as a whole is a masterpiece. Stan Sakai painstakingly creates his tale with great care and reverence, retelling Japanese fables and folklore while building a multilayered story around the life of a masterless samurai wandering turn-of-the-17th-century Japan. He pays great attention to detail and research and achieves a sense of reality, even when the story veers into the mythic and fantastical.
The use of amorphous animals as the characters might seem unusual to first time readers,...more
The use of amorphous animals as the characters might seem unusual to first time readers,...more
The first volume in one of the greatest series of graphic novels. This is Stan Sakai's take on feudal Japan, with a rabbit Samurai as the lead. But don't be fooled into thinking that this is yet another furry comic - Stan Sakai's characters come off the page so vividly human that I, for one, forget that they're not rendered as such. Beautifully drawn and composed, and historically well-researched, Usagi Yojimbo has deservedly earned a heap of Eisner awards
Reprints stories from Albedo, Critters, and Usagi Yojimbo Summer Special. Miyamoto Usagi begins his adventures and begins to make an enemy of Lord Hikiji...the man who killed his master. The stories are short, fun, and to the point. Like Cerebus, the animal format really doesn't mean much and there are human characters also so it is a weird combination. The stories are sometimes humorous and sometimes serious, and the art is great. A nice collection.
Lots of anthropomorphic animal stories fall flat, for various reasons.
Stan Sakai thrives where others have failed by created a rich, HUMAN drama that is played out by characters who happen to be portrayed as animals. A characters animal is more a reflection of that characters nature than it is of their genetics / species.
Anything of his USAGI series comes highly recommended.
Stan Sakai thrives where others have failed by created a rich, HUMAN drama that is played out by characters who happen to be portrayed as animals. A characters animal is more a reflection of that characters nature than it is of their genetics / species.
Anything of his USAGI series comes highly recommended.
Antología de las primeras historias cortas de Usagi Yojimbo, una de las series independientes más largas del cómic americano. No está mal, pero tampoco es para tirar cohetes. Supongo que el hecho de que sean historias de 10 páginas no le permite experimentar demasiado, pero en ocasiones son demasiado simples. Seguiré leyendo la serie, a ver qué tal.
This is a graphic novel that retells several Japanese folk tales using animal characters. The main recurring character is a rabbit samurai, Miyamoto Usagi, and the other characters are cats, rhinos, moles, etc. These stories are not, for the most part, told for laughs. Strange? Yes, but also surprisingly effective.
Berlatar belakang abad 16 di Jepang, Zaman Perang Saudara. Miyamoto Usagi selamat dari pertumpahan darah meskipun harus kehilangan majikannya. Usagi memutuskan untuk menjadi Samurai Pengelana disaat teman-temannya lebih memilih menjadi penjahat dan tukang pukul. Bersama Gen - si Badak Petualang, Usagi memulai petualangannya.
Lucunya dikomik ini ada Kura-kura Ninja dan Master Splinter-nya, usut punya usut ternyata Usagi pernah jadi bintang tamu diserial Ninja Turtles.
Agak nyesel juga beli buku ini...more
Lucunya dikomik ini ada Kura-kura Ninja dan Master Splinter-nya, usut punya usut ternyata Usagi pernah jadi bintang tamu diserial Ninja Turtles.
Agak nyesel juga beli buku ini...more
A thoroughly enjoyable and occasionally humorous samurai story with Japanese language asides, subtle (Usagi Miyamoto rhymes with Musashi Miyamoto) and not so subtle ('Gon with the Wind') historical, film and cultural references, and clever anthropomorphic characters.
Favorite comic out there, hands down. Samurai legend with funny animals. Great story-telling, great visual pacing, strong characters... plus neat stuff about 16th century Japanese life and culture.
I enjoyed the first volume of Usagi Yojimbo quite a bit. It is a collection of short episodes in the wanderings of Usagi Yojimbo, a masterless samurai wandering through a feudal Japan populated by anthropomorphic animals as well as people.
Many of the stories are connected to the political situation in the nation, others are a step into the ronin's past or his encounters with fellow travellers. Although the body count is high, the violence is cartoony and this book never seems to take itself too...more
Many of the stories are connected to the political situation in the nation, others are a step into the ronin's past or his encounters with fellow travellers. Although the body count is high, the violence is cartoony and this book never seems to take itself too...more
Fun at times, but ultimately nothing special. I might try another volume simply because everyone says how good the book is, but if the series doesn't improve then I'm out.
Sweet! I am now 1/22nd of the way through the series! What I learned is that samurai are cooler than ninjas, and they will cut you if they have to.
An awesome piece of manga that got me into graphic novels. Follows the adventures of a samurai rabbit who is a ronin roaming the lands of log ago.
The artwork is good, and the writing isn't really bad or anything, but it just didn't grab me at all. I have effectively no interest in reading more.
Sep 04, 2012
Ashley
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Ashley by:
Pierce Roth
I wasn't sure if I would like this graphic novel, but I am glad that I gave it a try. Rabbit's with swords, how can you go wrong?
Although the artwork at first appears cartoony, this manga series is a very historically accurate collection of samurai stories.
Découvert tout à fait par hasard, ce manga (américain) est une vrais petite pépite ! A mettre entre toutes les mains !
A beautifully conceived idea. These 10 stories create a magnetic world of characters and ideas. Lovely illustrations.
Entertaining the whole way through, with humor, a hint if love, and lots of dudes being sliced in half.
After years of fighting the lure of graphic novels I may be finally succumbing. I enjoyed this one and there are lots more in the series.
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Stan Sakai (Japanese: 坂井 スタンSakai Sutan; born May 25, 1953) is an artist who became known as an Eisner Award-winning comic book originator.
Born in Kyoto, Sakai grew up in Hawaii and studied fine arts at the University of Hawaii. He later attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He and his wife, Sharon, presently reside and work in Pasadena.
He began his career by lettering...more
More about Stan Sakai...
Born in Kyoto, Sakai grew up in Hawaii and studied fine arts at the University of Hawaii. He later attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He and his wife, Sharon, presently reside and work in Pasadena.
He began his career by lettering...more
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