( 5 reviews )
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Posted: May 15 2009
I love Usagi Yojimbo the series provides a unique comic experience that is thoroughly enjoyable. Don't be turned off by the funny-animal ascetic, it isn't the point.
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Posted: Dec 26 2008
No matter what your tastes are as a comics fan, I would recommend Usagi Yojimbo. Highlights of this collection include the fleshing out of Gen as a character and a touching "Last Ino Story."
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Posted: Jun 15 2008
Usagi Yojimbo is the kind of quality work that transcends time, genres, demographics, and even age groups. It crafts a delicate and beautiful balance between honor and savagery, cute innocence and dark brutality, simple heart-warming stories and multi-part epics that shape a dense continuity. Whether or not you've ever been a fan of feudal Japanese culture, furry anthro characters, or independent, non-superhero comics, Usagi Yojimbo is a comic that can't help but impress even the harshest critic. Volume 7 can be best summarized as an installment in which secondary characters undergo transitions. Kitsune, the memorable trickster who does what she can to get by, makes her first and second appearances. Gen finally receives a back story and development, though it reveals that what he keeps beneath the surface is quite a bit darker and more troubled than one might have expected. And, finally, Zato Ino (The Blind Swordspig) makes his unforgettable exit, never to return to the comic book page. Add in a few charming one shots including one starring young Usagi (I adore those stories) and a touching ghost story about a dead general who needs Usagi's help to attain his rest, and you've got a recipe for one intriguing volume. I don't consider this to be one of Sakai's strongest installments, but it certainly does offer a rich variety of characterization and entertainment. For Ino's exit alone, It's absolutely worth checking out.
