Usagi Yojimbo: Gen's Story

I've been reading these books in their respective order, and I can say without a doubt that Stan Sakai's skill in writing and drawing improves with each book. I was distraught about these tales after reading the first volume, but now I simply cannot put them down! Book 7, especially, grows deep with emotion and character with every flip of a page, and you learn so much about the diverse characters in Usagi's world, that you begin to grow attached to them without even knowing it. Definitely a must read series, whether you're a comic junkie, samurai junkie, or history junkie (or, heck, whatever kind of junkie). Should you happen to find yourself upset after the first book or two--as I was--I implore you to keep reading the series. This is the last volume, Book 7, is the last addition in the Fantagraphics series, and book 8 onward is now under Dark Horse Comics. But Stan Sakai's masterpiece is in no way tampered with publishing changes. His work only gets stronger.

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.

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."

Stan Sakai is a modern master. i have read all the Usagi yojimbo books and this one is a great starting point for anyone and lets us know a little more about the bounty hunter Gen. This is really the beginning of Stan's long journey for establishing a continuity with Usagi and comes highly recommended. Not a funny animal book but humour and adventure is always present.

It's hard to review "Usagi Yojimbo" books, which is why I've never done one before, even though I've read nearly all of the series. It's just because Stan Sakai produces some of the most consistently entertaining and satisfying reads in the comic book marketplace. So you can rave about one book, and in essence, rave about all. Which isn't to say that no one book stands out. They do, for different reasons. But there is such a deceptively simple and straightforward quality to this series, that at some point, a reader just takes for granted that you're getting something good, because you always do. For those unfamiliar, Myamoto Usagi is a masterless samurai, a ronin, who travels feudal Japan seeking adventure. And he's an anthropomorphic rabbit. Indeed, every character is a "funny" animal. But don't let that put you off. The funny animals are just a means of making the series more distinct. Sakai's stories are still very basic and recognizable stories of human beings living, and dying, in a precarious and decadent time and place. The stories found in volume 7 are perfect examples of Sakai's gift. The centerpiece is "Gen", in which Sakai finally reveals the tragic origins of Usagi's fellow ronin and (mostly) friend, Gen (a rhino). Gen has been (and continues to be) a skilled fighter, who never let's anything stand between him and his pay-off. But when the two samurai have a chance encounter with a dishonored lady bent on revenge, we finally learn how Gen came to be such a great fighter and why he's taken such a cynical view of the world. The story proves touching and tragic, and makes Gen more sympathetic in the reader's eyes. Other stories include "Kitsune", introducing a young (cat)woman who's street peformances aid her primary source of income: theft. Kitsune has appeared in subsequent volumes, sharing and amusing and frustrating relationship with Usagi. In her second story, "The Return of Kistune", Kistune inadvertently uses her fast fingers to obtain a letter incriminating the local magistrate. Naturally, the chase in on, and Usagi comes to her rescue. There is a touch of the supernatural involved in these stories as well, as Usagi encounters vengeful ghosts in his childhood, battles a cannibal demon eating samurai on the run, and helps a ghost to his final rest. This book provides a pretty good sample of your average Usgai volume. While you don't need to read them in order to appreciate them (I didn't) it does underline the bigger picture that Sakai is painting to do so. They're all back in print, so go get them.