The art of making tatami
Usagi’s latest tome consists of three closely related stories. The protagonist returns to his home province. Obviously this is a risky move as Usagi has remained faithful to her master and still wears a robe bearing his coat of arms. This, unfortunately, leads to minor skirmishes with representatives of the opposition party. The first story, Tatami , introduces the complicated process of making the title mats. Interestingly, they are so important that their transport from one city to another is escorted by a large group of samurai. In Mon ‘s story , the cause of the tragedy is the coat of arms worn by Usagi and the greed of one of the heroes. However, undoubtedly the most important story, and at the same time the longest one, is the title Homecoming! The protagonist returns in a rather unconventional way to his home village. And he will have to decide whether to choose the path of revenge or save his loved ones.
Conflict of Interest
There are tons of interesting characters in every story created by Stan Sakai. Usagi’s relationship with Kenichi draws special attention in this volume. They both grew up in the same village and both fell in love with the same woman. For this and many other reasons, their meeting is not the most pleasant one, but in the face of danger, they must learn to cooperate again. I also liked the flashbacks with young Usagi and Kenichie. Thanks to them, the protagonists’ relationship gains depth, and you can see the emerging jealousy and the need for competition. On the other hand, they are also close friends and together they can face adversities despite their young age.
Mon which means beautiful Japanese coats of arms / emblems
Stan Sakai is an extremely gifted cartoonist. He always takes care of every detail, and each frame is a small work of art. In order not to write the same thing again, I will mention a short scene for each review. The ninja clan leader Neko is taken here by Hebi, Mr. Hijaki’s right-hand man. Kagemaru’s facial expressions are perfectly shown when he sips a delicious sake with an unusual taste. From surprise in the first frame to horror in the last one, as he realizes Hebi has a subtle warning of what fate awaits him if he fails (the sake contained a surprising surprise). The release keeps a high level as always. I also appreciate that an afterword was added in which readers were introduced to both Japanese coats of arms and the importance of tatami in the lives of Japanese people.
Is it worth reaching for Usagi again?
When I reach for Stan Sakai’s comics, I certainly won’t be disappointed. For me, this author is a guarantee of quality and so is the next part of Usagi’s adventures. Sure, you can feel a kind of redundancy at times, but the stories are simply engaging anyway. In addition, Stan has a lot of interesting ideas; here at least shows how tatami is made . I like that, apart from a great story, I get a handful of curiosities. Importantly, however, there are plenty of moving scenes here, but that’s what you can expect when Usagi returns to her hometown. As always, I had fun with Usagi Yojimbo brilliant, I still haven’t got bored with the adventures of long-eared Ronin, what’s more – I want more. I encourage you to read this volume specifically, but at the same time for any other. After all, all of Stan Sakai’s stories are outstanding!
