Advance Review – Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai OGN

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai is an Original Graphic Novel written and illustrated by Usagi Yojimbo creator Stan Sakai. 2009 Marks the 25th year of publication for Stan Sakai’s rabbit ronin, Usagi Yojimbo, and to mark this occasion Sakai decided to create a special standalone OGN.

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai is a 64-page hardcover book, and is also remarkable for the fact that it is the first full-colour Usagi tale, with beautifully watercolors by Sakai himself.

As this book is a completely standalone tale from the main ongoing Usagi Yojimbo series, it serves as a perfect jumping on point for new readers of the series

For those completely unfamiliar with Usagi Yojimbo, the comic is set primarily at the beginning of the Edo period of Japan (early 17th century), with anthropomorphic animals replacing humans. The series’ protagonist is a rabbit ronin (a samurai with no lord or master), Miyamoto Usagi, who is partially based on the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. Usagi wanders the land on a musha shugyo (warrior’s pilgrimage) occasionally selling his services as a bodyguard.

The ‘Yokai’ part of the book’s title refers to a class of preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore, such as the evil Oni (ogre), the mischievous Kitsune (fox), the Obakeneko (demon cats), or the Yuki-onna (snow woman.)

This adventure finds Usagi wandering the Japanese countryside when he runs afoul of a Yokai known as a Kitsune, or fox spirit. This mischievous spirit draws Usagi deep into the forest, where it disappears, leaving him lost and far from the main road. Shortly, Usagi encounters a woman sitting alone and crying in the forest. It seems the woman and and her daughter were on a temple pilgrimage, when a Kitsune lured them deep into the woods and ran away with her daughter. Feeling utterly helpless, the woman begs Usagi to help her retrieve her daughter from the clutches of the Yokai. Hesitantly, Usagi agrees to help and ventures deeper into the woods…

In the woods Usagi encounters all manner of Yokai, in including the bizarre Sansho, being a one-eyed head on a foot; a Nurikabe, or wall monster; and the vicious Nue, which has the head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger, and a snake as a tail.

Fortunately, Usagi bumps into Sasuke the Demon Queller, who is able to aid him in his quest. Unfortunately, Sasuke is also the bearer of bad tidings, as he reveals that the Yokai are gathering and plan to subjugate the world of people. They mean to summon the Witch Queen, harbinger of the end of the world, and in order to do so they must sacrifice a living soul.

Usagi now finds himself battling not only for the life of a lost little girl, but perhaps the fate of the entire word!

I have been reading Usagi Yojimbo for a number of years now, heck, probably for about 15 years! And I can say, without fear of hyperbole, that this is best Usagi tale I’ve ever read!

Sakai has created a truly enchanting tale in Yokai, which captivates the reader’s imagination from the first speech bubble to the last sublime panel. I consumed this whole tale in just one sitting, as I just could not put the book down. That’s not to say that the book isn’t value for money, as the artwork on this book is so beautiful, so charming that it’s a book that you can keep coming back to again and again, if only to appreciate what an amazing piece of art it is! Sakai’s artwork on this book is some of the best of his entire career, and his watercolor painting elevates the art to a whole new level of excellence; if you’re familiar with Sakai’s artwork, you’ll know that is really saying something!

The use of Japanese folk-law bring a new angle to Usagi’s adventures that I would love to see revisited at sometime in the future. Perhaps we’ll see a spin-off series featuring Sasuke the Demon Quencher at some point… fingers crossed!

What is also special about Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai is the presentation of the book. The story is presented in a 6″ x 9″ hardcover book, with a sewn binding, and a stunning embossed cover. It’s the perfect packaging for such an extraordinary tale.

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai is a positively wonderful tale that is perfect for readers both old and new. The content of the story is all-ages appropriate, and I would not hesitate to hand this book to a child; also, it goes without saying that the book is perfect for adults too, particularly those interested in folk-law tales!

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai is released on Wednesday, November 18th 2009, and should be available from all good comic stores and book sellers. Make sure you rush out and buy a copy as soon as you can, your collection needs this unmissable book!

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