Usagi Yojimbo (1987), Volume 19

January 7, 2010
Sakai's anthropomorphic series (the title translates to "rabbit bodyguard") has been chugging along via various publishers and iterations and centers on a masterless samurai (ronin) who wanders from place to place in 17th-century Japan. In this volume (comprising Dark Horse issues 69-75), Usagi is joined in his adventures by his nephew (actually his son), and the two save a father/son goat team, help a fellow ronin father-son team who are down on their luck, and save each other when they stumble into a big fight. All the stories illustrate the characters' strict adherence to ethics and show the power of self-control and that such control is key to success. The characters' expressive faces and eyes communicate much, and therein lies the artwork's power-it cleanly and clearly demonstrates action and strength. Readers of all stripes will find the series accessible and yet wonder how much an actual rabbit bodyguard would have improved the Whitney Houston-Kevin Costner dynamic.-Douglas Lord, Connecticut State Lib., Middletown

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2005
Gr. 8-11. This is book 19 of the graphic novel series featuring ronin Usagi Yojimbo--a rabbit with ears tightly knotted who roams an inventive medieval Japan populated with bears, lions, and other creatures. In this episode, both Usagi and his "nephew," Jotaro, know they are father and son, but each believes the other is ignorant of the fact and cannot bring himself to speak the truth. Together, they stop gangsters who would do further harm to a wounded goat (who has been traveling the countryside with his own kid); do battle with a deadly fan-wielding villainess; and fend off several groups of ne'er-do-wells in both forest and village. Sakai, known for his solid narratives and energetic art, doesn't disappoint here; characters are expressive, and there's a nice mix of fast action and sentimentality. The idea of the familial secret will extend the appeal of this book beyond series fans to new readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)