Book Review: Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 32 by Stan Sakai

Usagi Yojimbo Volume 32: Mysteries by Stan Sakai, with additional contributions by Julie Fujii Sakai

More adventures from the rabbit ronin!

The Hatamoto's Daughter--Usagi heads to Inspector Ishida's village and discovers a dead man and his living daughter in the forest. Bringing the girl into town, Usagi does not realize the trouble he is getting himself into. This is another compassionate, well-crafted tale that I found very satisfying.

Death by Fugu--Fugu is a famous sushi made from puffer fish that can be deadly if not prepared correctly. In this story, Inspector Ishida investigates a death caused by eating fugu. Is it an attempted assassination or an accident caused by a less than skillful chef? Usagi joins in the search for answers. I thought this was just okay.

The Body in the Library--Kitsune, the master thief, gets more than she bargained for when she robs a supposedly empty house and comes across a dead body (but, intriguingly enough, not in a library). The police break in, accusing her of murder. Inspector Ishida and Usagi are on the job. They try to clear her as the situation gets more complicated (and a body is found in a library). It's another fun outing.

Mouse Trap--Nezumi is a popular thief in town who robs from the rich and gives half to the poor, making him the darling of the people. Ishida and Usagi have a hard time chasing him down. Nezumi witnesses the murder of a local merchant who wasn't paying protection money to local mafia. The bad guys saw him and pin the blame for the murder on Nezumi, though Usagi and Ishida are certain Nezumi is no killer. As they investigate further, the crime conspiracy grows larger. The story is exciting and has a nice climax tying in the previous stories.

Chibi Usagi and the Big Bad Jei--A bit of a joke tale with the young Usagi bringing breakfast from town for his master. In the woods, Jei takes the sack full of food by force and eats it himself, which works out well for him until the day Usagi brings two sacks. I laughed, so the story worked. The chibi art was fine.

Chibi Usagi and the Goblin of Adachi Plain--Another joke tale, this time reimagining a great battle as a great marble competition, with Usagi drawn into a second fight many years later. This was less funny than the last story but still entertaining.

Recommended.