Book Review: Usagi Yojimbo Book 8 by Stan Sakai

Usagi Yojimbo Book 8: Shades of Death by Stan Sakai

Another bunch of stories about the rabbit ronin, Usagi Yojimbo:

Shades of Green--Usagi and his friend Gen the rhino wind up in a village surrounded by the Neko Clan (ninja warriors) who want the most valuable thing in the village--a rat with unusual powers. The rat convinces Usagi and Gen to help. The rat is also convinced that they need more help, so he had the two ronin collect some turtles from a nearby pond. The rat performs an incantation and the turtles transform into the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles. Usagi has already had some adventures with them, so they don't wind up fighting first (as often happens when Marvel superheroes first meet). They band together to help the rat escape from the clan. The story is a good blend of action and fun. Usually I'm pretty leery of crossovers between disparate characters, but the Ninja Turtles are a good fit for Usagi's world.

Jizo--Jizo is the guardian of dead children. A distraught mother leaves a small idol to Jizo on the road where her son was murdered by five local outlaws. She leaves a small stone as an offering because the souls of dead children have to pile stones in a riverbed in the afterlife. Lots of passers-by continue throughout the day. Usagi passes by in the night and is attacked by the outlaws. He does his thing, inadvertently avenging the dead son. The next day, the mother comes back to discover the expression on the idol changed! The story is sweet and unfussy and really touching.

Shi--The word "Shi" has a double meaning. It means both "four" and "death," so a gang of four assassins are aptly named "Shi." This gang is hired to take out Usagi after he helps a vegetable merchant drive off some bullies. The bullies work for the local magistrate. The merchant's farm is in a valley full of gold nuggets though the farmers are unaware of the rocky soil's actual value. The bullies were supposed to get rid of all the farmers. Now the farmers have Usagi helping them, requiring the assassins. The magistrate's brother hired the gang of four, though he has more on his mind than eliminating Usagi. The story follows a familiar path but is well told and could easily be from some classic Akira Kurosawa samurai film.

The Lizard's Tale--During his wandering, Usagi is befriended by a pack of lizards. They follow him around, which is a bit annoying, especially when other travelers laugh or innkeepers frown. They prove their worth as the story goes on. The lack of dialog makes the plot go quickly and shows Sakai's storytelling prowess.

Usagi's Garden--The child Usagi is assigned by his master to grow a garden. Usagi thinks anyone can do that and does not see any point...until he can't get anything to grow and becomes desperate since sensei said he would kick Usagi out if he failed. It's an interesting, short tale.

Autumn--Young Usagi complains about the unending summer as he carries water from a spring. He tumbles down a ledge and wakes up in a witch's cage. The witch plans to eat him and her other "guest." Usagi escapes and frees the other prisoner, who turns out to be Aki-Onna, the spirit of Autumn. She goes berserk and Usagi is knocked out again. He wakes up when his master finds him laying at the bottom of the hill with the water pail. And the Autumn leaves have started to fall! This is another charming short story.

Battlefield--Young Usagi trains as he and his master hear a battle going on in the distance. Usagi longs for the glory of combat. He wants to go see but his master demurs. A lone soldier shows up but even his tale of woe doesn't quite change Usagi's mind. So the master and the disciple travel to the battlefield to see the dead (all the wounded have already been carried away). Usagi steals a fine sword from one of the corpses without his master knowning. That act literally turns into a nightmare as Usagi is haunted by the dead soldier (or is it Usagi's imagination?). Returning the sword is even more perilous since new soldiers have arrived and are executing scavengers! The story makes a nice cautionary tale without being blatant.

This is another great set of stories and well worth reading.

Highly recommended.