by lhb412 » Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:21 pm
Bought the latest DVD set of the TMNT '12 show and finally, finally watched the Usagi Yojimbo three-parter. Design was awesome, really succeeded in bringing Usagi and Jei into the world of CGI animation. They studied Kurosawa and other samurai movies to borrow distinct visual motifs and outright homage. Stan Sakai wrote the first episode, so he was able to establish the right tone up front and the addition of Stan's artwork to Usagi's origin flashback as well as the awesome final battle with Jei (with skull balloon!) are highlights.
... it wasn't perfect, though. Usagi comes across as a bit too serious, a bit to much of a tough guy. Usagi is tough, of course, but this is a harsh world full of folks acting tough and it's a point that Usagi doesn't give off that vibe. Frequently people underestimate or ignore him for this reason. Usagi is formal but friendly, defined by his empathetic nature. Partially the problem is that Usagi's tasked to take care of this bratty child, so Usagi's is constantly slightly irritated in this story.
Another problem, and this is something that is probably my biggest problem with the TMNT '12 show: the environment is usually quite empty. There are never a lot of people around, which I assume is a cost cutting measure so they don't have to design and animate a bunch of 'extras.' Usagi's world is full of folks doing their usual 17th century Japanese routine, and our observation of them and Usagi's interactions with them is a large part of what gives the series it's distinct color.
Oh, and one more thing: all the voice actors for Usagi's world seemed to be either Japanese or Japanese American and that just added so much authenticity. In previous TMNT cartoons Usagi was always a white guy doing a fake accent.