Ogami Itto-sensei.

[Charlie Kondek]

Hello. I'm a fan of the Lone Wolf and Cub comics. I have been collecting the Dark Horse reprints of them, and I only have the first three books which contain the first 15 stories. Of course, I've seen some of the movies, too.

I wanted to get your opinion on this. Even though the writer plays havoc with period styles (Suio ryu, Itto ryu, Yagyu clan) and historical personages, I think these really are smart stories. Sometimes I find myself impressed by the philosophical ideas conveyed in them. Of course, stylitsically they are quite nice: almost always a story within a story. (Ogami is trapped - no he isn't! It was part of his plan all along and his real target is...) But regardless of historical inaccuracies, I think the writer, Kazuo Koike, imparts some philosophical martial arts wisdom. Interestingly, I learned in my reading Koike held dan ranks in kendo and kyudo.

What do you think? You ever learn anything from Ogami Itto-sensei?

http://mightyblowhole.com/lonewolf/images_gif/lwacp8.gif

[Ren Blade]

I don't read much comics. But the art work is very nice. Can I find this Lone Wolf and Cub comic series in a local comic book store?

[Ren Blade]

Thanks. :)

[Charlie Kondek]

What to look for, Ren Blade, are the reprints. Originally published in Japan, they were published in regular format in the 80s by First Comics. Dark Horse has been re-publishing them all in the form of small paperbacks, in numerical order. Any good comic shop should have them. You'll notice, btw, that the handedness of the characters is reversed; when Dark Horse flipped the comics from the Japanese to the American reading format, it did not want the art to be affected, so they left it alone. As a result, all the weapons are weilded in the left hand.

Anywho...

[kenkyusha]

Ogami Itto taught me:

Don't tick off the UraYagyu, otherwise Retsudo will be old in your general direction,
Ninja are excellent minions, you can kill them by the hundreds and they still don't take the hint to run away,
When in a tricky situation, have a gattling gun mounted on your pram (too bad my kids are too old for this),
That the English-language publishers should have had someone check those GNs before release (all of the artwork is inverted) :D

Be well,
Jigme

[Brian Stokes]

Hi All,

As posted in the seminar section the Soke of the Suio Ryu, Katsuse Yoshimitsu Kagehiro, 15th Soke of the Suio Ryu, will be in the United States, specifically Irvine, California, from MArch 22 to 26, 2004. Soke has inivited all individuals, wherever they are are their own paths, to join us.

For more info please visit www.suioryu-usa.org and go to the "MARCH INFO" tab or write to me at suioryuusa@aol.com.

Keiko!

Brian Stokes
Shinei Ni
Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo

[Jeremy Hulley]

I have them all and read them all....I was so wound up in the story that I cried at the end...I am such a GEEK:)

Brian,
Nice to see the Suio Ryu demo at the dojo opening.
Thanks,
Jeremy

[nicojo]

Lone wolf and Blade are great, so is lone wolf 2100, though not quite as good. Haven't seen the baby cart videos, are they any good?

[Charlie Kondek]

"Don't attack him in the stream! Suio ryu is born of water!"

Anywho, props, Brian. I'll post more about this later...

[Walker]

Originally posted by Jeremy Hulley
I have them all and read them all....I was so wound up in the story that I cried at the end...I am such a GEEK:)
Jeremy Oh, now I understand... :p

Bwaahaahaahaa! It was good to get to know you guys better.

[nicojo]

As a result, all the weapons are weilded in the left hand. Ah crap, you mean I learned my suioryu wrong? Looks like I'll have to turn in my faux sokeship card...Maybe I should have just found a reputable study group instead of learning from the books. (No disrepect intended to Katsuse-sensei or those who do study under his aegis; indeed I'm secretly jealous of you who have the opportunity to do so.)

Seriously though, I really do love those books and when I am in Japan this summer I will buy one or two Japanese editions to compare with the ones I have. I borrowed all of them from a friend but only have the first six or so myself. I agree with you Mr. Kondek that some of the philosophical ruminations are quite enthralling and the art is certainly fluid. Among the greatest of genre lit in other words. I could blab all day, but I'll just write an article for ninth-art or comics journal someday instead.

As for Blade, Mr. Elo already knows this, but the main character of that series is named Manji and wears a surcoat with a sauvastika on it...some ways resembling the one the Shorinji people use. Each issue and trade paperback contains a disclaimer disavowing any nazi connections and explains only that the creator Hiroaki Samura wanted the cut-and-past format, though it may be partly because of the manji.

As far as samurai genre stuff, there's none better that I know of. I love them too.

Mr. Kondek would you suggest the video series? I'm making my way through Zatoichi, but I may get them after.

[sunny]

alas i have not read the lone wolf and cub series, i have always meant to....saving my money for a shinken though.
but...i am a big fan of usagi yojimbo, the rabbit ronin. i know, i know, sounds kind of childish, but i swear once you read a few stories you are hooked. stan sakai is a master storyteller. certainly worth the time in my opinion.
sorry for posting something so frivilous.....but check it out if you like comics.
best regards,
sunny prosser

[Charlie Kondek]

Naw, I love Usagi Yojimbo.

By the way, call me Charlie! Of the "Baby Cart movies" I have only seen the first two or three. They are great fun but very gory - the slightest touch of a blade and - PFFFFT!! Fountains of blood. Really, you can see where Kill Bill was influenced by this. Anyway, I enjoy them very much.

Funny, I didn't really like Blade of the Immortal. Good art, but the story just didn't grab me.

But as for Lone Wolf and Cub...

As I said, the Koike stories are always stories wherein the ending is uncertain. Ogami gets in a situation and the real questions are always: Who is he here to kill? Sometimes it's not obvious! Or, How will he get out of this one? And there are always references to philosophy, though Koike plays fast and loose with history and technique.

I think the biggest lesson of Ogami Itto is: always have a plan C. It's not enough to have a course of action A with a plan B in case that fails but a plan C! Like I recently read one story in the third book, "Close Quarters," where Ogami is hired to take out some rebels in a remote clan. When asked how he will do it he says something like, "Enter the tiger's lair to get the tiger's cub." Then, at the end, when the person who hired him betrays him after he has successfully completed the mission, Ogami plays an ace he had hidden. "I told you, enter the lair to get the club." In other words: enter the narrow path of danger bravely and thoughtfully and you will come out the other side.

He also comments quite a bit from Koike's perspective on the different strata of the Japanese life at that time. I know, I know, it may not be the most dignified work on the subject, but I like how Ogami Itto is always telling his son, Daigoro, "That's for them, but it's not for us. We walk a different path." Gives you something to chew on.

BTW, anybody read Crying Freeman, by the same author? Were they any good?

[Chidokan]

I could really use a version of that babycart as a supermarket trolley when I go food shopping and its busy...:D
Charlie ...how can you possibly NOT have ALL the babycart films???? Heathen! thats like not having any Zatoichi videos!:eek:

[Charlie Kondek]

I know, I know! But I got married a few years ago and have to share the VCR with my wife. So sometimes it's like Ogami Itoo vs. Jane Austen in my house...

[Chidokan]

question is...would he have a cut capable of going through that corset before she bores him to death.....:D

[nicojo]

You guys might find this thread intersting to post to:anime, manga (http://www.e-budo.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&postid=290700#post290700)

I have posted too much on it so I am telling others to join it.

[Okashira]

Originally posted by nicojo

Mr. Kondek would you suggest the video series? I'm making my way through Zatoichi, but I may get them after.

They are really amazing.
Almost as amazing as the comics themselves.

Be sure to catch them:rolleyes:

[John Connolly]

...and so few of you have seen the Lone Wolf & Cub movie series. Turn in your sword nerd cards!

Seriously, these are great. They have awesome psychedellic funk music going and excellent fight scenes. The whole series is comic-bookish in its ultra-violence and super evil bad guy vs super evil good guy thang.

And if you've seen enough Japanese samurai movies of that era that you won't mind (or won't mind fast forwarding thru) some weird sexual violence stuff, the Razor movie series is also BAD-ARSE!!!! More funk, more ultra macho samurai types, tons of blood fountain neckstumps.

[seskoad]

for lone and cub, how many complete series are they?

[Okashira]

There are 3 series, 26 episodes in each.

[seskoad]

I saw www.darkhorse.com, they only sell 1-28 series. Are they complete or not? seems to me the first print edition that u talked about.

thanks

[Okashira]

Originally posted by seskoad
I saw www.darkhorse.com, they only sell 1-28 series. Are they complete or not? seems to me the first print edition that u talked about.

thanks

This is the complete series reprinted by Darkhorse.