‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’: The Netflix Action Cartoon Has its Ups and Downs

Photo: ‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’

Background

Before I tackle this show itself, I feel it necessary to give some background on it: The show is based on the comic book series ‘Usagi Yojimbo’ written and illustrated by American-Japanese artist Stan Sakai. Set in a world of anthropomorphic animals in Japan’s Edo period, the comic stars a rabbit samurai named Miyamoto Usagi. The comic’s gone on to receive quite a lot of acclaim over the years since its inception, and curiously enough, the character of Miyamoto Usagi has appeared numerous times in the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ franchise. Considering the comic’s great success, it was only natural that it would eventually receive a television adaptation. Following an announcement that Gaumont Animation optioned ‘Usagi Yojimbo’ as a TV series, it was revealed that Netflix would release the show onto their platform as an original series, under the title ‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’.

Now available to stream, ‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’ is developed by Doug and Candie Kelty Langdale, with additional development by Ben Jones. Stan Sakai himself is also involved as an executive producer. The show’s voice talents include Darren Barnet, Shelby Rabara, SungWon Cho (best known on YouTube as ProZD), and Eric Bauza. Rather than being directly based on the comic, ‘The Usagi Chronicles’ serves as a sequel; set in a semi-futuristic world, Miyamoto’s great descendant Yuichi Usagi travels to the city of Neo Edo in hopes of following in his ancestor’s footsteps as a great samurai. However, his presence somehow causes an ancient malevolent Yokai spirit to free itself from its prisoned state, and it’s up to him and a group of unlikely companions to put a stop to its plans.

Overall Thoughts

Despite not knowing much about the source material, I was relatively excited for this series, as it looked pretty fun and imaginative. However, having now seen the entire first season, my feelings on ‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’ are fairly mixed. There’s a fair bit the show does pretty well; the overall story is pretty engaging, and the characters are interesting. But at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel like the series didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I think this had to do with the show feeling like it was geared more exclusively towards kids than something that could appeal to both young and old audiences. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a show appealing specifically to one audience, especially when it comes to cartoons; I may love animated works, but I can still accept when something isn’t directly made for someone of my age. However, the source material is fairly old and (from what I know) is aimed at an older audience, and I feel this show would have benefited from a tone that could make it more accessible to fans of the original comic.

What I Liked

One thing ‘The Usagi Chronicles’ does particularly well is aesthetic. Like the original comic, the show is set in a fictionalized version of Japan, which is heavily reflected in both the look and direction. Things such as locations and clothing have a distinctly Japanese look, even down to the rural countryside that Yuichi starts out in, and I appreciate the clear thought and effort that went into the art direction. The show’s score, composed by Aiko Fukushima, also contributes greatly to the feel of the show, utilizing traditional Japanese instruments such as the shamisen, the shakuhachi, and the koto. All of these factors made the overall atmosphere of this show very welcoming; a majority of the show takes place in Neo Edo, and it’s a very neat place to explore alongside the characters. Speaking of…

As I mentioned earlier, I found myself really liking the way the characters were written in this show. There’s nothing new or groundbreaking as far as characterization or traits go, but Yuichi and his new friends are generally pretty fun protagonists. I like the way their relationship progresses over the course of the show, and how their personalities bounce off each other. Some of the side characters are pretty entertaining as well, such as a gang of moles capable of creating powerful shockwaves by snapping. Yeah, that may sound odd out of context, but in the world of this show, certain little things like that just work.

Drawbacks

One of my main issues with ‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’ actually has less to do with the story and more with the comedy. As expected from a children’s cartoon set in a world of talking animals, this show isn’t 100% serious. On the contrary, it’s got quite a bit of comedic relief throughout…but the problem is, most of it just isn’t funny. Once again, I get that this show’s primary audience is much younger than I am, but most of the humorous quips on display just sound like they have no real energy or passion behind them.

Being an action show, ‘The Usagi Chronicles’ features quite a lot of fight scenes. However, this is where another issue I had comes into play. A lot of the action in the show is paced awfully slow, which is especially apparent in the first few episodes. The movements of the characters don’t seem to have a whole lot of weight to them, and as a result, a lot of the swings and impacts feel unsatisfying. I’m not looking for ‘Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie’ levels of animated fight choreography, but it does feel a bit hard to get invested in the action when it moves so slowly.

Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here.

Limited Time Offer – FREE Subscription to The Hollywood Insider

Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – The Hollywood Insider fully focuses on substance and meaningful entertainment, against gossip and scandal, by combining entertainment, education, and philanthropy.

Recommended Audience

‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’ is a show that’s definitely meant for kids, but as a show for kids, it does what it sets out to do perfectly fine. The story’s easy to follow, the characters are likable, and the overall tone is fun and welcoming. Sure, I may not have been able to connect with it as much as I had anticipated, but there’s nothing about this show that would make me want to actively discourage people from checking it out for themselves. If you’re looking for a safe action cartoon for your kids to watch, ‘The Usagi Chronicles’ isn’t a bad choice, even if there are plenty of other kid’s action shows I’d recommend over it. The way I see it, this show could be used to introduce younger audiences to the comics they’re based on. Heck, this show is the whole reason I even know about ‘Usagi Yojimbo’ in the first place, and it looks like a potentially interesting series I may have to check out at some point, so clearly ‘The Usagi Chronicles’ did something right in that regard.

‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’ is now streaming on Netflix.

Cast & Crew:

Directed by: Derek Lee Thompson, Alfred Gimeno

Developed by: Doug Langdale, Candie Kelty Langdale, Ben Jones

Starring: Darren Barnet, Aleks Le, Shelby Rabara, Mallory Low, SungWon Cho, Eric Bauza

By Austin Oguri

Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.

I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV. media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”

More Interesting Stories From The Hollywood Insider

– Want GUARANTEED SUCCESS? Remove these ten words from your vocabulary| Transform your life INSTANTLY

– A Tribute to Martin Scorsese: A Complete Analysis of the Life and Career of the Man Who Lives and Breathes Cinema

– Do you know the hidden messages in ‘Call Me By Your Name’? Find out behind the scenes facts in the full commentary and In-depth analysis of the cinematic masterpiece

– A Tribute To The Academy Awards: All Best Actor/Actress Speeches From The Beginning Of Oscars 1929-2019 | From Rami Malek, Leonardo DiCaprio To Denzel Washington, Halle Berry & Beyond | From Olivia Colman, Meryl Streep To Bette Davis & Beyond

– In the 32nd Year Of His Career, Keanu Reeves’ Face Continues To Reign After Launching Movies Earning Over $4.3 Billion In Total – “John Wick”, “Toy Story 4”, “Matrix”, And Many More

samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit, samurai rabbit

Source link