Scan barcode
justinlikescomicbooks's review
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
5.0
Stan finally figured out pacing!!! Not only is this a remarkable step up from The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy, it's straight-up one of the best comic books I've ever read.
A long, detailed prologue that sets up the stakes of the story really just exists so my man can flex—and boy does he flex! The art is detailed and immersive but the faces still bear the stripped-down cartoon style that makes this all so unique. The multi-threaded narrative, unlike Dragon Bellow, never feels contrived, and is always clearly leading to a satisfying payoff.
The characters too, are awesome; I loved that there are a handful of potential villains warring in the background as the story builds to its climax, and I especially love my man Ikeda. That sequence on the bridge with him and Noriyuki and Tomoe is probably the best thing I've read from this guy—really exciting and tense and emotional, with a really fun payoff.
In the last chunk, as some of our main characters have come together, there's a bit where three different stories are hitting action climaxes at the same time, and it's absolutely incredible. It tickles the Bone/Early One Piece itch I was hoping for, but I might even say the art here is better than either of those. Incredible stuff and kinda makes me want to read every issue of UY. I'll at least stick around for the sequel.
A long, detailed prologue that sets up the stakes of the story really just exists so my man can flex—and boy does he flex! The art is detailed and immersive but the faces still bear the stripped-down cartoon style that makes this all so unique. The multi-threaded narrative, unlike Dragon Bellow, never feels contrived, and is always clearly leading to a satisfying payoff.
The characters too, are awesome; I loved that there are a handful of potential villains warring in the background as the story builds to its climax, and I especially love my man Ikeda. That sequence on the bridge with him and Noriyuki and Tomoe is probably the best thing I've read from this guy—really exciting and tense and emotional, with a really fun payoff.
In the last chunk, as some of our main characters have come together, there's a bit where three different stories are hitting action climaxes at the same time, and it's absolutely incredible. It tickles the Bone/Early One Piece itch I was hoping for, but I might even say the art here is better than either of those. Incredible stuff and kinda makes me want to read every issue of UY. I'll at least stick around for the sequel.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
Wow that was a lot. Lots of bits. Lots of details. Lots of preludes. A complicated plot. Plots. And starting in the middle I really don't know who is only in this book and who is a character in the larger series. Compelling and confusing. The animals didn't do anything for me, but they really didn't detract either. Good enough art. Interested to hear why we read this book and not an earlier one. Or a later one. Pretty cool though.
enno's review against another edition
5.0
Masterful. Nearly all the recurring characters come together in this epic story about a legendary sword.
chemistry_goodness's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished a marathon Usagi read over the past few days. I picked up this collection and "Seasons" (#11) recently and went on a binge reading from the beginning. Collection #4, "The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy" had been my favorite. No longer!
"Grasscutter" is amazing. Sakai weaves in Japanese history in it and as a bonus, at the end of the collection he talks about what he used and tweaked from history when writing this story and then provides an extensive bibliography for anyone who is interested.
Sakai takes characters and story elements written earlier and blends them effortlessly. Extremely entertaining and it's easy to see why in 1999 he was awarded an Eisner for"Best Serialized Story".
"Grasscutter" is amazing. Sakai weaves in Japanese history in it and as a bonus, at the end of the collection he talks about what he used and tweaked from history when writing this story and then provides an extensive bibliography for anyone who is interested.
Sakai takes characters and story elements written earlier and blends them effortlessly. Extremely entertaining and it's easy to see why in 1999 he was awarded an Eisner for"Best Serialized Story".
bowienerd_82's review
5.0
Usagi started out strong and has only gotten better as time went on, and Grasscutter is my favorite volume yet. Epic in scope with all the various different threads tying together beautifully, not to mention a beautiful mix of history, mythology, and Sakai's own brand of genius. I think this one will probably be worth a few re-reads.
riduidel's review
4.0
Elle est bien cette histoire de faucheuse d'herbe, même si la fin de ce tome ne marque ni la fin des voyages de cette épée légendaire, ni la fin des rencontres entre Usagi et "le messager des dieux".
Le fond historique est qui plus est un bonus intéressant à cette histoire mêlant légendes, complots, tremblements de terre, combats épiques et vieilles rancunes enfin oubliées.
Le fond historique est qui plus est un bonus intéressant à cette histoire mêlant légendes, complots, tremblements de terre, combats épiques et vieilles rancunes enfin oubliées.
rcotter's review
3.0
Somewhat disappointed. Probably too much hype built up. Art style was interesting but simplistic and didnt' capture battles. Story lines felt somewhat disconnected (but could be due to not being familiar with characters). Writing didn't leave me with huge emotional connection or excitement. Easy to get through, kept hoping it would get better