I'm a huge fan of the Usagi Yojimbo character, who many will remember from the TMNT cartoon appearances.

Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo Embarks on New Adventure with Netflix Series ‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’

By

Mercedes Milligan

Published on July 15, 2020

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Netflix and Gaumont announce their new comedy-action CGI animated series Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, based on the globally successful 35-year-old comic book Usagi Yojimbo, from award-winning creator Stan Sakai. Gaumont optioned the big-eared hero’s adventures in 2018.
“It is a pleasure working with Gaumont and Netflix. I am involved in each step of the production and am enthusiastic with the direction we are going into,” said Sakai. “It is wonderful to expand the Usagi universe by collaborating with so many talented people. I am working with an awesome team and I’m looking forward to finally seeing an Usagi series on the screen! I thank my wonderful fans, friends and family for their support and encouragement over the last 35+ years.”
Samurai Rabbit takes place in the far future, set in a world that mixes modern high-tech images with classic Japanese references. It follows the teenage Rabbit Samurai Yuichi, descendent of the great warrior Miyamoto Usagi, on his epic quest to become a true samurai. But he isn’t alone! He leads a ragtag team of misfit heroes – including a roguish bounty hunter, a cunning ninja, an acrobatic pickpocket and a faithful pet lizard – as he battles depth-charging moles, metal-tipped winged bats, and monsters from another dimension, all in the pursuit to become the best samurai Usagi!

The series is produced in partnership with Stan Sakai, the legendary creator, writer and illustrator of the comic-book series who will serve as executive producer, along with Gaumont (executive producers Nicolas Atlan, Terry Kalagian, Sidonie Dumas and Christophe Riandee), Dark Horse Entertainment (executive producers Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg and Chris Tongue) and Atomic Monster (executive producers James Wan, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett).

Candie and Doug Langdale (Maya and the Three, The Book of Life, Puss in Boots, Niko and the Sword of Life, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness) are attached as executive producers and showrunners. Ben Jones (Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teen Titans, Iron Giant) is supervising producer, while Khang Le (Big Hero 6, Little Big Awesome) will serve as art director on the series.

Mumbai-based 88 Pictures (Trollhunters, 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, Fast & Furious Spy Racers) has been appointed as the CGI animation studio.

“All of us at Gaumont were honored when Stan trusted us to develop his iconic property into an animated series,” commented Nicolas Atlan, President, Gaumont U.S. “This is a first for Usagi Yojimbo. We are thrilled to have Netflix on board as our creative partner so we can together, with the combined artistic talent of Stan Sakai, Dark Horse Entertainment and Atomic Monster take this iconic brand to the next level.”

The acclaimed comic series has received a number of awards over the last three decades, including Parents’ Choice Award, an American Library Association Award and the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Award. Usagi Yojimbo has also been named on Empire Magazine’s Top 50 comic-book characters of all time, IGN’s Top 100 comic-book characters of all time and Rolling Stone’s Top 50 non-superhero graphic novels.

Sakai is a six-time Eisner Award winner, the recipient of multiple Haxter Awards, and won the Best Cartoonist Harvey Award in 2016.

https://www.animationmagazine.net/st...gi-chronicles/

Please, please, please, please be good and not trash.

edited to add: Oh, I should have read the description. It's like a sci-fi descendent of Usagi, like Space Usagi. Well, I still hope it's decent.

First look at the Netflix Usagi series. I wonder how many butthurt idiots are going to bitch about one of the main characters being female

I would have preferred a straight Usagi Yojimbo series to sci-fi samurai future descendant Usagi

I'll still give it a shot, but... oy.

My only complaint about this series (at least before actually seeing it) is that it's preventing the companies that have the TMNT toy licenses (NECA and Super 7, mainly) from making an Usagi toy...

My son owns and has read all the Usagi books. He loves them. I had no idea that the character was in TMNT, having never watched any version of the show. I am genuinely surprised to find that out and wonder how a separate unrelated character found its way into that universe on a kids TV show.

From what I remember, after the TMNT comic became a huge success in the early to mid '80's (pre-cartoon), there was a "black and white boom" of B&W independent comics featuring "funny animals" (that went bust only a couple years later after the market was completely saturated with mostly crappy B&W comics). Many were dumb copycats like "Adolescent Radioactive Black-Belt Hamsters" and "Pre-Teen Dirty-Gene Kung Fu Kangaroos", there were some bizarre things like "Daffy Qaddafi" (Muammar Gaddafi mixed with Daffy Duck? Why not!), unique comics like "Fish Police" (that inexplicably became a short lived network prime-time cartoon) and a few actual gems like Usagi Yojimbo. Stan Sakai and TMNT's Eastman and Laird were admirers of each others work and had crossovers fairly early on but I forget what the first one was.

I’ve read a few issues and will give the series a try. Like others, I didn’t know of the TMNT connection.

IIRC Sakai did some kind of Turtles anthology book where Leo went back in time and met Usagi and that was the first of the official crossovers. Then he was added to the cartoon and toyline (which I'm sure was a gigantic boost for the property).

I remember reading those first few TMNT issues and being introduced to Dave Sim's Cerberus too.

Now where's my Groo cartoon?

Interesting. I'll give it a shot. Sounds like Sakai is pretty involved which is good. I'm OK with 'adapting' characters especially if the creator is involved and approves/has input.
Didn't really follow TMNT at the time, though I knew about it (I think I have a second print of one of the early issues.) I've got a few issues of Usagi Yojimbo.
Lol I definitely remember the wave of Mutated Fighting Animal comics. Most sucked or were worth a brief chuckle as a parody/knockoff of TMNT.
I would absolutely watch a Groo series.
I think my favorite b/w indie comic of that era was The Trouble With Girls.
(Another good one was Trekker, whose creator, Ron Randall, has been releasing reprints and new content on Kickstarter - check out the current campaign for "Reckoning on Rigel".)
There's a bunch of Usagi Yojimbo titles/issues on Comixology and Comixology Unlimited.

Anyway, I think I'd prefer traditional animation, but I'll still check this out and hope it's good.

I wonder how much my Playmates figures would be worth had I not sold them.

I just sold all my Ninja Turtles, most of the figures and vehicles from 88-90, for about $700 for the lot.

Loose figures? Dammit!

Yes.

Uhh. Cheap CG animation. I'm out.

That was... not what I was expecting. A lot more part and parcel of today's mainstream CGI-animated kids/action movies, and maybe that's a good thing to give the Usagi Yojimbo property more exposure to a new generation.

But a part of me was still hoping for something quieter, more "tasteful" for lack of a better word.

I'm still holding out for a b&w proper USAGI YOJIMBO animated series, but I won't hold my breath.

I mean... this looks like a typical Netflix animated series.

I just noticed the Netflix "After School" branding. The tone and marketing makes sense.

I suppose. I was kind of hoping it was more hand drawn and adult. Oh well.