My only exposure to tge character of Miyamoto Usagi is from his crossover appearances with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the 2003 series. I always wondered if this character would get his own show or movie given his cult status. With Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, we were given just that...NOT! In a blatant bait and switch, not only is this show not about Miyamoto Usagi, it's also not even a decently made show by itself! From the abysmal writing to the unengaging action scenes, this is a rare case in I, as a non-fan of the source material, am utterly furious with how the show does it a disservice!
Developed by Candie and Doug Langdale (who created the FAR superior Weekenders and Dave The Barbarian), the show is very, very, VERY loosely based on the Usagi Yojimbo comics by Stan Sakai. This show focuses on Miyamoto Usagi's descendant, Yuichi, as he fights yokai with the help of his friends. Before the word go is even spoken we already have our first problem: this is NOT about Miyamoto Usagi! This wouldn't be so bad if this was a continuation of an Usagi Yojimbo series. However, this is the very first standalone adaptation of the comics since their inception back in the 80s. Ergo, this should've been a reintroduction for the character and his world for a new generation. What we get instead is a terribly made action cartoon that views it's audience as infantile! The writing is mind-numbingly abysmal with long stretches of the runtime dedicated to exposition dumps, uninteresting world building and unfunny jokes. Nothing is left up to the imagination as characters just chatter on like macaques at a monkey convention! There are also superfluous flashback and daydream sequences that slow the pacing to a crawl. The way this world functions is handled very poorly with character constantly telling Yuichi what not to do in the city and episodes contradicting established lore in the very next episode. I.e. Yokai were imprisoned because they were wreaking havoc, then in the very next episode it's revealed that not all yokai are evil. WHICH THE FLOP IS IT?! Lastly, the humor is just painfully unfunny, to the point where it would even make Michaelangelo cringe. The jokes consists of lame puns, eye roll worthy quips, dull slapstick, and obvious subversions. I'm well aware I sound like a broken record, but it bares repeating: it's SHOW, DON'T TELL! You shouldn't have your character chatter on and on about how the world works when you have the opportunity to show it, especially in animation!
The characters are nothing short of hatable and annoying chatterboxes that have never even heard of the saying, "Speak little, do much." Starting with our leading motor mouth, Yuichi is an arrogant, selfish, reckless, and stupid rabbit that never stops to think or reason before going in blades a swinging. If he really wanted to be a samurai like his ancestor, Miyamoto, he would learnt patience and humility are a warrior's greatest weapons, not his stinking sword! Also he has a tiny dinosaur named Spot, who has the personality of a dog but is undercut by the fact that he's a shrunken dinosaur. Gen is a cautious and anxious rhino who butts heads with Yuichi. Kitsune is a greedy theif who always takes stuff and never learns that that's not a good thing. Chizu is a double agent ninja who betrays her friends but eventually redeems herself. Per Imdb's rules, I have to say that's a spoiler, but trust me, even an eyeless shrimp would see it coming a mile away. Tetsujin is the cooky keeper of the stone who's just there to fill up space, Chikabuma is an annoying dork, and Kagehito is just a monster with a raspy voice. Then there's Lord Kogane, the shogun of Neo Edo. He's easily one of the worst portrayals of an elected official I've ever seen. He's such an incompetent, arrogant, self-centered, narcissistic, pin head that cares only about himself and his ego. I don't know what it is about showrunners and making elected officials be incompetent egomaniacs, but I for one am sick and tired of seeing it in cartoons!
The voice acting is honestly really bland, like everyone's just phoning it in and just reading what's on the script without becoming their assigned character. Darren Barnet didn't sound as enthusiastic or authentic as Yuichi as I would've liked. Aleks Le didn't sound very memorable as Gen, nor did Mallory
Low as Chizu. Shelby Rabara just didn't fit as Kitsune as all I heard was Peridot's voice as opposed to an actual character. Keone Young was fine, I guess? I mean, he would've been better if he had better material for Tetsujin, but it's still nice hearing his voice. SungWoo Hoo, aka ProZD on YouTube is fine, though the voice he chose for Kogane got really grating the more he talked. The only actor that I think does a decent job with the material he's given is Eric Bauza as he gives Kagehito and Chikabuma distinct but memorable voices. Still, it really isn't a good sign when only 1 actor out of the cast is doing a good job.
Visually, the animation is really stiff, which is quite common for 3D animated shows with a limited budget. Netflix collabed with Atomic Monster, Dark Horse and Gaumount Animation to bring the show to life and the result is a bit of a mix bag. On one hand, the characters are well designed with them all being anthropomorphic animals in attire that's a mix of old and modern Japanese traditions. I also like the design of the flashbacks and dream sequence and how they look like old Japanese paintings. The yokai also have unique designs and their spirt ball forms look really good. Neo Edo also looks like a lived in Japanese city with old and modern aesthetics. All that said, though, the actual character animation is really stiff with characters lacking clear mass and their movements are rather clunkly. This is especially evident in the actions scenes, which have no fluidity to them, generic cinematography and nonexistent stakes. Design-wise, it looks good, but in actual animation, it's no better than most other badly made 3D cartoons.
This show is nothing but a big old pile of DISHONOR! Dishonor on the writing, dishonor on the characters, dishonor on the acting, dishonor on the animation, and worst of all, dishonor on the comic it's based on! If you're a fan of the original Usagi Yojimbo comics, you have my deepest sympathies if you were disgusted by this show. It most certainly deserves the worst fate to be bestowed on a cartoon: to be ignored and forgotten! Do NOT watch Samurai Rabbit! Don't even bother looking at the preview! If you really want your cartoon samurai fix, 1 episode of Samurai Jack alone blows this entire show out of the water! -.-
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