Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles is a new action cartoon aimed at kids that is loosely based on the Usagi Yojimbo comics (a comic I was not aware of as a kid, as I knew the Usagi Yojimbo mostly for his appearances in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cartoons and toyline).
Set in the near future, the show focuses on the decendant of Usagi Miyamoto, Usagi Yuichi, who arrives at the city of Neo Edo to become a samurai warrior. However, due to being reckless and acting before he thinks, he gets into a lot of trouble, especially with Gen, a rhino who is a bounty hunter, and Kitsune, a fox who is thief stealing by doing puppet shows. However, the three get along when Yuichi is shown to have a reaction to the Ki-Stone, and with one touch, he accidentally releases yokai back into the world, and with it, Kagehito, who plot to pave the way for the Old Ones. Now, Usagi, Gen, and Kitsune form a team alongside Chizu, a female cat who was caretaker of the Ki Stone's shrine, but is also a kunoichi, to fight the Yokai while helping to clear Miyamoto Usagi's name, as Lord Kogane has branded them criminals, but have hired them to fight the yokai for him as a way to keep them out of jail for the time being, unknowing that Lord Fuwa, the leader of the Neko Ninja Clan, has plans to take the Ki-Stone hold Neo Edo at its mercy.
I actually like this show, as it reminds me a lot of how the 2012 TMNT cartoon was done. While the show is done in CGI, flashbacks and stories about Miyamoto Usagi are done in tradional drawings (even going as far as to use the comics sometimes). Also, other than Lord Fuwa and Lord Kogane, there are other villains like Chikabuma, a primate who leads a gang called the Mogura, and the Bat Squadron, a gang of bats wearing fighter pilot uniforms led by Admiral Nochi. Each character has a unique personality that is matched by his or her VA. Also, for a kids' cartoon with the TV-Y7 rating, at least it manages to treat death right without being too graphic (with death being shown as a word bubble with a skull in it).
Also, the series has character development, as Usagi starts off as an impatient, reckless troublemaker, but throughout the ten episodes that make up the first season (hopefully, this series continues), he grows up to be wiser and more caring, although he still has his carefree attitude. Also, the episodes build upon each other to build an amazing story. If I have any gripes about it, it's that they could do a lot more with character development (especially explore more of the characters' lives, not just Usagi's and Chizu's). However, it's still a good cartoon, and is a good kids' cartoon that anyone of any age will enjoy, as its goody storytelling, amazing voice cast, and good combination of humor and action makes it a solid hit in my book.
