About No Need for Bushido

No Need for Bushido is an action/comedy/drama comic that takes place in Feudal Japan. It follows the adventures off an odd-ball cast as they try to save the country... or at least avoid the oncoming rush of ninja, samurai, fighting monks, anachronisms and sound effects. With an eclectic mix of influences including anime, American comic books, action/adventure movies, cartoons, old kung fu movies, and way too many videogames, NNFB has a fast-paced, colorful, and cinematic presentation. NNFB updates every Monday.

FAQ

Who makes NNFB?

The comic is drawn by Alex Kolesar and written by Joseph Kovell.

Where's the comic?

You probably found this section on our main page. At the top of the page click on the button that says "newest page" and you'll be at the last page uploaded.

What's No Need for Bushido about?

NNFB is an action-comedy-drama that takes place in war-torn Feudal Japan. The story jumps between many different characters, but focuses on a small group of travelers who get caught up in the ensuing war. This group includes a runaway princess avoiding an arranged marriage, a foolish samurai, a blind taoist priest, and a hotheaded drunk with an excessively large sword.

Where should I start?

NNFB is a story-based comic. The newest page will make absolutely no sense without reading what comes before it. So, it's best to start at our humble beginnings on page 1 and read on from there. You can get a basic plot summary and character descriptions by reading our Wikipedia page, or you can check out the comic timeline. These aren't very good substitutes for the comic itself, though.

What happened to the art/writing?

It got better. NNFB was our first comic endevor, so we've been learning the basics since page 1.

Is this anime/manga?

NNFB shares a lot of similarities with both anime as well as American comic books - so it's a little of both. You don't need to read anime to "get" NNFB.

When are new pages added?

NNFB updates one page every Monday. We update additional content (art, news posts, etc.) throughout the week.

Is that it?

Nope. In addition to the comic itself, there are quite a few other features on the site. At times, we will take old pages and completely rewrite them into one-off strips. These "Remixes” usually parody the comic, so you probably will want to read the main archive first.

We also have a subcomics section that contains two mini flash movies, a blog hosted by one of the comic's characters, bonus pages, a sketchbook and various filler comics from years ago.

If you want to talk about No Need for Bushido or random goings-on, please join us in the forum or in the tagboard.

ENJOY!

About Alex

Alex graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design with a Major in Illustration. Alex cowrites, draws, inks and colors No Need for Bushido.

About Joseph

Joseph graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design with a Major in Industrial Design. Joe writes No Need for Bushido, manages the website, and produces various additional extra material - minicomics, animations, rewritten dialog, etc.

Key words: Anime, samurai, comics, books, TV, movies, video games, entertainment, Webcomic

News

Holy craps, drawing ken smiling is incredibly difficult. I just can't imagine him with just a casual smile on his face, so any time I draw him smiling (which is admittedly rare), he often looks incredibly evil. Well, I guess that's to be expected from a guy who decks random people and steals their wallets. For anyone who really wants to know, here's the full review that Joe wrote. Strangely, the part Ken is quoting isn't present! I guess there was yet more to it that we can't see:

Ennosuke Nakamura has shocked Kyoto with his most recent production of "Eternal Longing Endless Sorrow." The oft told classic has been infused with new life thanks to Mr. Nakamura's unique focus on the deeper psychological aspects of the story, frequently ignored by directors and unnoticed by all but the most thoughtful viewer. This excellent direction was coupled with an equally brilliant performance by the cast. The seductive role of Mina Daisuke was particularly true to life, unlike most onagata who fail to capture the female mind set. Also impressive was the part of Lord Daisuke, who displayed the full gamut of emotions; from anger, to fury, and back. These up and coming actors show a great deal of promise and leave this critic hopeful for the advancement of the art form as a whole.

On a totally unrelated note, I really enjoyed Sweeney Todd. I spent the majority of the film geeking out over the visuals. The costumes and set pieces were creepy and coo. I also admit that I love musicals, as cheesey as they tend to be. How does one act seriously while bursting into song? Any fan of musicals probably doesn't even register the awkwardness of the act, but any non-fan is probably all too aware of it. Still, I would suggest this movie even if one dislikes film based musicals. Johnny Depp is such a psychotic badass as Todd, he's hard not to like. I wish I could compare the film to the original musical, but, unfortunately, I've never seen the original. An error I now intend to correct! At some point.

Transcription

Ken: Gimme that!

Newspaper: Ennosuke Nakamura has shocked Kyoto with his most recent production of "Eternal Longing Endless Sorrow." The oft told classic has been infused with new life thanks to Mr. Nakamura's unique focus on the deeper psychological aspects of the story, frequently ignored by directors and unnoticed by all but the most thoughtful viewer. This excellent direction was coupled with an equally brilliant performance by the cast. The seductive role of Mina Daisuke was particularly true to life, unlike most onagata who fail to capture the female mind set. Also impressive was the part of Lord Daisuke, who displayed the full gamut of emotions; from anger, to fury, and back. These up and coming actors show a great deal of promise and leave this critic hopeful for the advancement of the art form as a whole.
Ken: "This play is truly the most revolutionary production seen in Kyoto since 'Leaf Blowing on the Tempest of my Heart."'

"If Ennosuke Nakamura can maintain this level of creative output, I have no doubt he will be long remembered as the greatest kabuki director of our generation, if not of all time!"

Ennosuke: You see? You have to come back and act for me! You'll all be famous and rich! I even had portraits made up for you. Fans love these things!

Yori: Wow, that one's totally hot!
Ina: That's you, stupd.

Yori: Oh.