“Autumn Leaves”. An excellent one-shot story, though it takes a few too many cues from the Ninja Scroll film.
Jubei happens across a woman working with the Tokugawa samurai. They are trying to deliver a mysterious box to the Hoji Mountain temple when they are attakced by ninja. Jubei saves the woman, only to learn that she is dying of a mysterious ailment, and agrees to help her complete her final mission.
The woman, Kaede, bears a few too many similarities with Kagero, the kunoichi from the Ninja Scroll film. Still, what saves this story is Kelley Puckett’s perfect portrayal of Jubei. Jubei’s just as witty as ever and gets in a surprising number of memorable lines for just 22 pages. At least one good monstrous villain shows up at the end, though he is vanquished a bit too quickly.ÂÂ
A really fun one-shot story, though I’d like to see a story arc, soon.