To Mata-sensei, with a humble bow:

In SL part 4, (which is one of the best ones) Lapin taught Ozaki not to expect anything, and she'd be able to respond to the world like the swallow (in a nutshell). Then they went and saw the first snowflake fall on his sword. Does the snowflake have anything to do with his lesson on expectation? Call me ignorant, but I don't understand it. I'm sure there's a connection, but I don't know what it is. Please tell me, anyone (preferably Mata): What is the connection between that lesson and the snowflake?

Essentially the meaning is that you need to become a responsive part of the world, to act with 'no mind'. I've heard that term used a few times, but it strikes me that it's probably a slightly unweildly translation of a Japanese term that we don't have a word for. What it means is that by living in the moment you can react to the world with a precision and certainty that you cannot gain by contemplation alone. By emptying yourself of thoughts you become responsive in to situations in the way that a swallow in flight responds naturally and instantly to the demands of its environment.

As with most things in martial arts, and life in general, the part of the individual is to train their instincts so that they do not need to contemplate, only to act. Without training your instincts are likely to be at fault, so you must focus on learning good principles, but the ultimate goal is to live those principles. A good warrior then does not begin or end a fight, only goes through the movements that are a continuing reflection of the world around them, if that requires attacks then those happen, if that requires peaceful stillness then that happens.

Lapin IV shows him between moments of action and in tune with the environment. He has found balance so that he knows how to act in response to the world around him. Without conscious effort he knows that the sword will land in the right place to catch the snowflake. That, it can be argued, was the easy part. Knowing that Ozaki would get curious at just that point after three days was the real skill. Anyone can tune into nature given enough time, but knowing your environment so accurately that you can predict the behaviour of other people in advance to that degree is truly to act with no mind, only the certainty of your actions.

The way of the samurai and Taoism are supposedly oppositional: samurais despise the idea that thoughtful contemplation is the best way to achieve results, and instead propose a solution through instinctive action in the belief that their intuition will guide them accurately. Taoists are given a harsh reputation by this reading; they also teach themselves to value action, but also to be aware that inaction can also be productive. Was Lapin's aim of those three nights to catch the first snowflake on the hilt of his sword, or was it to wait until Ozaki was ready to learn a lesson?

Lapin is, in this respect, not following the true way of the samurai, because he works on Taoist principles as much as those of the samurai masters, but my reading of the samurai texts is a little unconventional and this is my work and so I can make my samurai think any way that I want! As with all characters, Lapin is an extension of an aspect of my view on the world, and I'm just not as gung ho as the old samurai!

*nods with understanding*
That makes a lot of sense. I think it's good to find a balance between stillness and movment. It sounds like a true canon samurai is all movement, complete with the whole decapitation of enemies thing. LOL. But I like Lapin's way of thinking...or, rather, the way you make him think. If I were to be a warrior in any respect, I would like very much to have that kind of balance.

Thank you!
*bow*

Another thing:
When you put it that way, Ozaki strikes me as a somewhat quick learner. When Lapin threw his katana and it flew past her face, she wasn't expecting it; but she was able to move away from it, too. It appears to me that she has learned the lesson well. Either that, or it was just common sense. I dunno...It was cool, though!

I think Ozaki has really good reflexes, but Lapin could (and did in #2) kick her butt if he decided it would teack her something. I loved the effect with the snowflake landing so delicately and softly on the hilt of the katana, and then the contrast of the katana flying forward to hit the gray ninja bunnies.
*begins barrage of Lapin questions that I woke up pondering at some ungodly hour last night*
Do the gray ninja bunnies have some sort of formal name? If so, what is it? For that matter, does Lapin's master have a name? If so, do tell so I have name besides Moron-Who-is-Too-Dumb-To-Notice-Dead-Rabbits-All-Over-His-Bed. If he's not going to know of the night's battle in the first one, then either Lapin whipped out the fabric cleaner and some body bags or the master is dumber than most bricks. What the heck is Lapin's relationship with this master? Is it stuffed-animal to owner, distant overlord to peon, or friend to friend? Where did Lapin and Ozaki get rabbit-sized katanas? Who was Lapin's samurai teacher? What happened to all the other samurai rabbits if Lapin and Ozaki are the last?

Feel free to not tell me now and then answer them in future animations....*looks innocent*

At least one of those questions will be answered in a future animation when I've finally decided on the details to that particular episode.

Initially, the dead bodies all over the bed was a bit of a joke: here's Lapin protecting his master, not noticing that the blood everywhere in the morning might be a bit traumatic. I still find the idea quite tickling, but it's not really the focus of the animations.

I think it's funny the way Lapin's always slicing through the ninja bunnies (especially that one that was kicking!!! That was sooo funny!) though I never gave that much thought to his "Lord," so to speak. I wonder that, too. Hmm...

Those are good questions, Astrael. I never thought of those before, particularly Lapin's lord and his samurai sensei. Maybe Mata-sensei will make more episodes that answer those questions! *nudge, nudge*

I'll get there in the end... But as always, don't hold your breath for new Lapin episodes. They will arrive when they're ready, I just take a great deal of care over them.

I know, and I really appreciate the time and effort that you clearly put into tem It's just that I tend to throw myself a little party every time a new one comes out and watch them obsessively at random intervals to cheer myself up. He's just such a great rabbit.... I keep a close eye on the main page to watch for new animations. It hasn't really been such a long time since SL4, so I probably won't start getting twitchy for a new one until next summer, when I'm betting that I'll know all of them by heart. I occasionally have too much free time.

*nod*
It's true. Lapin truly is a great rabbit, and a wise master indeed...But who would win between him and Obi-Wan Kenobi?!?

That's obvious.
The way the animation moves, looks, etc. is empirical evidence that you take your toons very seriously. I hope to get into animation someday myself. Not internet, but I would love to make my own cartoons and such. Actually, my username is the name of my first-ever fan fiction character. I made her up a few years ago as Samurai Jack's teenage sister. But that was before I even knew what fan fiction was, or that it existed.

Angel (my character) is probably less of a samurai than even Lapin is. Sure, she kicks some serious hiney, but she's also very emotional. She has more weaknesses than a real samurai would probably have. That, and she has a magical crystal necklace that gives her immeasureable (spelled right?) power to fly, heal, destroy, telepath, and shapeshift. But she always stays true to her warrior teachings, which were the same as Jack's (I think that was Bushido? Is that what it's called?).

I really don't want you to take this the wrong way. I respect whatever you're doing as a writer. But you may need to put your character through the Mary Sue Litmus Test before you publish anything. If you're honest when you take it, then it can help you avoid a stereotypical or overly perfect character. I don't mean to be rudem but your character seems to be a bit... Godmoddish. Feel free to PM me if you're offended or have questions, and I'd like to see your score when you're done.

Incidentally, Mata;
I was just watching "Mr. Snaffleburger Is Not Real," and I thought it was hysterical how the way your voice sounded like you were trying to lull Mr. SB into a false sense of security! Holy crap, that was good! My favorite line: "Oh, look! Giraffes on unicycles!"

I wonder what Sarah would think of him? ... Come to think of it, I wonder what Lapin and/or Ozaki would think of him! *slapstick funny*

Ignore me, sensei. I'm being weird again. I do that sometimes. It's fun! Yaaaay!!!!

Oh: And do you ever watch "Monty Python?" Because I watched SL part 4 again last night, and when Lapin got to the bit about responding to the world like the swallow, I thought to myself (in spite of myself) "What do you mean? An African or a European swallow?" I couldn't help myself! It was just soooo funny!

I grew up on an unhealthy diet of Monty Python and Douglas Adams. I watched Monty Python & The Holy Grail many, many times when I was younger and still could probably go through a significant chunk of the film by heart; however, it has also been a long time since then and my tastes in comedy have changed quite a lot. These days I like Eddie Izzard's early work, Bill Bailey, the Black Books series (which also features Bill Bailey), and occasionally the political comedy of Mark Thomas (more so for his mid-career work which had a balance of laughs and meaning, I like his respect stuff a lot but he's not trying for the comedy as much so it doesn't really count as a comedy inspiration). Probably being just old enough to notice the cynicism of the 1980s (firsthand) has helped too.

Umm...
The only thing I know that you're talking about would have to be Monty Python and the Holy Grail! Looooooove it!!!! I have just about that whole movie memorized, even though it's been a while since I've seen it, too.

I have no earthly clue who the rest of these dudes are (or blokes, whatever you call 'em). Meh...

Oh, and I watched the Mr. Snaffleburger Dolphin Products thing, and.......yeah...

Kinda freaky stuff there, sensei.

OH! Speaking of freaky, I also read/saw your "Something In Throats" poem. Where the crap do you come up with this stuff, man?!? I mean, yeesh!!!! That stuff was creepy!!!! I had to have an extra light on in my room for the rest of that week!

My only wish is that you not make Samurai Lapin that creepy. I enjoy him very much, especially all those anecdotes he's constantly quoting. He's wise, his chi is in balance, his life makes sense to him, and he kicks you-know-what! I hope he never turns creepy like that, 'cause that poem struck me as some pretty dark stuff.

PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!!!

One more question, if you're not p'd off at me for the last comment...

Who's Sues?[/COLOR] I noticed she plays both Sarah and Ozaki. Is she your

-girlfriend?
-sister?
-cousin?
-friend?
-some other obscure relative???

You don't have to answer, I was just curious...

Sues is my girlfriend and it's her birthday tomorrow (for any pointless fact fans out there).

Of course I'm not annoyed at you, that poem was supposed to be creepy, and I'm a little worried about where the hell that idea came from too. 'The clown killer' also reputedly gave a few adults nightmares. Oops.

Actually, a slightly spooky episode of Lapin could be really cool... I think you might have given me a new idea. Cheers Don't worry, it wouldn't be as messed up as my halloween animations!

Whew!
That'll be good! I wouldn't want nightmares from my favorite samurai bunny! (I only ask that he not be quite so spooky. )

Incidentally, since watching Samurai Lapin, I now sit my two small stuffed bunnies on my shelf next to my bed!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SUES!!!!!!!!!! *showers her in confetti*

Tomorrow's my little sister's birthday! HOORAY!!!!

Tell Sues happy birthday from the forumites! She sounds interesting and she's got a good voice for Sarah and Ozaki.
Slightly spooky Lapin would be interesting, but I have no idea what sort of idea you have stewing. I loved the Halloween animations, but "The Babysitter" just seemed more odd than anything. The others were geniunely spooky. I gave the "Something in Throats" poem to my language arts teacher and he lost it in the frenzy of grading our midterms (and neglected to tell me until yesterday). I'll give him another copy after the holidays when he's done creating and grading the midterms if you want.

It would be interesting to have feedback from a teacher. I think that The Clown Killer is a better poem personally, but Something In Throats isn't bad.

I know this one guy I went to high school with--this weird goth guy who wears pants that look like skirts, plays with tarot cards, has hair like Michael Bolton, and "sold his soul on E-Bay." He wrote some gothy kinda poetry too, and I think he might like your Something In Throats poem. (I'm not even gonna try "The Clown Killer." That just sounds...too creepy for me.)

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY TO SUES FROM ANGEL AND ASTRAEL AND ANY OTHER FORUMITES WHO KNOW IT'S HER BIRTHDAY!!!!! *blows party horn* Confetti!!!!!! *dances with Japanese fans*

I'll have you know leg skirts are very comfortable, Mata wears leg skirts too, I've seem him at it!

...he also wear regular skirts on occasion, but only when Sues isn't around. (Love to Sues btw.)

Hm? What are you on about?

I've worn a sarong while in the desert and over trousers when it's chilly, but I'm not sure what counts as 'leg skirts'.

And I told you not to mention my 'special evenings'...

"..."

Leg skirts = very baggy trousers. Like these.

Ah, those. I had one pair which I wore to death then I've not bought a pair since. They were interesting to wear, but not very practical. I bought them mainly because they were the only things that had the right waist size, the right leg size, I didn't mind the style of, and didn't cost a small fortune.

Angel, you do realise I was joking about the 'special evenings' don't you? Or am I just saying that?

*scoff* Well, duh.
I spent 3/4 of my life in public school. You think I don't recognize sarcasm when I hear/read it? That is funny, though.

Oh, and I saw the new Mittens thing...Could you explain the "nailed angel" thing? Was that supposed to be a real angel? 'Cause the sudden change in the choir background made me mentally jump for a second...Other than that, knocking over the gravy thing was sooooo funnay!!!!

Oh, you must be talking about my last post, when all I put was "...".

In my mind, I was going like "ooooookay...whatever. nooo comment." I was trying to also be funny...guess it didn't work that well, huh?

Wow...
Those look comfy!!! Are those yours? But the ones I've seen look like they're actually sewn together where the legs should split so that they look like a skirt, but wear like pants...Don't have a pic, though.

Pfft, and if you believe that you'll beleive that the invasion of Iraq was a mission from God.



Those are indeed mine. The picture was taken on my bed, and yes, they are damn comfy.

I want pants like that now. *runs off to shop for some* They look all warm and comfortable and soft. The type of pants you're describing sound like they would make you trip, Princess.

They are usually a bit too drafty to be warm, but they are very comfy. You need a good belt though: all the fabric pulls them down constantly! I'm definitely too old for the 'half your undewear showing above your trousers' look

Everyone is too old for the "half your underwear showing above your trousers look," including fetuses. It looks horrible, you have to haul your pants up every few minutes, I hate seeing random boxers every time a guy has to hike up his pants, and I don't know why people adopted it in the first place. I know that it comes from prisoners getting no belts to hang themselves or beat each other, but that's not such a good place from which to get a fashion. *fumes*
[/wrathful rant]
Good point about the draftiness. I may stick to jeans.

*pats Astrael on the back*
Look at it this way: It's better than seeing a guy's butt-crack, right?

Every time I see a guy with his pants sagging, I'm all like "Uh, dude, you need to pull your pants up." And they usually do (...usually)

Heyyyyyyy....*ding!* I wonder how Lapin would look wearing baggy pants? I can see that!! What do y'all think???

I think that that is a scary and unnatural thought and I can't really see it. Don't give Mata any ideas. (Although a Dress-up-the-Characters game would be fun....) Lapin would just trip on the pants if he tried to fight in them. Besides, rabbits don't need pants and we're not sure if his fingers are flexible enough to work a belt buckle. He obviously has great aim and arm strength, but I don't remember seeing him doing anything that required very fine motor skills.
Call me Ast or Asta. No-one can spell it properly, so I'm shortening it into a nickname like the one I use on IRC. No, Princess, you don't get an exception.

Aww, pooh.

Okay, then. Ast or Asta it is!



...Does Lapin have fingers?

It's difficult to tell under the fuzz. He certainly manages to use a sword okay... Maybe he just has jedi powers that keep the sword in his hands/paws?

*thumbs up* Sounds cool to me!
Which brings up my stupid question:

Could Lapin take Obi-Wan or for that matter, any Jedi? Who would be the perfect match for him?

By the way, on Lapin IV, Lapin show more skills from Zen Archers and Monks, than samurai. This whole "be one with the world" is more a Zen thing. Or am I mistaken?

You're not mistaken, it's just another example of how I like to blend my own philosophical beliefs with those that were held by the Samurai. I can get away with this stuff in fiction, because it makes a more entertaining story, but it's not at all historically accurate (the samurai bunnies wore blue, not red... *nods*).

That's cool how you combine all that zen/taoist/samurai stuff into your 'toons, sensei!

Stupid suggestion: What if you put in a bit of a Jedi approach as well? I've always liked the concept of Master/Apprentice. And since Lapin and Ozaki are those two respectively, I just thought it'd be cool to make them a bit like Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan!

Or maybe I'm just weird like that...I'm not exactly a Star Wars geek, I just love the whole concept of being a warrior and servant of the Force, of drawing your power from all life around you and using it to bring balance to your world (or the universe).

...Plus, those baggy cloaks and stuff are SO cool!!!!