Season aired: Summer 2024
Number of episodes: 12
Watched on: Crunchyroll
Translated by: ?
Genres: Historical, Drama, Supernatural, Action
Thoughts: The Elusive Samurai is undoubtedly one of the best-looking anime to come out this season, and the only thing stopping it from reaching perfection are the flaws in its story and characters. Taking place in historical Japan, the anime follows Tokiyuki Hojo, a young heir to a powerful clan, who soon finds his family betrayed and entirely wiped out. After getting saved by the enigmatic Yorishige, a questionable priest who claims he has divine powers to see the future, Tokiyuki decides to live rather than die an honorable death of seppuku or on the battlefield. Utilizing his special skill to dodge any attack that comes his way and survive, Tokiyuki attempts to lead a new life during an era where seeking death is the most glorious way to live.
Similar to live-action movies, part of the appeal of historical anime is the character designs and the backgrounds. In a way, historical times often look like a different world, and The Elusive Samurai leans heavily into that aspect through its bright colors, stylized clothes, and bombastic animation, all the while still being historically accurate.
One critique I saw online was the anime’s usage of CGI, but I specifically found its usage to be purposeful and well done. CGI has become synonymous with laughably horrendous animation, but prior to the industry’s oversaturation and overworking, it was often used to characterize monsters. CGI moves differently from 2D animation, and directors employed it to specifically emphasize the otherworldliness of monsters. In this case, the CGI was used for adult samurais, but its employment remains the same. The adults were monsters. They killed any civilian man in their paths, readily beheaded children with a smile on their faces, and actively engaged in tormenting women. The worse the samurais were, the more heavily they were symbolized by the CGI. When they strut their way towards Tokiyuki and his merry band of other misfit children, the CGI makes them feel heavier, bigger, and more dangerous than if they were animated in 2D.
Not to mention, that heavily downplays the brilliance of the 2D animation. There’s a specific episode where Tokiyuki battles a samurai, and his skill with evading attacks becomes so ridiculous that the animation turns a hard right into Looney Tunes. At one point in the battle, it switches to the enemy’s POV where all he can see is Tokiyuki’s smiling face bouncing around the screen, like the 2000’s Windows logo screensaver. Tokiyuki’s superpower skill to always avoid attacks can be ridiculous in practice if the animation fails to make it entertaining, and The Elusive Samurai milks every instance of it by not only incorporating humor but also visually pleasing through its vibrant colors and engaging music.
The voice cast is also wonderful. Yuichi Nakamura shines as Yorishige, and his performance stands out among the entire cast, despite his role being a supporting one. Asaki Yuikawa also deserves special praise as Tokiyuki. She only started voice acting in 2022, and in just two years, she has managed to successfully win a leading role and sounds exactly like the character. When I first heard her voice, I thought Tokiyuki was actually voiced by a young boy.
The show’s technical aspects are almost perfect, which is why it’s almost disappointing that the story holds it back. I suspect the problem lies in the source material, but other anime like 86: Eighty-Six and Tsurune took the risk of changing copious amounts of the narrative to write a better story onscreen, and it’s a shame that The Elusive Samurai didn’t go that route.
Firstly, I do like the themes of the story. Seppuku is a well-known practice of samurais on an international level, and the samurai’s devotion to dying rather than living in shame is a well-documented historical fact. The fact that Tokiyuki is trying to live as a samurai with the exact opposite motto of surviving no matter the obstacles is a worthy exploration, of both the time period and of how culture changes through the youth.
I’m also a huge fan of Yorishige’s divine powers. His future-seeing abilities are real, albeit imperfect, and it is a source of both effective comedy as well as sentimental philosophy. At one point, Yorishige panics about animal rights activists because the past is quite accepting of animal abuse, and he worries about the “modern audiences” disliking the protagonists for also accepting animal abuse as normal. At another point, Yorishige reminisces how the supernatural world dies every second in the future, as what was considered supernatural in his time would only turn out to be science that humans hadn’t yet understood. If anything, the story’s successful ability to use Yorishige’s powers as both comedic and philosophical moments makes me wish the story took advantage of it even more.
The central antagonist is one of the best parts of the series. Always calm, always chivalrous, and even loving with his inner circle, these traits make Ashikaga terrifying. The visual direction never forgets to remind us of the demonic actions this “honorable” samurai is capable of, to the point we question if there are perhaps real demons possessing his body instead of a man. Red splatters wherever he walks, and sometimes, his two eyes become hundreds, all squished in a tiny circle.
Where The Elusive Samurai struggles is tone. When it comes to Tokiyuki and his merry band of misfit children, who have a kill count might I add, the series oscillates too easily between humor and tension. Timing is important for comedy, and during a strategy meeting where children are forced to defend a village, the stakes suddenly feel inconsequential when the main strategist collapses on the ground exaggeratedly begging for food. These interruptions are littered across every episode, and the bad timing is noticeable enough that I can’t help but wish they would just skip the comedy entirely so that I can actually feel the stakes of the story.
This might’ve prevented The Elusive Samurai from becoming the perfect anime, but it’s still a worthy series to applaud. Its direction and animation heavily stand out from a slog of series that come out every year, and there’s a story at play with incredible themes and impactful characters. If we’re lucky, perhaps these flaws will smooth themselves out in the later arcs of the source material, and we’ll even be able to experience a masterpiece if the series continues.
Rating
Plot: 7 (Multiplier 3)
Characters: 7 (Multiplier 3)
Art/Animation: 9 (Multiplier 2)
Voice acting: 7
Soundtrack: 8.5
FINAL SCORE: 75.5
