Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi 3r2q1f

There are three aspects of this show that I want highlight as what I feel make it somewhat special-

1.) The visual presentation. The animation looks pretty good, and while not entirely consistent across the board (including a few rough CGI sequences), there are some breathtaking scenes with some excellent key framing and striking visuals. What's more, the visual style of this show is gorgeous, with bold lines, and a vibrant, unique color palette, employing bright colors mixed with more muted tones that remind me of hand drawn cel animation. This is particularly noticeable in the intro, which I love. The ... cinematography and direction also have standout moments. The show has both a great sense of style as well as a great sense of humor, and this comes across in its visuals. Speaking of-

2.) the sense of humor is pretty decent. It does take some getting used to, particularly from the fourth wall breaking priest who can see into the future. There is a particular brand of freneticism to it that evokes shonen anime from the 80s and 90s, but the visual gags are often elevated in a way that puts a smile on your face, even if you're not outright belly laughing. This also achieves an interesting effect when sharply contrasted against darker moments, which brings me to my final and probably most controversial point

3.) the tone. The tone is a dual one. On one hand you have a typical shonen adventure with a wacky cast of youngsters: the capricious yet sincere prince, the serene shrine maiden, the mischevious ninja, the quirky mentor, the silly and menacing villains, etc. Typical themes of togetherness, loyalty, finding oneself, they're all here.
Yet the show can also be soberingly brutal, which is apt for the setting of a historical drama, just as its more playful aspects lend themselves well to the clearly embelished and magical elements of the story. While I wouldn't be praising this quality if it felt edgy, melodramatic or expoitative, in execution the contrast feels very appropriate, and it is in this contrast that some of the show's themes diverge from the usual shonen fare. Leveraging your deviancy, the use of asymetrical stratagems, the tenebrous honor of subterfuge, overcoming suvivor's guilt by rising to the occasion.

The show embracing its contradictions, instead of tip-toeing around them, keeps you invested in what's happening, and elevates the unique qualities of each character. It also helps reconcile the two opposing thematic aspects of the plot: a coming of age story about bright eyed youths, and a bloody, merciless succession battle. The characters are authentically touched by the darkness of this world, but it never becomes the focal point. It is through this feeling that I think the ultimate theme of the show is on display, just as our lead grows metaphorical wings to escape the miasma of death and destruction below him, he also soars above its dark influence to protect his heart so that he might remain the kind and sincere man his country needs.

I could see some people being put off by the somewhat jarring tone, and others questioning who this show is even for. I think I respect it for that, and appreciate what feels like a director's unique vision. I would almost describe watching this as what I imagine children's stories were like generations ago, where parents regale kids with semi-historical tales full of blunt tragedy but also mirth and fantasy.

I'll keep it short. This is an anime where perverts are the focal point of every conflict, hear me out.

Coming from the same author who made Assassination Classroom, you'd be surprised to see how much gore this anime lets out, it's such a drastic change in tone and stakes, yet it does it in such a playful way, the only way to describe The Elusive Samurai is psychotic perverts fighting each other for their own 'fetishes'.

The story starts off like an average coming-of-age plot about a young samurai, but like the title implies, the guy sucks at fighting and he also happens to be a ... shota. If you're familiar with the name 'Nagisa Shiota', this is the author doing the same thing with his protagonist again. From there on, you're introduced to the series' first perverts, Yorishige Suwa, who exhibits every behavior of a stranger trying to groom children, but that's okay since he also has a child and has divine energy emitting behind him, so he has to be a good guy right? This is where you realize that every character introduced here will be a bunch of weirdos from there on. Later on, you get the MC, voiced by an actress, enacting lines of a flushed child who just discovered his fetish of confronting death and 'elusively' runs from it (pun intended). It's an anime about relishing on the desire to live out your twisted fantasies in the sight of the battlefield.

Animation-wise, the anime for the most time looks good since it has CloverWorks name in it but you can tell it has some moments where it feels off. By the time they shifted to 3D animation, it becomes a battle of tolerance. But if you can keep up, it's not that bad. The anime also includes the time to paint antagonists the party has to encounter in the most psychopathic, dubious, and unholy of all expressions to ever exist. You have multiple characters that are recognised by their cartoonish-like characteristics, for instance, enlarged ears that makes a man look like a monkey. A character that looks like your savior-incarnate only to be a vile killer. A man whose eyes are about to pop out anytime and a thief who can literally shape-shifting his face into anyone they want to and make their same behavior.

Speaking of characters, you just entered the lottery, ladies and gentlemen. In this environment of redundant perverts, there are in fact normal characters in this anime and it shows on the face of people who reside with the main character or central antagonist of the anime. Unless for a few exceptions, the story doesn't completely forget how a normal person acts. You're just shoved into the perspective of an abandoned noble meeting an endless amount of perverts that you might worry if the abyss stares back at you. You're never going to find a cast this twisted other than degenerate hentais with dubious roles or fanservice propaganda.

I'm not going to say that the anime is flawless by any means. The pacing for something that is meant to be chaotic and bamboozling ends up feeling slow and predictable. For something that wants to make a mature but playful tone, it ends up getting stale quickly once you know exactly what the characters' antics do. There's rarely any development, since most of that sweet 24 minutes per episode is focused on introducing bigger bad guys in a contest of becoming the incarnate of the Seven Deadly Sins, but only in Japan. And whenever there is one moment of character development, it's only given to Tokiyuki for very little development. The characters might have good design and a reason to exist, but without any reasonable development to grow alongside Tokiyuki, it makes them look like your cast of Naruto's chunin students who were set up to be rivals with different set of skills. Their ing characters are made to be introduced, act like friends and rarely got for their own growth as well.

It's sufficient in multiple aspects, like a jack of all trades, but likewise it also means the anime doesn't excel in any of them. You'll leave thinking of a decent experience, but you'll find yourself too bamboozled to make words out of the fetishes you were exposed to in this anime.

Thank you for reading.

Abstract art pieces, advanced visual storytelling, inspired direction and enormous creative energy wasn't what I expected going into Elusive Samurai, but here we are. The sheer quality of artistry put on screen here is even more puzzling when taking into how simple this story is. The whole plot of the anime works only because it was skillfully elevated with great care and ion.

First it is important to note that between those amazing highlights there is a whole bunch of normal anime and this normal anime looks great as well. Art Style is of course enjoyed depending on taste, but you can be certain that ... this isn't a generic looking random show, but bright colorful and energetic one. Even the character designs while fitting with the historic period, are often bonkers and enjoyable. There was a lot of effort put into animation from more mundane/comidic moments to epic fights. Those fights are helped by great choreography full of fluid movement and direction. The biggest strength of the Elusive Samurai shows in the fact that where others would have stopped at having great fights Elusive Samurai decides to show in a creative way more about characters. Sometimes a great sense of hearing will be represented by a gorgeous sequence, characters backstory will have a different style representing his feelings, emotions as a whole might be shown visually, a display of overwhelming power will become an otherworldy spiritual experience. With great direction and good focus a sense of disorientation in character will be skillfully portrayed. As I said the whole show isn't like that, but a lot is which is great to witness and used in a way that makes this competent, but simple story much more engaging. Quickly talking about sound, voice acting is very good but ost, while hitting during the highlights, was pretty unnoticeable. An unfortunate detail important to bring up, in the last few episodes the wonderful visual quality decreases drastically.

I talk a lot about simplicity because it is true. Motivations are flat and many of the characters feel one note, but that doesn't mean everyone is like this. The whole plot is focused on the asymmetrical conflict of protagonist vs antagonist. Tokiyuki (good guy) has very engaging chellange of turning from a carefree, kind child into a responsible, charismatic leader while Takauji (bad guy) is a great execution of a simple, evil antagonist. His presence, power and attitude make him great to watch and the violence he is capable of give him a scary aura. Lesser antagonists are also mostly fun. Often very over the top, but in one example even given a small arc making me excited for the future of the rest of them. So yes story isn't anything special, but it's competent enough to be made special by the artistry surrounding it.

Now time for the bigger problem. This show is a comedy that tries its hand at mixing itself with tragedy and serious violence. Again comedy is subjective (I enjoyed it), but sometimes the jump from funnies to drama felt too jarring, it felt like a less skilled Gintama. Now it wasn't the worst attempt at doing something like that I saw, sometimes they do it well, but for someone unaccustomed to this approach bad mixing of tones can be a deal breaker. Either way be ready for a wacky show that tries to be serious from time to time.

To summarize I love abstract art enough to almost disregard all of the flaws in here, maybe despite them you will love it too.

After the success of Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, we have this. If you already love that series before, or you just want to enjoy some of the animes in this Summer 2024 or want to find a new anime to watch, this is absolutely for you.

Art: 9.5/10

Art, one word, beautiful. Just beautiful. Especially for the fighting scenes, it's just so spectacular and so smooth. Moreover, the character's designs are colorful, especially when the anime adds some more spices to the main protagonist with his imaginary wings, or the colors in the fighting scenes to show how much he enjoys in the fight or in escaping from ... the death, even in his eyes are just beautifully aesthetic. But that doesn't mean other ing characters are not well-done as well. They are just really beautiful too. With the mix of traditional art attributes and modern art attributes to the story, also some of the nature sceneries are just so realistic, I have to say it's just so good. I truthfully appreciate the hard work from CloverWorks, they just never lets us down, and it makes me feel so satisfied to watch.

Plot, storytelling: 8/10

The plot in this story from now (ep3) is rather quite simple and simply still don't have too much development like plot twists, characters' developments, or anything like that. I haven't read the original work yet, but from my little experience to the story right now, I can confirm to say that this story will be very good and promising. It's fresh, no (probably) fan services, and it's simple yet the storytelling makes me want to watch it more. Using every single benefits from the beautiful art, plus the interesting ability of the protagonist (which is hide-and-seek) and the guide Suwa Yorishige, the storytelling just went not so quickly, but it can be easily stick into one's head with the symbolic images and animations. Although the anime already gave us that he - the main Houjou Tokiyuki - will be the guy who changed Japan one day, it's still a little bit interesting to see how this can happen, and because the characters in this series and also all the plot and twists are very promising, I guess it's also worth a try for me (and maybe you) to continue following the series until now.

Characters: 8.5/10

Not bad. Currently the character's development that I like the most is definitely the main protagonist, Houjou Tokiyuki (of course since the first and second episode really focus on him, and the story itself did a very good job on that). He's not too serious, but also not too playful. He still doesn't have a real goal and still doesn't know what to do, but he knows he loves Kamakura and because of his love, one day he will become the guy who change the whole Japan. Gotta say, I do really like this way of developing the character, because it gives me the feeling that he's really special.

Also, we should talk about the guide Suwa Yorishige. A typical smart guy but extremely playful in most of kinds of stories. But unlike most other characters, he has special ability, which also makes him claim himself "A god". Also, he has the kind of face that makes me feel like Eiko in Dark Gathering *(ecchi), and honestly although I don't really like it, I think someone who has that face will be pretty dangerous, and therefore I assume he is, so that's why I has an unsure belief that he will be also the big man of the whole series (:))))

Overall, I think this is a worth choice to enjoy this season. For me, I do enjoy it. The story itself is just very interesting and promising, so that's why I don't get why this anime isn't that popular comparing to Roshidere and Oshi no Ko SS2, despite of the fact that this story is much more well-made and beautiful. For scoring, I would say it will be a solid 8.5/10.

Comedy is purely subjective by its very nature, and different people have their own preferences in regards to what makes them laugh. Some people like gross-out jokes, some people like slapstick, some people like physical comedy a la The Three Stooges or the Marx Brothers, and that's fine. Everyone's preferences for comedy are valid and unique. But one thing that's really important when you're writing comedy at all is not just timing, but making sure it doesn't clash with whatever else its being used for. Unfortunately, there's a lot of series that think shoving comedy into things where it's not needed or warranted will make ... a series great, but it's really not. Unfortunately, after having watched the anime of The Elusive Samurai, it wound up being one of those series. Good lord, I really wanted to like this series, but it turned out to be such a mess.

Based on the manga by Yusei Matsui, the author of Assassination Classroom, The Elusive Samurai centers on 8-year-old Tokiyuki Hojo, the youngest prince of the Hojo clan, living his carefree life in Kamakura of the 1300s. He shows little regard for the serious responsibilities that come with his eventually succeeding his father as the next shogun, which is typical for a child of his age. Instead of dedicating himself to rigorous training in swordsmanship or archery, Tokiyuki excels in the art of evasion, skillfully dodging his advisors and discovering perfect hiding spots. However, his peaceful existence is shattered when a sudden coup brutally wipes out his clan, moreso when it turns out a retainer that he adored, Takauji Ashikaga, was the one who spearheaded the massacre. Overwhelmed with guilt for being the sole survivor, Tokiyuki contemplates ing his family in death, but his fate takes an abrupt turn when the enigmatic priest Yorishige Suwa suddenly shoves him onto a battlefield. Yorishige, who prophesizes that Tokiyuki will one day become a great hero, leaves the boy with no choice but to navigate his way out of the hands of enemy soldiers. As Tokiyuki struggles to survive against these foes, he finds a new thrill in raising the stakes of his usual hide-and-seek games. With a renewed sense of purpose and the promise of powerful allies from Yorishige, Tokiyuki vows to avenge his family—not through his capability to fight, but through his extraordinary talent for running away.

Now, I haven't read or seen Assassination Classroom, manga or anime, so I'm not familiar with Yusei Matsui's brand of comedy. But after seeing the anime for The Elusive Samurai, I've come to the conclusion that...his brand of comedy just isn't for me. But I don't want to be a negative nancy, so for the sake of wanting to be fair, I'm going to talk about the good things the anime has to offer, and there are quite a few things it has going for it. For one, CloverWorks really went all out in the animation department here. Not just in things like character motion, backgrounds, and the costumes, but for using all sorts of experimental animation techniques in a variety of different ways, reveling in being as weird and surreal as possible when it feels its necessary. The Elusive Samurai is at its best when it lets its animation staff completely let loose and experiment, whether it be with intentional rough-shod pencil sketches, Renaissance-style water colors, or psychedelic acid trips filled to the brim with color, symbolism, and crazy imagery straight out of Belladonna of Sadness. I'll give CloverWorks this, they mostly made Elusive Samurai look awesome. I say mostly because it does cut quite a few corners from time to time, with the most egregious offenses being awful CGI models of characters, whether they be riding horses or just...turning to look behind themselves. Like...what? Why even do that? At least Atri: My Dear Moments limited CGI-modeled characters to when they're far into the background. The CGI almost borders on Tsuki ga Kirei levels of obnoxious and in your face.

And for the most part, I liked some of the characters. Tokiyuki is a fun lead character who does grow over the course of these twelve episodes and makes full use of his skillset without the series ever making him come off as overpowered. He's not physically strong, but the skills he does learn manage to compensate for his lack of strength, giving the battles more of a tense edge to them, and he manages to have enough personality to be endearing and fun to follow. Alright, this is the part where I have to be honest and say...other than Tokiyuki and Fubuki, none of the other characters are given this same treatment. All the other characters, even the ones in the main ensemble, don't really have much to them except their mission to protect and help Tokiyuki. Kojiro gets some development outside of being just one of Tokiyuki's retainers, but that only happens in the final episode, meaning it's far too late for it to really have any real impact. I'll go into more about other characters in a bit, but I will say this: I fucking hate Genba. He's God awful, but more than that is what the show does with him. No, show, I do not need to see a ten-year-old child not only being drunk off his ass, but sexually assaulting every girl he sees, have the whole thing be played for wacky anime comedy, and have that very same episode end on a close-up of his comically censored genitals. This also extends to the villains, who I really couldn't bring myself to give two shits about because all of them are just generic Saturday morning cartoon villains who you'll only because of one exaggerated character trait they have and nothing else. The only, and I do mean ONLY, villain in this series that is given even a sliver of nuance and humanity is Sadamune, but that only happens near the end of the show, and after that he just disappears. All the other villains in this show don't do anything except be out for Tokiyuki's blood or scream maniacally for the sake of forcing unneeded comedy.

Speaking of unneeded comedy...you know what? It's time I rip this band-aid off, because I cannot hold back any longer. I want to like Elusive Samurai as a show. I really do. But I'll be honest, watching this was a total chore, mainly because of it's biggest flaws: Both its comedy and its constant use of tonal whiplash. Actually, I'm going to highlight a specific scene in episode 2 which I feel encapsulates everything wrong with the anime as a whole: When Tokiyuki returns to his home, seeing it in ruins, he falls to his knees and openly cries, mourning the loss of his family, friends, and clan at the hands of Ashikaga. It's a moment of vulnerability for him, and Tokiyuki needed to grieve in order to process what had happen to him. The scene should have remained somber...but in the VERY NEXT SECOND, the mood and tone are completely and utterly ruined by a shot of Yorishige Suwa shoving his creepy as fuck smily face in Tokiyuki's line of sight and scaring the bejeezes out of him, complete with exaggerated anime faces on both characters. Basically, not only is The Elusive Samurai's approach to comedy cringy as all hell in that it relies way too much on constant yelling, exaggerated gags, and one-note fourth wall jokes, the show constantly shoehorns it throughout its entire run, especially in scenes where it's not only completely unneeded, but actively clashes with what's going on on screen! Like...do we really need some dude screaming like a banshee as a child's family gets horrifically murdered around him?! This show seems to have no concept of how to balance both its dramatic and comedic moments properly, or is convinced the material won't be able to stand on its own without constant comedic exaggeration amped up to eleven 24/7. I know other series had problems with balancing drama and humor sometimes, Demon Slayer being one such show thanks to Zenitsu, but I've never seen it be so obnoxiously omnipresent as it is in Elusive Samurai. And unfortunately, from what I've heard about the manga, this is a feature, not a bug, so it's here to stay. Uuuuugh.

And a lot of the unnecessary comedy is perpetuated by Suwa, the vehicle through which Yusei Matsui espouses all of his weird comedy bullshit. Yeah, not gonna mince words, Suwa pretty much breaks the show for me (Though less so than Genba). Every single time his comically exaggerated creepy as fuck smily face gets plastered on the screen, either the mood or tone gets completely shot to hell and back. I actually think the show works better when he's being a more serious mentor rather than the unhinged banshee fourth wall espousing comedy vehicle the show clearly wants him to be. He's basically the Zenitsu of Elusive Samurai, only his presence is constant and we're expected to just find his antics funny even though they're clearly not. It doesn't help that his so-called powers seem less like actual abilities and more like excuses for him to break the fourth wall and throw in modern or pop culture references that are completely out of place in a show like Elusive Samurai. Seriously, this show thinks its funny when it's just...not, and before you come at me with all your "Oh, you must not like fun!" accusations, I don't hate fun. But I don't like it when a piece of media tries to shoehorn unneeded, unfunny comedy in places where it clearly has no business being, case in point the aforementioned scene in episode 2 which should have been just somber and sad.

The Elusive Samurai does have the makings of a good show, and even with its animation hang-ups, it's clear the staff who worked on this show put a lot of hard work into it. I just wish that same ion and versatility was applied to everything else, and if I'm being honest, the anime has put me off of reading the manga. The less I have to put up with Suwa and Genba, the happier I'll be. If you like Elusive Samurai, cool, more power to you. Feel free to enjoy it if you're into Yusei Matsui's brand of comedy. It's not my cup of tea, and that's okay.

🟡Summer 2024
I was afraid to watch this anime hearing people's opinions about the tone of this anime and now that I've watched it, I see why so many of these opinions were negative.
This is an anime whose undoubtedly, most important asset is a great, although not perfect production, but is it enough? NO and for me it is one of two examples of anime from this season that shows that animation is not always able to carry anime, although in this case it is not particularly bad, which is why my opinion about this anime is more mixed.........




What is this anime about?
This anime tells the ... story of an 8-year-old heir to the throne living a carefree life until his family is betrayed and murdered.
MC is saved by a priest who can see the future, who predicts that he will become a great hero, MC begins his journey to save the country and take revenge.

So yes, the action takes place in times when death is an honorable path, and betrayal and violence are everyday life, but MC is different, deep down, he has a strong will to live and wants to fight for his country and build his new relationships on trust. In this anime, the division into good and evil is too blunt, cute kids fight with cartoonishly evil adults, as if we have a fight for power and the evil ones murder everyone left and right and our heroes only the worst monsters, the antagonist must first show how evil he is and deliver his evil monologue so that MC can say "ok, I can kill you" xD so it is already known that we will not experience any moral dilemmas here, MC's path to regaining power will be the only right one, I do not expect any major nuances from this anime, but their lack does not help the rather simple and from my perspective, unengaging plot. Despite this, this anime tries to be the most naturalistic and brutal samurai cinema to some extent, but combined with this loose/naive plot and silly comedy, it doesn't work at all, although it could if this anime allowed these more serious elements to resonate properly, but more on that later....

Moving on.
Overall, it's a classic story from zero to hero, raised as a figurehead MC in whom no one believes, slowly becomes stronger, transforms his "flaws" into advantages and gathers friends to be a great hero in the future and defeat the bad guys, the revenge motive in this story is not very important, MC wants to take revenge but it is not built well, MC is more comedic and laid back, MC's doubts and regret quickly disappear and then he becomes a typical charming boy who gathers friends and influences them with his uniqueness.

The overall plot is that MC hides (plays hide and seek) in the priest's temple, gathers friends and fights villains who were sent to finish off the remnants of the MC clan, the pacing is quite good, although everything that happens does not give us a broader picture of the further development of this story, we simply slowly gather allies in the form of one exceptional kid every two episodes, MC becomes stronger and villains incompetently try to catch him, it is a bit unengaging and honestly at some points really boring despite a large amount of good and incredibly animated action. The plot is pushed forward the most by the character of the priest, he leads our heroes by the hand and tells them what to do thanks to his ability to predict time, he is such a plot key that for the purposes of the script can be a deus ex machina,
although at some point to increase the stakes, his character is set aside so that our heroes can prove themselves on their own, which is of course a plus.

But before that.
The plot is too rushed and poorly built up, the MC's family dies very quickly and before that we only got a few scenes with his brother, we went from idyll to action too quickly and nothing that was supposed to resonate, resonated, we don't build the MC's relationships with the residents or family and then we drop a bomb that doesn't make an impression because of that, although that's also mainly because of the stupid comedy.

The antagonist who seemed nice at first turns out to be evil and it doesn't make any impression "oh why did you betray us?!" I don't give a shit because I only saw one scene with him, it could have been developed, shown who exactly he is and then made a big plot twist with the betrayal, then those scenes where the MC has a grudge against him would really mean something.

This anime, although deeply rooted in Japanese history and peppered with authentic dates and facts from the legendary story of the fall of the powerful Hojo clan, seems more like a bizarre parody where everything is exaggerated to the max, so it's hard to take the "historicality" of this series seriously... OK... this is not a serious anime, it doesn't have to be, and for most it's a loose story, someone will say that it's good that instead of pathos and this banal story, the series diversifies it with comedy, which makes everything stand out, fan BUT... this anime does it hopelessly.
It can't combine seriousness with comedy, where as I mentioned earlier, for some reason despite the loose story and all these absurdities, we also get a lot of brutality presented in an extremely blunt way, it can be done well but this anime doesn't do it.
Like you make the most serious and quite atmospheric scene, flames and dead people, MC wonders how this samurai could betray them and SUDDENLY you ruin it with a stupid priest comedy, where even MC's emotions are presented as comedy, I understand that not everything has to be 100% serious but why make such a serious scene and mix it with such a stupid comedy, this comedy is not even funny or creative in any way, screams and stupid faces do not compensate for this lost opportunity for a really good emotional scene that would allow you to feel the plot in any way.
It's really refreshing when an important scene is finally brought to a serious conclusion, i.e. this anime can do it but for some reason chooses to be this whole mess.

It can be said that since the main characters are children, some elements are presented as if through the eyes of a child, in such a childish and naive way, which makes the narrative seem more interesting and unique, although the children (8-year-olds) in this anime do not fully behave and look their age, they do not differ much in mentality from other, even older, protagonists of this type of anime, the characters are aware, there is no childish naivety in them and they themselves use violence, they are like in any other shounen, which is why it all does not work completely and you do not feel that the whole brutal world presented is really interpreted by a child's mind, I do not know if the author really tried to present it in such a way, but I know that if so, it did not work at all and if he tried, something unique could come out of it, maybe something like Jojo Rabbit directed by Taika Waititi?

Apart from that.
From the time frame in which the action takes place and the whole atmosphere, we are thrown out by things like a literal hockey game or some inserts with elements of computer games, not to mention of course the supernatural abilities of the characters xD so if you are looking for a historical anime in which you can feel the atmosphere of those times then.... I think this is not the best choice.

Despite the average plot and tonal mess, the action saves this anime to some extent.

The action is interesting and well written, despite the characters having supernatural abilities, the fights do not look like in typical shounen, the fights are usually short and concise, the characters have logical strategies and do not win by simply being screams and the power of friendship.
Everything is ed by beautiful animation and direction, they convey emotions in a creative way, we rarely get scenes in which the action is presented in an uninteresting way.
You can write a lot about great animation but this review is already quite long so... yeah, others have already praised this aspect enough.
Although, despite the fact that the production is clearly the strongest point of this anime, due to very visible drops in quality at certain moments (ugly CGI, lack of faces even from close shots), looking at it generally it is hard for me to be particularly impressed with it all.

Ultimately, this anime, although not bad, did not win me over at all and exhausted me terribly, so it is hard for me to rate it, but somehow I have to.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❌ ❌❌❌❌

Elusive Samurai has solid production values, exciting animation, and coloring at times—in fact, pretty often. Certain scenes remind me of a lavishly animated late 1990s or early 2000s OVA, acting as something like this generation's Hakkenden but with less artistry and a shonen rather than seinen mentality. There's plenty of corner cutting, however, whether it's the use of eye-poking CGI for characters, a slew of stills with motion lines or shaking, or Dezaki-styled "postcard memories" inserts. Nonetheless, the animation is only exciting at a few points, mostly in the first half and a handful of fights later on. Though it's mostly a pretty standard shonen ... in tone, certain scenes have an arthouse flair, pairing well with the emotions expressed. They especially do a great job of capturing the exhilaration of combat, as the main weaves around arrows and flips past swishing swords, or the backgrounds come alive in an abstract rush of color as he acrobatically makes his way to his destination. The art is usually vivid, sans the occasionally murky surroundings or a shoddy drawing here and there. The character designs for the little tots and cackling villains are distinct, and there's occasionally some decent action.

The comedy is mostly obnoxious or plays upon awkward shotacon pandering that is the sanitized otaku equivalent of a white van with no windows and heaps of free candy or lost puppies. The scene where the MC meets the priest (uh oh) on the tree is one of the shrillest, loudest scenes in anime—a truly impressive feat! There's no way one can take this seriously in the beginning, for even when the tears rain down from the MC's googly eyes, and he has lost hope because his clan has been massacred, they pull the same slapstick comedy routine with absurd faces, bulging eyeballs about to pop a la Graves' disease, and the unbearable screeching of ten year olds and shining manchildren! I'd honestly say it's on par with the tone-deaf comedy of Demon Slayer; poking fun at tragedy and drama dynamics can work well, but the humor is usually oozing with unwanted tropey animeisms that are forced into the script as part of the shonen model rather than meshing well. Fortunately, the series becomes lighthearted and whimsical instead of playing it up as a hammy dark drama, and even the oftentimes gruesome blood sprays and gore explode into cartoonish chaos, so the tonal clashes aren't too pronounced, and the humor does mellow overtime.

While the concept is acceptable for a story, the execution is less than stellar, and the themes, script, story, and characters are where this series is weakest, flailing like cement clown shoes into Japan's deepest lake. There's your typical quick introduction to a samurai clan, followed by rivers of blood, and finally a bunch of pint-sized heroes ri to lead an army and save the day. The story meanders around without aim, gradually introduces the bloated cast of thin characters who barely as archetypes, and shows their special abilities and potential, which means a touch of espionage, a big battle or two with cavalry and soldiers, numerous solo battles, and a whole lot of slinking off into the night with their tails between their legs.

The MC lacks proficient combat skills, but he can run away like a champ, while finding many opportunities to lecture adults and inculcate them in the art of retreat. By shonen standards, he's serviceable, foregoing the blockheaded idealism or obliviousness of plenty of others. His traumatic past informs his thought process, and his capabilities grant him with a balanced set of strengths and weaknesses, resulting in more tension and growth than the most bargain bin of shonen. The rest of the characters are basic, and when the MC remarked that he didn't know who Shizuku was because she seemed so mysterious and steeped in the arcane, it reminded me that I could say the same about even the simple Jacks of the cast, most of whom I can't the name of. The villains, though similarly lacking nuance, are a bit more entertaining, as they're often sadistic dirtbags, like the traitorous uncle who split too fast, or the eye-bulging archer Sadamune, or even the monkish samurai with literal ants in his pants who has a rare character arc.

It could have been a 4-5 in the middle to late portion of the series, but it's so mediocre as it goes on and has a bland final arc, lacking the polish and thrill of the visual elements in the earlier portion of the series. There's not much else to say. It's just a dull shonen with a sloppy-taco story and plain-riceball characters. There are bursts of stylistic excess, but they aren't impressive enough to maintain much interest for those who have seen the most celebrated visual works in anime, which is a huge problem because that's the only thing this show has going for it.

"Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi" or "The Elusive Samurai" it's an anime peculiar in of visual art, comedy and the representation of that feudal time chaotic and centered by wars and dominations.


The history is about a young man who lives running away, his name is Tokiyuki Houjo. Tokiyuki Houjo, still as a child, had to witness the fall of his family(houjo) that after a betrayal of Ashikaga Takauji, brought death to the Houjo clan and persecution of survivors, in view of this shocking turn of events, Tokiyuki as a survivor plays the role of rebuilding his clan and taking revenge on Ashikaga Takauji.

Tokiyuki ... has a ability: to escape
In normal stories, this type of protagonist would have skills with the katana or bow and arrow, Not here, Tokiyuki will simply use escape, something used in children's games, as a "weapon" to get revenge on Ashikaga Takauji.

The characters are, to say the least, interesting. Tokiyuki as a child, and given his age, he still has an extroverted personality still present even before the end of his clan, usually revenge stories tend to make the characters automatically change moments before something horrible happens to the point where they try to get revenge on someone with an incessant thirst of revenge ed to hatred. Tokiyuki no, even though he has to seek revenge, his old personality before the event with his clan, yet remains. He seeks allies and tries through the union of other people, the long-awaited revenge, the story will show your personal development with other people at all times, highlighting his in struggles and emotional growth throughout the episodes. The other characters lack depth, but they are still interesting to follow, whether due to the comical interactions or the unique personality of each one, they still manage to be good characters for the overall plot of the anime.


The animation is beautiful. The scenario look like paintings from museum art, but in movement. The fights are aesthetic, with dynamic lines and mixed colors with light and dark tones they bring to life the feudal era that the anime tries to portray. The art itself is expressive, each anime character has a unique ability, and the anime's art exemplifies this, for example: a character has eye abilities, can see long distances, the art will reinforce this skill, highlighting lines and colors unique to that skill. The art also reinforces how each character feels, in fights when one character hates the other, the art highlights shading and darker colors to make the scene stand out in a more rustic way.

The opening song is great, and the soundtrack fits perfectly well with the atmosphere of the anime. The closing, is excellent in of information and visuals, it shows how kumakura it is today, with tourism and geographical beauty present in the closing animation.

Maybe the only thing that really bothers me about this anime is the comedy, it's not bad, I just think it's weird. During moments of fights or serious conversations, sometimes there is a slight comical tone in the characters' expressions, They're not funny, but I also don't see them as horrible for the experience, in my opinion, the comic moments try to soften scenes that would turn into something brutal(like fights),or show that Tokiyuki's childish mind still remains the same, not 100% intact,but he still hasn't lost his naivety and friendliness that every child should have. In other words,I see the comical moments being Tokiyuki's point of view, with mixed emotions between taking revenge, hating those who betrayed him, or remaining in his sweet and fun way of "escaping" the world. I see this comedy as something that shouldn't seem funny, but rather something to show how children think, idealizing what is evil, what is foolish, or what is good in people. ing that this is my opinion, perhaps strange, but I still think it is coherent. The comedic moments are not something to laugh at, they are something to thinking about how Tokiyuki sees all those people and that even after witnessing so many deaths, he still remains a child.

The anime as a whole is fun to watch. The story, art, comedic moments and characters are interesting to follow and you will hardly get bored. Just watch and and you won't regret it, I guarantee.

The Elusive Samurai currently has six episodes, so on the off chance that Studio Cloverworks massively shits the bed à la Promised Neverland, this review might be subject to change in the future. As it stands, The Elusive Samurai should be put next to Bocchi the Rock as an example on how much larger-than-life animation can elevate the source material.

To preface this review, if you want an extensive write-up about the plot and the characters, you're better off reading another review; only six episodes are out and, while the first episode has an effective hook, it's not something to write home about so far ... - at least, to me. All the more impressive that this anime inspired someone like me to write a review.

Out of most anime I've watched, there have been a scant few where the animators have done such a good job making the scenes come to life. When things on the screen are moving, you feel as though things are moving. When people are confused, you're shown exactly what would confuse them, etc. etc. Cloverworks have showcased a fundamental understanding of cinematography back when The Promised Neverland was still good, and they are once again delivering in spades; putting up a masterclass on camera angles, framing and especially scene transitions. If you think all that creative camera work is being used to hide mediocre animation or cut corners, you couldn't be further from the truth. The animators are constantly flexing their chops, even in the most inconsequential scenes, and you can tell that the they know exactly when not to sweat the small stuff, allowing you to go along with the anime's fast pace. It's not the veritable explosion of colors and abstract art like Science SARU or Studio Bones produces, but there's definitely something to be said about the fluidity of the movements and way these animators have such a masterful understanding of the fundamentals. I recommend it to any one who also has an appreciation for this kind of stuff.

I know that opining is kinda bad practice in a review, but still: Understand that my amazement partly comes from the fact that I randomly saw this on the trending page on [totally legal steaming site] and expected middle of the pack slop with the occasional flashes of brilliant animation, brought on by the higher ups chaining all their talent to a radiator and only letting them out when you can feel the boob-physics giving you whiplash. When you're watching The Elusive Samurai, you really feel like the creators had fun making this and going wild with the animation!

Loved the blend of low-brow comedy and High Art. Art style was such a feast to see - so experimental, beautiful fights scenes, so bloody, and such unique art style - tongue -in-cheek and gruesome and beautiful!!! Animators really had fun with it.

On the plot front, the emphasis on turning failures into strengths or being strategic with your strengths is such an exciting concept for shonen. And so much mentorship!!!! My heart is so warm but also the brain is buzzing - I wanna channel Fubuki lol.

Also great insight on samurai pride of that era and the birth of subversive technique and ninjas. Not ... to mention love the ongoing bit that Yorushige can see so far into the future he knows what’s up in the 21st century lol. We really ate well with this one - can’t wait for season 2.

Finding unique and original ideas in anime these days is very difficult, so one could see that with a description like “In the year 1333, the Kamakura shogunate” that alone is very intriguing. The cover art shows a cute character leaping through the air, flames.. looks very flashy- ah a Samurai anime- I decided to take a look to see what it was.

And the very first episode left me speechless.
Not anything else I could say but totally frozen, and speechless. The characters are all very beautiful, and the main one (on the cover) called Tokiyuki and he’s totally adorable and runs around playing ... hide and seek with all the minders at the palace, jumping across rooftops- aw this show looks playful and cute is it a slice of life or something?… his brother s in and now they’re kicking a ball around- and then flash to the next scene and it’s some guy’s HEAD. Next thing I , heads were rolling all over the place and blood was spewing in every direction. Like FOUNTAINS of blood. And my jaw just dropped open.

(After someone gave me some smelling salts) I came back to level- but Jumping James Batman! This anime is BONKERS!

It’s hard for me to explain to you. … you have these cute characters like Tokiyuki, Shizuku the princess, ………..so you have to imagine that, and then you have these warriors who seem kind of clownish, like maybe quite insane? And they slash hundreds of people to death- including women and children- and in the middle of the bloodbath THERE ARE FUNNY FACES. Several of the characters have this comedic disposition, and funny faces. So, this is a Battle Shonen. But it seems even more unhinged than a typical battle shonen.

I understand Japan is a vastly different culture than here in the west; but I’ve seen enough of Japanese culture (not just in anime) and always sort of known- or maybe it’s something we’re all told- the Japanese sense of humor (among other things) is different than ours. Well watching Elusive Samurai reminded me of that, in the most extreme way possible. It was like being slapped in the face with reminders- that what they find amusing is…. uhh different.

My biggest problem with this show was I couldn’t understand who it was made for?
Like the cover art makes it look like a fun shonen anime for middle schoolers. But the level of violence- some of it surprisingly disturbing- just doesn’t seem like it’s for kids. If it really is meant as a kids show then geezus I don’t know what to say. It’s not serious enough for adults- that’s for sure- and the bonkers ED is pretty clearly aimed at young people. The odd mismatch with who the audience is supposed to be was really baffling.

There doesn’t seem to be a lesson, or a morality tale being woven by this story either- like so many Samurai anime are famous for. It seems like a fun Catch-Me-If-you-can shonen with a cast of misfits who elude the goofballs of the Shogunate to fight another day; with no higher purpose than to just entertain (and remind you that the samurai were killers and that Japan’s past was VERY bloody) but here’s a funny face to make you laugh!! Isn't this FUNNY?!? Hahahaha!! SLASH
It’s wild and totally ridiculous, but after 10 of the episodes I really stopped caring about the story and just watched with my brain off. My brain was SO disengaged that I really didn’t care much what was happening anymore… and the ending song actually started to sound interesting.

I can’t really recommend this show based on if you like Samurai anime, or if you have any expectations about story. But if you just want to see pretty characters jump and flip in the air with their beautiful clothing flowing in the wind as they beat up goofy bad guys- then this will dazzle your eyeballs. It might possibly make you laugh kind of out of disbelief. You will definitely get dumber watching this, that’s for sure.

The Elusive Samurai - Hello, my dear students, now's the time to get assassinated once again...but this time, embossed in actual history, to experience yet another comedic adventure? I sure hope so that's the case...

If you didn't know any better, historical AniManga are now once again on the rise thanks to the major successes of series like Kusuriya no Hitorigoto a.k.a The Apothecary Diaries, and if there is any indication to go by, I wish that this will become a recurring trend for the numerous seasons and years to come. And from the courtesy of mangaka Yusei Matsui, the author of one of AniManga's most ... revered, juggernaut series of the 2010s: Ansatsu Kyoushitsu a.k.a Assassination Classroom, comes his latest Weekly Shonen Jump series of Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi a.k.a The Elusive Samurai, a series that hearkens back to Feudal Japan, and makes it look like a joke as much as possible. But the series winning the Shogakukan Manga Award in its 69th edition alongside Sousou no Frieren, Sūji de Asobo, and Trillion Game (which is getting an anime next season) this year (2024)? It's no joke.

The series being set in the Nanboku-cho North and Southern Courts period, is loosely based on the historical figure of Hojo Tokiyuki, a samurai of the Hojo clan whose father was Takatoki, the de facto ruler of the Kamakura Shogunate in the year 1333. It depicts the real-life battle of the 1333 Siege of Kamakura, being a part of the civil Genko War (also known as the Genko Incident) fought between the country's 96th Emperor Go-Daigo and the de facto military government from 1331 to 1333. Led by the first-generation Ashikaga Shogunate under the Emperor's orders, the elder brother of Takauji leads the charge in overthrowing the Hojo clan, forcing the lead figure, now shrunk down to a young boy, to escape to safety and certainly from beheading from the ursurpers. With his only help being a self-proclaimed, shady, prophetic priest, alongside similarly aged young kids that would prove their loyalty to restore the Kamamura Shogunate to its former glory, Tokiyuki must venture a dangerous path to ensure that his reputation does not warrant the death-defying trait that he's known for: his superhuman ability to flee, hide, and dodge enemy attacks. That's like an elusive person through and through.

Right out of the gate, the anime means business, and if clean, swift, silent, and deadly samurai katana swipes don't mean anything to you, the elusive dropping of human heads, splashes of blood, and endless juxtapositions will. There's a reason why Japan's rich and very dramatic history just makes for some great content, and Yusei Matsui taking real-world events to add his own Assassination Classroom twist, it's just genius. The abstracts of clean settings that contradict the reality of the situations being total gruesome bloodshed with or without tears, shit can get real pretty quick, and the way that this show does its survivability and deaths is so seamless to the point where "don't blink, and you'll miss a beat." All of this, despite being a Shonen series in general, was quite the game-changer when the manga came out as a brand new Shonen Jump work in January 2021, and quoting from CBR's Anthony Gramuglia, the series has become "one of the highlights" of Weekly Shonen Jump (at the time), that it is not only surprisingly emotional but also surprisingly intense, starting with all cylinders at full-throttle and never letting up." If anything, this is an excellent rendition of foretelling the story of the 1333 Siege of Kamakura, in the classic Shonen way that Yuusei Matsui only knows how to do by inserting his sense of humour that, for better or for worse, you could be a total joker in awe for seeing apparitions of Koro-sensei and the Kunugigaoka Middle School's dropout Class 3-E with Nagisa Shiota and his classmates.

And that, brings me to the main meat of the show itself: the characters. With Hojo Tokiyuki and his escapee saviour of military commander Suwa Yorishige, the latter boasting that he could see the future, he's technically not wrong, as it's revealed that he has the spirit of Suwa Myōjin inside him, which makes him a god. Furthermore, history dictates that like the Hojo Clan, the Suwa clan also faces opposition with the fall of the Kamakura Shogunate, facing its own opposition in the Shinano Province, which ultimately forced them to the already-decimated Hojo Clan with Tokiyuki at the helm, so it's a "tour de force" of near-extinct communities bonding together to face against a formidable common foe that extends all the way up to the Emperor. Speaking of Assassination Classroom then, this show does have its pick of period-accurate "class-sized" students through its aptly-named The Elusive Warriors band of youngsters: Yorishige's adopted daughter of the shrine maiden and logistics expert Shizuku; the swordsman and woman of Nezu Kojiro and Mochizuki Ayano who accompanies Tokiyuki to aid him in their military expertise; the mischievous thief of Kazama Genba who operates by money and fear with his disguise tactic; as well as the dual-sword wielding ronin of Fubuki who s their rag-tag Kamakura restoration team after a scuffle that leads the former to trust his gut instinct after Tokiyuki has proven himself, this is a retainer group that can easily match up against Feudal Japan's lead figures. And the young-aged brats they are as a group of 5 kids, are just as (if not more) effective as a big-sized army who has to follow instructions to their "sacrificial" deaths, more than suffering through the endless comedic banters of Shizuku's uncle, as well as the colourful display of enemies that range from demeaning to outright crazy.

And as if you NEED any reason to believe all of the insanity that is the anime, its production values will shock you even further. There's no doubt that this is an Aniplex production, made solely because of well-known producer Shouta Umehara, who's done a lot at the Sony-owned studios of A-1 Pictures and (more recently) CloverWorks, the likes of Eromanga-sensei, Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru a.k.a My Dress-Up Darling and Bocchi the Rock! to name a few. The fact that this is a CloverWorks production, it's not just calling the A-1 Pictures' sister studio an imitation to begin with, but it's very clear that despite sharing resources within the same animation house, you can always bet on both studios banging out their adaptations like ion projects. From the uncanny but striking animations to flawless and interesting battles (e.g. Episode 9 is a classic Arifumi Imai masterclass) that you just can't help but be in awe of, the show is just crafted masterfully with the intention to sur the manga in all regards, and it did. Despite the no-name storyboarder that is debut director Yuta Yamazaki, it's very clear that he wants to make a splash for a name recognition, and a recognition that he'll get for an insane job well done along with a capable staff team behind the anime.

Being a historical series, its OST has to be spot-on to reflect the history, and Akiyuki Tateyama (along with GEMBI) nailed the music aspect beautifully. I'd expect nothing less from the Yuru Camp a.k.a Laid-Back Camp series' music composer, and if there's one thing that he's good at, it's the comfy stuff, even if the action (i.e. as is the case for the Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki a.k.a. How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom series) unfortunately doesn't match up to his strengths. As for the theme songs themselves, this show does a competent job with DISH// and Botchi Boromaru having historically inspired songs that are just a delight to listen to and is worth endless repeats on end, especially the latter with its catchy bop of a Nanboku-cho-inspired rap song.

It's clear that Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi a.k.a The Elusive Samurai didn't quite turn out to be the success story that Yusei Matsui wanted to be, despite its increasing popularity as the years go by with the manga that, while is historically accurate, doesn't dive deep into the rich history that is the Kenmu Restoration period, much less the level of historical knowledge that is required out of the reader to fully understand what's going on in the manga replicating true stories. And if that doesn't get to you, neither will its writing be, that feels superficial at times than what we've come to expect from Assassination Classroom.

Ultimately, whatever your proposition will be, I think that the anime is pretty much necessitated to reinvigorate sales of the manga, and I hope it has done that to a degree that would help even overseas fans appreciate the series even more, even if reception in Japan has been lukewarm at best. I'm a sucker for historical stories, so this naturally comes recommended, but see if it does for you, either in seriousness or banter.

One of the Sleeper Hits of the Summer 2024 Season.

The anime is set in ancient chinese times and all of the terminology and relations brought up about that matter may be a bit too much for you as it was for me at times, but it does not take away from the fact that everybody working on this project was very ionate.

The art style looks similar to 80s/90s anime, but in a very refined and well executed way. The colors are vibrant, the animation feels fluent and alive, and the use of cgi in some parts was well executed aswell and did not drecrease ... the quality of the Experience.

The Opening and The Ending are both super creative and beautiful and also demonstrate how much love wen't into this.

It was very interesting to see the talent of the Main Character play out in different scenes, and some side characters also had great moments.

That being said, the Story could've been a bit better but it nonetheless is a great Experience I can definetly recommend.

8/10, Thank you for reading my review.

Don't be fooled by its whimsy, NigeWaka may turn war into child's play but it does so with a mature brutality which perfectly captures the tone of the times. The samurai had an obsession with death, to a point where they will reject life in order to die. For them, your life might as well be defined entirely by how you die and there is no greater honor than to die honorably in battle. NigeWaka takes this notion and spits on it, choosing to follow the story of a boy who is a master of evading death and how it's life, not death, that makes ... for greatness.

Tokiyuki could have easily become another samurai. A boy whose life is surrounded by and defined by death and without much to live for, it's only through his mastery of evasion that he is able to live. Through his journey we watch his worldview change. Initially believing that his purpose is to die with his clan, when push comes to shove he chooses to discard his pride and live instead. While this is partially due to his childish nature and how he enjoys the "game" of evasion, it comes in tandem with the maturity of a true lord that understands that there is no real honor to be found in death. Tokiyuki is a fantastic eye into the world of historical Japan as he begins to usher in updated values to those he leads. He is no great warrior on paper, lacking great swordsmanship or physical prowess (he's 9), but because he places life on the highest echelon he is able to overcome far greater opponents due to this fundamental difference in values.

Just like Tokiyuki this is an anime defined by death. War is a constant and corruption rears it's ugly head at the highest level of power. Beyond it's typically bright colorful aesthetic is a show that isn't afraid to broadcast the brutality of war. Villages are raided, innocent civilians massacred and beheaded. Death doesn't lie around the corner but rather shows itself outright. It isn't necessarily a juxtaposition for it to be broadcast within such normal looking environments because this way of life is what was normal for the time.

The presentation as a whole are this anime's strongest quality. Most clearly this is an extremely beautiful show. Everything is full of color and life, landscapes are well crafted and clearly aim to impress. Action sequences are extremely fluid and equally full of life. Actions are performed with utmost creativity, the way each character moves contains a piece of their identity. Tokiyuki and Genba have this kind of playful energy to their agility as they almost dance their way through the battlefield and evade the clutches of death. Gods of war such as Takauji seem to embody death itself, performing executions as naturally as they breathe. Specialists such as Sadamune have their greatest features (in this case his eyes) exaggerated to the utmost degree to make it seem as though he's channeling the supernatural within this one focal point.

But more so than mere artistic style is the camerawork. The way scenes are composed and operate seem like an accelerated version of real life film. The camera is almost alive, constantly moving about and manipulated by the actions of it's surroundings. Quick cuts and parallelism are used abundantly, a ball falling to the ground is intertwined with a severed head meeting the floor, an action will begin in one location and finish in another. This creates a far more satisfying "live" experience as scenes become more fluid and clever. Paired with the absolutely beautiful presentation and this creates an extremely pleasant and unique viewing experience.

Unfortunately not everything gets to enjoy this same level of polish, most evidently in of the characters. Tokiyuki and Takauji work extremely well but the remainder of the cast, both friend and foe, end up suffering. While it makes sense in the grand scheme of things for Tokiyuki's retainers to fundamentally have a kind of master-follower relationship, this does not fall in line with Tokiyuki's character, who is a hyperactive friendly extraverted child. The elusive warriors do have the airs of being friends in arms but because there isn't sufficient time dedicated to developing their relationship this ends up falling short in the back half, especially as the group continues to grow in size. This isn't to say they have poor chemistry or anything, but the characters themselves are lacking. Dedicating some time to Tokiyuki's training would have aided this immensely but that aspect ends up being shelved in favor of missions.

The antagonists are where the show really falls apart, especially when the first impression is Takauji who exerts this commanding aura over all who cross him. In contrast, what we get for recurring villains end up being cartoonish evil, leaning heavily on the cartoonish end, and obnoxious. Sadamune does well in comparison but each consecutive antagonist ends up being less serious than the last which creates a severe case of tonal whiplash, which is another one of this series' glaring issues.

There's a time and place for everything and this NigeWaka generally manages to balance its execution well. However in the final quarter especially the show ends up losing sight of how to properly distinguish between silly moments and brutal combat. One liners and cutaways end up becoming increasingly frequent as you near the end which when paired with the incredibly difficult to take seriously antagonists makes for a very jarring experience when it leads into countless casualties and on screen executions. It's a real shame because they demonstrate that they know how to do this extremely well with Tokiyuki, who finds joy in evading the clutches of death, but ends up dropping the ball with everyone else.

NigeWaka is a supremely entertaining thrill ride featuring masterful visuals and an entertaining cast of characters navigating a world which isn't afraid to kill them at any moment. While it stumbles a little near the end, for the most part it balances the carefree wonder of a child with the mature brutality of war perfectly. A real technical marvel that easily manages to place itself ahead of the pack on all fronts, a truly whimsical experience.

Highly recommend...
It has such a great story, I personally love the story based on history it's quite fun to watch .
Cloverworks animated the season so well , the radiant colours, animations were mesmerizing.i like how some of the darkest scene is presented in a beautiful art and colour works which looks pretty yet cold at the same time .

Both opening and endings were banger it on my playlist now .

Character designs are awesome. Even the most goofy looking characters are scary strong. Overall I really want to see the progress of over main cast over the period of time .
I loved the season wish for ... more , well waiting is all we can do .

TL,DR
This show might be a masterpiece in the making. The sheer quality of its production is worth a watch, WATCH IT.

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This show made me realize I have been underestimating Cloverworks as a studio.

Barring some really wonky horseback CGI shots, this is as close to a perfect production: the animation is consistently spectacular throughout, the art direction is absolutely beautiful, giving us some of the best most colorful visuals I've seen, the sound design is on point, the direction and storyboarding are endlessly creative, the way this show portrays horrific acts with its colorful artstyle makes those acts so much more terrifying. Episode 6 had ... me jaw dropped the entire time and it should be used as an example to anime in the future.

This show deserves a watch just for the quality of its production alone. But that doesn't mean the story and characters are bad, far from it. If I had to critic anything about it, is some of the self-referential comedy isn't my favourite. But besides that this show is funny, charismatic, thematically interesting and dark in the right places.

I hope the show continues because it has the possibility of being a true masterpiece. I will give it a 9 for now because we've only scratched the surface of what its capable of, but my hopes are really high

This anime shows that brains can outshine brawn, that a light expands more than darkness, even in the bloodiest of times. It’s an anime that flips the script on what it means to be a hero, replacing brute strength with sharp instincts and agility. Every episode feels like a mental chess match, where survival isn’t just about staying alive—it’s about staying one step ahead.

The charm lies in its unexpected tone. It’s historical, sure, but it’s playful and self-aware, with moments that make you smirk even as tension builds. The art style, sharp and expressive, mirrors the cunning nature of its characters. The Elusive Samurai isn’t ... just a story; it’s a celebration of cleverness in a world that rewards force.

The Elusive Samurai, a samurai who can only run away and use a bow, brings a tense story between the Go-Daigo Empire and the Kamakura Shogunate, this anime style is similar to Kutsuriya no Hitorigoto (especially the shape of their eyes and their coloring)

This anime brings tension and funny jokes in it (I don't know but this pattern is like a famous anime pattern lol) such as Yorishige Holy Light, and don't forget cute characters like the main character (Sasuga Yasui Matsui Sensei), well designed cute male main character blushing make me more... ughh (artist gonna wild)

the fighting scenes are also exciting, good work for ... the animators who have made smooth animations while the characters move quickly, and made them look like in the manga such as adding fake wing animations in episode 1, i hope they can keep it like this until the anime end

Overall score is Nigero/10

6/10 ~ Good start

Funny enough I found Elusive Samurai because I was trying to find ' Blue Eye Samurai' not realizing that was a netflix exclusive. Thinking I was going into a cross dressing revenge story about a samurai... well that made the first few episodes a bit confusing haha.

The first few ep of Elusive were extremely good, with some pretty unique visuals and an interesting story telling. Similar to Vinland Saga where both stories felt like a retelling of the events that transpired, dramatized to stay interesting, describing people with superhuman strength and abilities was a good way to tell a story like ... this. I also really enjoyed that the MC was just a complete psychopath, at the age of 9 this just makes it even crazier.

The show asks you on too many front, an expectation to enjoy it:
- be somewhat familiar with Japanese history, or atleast interested in it.
-- if you do not enjoy history alot of the plot will immediately be lost on you
- both understand and enjoy classic Japanese comedy / play write.
-- I personally found much of the comedy to either go over my head or just not to be funny. I did not enjoy the presentation which hurt it considerably.
- Japanese modern day culture, and be fine with how ANIME this is.
-- despite this taking place hundreds of years ago, it uses alot of liberty with modern day problems, comparisons and even explaining things to characters with in real world modern comparisons which... was odd to say the least. I know some real history buffs who immensely enjoy Japanese coculture and what not that could not sit through this show because of how 'ANIME' this is, unless you are an omega weeb I cannot see many getting past this.
- if you enjoyed Kingdom, this felt similar ish on many of the episodes

After the first few episodes it was very apparent of how large of a story this was trying to tell and it became increasingly obvious that this was more set up then anything, and could not and was not set up to be stand alone in any capacity, if I was not stuck on a plane I would have turned it off and waited for it to be completed down the line. Very little actually happens after the first few seasons, and honestly becomes very monster of the week formula with the lessons that the MC and his companions learn, bit boring to be honest. The graphics of that first fight you see when the MC is pushed off the cliff is where I felt the entire budget for the season went to get you to watch the show... there is almost none of that at all after the fact, really felt like a cocktease... very disappointing.

I enjoyed the MC a bit, and some of the villains were enjoyable to watch, but the entire rest of the cast was pretty bad...

For me giving this a 6/10 is pretty generous, I may re-evaluate this review when I rewatch the whole show in its entirety when it is concluded.

Elusive Samurai is a show where is exceptionally shrugged upon and under the damn rug. I barely see anyone talking about it. Easily top 5 of this season of anime (although not many good anime were here this season but I digress).

Wonderful animation, good characters, decent story, and humor that actually caught me off guard. The one thing that was apparent is it’s obvious the animation department is struggling a bit. Elusive Samurai is amazing and has multiple episodes where it rivals Studio Ghibli especially with it’s soft colored and painted art, but you can see when CGI is used, and I think some parts ... of the anime didn’t cook enough. It isn’t much of an issue though since 80% of the anime is CHEFS KISS. But episode 4 and episode 12 were easily the worst in the animation department, almost fully utilizing still frames and janky CGI. But, I cannot talk ill of the rest.

The characters are good, but there are some that are just ‘there’ or ‘aight’ y’know, it’s a historical Shonen so expect some IRL names portrayed into characters like Dazai in BSD. Symbolisms in the anime were portrayed very well with what would be going on in 1333. The art is versatile too, a lot of sakuga, some stop motion, real life footage, cutout animation, and ofc the CGI. It’s like fucking Gumball.

Suwa is easily the best character~ (totally not biased because of Gojo VA)

They also have a lot of ugly ass characters as villains that gross me out. So thank you Elusive Samurai, I did not need to see protruding eyeballs and ears with teeth.
I wish some characters had development or some relevance, I do like some like Genba, Tokiyuki, and Suwa but everyone else is meh or aight. Hopefully we see more diverse personalities than one-note characters with 1 specific quirk, like Demon Slayer.

The story is well written. Very unique too and is sometimes even fourth wall breaking and can have a few jabs in the modern world as well, delivered by the future seeing Suwa. Times were tough in 1333, that’s for damn sure.