Premiere Date
27-05-2025
Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Elusive Samurai, Episode 1, “May 22nd”, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
When the thought “This is the prettiest anime I’ve seen in years” instantly prompts a feeling of déjà vu from the last time the thought occurred, it says something about the state of anime these past few years. This past Winter,Frieren: Beyond Journey’s Endblew people’s minds with its immaculate animation, and nowaudiences are spoiled again withThe Elusive Samuraiby CloverWorks.
Based on the manga by Yusei Matsui (Assassination Classroom),The Elusive Samuraiis a historical shōnen set in 1333 after the fall of the Kamakura shogunate and the ensuing maelstrom. It is loosely based on the life of one Hojo Tokiyuki, the surviving heir, who flees capture and execution, vowing to restore the Kamakura shogunate with the help of some new friends.
A Jaw-Dropping Premiere
The Elusive Samuraibegins with confidence. Not a second goes by before the opening theme plays - before the viewer has even had a chance to get hooked yet - but the colorful cast somehow already makes a strong impression. With not a second to waste, an opening narration follows, set againsta surprisingly gorgeous CGI sequencerecounting the era the audience is being thrown into. Takauji Ashikaga takes center stage… before the narrator assures us they arenotthe protagonist.
No, the true protagonist is an eight-year-old Hojo Tokiyuki, and over the next five minutes, it will be impossible not to be charmed by the kid, who lives up to the show’s title with gusto. This elusive heir runs circles around the two guards who are trying and failing to make him attend archery practice. It is an utterly delightful chase that conveys so much about Tokiyuki through visuals alone, thanks to some ridiculously expressive character animation that seldom relents.
A Peaceful Start to a Wild Adventure
It is a narrative blessing as well as a feast for the eyes. Running across the castle grounds allows the viewer’s gaze to follow those to whom Tokiyuki’s shenanigans are a common occurrence. Through them, we learn all we need to know. Tokiyuki’s best talent is running and hiding, and though he is a kind boy,some wonder if his aversion to violencewill make him a good leader, much less a competent samurai. He’s not worried, though, so long as he can live in this town he loves so much.
As if tempting fate, then, he encounters a most peculiar character: Yorishige Suwa, a Shinto priest who claims to see into the future, and tells him that in two years, he will shape the future of Japan. Not buying it, Tokiyuki flees, writing Yorishige off as a fake, before returning to his tranquil life, but in what is presented as the blink of an eye, the path to that foretold future opens, and quite violently.
The Biggest Hurdles to Loving The Elusive Samurai
At the midway point of the first episode, the tone shifts dramatically as the story skips ahead, recounting Takauji’s betrayal of the Kamakura shogunate. This story is a particular breed of historical fiction that expects the viewer tohave some knowledge of Japanese history, putting many Western viewers behind the curve. As such, this expectation contributes to the blazing pace of this premiere.
Many of the characters the audience met in the opening act, easily assumed to be longstanding supporting characters, are already dead, and only Tokiyuki remains. Not only are the events themselves gruesome but they are depicted with no less detail - and arguably even more - than the lighthearted thrills that started everything.
On the one hand, it creates a dramatic dissonance that may likely throw off anyone absorbed by its cozy aesthetic or somewhat absurdist sense of humor. On the other hand, though,the second half hits infinitely harderbecauseof this opening, and the palpable joy felt through its characters. It is that same juxtaposition that makes the climax of the premiere - and this show’s thesis - grab the viewer like a vice and refuse to let go.
Become A Hero By Living
From the very beginning of the episode,The Elusive Samuraidistances itself from the traditional view of heroism and honor common to the era. In a setting where such qualities are measured by a person’s willingness to kill, this story ponders how one can become a hero when his greatest strength is running away. Furthermore, it erases any trace of cowardice from this characterization and treats that survival instinct as something beautiful and worthy of admiration in itself.
Takauji becomes a hero by killing, you become a hero by living.
These are the words spoken to Tokiyuki by Yorishige, who promises to set him on the path of reforming his shogunateand provide him with allies to do so. It comes after Episode 1’s climax, where Tokiyuki evades an onslaught of samurai hell-bent on killing him. It is a masterclass in animation and choreography that is chaotic yet very easy for the eye to follow, and which beautifully brings the episode full circle.
Episode 2 Keeps the Thrills Coming
The biggest concern upon finishing Episode 1 was that the series might not be able to maintain such a ludicrous degree of quality. While the jury is still out on the season as a whole, though, Episode 2 was similarly gorgeous, introduces more great characters, and further demonstrates what kind of hero Tokiyuki will become. There’s something slightly crazy in this boy’s eyes when he fights - as if he loves teetering on the edge of life and death.
His strategy is evasion and wearing down enemies through attrition and the aid of his friends.He doesn’t have the strongest sword arm, but he’s not powerless, and his evasive skill removes the pressure for his allies to guard him quite as fiercely. The most exciting thing about watching this series is seeing just how Tokiyuki will fight back against the men hunting him and just what kind of hero he will become.
It is not all perfect. The shifting tone can be distracting when an otherwise somber moment is broken up by a character like Yorishige. When the entire crux of Episode 2 centers around a rather brutal death that weighs on Tokiyuki, this can hinder things somewhat. The biggest test of this series, in the long run, will be how it balances its tone while pursuing its themes. With that said, this is but a small caveat toa very impressive start to the season.
The Elusive Samuraiis a beauty to behold and now, at the end of this piece, it suddenly hits just how much more there is to talk about with just the two episodes that have aired. This feature has barely even touched on the staff behind the show or the music, how at times it evokes the look of anime OVAs from the 90s, or how the colors somehow look more vibrant than any other show. Needless to say, this series demands attention.
