Review of The Elusive Samurai

Cloverworks have made a name for themselves with shows that blend action and comedy and I really think Nigewaka is up there with their very best work. Samurai stories are extremely popular right now thanks to the success of series like Ghost of Tsushima and Shogun, so getting a new historical series where we see the incremental development of an exiled prince into a legendary rebel samurai is awesome. As an history enthusiast, I enjoyed seeing so many figures from Japanese history brought to life as well as one of the most interesting periods in Japanese history. That coupled with some of the best productionvalues of the year and you’ve got an amazing experience. Highly recommend this one for action fans, fans of historical series or shotacons who are here for Tokiyuki.

So I came into this having never read or seen Assassination Classroom, the author’s previous work. Crazy, I know, but I had no idea how good a writer the author was. This guy is truly amazing with creating characters and worlds that you fall in love with. The first episode does an amazing job of pulling you into this world and lulling you to sleep with a false sense of security only to hit you with one of the craziest tonal shifts you’ll see. I knew from that moment that this was going to be one of the best shows this year and I’ve been pushing the agenda ever since. This period of Japanese history is full of political instability, violence, betrayal and stuff that would make George R Martin’s books look like fairy tales. While nigewaka has a comedic angle to it thanks to supporting characters like Suwa, I still felt it did a good job of showcasing just how treacherous and dangerous a time this was. Tokiyuki goes through a ton of challenges that make him grow up really quickly. His journey is compelling and you can’t help but want to see him succeed given what happens to his family and by who.

Now, I will say I was a tiny bit disappointed that the story goes off into the supernatural after the first episode. I was really hoping for a Japanese Vinland Saga style set up with some comedy and incredible Cloverworks animation after the spectacle that was the ending of the first episode, but they ended up going off on this time travel/supernatural vibe. That’s not the end of the world for me, I just would’ve preferred a more grounded approach. I did still have a ton of fun with it and think the way they incorporated the mystical aspects was solid.

The best part of this series is Tokiyuki’s connections with his subordinates. As part of his training to become a leader worthy of Japan, he has to hone a variety of skills from archery to espionage to general combat and there’s someone he recruits to the party along the way to help with each of those tasks. The author has a way with character interactions. They all felt so alive and dynamic, every scene with Tokiyuki and the elusive warriors was a trip, and we also see him grow substantially as a result of the various connections he makes. Retaking a country from someone with superior numbers and finances is no easy task so having a variety of people on your side who challenge you with different viewpoints and ways of doing things is a big plus. The emphasis this series has on conducting an insurgency as opposed to a direct conflict against the enemy is really cool to me too.

Speaking of said enemy, the antagonist in this series, Ashikaga Takauji is absolutely terrifying. He is exactly the sort of villain I’ve been looking for in anime for a while. None of that sad backstory sob bs. Just give me a guy who is pure evil, cold, calculating and can still charm people. Now, while Ashikaga existed in real life, in the context of the show they haven’t explained what his actual rationale for betraying Tokiyuki’s family is so I’m waiting for that in a potential season 2. There was a lot of set up in these 12 episodes that we just unfortunately didn’t get answers to as is often the case for these one cour manga adaptations, but from what we got in this season I was very impressed.

The first episode of Nigewaka had some of the most unique animation and art you’ll see in anime. Absolute masterclass from Cloverworks. The rest of the season varies from incredible to.. kinda meh.. there’s a few episodes that rely heavily on CGI that just doesn’t look very good. Obviously every episode can’t look like episode 1, so I’m ok with a little stinker here and there, but on the whole they did an amazing job. I certainly feel like this is up there with their very best stuff.

If you’re on limited time and just get an opportunity to watch a handful of anime from time to time, I think this is one of the ones from this season you need to check out. It’s a cool historical story with a fantastical twist, great action, great characters, funny as hell AND a little shotacon action if you’re into that type of thing. Nigewaka’s an experience I won’t soon forget and I’ll definitely be reading it!

Nigewaka gets 9 katanas out of 10.