"The Elusive Samurai" Discussion Thread

[PicardMan]

The dub for this just came out and it had a promising premiere. Samurai boy is really good at dodging and survives an army of adult samurai trying to kill him. It's pretty graphic as it seems like 2020s shonen titles are gorier than the ones from previous decades. Cloverworks had pretty good animation on this title, as is to be expected. Anybody else watching this series?

 

[Yojimbo]

8/3: I've only seen the first 2 episodes. Really colorful take on pre-Warring States medieval Japan. Loosely based on real history, but totally fits the bill for a manga/anime, the lone survivor of the former ruling class is an 8 year old heir who is foretold to be a hero in 2 years, is protected by a Shinto priest with precognitive powers but also does some fraudulent stuff on the side, his daughter, and those loyal to his clan who happen to be children around the same age who are talented warriors which is good because the lead slacked off in martial arts but has an uncanny ability to dodge. The greedy uncle, that was some battle.

edit: Ok, all caught up to 5. Yeah, the adversaries are just as colorful. The animation totally tees up by creeptastic they are and usually it's a visual key on their skill. Like Sadamune and his bulging eyes, lol. Then there's the wacky stuff like a random Dragon Ball Z nod with the Spirit Bomb and Goku visual. An ancient beast called an Ox Demon that looks like a monster warthog. Or the talking red dog that has acting skills. Then something grounded in reality like winning with a Parthian Shot. I never get tired of Yorishige trolling. So good! Like at the competition, he tells Sadamune he sent the least skilled warrior to defeat him.

Interesting they added Genba, a thief only motivated by money who can pose as people. Nowhere near the same motivations as the first 3 retainers but creates an interesting paradigm shift. Can he be trusted? He sure can be tricked - he asks for obscene gold for each gig but the young lord commends him for not asking for a province. And the two kids whispering in his ear while he tries to figure out what to gamble on for his choice. heh heh.

8/11: Genba outsmarted Sadamune and his #2 with some great gags - simply cutting the bow string, rope, and scaring birds out of trees to neutralize Ichikawa and to boot burnt down his fort, lol. Adding salt on the wound, the Emperor going "what a pain!" and thus securing Suwa's safety rofl.

But man they really showcased the horror of Takauji's power and influence.

 

[PicardMan]

Episode 2's dub came out recently. Apparently, protagonist isn't the best at offense, but can get a kill in with a big enough opening. Despite having a child protagonist, this series is pretty dang graphic. The introduction of the supporting cast felt kinda rushed, but I hope the rest of the cast gets a real introduction.

 

[Yojimbo]

8/21: Ep. 7: And here comes Fubuki, the next to join the bunch but first save a village from a band of rat bastards. Neat little quirks, he's a two sword style user but has a bottomless pit for a stomach. Definitely one of the more depressing aspects of war, a village where only children are left. But of course, the village is an important lynchpin in stopping Sadamune.

8/25: Ep. 8: The village siege begins. Archers from both directions, iced "moat", pitfalls. Trapping the big bad with the protagonist in a hut. Shokan using armor to his advantage, using his own men as a bridge, but also with the 'trick door' used on Shokan. Lot's of great strategy and tactics on both sides. Excellent chess match.

After all that despicable gloating, it was awesome to see the look on Shokan's face after Tokiyuki got his arm. I'm thinking this "Demon-Heart Buddha Blade" is all about speed, agility, and precision. Basically, Tokiyuki is not going to kill Shokan by decapitation or stabbing his heart - rather he'll win by making Shokan bleed out from his vital arteries. The "kindness" is in the technique causing only a minimal amount of injury but on the flip side, the hidden cruelty is the opponent can only watch as they die.