The Hard to Find Samurai is CloverWorks' Best Anime

Key Takeaways

• Elusive Samurai impressed with its rich story, vibrant animation, and unique heroes.
• Tokiyuki's unique fighting style challenges traditional heroism, making the narrative compelling and fresh.
• The series boasts top-notch animation and promising potential, making it a strong Animation of the Year contender.

CloverWorks was founded almost six years ago, and despite the studio's youth, Wonder Egg Priority or The Promised Neverland It left an unforgettable mark on the audience. The Elusive Samurai is the latest project to amaze with sights, sounds, and story, and as the studio celebrates its sixth anniversary, it's arguably its strongest series yet.

This work is based on a manga by author Yusei Matsui. The Elusive Samurai A historical shonen set in 1333, it is loosely based on the life of Tokiyuki Hojo, the surviving heir of the Kamakura shogunate. After Ashikaga Takauji betrays the shogunate and commits massacre, nine-year-old Tokiyuki escapes the massacre and joins a priest who will provide him with allies and training to retake the country.

An ingenious creation of an instant classic.

The Elusive Samurai’s strongest hooks are also its riskiest gambles. Such is the sheer grandeur of the first episode and the high bar it sets early on. To say we are doing our best is an understatement. Tokiyuki's mischievous personality and the quiet peace of his home are captivating when painted in rich colors and brought to life through expressive animation.

It won't be long before that tranquility will be destroyed. Takauji's betrayal destroys Tokiyuki's world. This is a world the viewer knows very little about for more than ten minutes, but the sense of loss will be felt as strongly as if it had been explored for hours. I'll admit there's a tonal dissonance in the violence that may initially deter some viewers, but those who can persevere will no doubt see the vision through quite quickly.

Learn to love the inconspicuous samurai

The most interesting thing is The Elusive Samurai He is the unconventional hero and the context in which the story expresses its themes. Even though Tokiyuki was young and heir to the shogunate, he cared little about his duties because he thought he would become a puppet ruler like his father. Instead, he lived a life of play, with a near-superhuman tenacity for running and hiding. Although the man was attractive, his nature made him doubt his ability to rule.

If his house fell, the custom of the time required that he commit suicide and honorably join his fallen family. But as predicted by Suwa Yorishige, a mysterious clairvoyant monk, he cannot. Tokiyuki clings to life, dodging the blades of those who would slaughter him for the sake of his family's name. It's a generation-spanning spectacle, backed by some of the most flawless color design and animation direction you'll ever see. And that's just the premiere.

What makes Tokiyuki different from other boy protagonists?

As mentioned in our August mid-season review, The Elusive Samurai By weaponizing the protagonist's childlike innocence, it rejects the traditional ideas of heroism and honor inherent in the era. Tokiyuki is not a strong fighter by any means, but his speed and survival instincts allow him to circle around his enemies and tire them out over time. Instead, it is a unique spin on the battle scene where actions that in other stories might be called cowardly end in victory.

As a result, the tonal dissonance becomes more ignorable, not simply because Tokiyuki is a child avoiding death, but because Tokiyuki is fighting against an idea. The idea that heroism is intrinsically linked to murder, or that there is honor in death, is a sentiment that the story finds far more childish than its young hero. Perhaps that is a more modern philosophy. But that's why Yorishige is there. A pastor who looks to the future.

In many ways, this story feels like a bit of metatextual time travel and a twisted history lesson. The first episode takes place in 2024 and takes us back in time. Next, we are introduced to Takauji Ashikaga before the narrator convinces us that he is not the main character of the story. From then on, Yorishige feels like a timeless man who withheld his vision of the future in order to protect and uplift Tokiyuki, the lovable underdog, through a modern-day lens.

hide and seek war

The Elusive Samurai's narrative is largely episodic, and because the manga is still in progress, the first season is not close to a complete story. This season follows the formation of “The Elusive Warriors”, the main squad that follows Tokiyuki's lead. Kojiro Nezu, Ayako Mochizuki, and Yorishige's daughter Shizuku also join. At the end of episode 12, thief Genba and swordsman Fubuki join.

Initially, supporting characters may not capture the viewer's attention as strongly as Tokiyuki. It doesn't help that Kojiro and Ayako appear as canned companions, but the point is that they both have good chemistry and add a lot to the fight. Furthermore, as the story progresses, the characters get good moments to shine and their relationships with Tokiyuki deepen, especially with Genba and Kojiro. It's fun to see how fascinated they all are with Tokiyuki.

In terms of humor, your mileage may vary. It's quite loud and vulgar, which may be annoying to some, but it's charming, especially as a means of conveying the growing bond between the cast. As previously mentioned, this also acts as a counterbalance to the show's darker elements, but even the recurring villains provide some humor to the proceedings. The only exception is Takauji, who can unleash some of the purest “villain energy” seen in anime in quite some time.

Expectations for animation and next work

When it premiered, we said it seemed too good to be true. About halfway through, The Elusive Samurai He said he has the ability to back up his promising debut. After season 1, it will undoubtedly be one of the best anime of 2024. Dan Dan Dan We haven't started yet, so there's time for things to change, but there will still be stiff competition.

At worst, the series suffers from some CGI that clashes with the rest of its visual style. Looking at that, not only has the show consistently delivered beautiful animation, but it has also consistently created some of the most avant-garde sequences seen in an action show in years. Episodes 1, 6, and 9, in particular, are well-constructed enough to rank Cloverworks among the top Japanese animation houses. The big fight in episode 9 alone is a masterpiece that animator Keisuke Okura would be proud of. [watch it here].

There's something nostalgic about this series. The exact nature varies from person to person, but it is nonetheless compared to the following classic works: Rurouni Kenshin. The look, and therefore the colors, are reminiscent of a bygone era of action-adventure animation, but at the same time very modern. In that regard, it's very interesting to imagine where this series may yet go.

The Elusive Samurai
It's fantastic and a strong contender for Animation of the Year.

This is Cloverworks' best series ever, and even typing those words feels like a tempting fate for what the past felt like. The Promised Neverland or Wonder Egg Priority It turns out. But not everyone can see the future like Yorishige, so in the meantime, let's call it what it is until Season 2 disappoints us. The Elusive Samurai It's fantastic and a strong contender for Animation of the Year.

The Elusive Samurai You can stream it on Crunchyroll.