Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
anacriss
I found it very boring, there were good moments but very short lived. There’s a lot of “comedy” that is just not funny, the story is very mediocre and slow and his “talent” for escaping was very dumb to me, they make mc look like he’s having an orgasm while jumping around.
It’s hard to believe so many people recommend this anime when I had to push through to finish it. The animation is ok most of the time but the cgi is quite bad.
I understand this is more to set the scenario for what’s to come but it’s feels very childish for most of the story until suddenly someone’s killed and then I remember this is not for kids
Read at the sourceAhoMahouShoujo
I wanted to write a review of this anime, because it deserves one.
So this was easily one of the most beautiful anime I've ever seen. The visual effects are presented in a way which is stunning an unique, and left me constantly mesmerized. The characters and setting are all loads of fun, and you really feel a palpable sense of the stakes at play. The action sequences can get over-the-top, which is usually something I don't like, but because of how well they're executed I found myself loving the ride. The attention paid to setting and time create an atmosphere I haven't seen in an anime before this.
But I gave it an 8, not a 9. Why? Because of pacing. At the end, the season loses a lot of steam. It feels like they needed to plan just a little better to avoid that, but I also can't tell if…
Read at the sourcesailorkugisaki
Following a treason and the massacre of the Shogun, Tokiyuki is the only survivor of his clan and his sole skill is...fleeing. Not the most useful competence when you want to avenge your family, right? But under the guidance of Priest Suwa, who helped him escape and whose daughter seems more responsible than him, Tokiyuki will be able to fine-tune his evasion skill and use it to his advantage when facing his foes. Who would have thought it would indeed be incorporated into their strategy? Give it to Suwa's craziness and weirdness.
Tokiyuki, along the journey, will meet other kids, each with a special skill that will benefit him and help him on his quest to avenge his family. And of course, since they are kids and need an army, the young survivor and his partisans will have to make allies…
Read at the sourceMrSlamboni
The Elusive Samurai seems to be a show that targets a young demographic (child to teenager). I would say that for adults and adolescents, this isn't enjoyable. For a young demographic this is maybe a 7. For older demographics this is a 5 or even lower. This makes it hard to judge the show because do I judge it for adults or do I take into account that it's obviously for children? In this review, I try to do both but keep in mind I am an adult.
The main characters are easy to understand; they are all young teenagers with "easily digestible" personalities and slapstick humor (which isn't funny). By easily digestible personalities, I mean that they don't really have any complex emotions or interactions between each other. The story arcs themselves also feel very simplistic, sometimes to the…
Read at the sourceferarriaga10
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.
Read at the sourceSupersonic_Pain
I wasn't looking forward to this tbh but I do like to watch all the WSJ adaptations when they come out so I kinda owed it to EluSam to check it out.
I read most of this (I think up to E10) in the manga before the anime came out and found it boring and dry and... that did not change.
It's kind of a boring, dry anime that gives "history textbook" vibes. I genuinely could not tell you what a couple of Tokiyuki's retainers' characters are supposed to be. Not to mention the antagonists are comically evil. If this wasn't a shonen anime, I wouldn't doubt for a second they'd all be rapists. It's so overdone that I was shocked when an antagonist did something that wasn't "nyeh, I'm gonna rip children's tongues out and make them slaves and I'm gonna build a harem of women after killing their husba…
Read at the sourceAntonyAV
"The elusive samurai" is a story set in a feudal Japan in which some people have rare super-powers such as seeing the future or in the case of our MC, agility so good that not even a group of well-trained warriors can get close to touching him even in a pincer attack. We follow a young boy who after losing everything, is set on a campaign of vengeance and self-preservation.
The characters while poorly fleshed out and one-directional are mostly likeable (With huge exceptions like that weirdo who can see the future and is interested in practicing Japanese bondage for some reason, who tf thought of that?), the villains suffer from the same issues but have interesting skills, there's some interesting fighting strategies and one particular close-quarters fight that was very good. That's everyt…
Read at the sourcePixelB
Well, I do appreciate how the anime depicts actual conflict. I mean, it doesn't take the lazy route where all modern shounen are just good guys vs the evil demons. Oh boy, would it be too difficult to watch humans cutting down other humans, let's dumb it down a little and make the enemies literal demons and monsters so that the audience can understand who are the good and bad guys are!
Yes, this show has people cutting down other people. After all, it's set in a time of wars between provincial lords and successions of people in power. It's the late Kamakura period! It's nice to see a historical show -- albeit very loosely I imagine -- when all shounen series tend to be generic power fantasies. However, as always, the show obviously is shounen at heart. The show features some minor magic a…
Read at the sourceRealAuraz
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 passionate.
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,…
Read at the sourcebleachtsubasa
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.
Read at the sourceLangleyAsuka
I don't understand, or maybe don't wanna understand the mixed reception Elusive Samurai has gotten, I could certainly make an effort to try put myself on the shoes of those that did not like it, but I'm afraid they would be too tight on the toes of someone who has so much praise for this one.
Starting for its subjects and the way it chooses to approach them. The anime finds itself in a very weird position, I could hardly call it a Shounen with a good conscience, as it has no trouble of pushing into more mature themes only to pull you out with a not so innocent sense of humor, that at no moment I felt subtracted from each other. The anime also expects of the audience some minimal knowledge of the historical period in which it passes, the relationships between vassals and lords and the obli…
Read at the sourceSuperAdventure
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 joins in and now they’re kicking a ball…
Read at the sourceanimeloser103
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, alm…
Read at the sourceGsarthotegga
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…
Read at the sourceMrKessler
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 ex…
Read at the sourcenonaloth
Watched on Crunchyroll
The Elusive Samurai was a pleasant surprise for me. I started watching it randomly, without recommendations or prior knowledge; I just clicked and began.
At first, I didn’t think I’d enjoy it. The opening seemed quite childish, filled with jokes, quirky characters, and the classic innocent protagonist overflowing with kindness. I’ve become somewhat saturated with that trope.
However, I must be honest; I was misled by my own biases. This anime skillfully balances seriousness with humor, blending various art styles, from sketchy to 3D, in a magnificent way. I watched all 12 episodes in just two days because it was so enjoyable and light-hearted, leaving me wanting more.
There are numerous references to current memes that are genuinely funny. The humor is impressive…
Read at the sourceFirechick12012
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 wa…
Read at the sourceZeroMajor12
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 exh…
Read at the sourceTkit
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 account how simple this story is. The whole plot of the anime works only because it was skillfully elevated with great care and passion.
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 enjoyabl…
Read at the sourceKANLen09
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,…
Read at the source