The Elusive Samurai

Episode 9

“My Buddha” is one of those episodes of The Elusive Samurai that is crafted with such overwhelming passion for and skill in the art of animation that there is no feasible way that I wouldn't end up adoring it. Even if it was only produced with even half as much vivacious energy, this entire thing could have been twenty straight minutes of Tokiyuki and the gang standing in line at the DMV, and I would still be professionally obligated to award it an official rating of “All of the Stars.” Readers, if you're here for any nitpicks about the occasionally noticeable CGI insert or whatever, you won't be finding any of that here today, because this review is set to be a ticket for a one-way trip aboard the Elusive Samurai Hype Train Express. You're in luck, too, because we don't even make you pay extra for those little Coke cans and cookie bags that the competition is always cheating you on.

Where do I even start? From the very opening frames of this episode, for fifteen nonstop minutes, “My Buddha” delivers sequence after sequence of brilliantly animated and expertly choreographed animation that you normally only hope to see in a theatrical presentation. This isn't even the first time that the show has pulled off such stunning words, but I'd wager that “My Buddha” might be the greatest variation of the trick the show has performed yet. For one, now that we've spent some time with the characters, their struggles and triumphs hold more emotional weight than in the first few episodes. Also, this tense, multi-pronged, multi-episode affair is the kind of action anime tradition that can only work once you've established a meaningful threat for our heroes to face off against. Shokan and his goons aren't exactly final boss material, but they're a step up from the more overtly clownish recurring villains that the kids have fought thus far, and that makes it all the more meaningful to see our heroes just absolutely brutalize the poor sons of bitches.

Speaking of, The Elusive Samurai continues to be the kind of anime that makes you stop and realize that there are certain kinds of spectacles that you only really get to see in this particular industry. Sure, Hit Girl in the Kick Ass movies caused a bit of a stir here in the West back in the day, but there's something about the way that this show mixes its gleeful violence with the inherently dark nature of its setting that makes it much more disturbing than anything Mark Millar could ever dream up. It isn't just because of how goddamned bloody this episode is, either. The Three Retainers' battle against Shiro shows that the entire trio has to work together to even stand a chance, and they still take plenty of hits. Fubaki's fight with Furan is more one-sided in the boy's favor but the vicious disregard with which Fubaki slices Furan's throat is grisly in its own right — and this is after Fubaki humiliates the fighter with his utter contempt before crushing his testicles with a swift kick.

Then there is the centerpiece of the episode, which features Tokiyuki ducking and dodging his way around Shokan's flailing limbs and their never-ending spurts of blood. The young lord is euphorically laughing the entire time. The fluid and expressionistic animation goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that we feel the boy's ecstatic revelry in every last frame of the fight. It is no wonder that Shokan, the only survivor of this absolute massacre will be forever changed by his encounter with The Elusive Samurai. He thought that he lived in a world without gods and devils, but his faith seems to have been restored after encountering Tokiyuki's inhuman joy in the face of so much death and blood. Whether or not the young lord can be called a god or a devil, though…well, I would be scared out of my wits if I ever caught a glimpse of Tokiyuki playing with his prey up close.

Rating:

The Elusive Samurai is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on Twitter, his blog, and his podcast.