REVIEW: ‘The Elusive Samurai’ Episode 8

For all of this character’s horror and trauma, Tokiyuki (Asaki Yuikawa) is shockingly hopeful and resilient in The Elusive Samurai. It’s part of what makes him such a lovable protagonist, highlighted in The Elusive Samurai Episode 8. Yorishige (Yuichi Nakamura) has spent much time praising what he believes to be Tokiyuki’s greatest strength: his ability to run away. And this little would-be leader indeed has true skill in acrobatic evasion. However, refreshingly, Fubuki (Kikunosuke Toya) highlights a different strength that speaks to why Tokiyuki can run away at all: his kindness.

This refocusing on Tokiyuki’s abilities adds depth to the already gripping The Elusive Samurai Episode 8. It grounds what often can be used as bouts of humor in something more human, especially as he continues to square up against adversaries who push the boundaries of humanity. In the climactic moments, as he faces off against the monstrous, trypophobia-inducing Shokan, Tokiyuki realizes that the man is a demon. Thus, he can kill him without remorse.

The Elusive Samurai Episode 8 layers the story as the village Tokiyuki and co. agreed to help protect is overrun by assailants. We bob in and out of the present as we watch Tokiyuki learn a secret skill Fubuki passes to him, telling him it’s an attack only he can use due to his gentle and compassionate nature. While we don’t learn just exactly what it entails by the end of the episode, we do witness Shokan suffering from a critical hit, his wrist cut, and billowing blood.

The fight-and-death march leading up until this showdown is a mix of highlights and some of the series’ worst instincts. Regarding the latter, Episode 8 utilizes jarring 3D animation, which, albeit brief, tanks the quality of the moment. Scenes such as Shokan walking towards the town lessen in impact; this imposing figure is momentarily defanged because of how silly the final effect is. It’s difficult to tell if this is a deliberate artistic decision or the result of a harried animation team. However, compared to the best sequences the series offers, the 3D sticks out in the wrong way. There’s simply no blending the styles when it’s implemented.

However, other fights work exceptionally well. The episode builds on mood and atmosphere with haunting landscapes, such as a blood moon rising in time for Shokan’s group to take more lives. It’s all suitably ominous. The Hereditary style of dissonant score helps set the tone. Shokan is a vile villain, taking joy in ruining lives and stealing parents from children, going so far as to see people as what they’re worth to him in money. The Elusive Samurai ensures that the severity of his threat is felt as he encroaches on the village.

The series’ movement has been a highlight since the start, and it gets the focus again here twofold. Ayako and Kojiro’s battle to distract Shokan is dynamic and fluid, demonstrating their strength and adaptability in battle. The direction and framing of their running highlight their speed, as the buildings blur together as they race away after luring Shokan to where Tokiyuki awaits.

We see it again in that final fight where Tokiyuki’s evasive abilities are targeted due to the confining nature of the room. He’s left little space to move about, having to be more creative with how he evades Shokan’s blade. Shokan even believes this is by design, thinking Tokyuki hopes his blade will get stuck in the walls and give him an opening. The episode makes a pivotal distinction of how out of their depth Tokiyuki and his retainers are, as seen by outsiders. They have no battle experience, and while their youth offers them energy, it also makes them vulnerable.

While we know that Tokyuki will live beyond this encounter, despite the bloodshed the series enjoys, there’s a present sense of danger because of his inexperience and age. And that’s how it should be. Thankfully, for once, the series doesn’t lean into comedy when there’s no room for it.

The Elusive Samurai Episode 8 delivers a high-impact battle that suffers only due to some poorly rendered animation decisions. But the story sings as Tokiyuki unleashes his next major attack in a battle where the odds aren’t in his favor.

The Elusive Samurai Episode 8 is out now on Crunchyroll.