The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 “May 22nd” is quite a way to kick off this anime. It first makes you think that it’s going to be a historical slice of life show set in Kamakura, Japan all the way back in the year 1333. However, it reveals itself to be a far bloodier show at the halfway point. Looks like our young hero Hōjō Tokiyuki will have to run, and run far and fast indeed, to escape with his life.

The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 “May 22nd”: Details

The Elusive Samurai NA key visual.
Now this is what I call an artistic key visual.

The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 “May 22nd” is the very first episode of this historical fantasy adventure anime series. Said anime is the anime adaptation of the manga of the same name by Yusei Matsui (Neuro: Supernatural Detective, Assassination Classroom). CloverWorks (Horimiya, Spy x Family, Black Butler -Public School Arc-) is the animation studio behind this anime. Aniplex of America is the company licensing this anime in NA region, with Crunchyroll being the platform streaming it.

Yuta Yamazaki is the director and storyboarder behind The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 “May 22nd”, with Yoriko Tomita as the writer. As for The Elusive Samurai as a whole, Yuta Yamazaki is the director behind it. Yoriko Tomita is the writer behind the same, with the team of Gembi and Akiyuki Tateyama composing the music.

Speaking of music: the opening theme music for this anime is “Plan A” (プラン A, Puran A) by Dish. Meanwhile, “Kamakura Style” (鎌倉 STYLE, Kamakura Sutairu) by Botchi Boromaru is the ending theme music for the same.

Voice Cast

The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 “May 22nd” features the voices of Asaki Yuikawa as Hōjō Tokiyuki, Yuichi Nakamura as Suwa Yorishige, and Hinaki Yano as Shizuku. The other notable voice role in this episode is Katsuyuki Konishi as Ashikaga Takauji.

When and Where to Watch

The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 “May 22nd” made its airing and streaming (aka. simulcast) debut on July 6, 2024. You can watch this episode only on Crunchyroll. In fact, you can watch this entire anime only on Crunchyroll due to it being an exclusive there.

The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 “May 22nd”: Synopsis

Soon, Tokiyuki here will be sweating for a different and far more painful reason.

Alas, The Elusive Samurai is an ongoing anime series. In fact, The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 “May 22nd” only just made its premiere 12 days ago as of this writing. Thus, you will all get the official synopsis from Crunchyroll instead of a spoiler-filled plot summary. You can check out that synopsis below:

The year is 1333, Kamakura. Tokiyuki Hojo, the rightful heir to the regent who rules the Kamakura shogunate, is a kind boy with a heart of gold who dislikes conflict – even though he’s the son of a warrior.

But that’s not all, folks! Since this is the pilot episode of this anime, you will all get the official synopsis of The Elusive Samurai as a whole, also by Crunchyroll. You can also check out that synopsis below:

In the year 1333, the Kamakura shogunate government comes crumbling down. A trusted vassal, Ashikaga Takauji, betrays the shogunate and organizes a rebellion. Hojo Tokiyuki, the rightful heir, escapes the massacre with a Shinto priest named Suwa Yorishige to Kamakura. On the run and fighting to stay alive, Tokiyuki sets in motion his plan to reclaim his birthright.

The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 “May 22nd”: The Good

The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 "May 22nd" screenshot showing an artistic rendition of Hōjō Tokiyuki as a phoenix leaping towards Suwa Yorishige.
You can already tell that this is one of the artsier anime out there.

Okay, there’s seriously no doubt about it. It’s the story of The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 “May 22nd” that has me on the edge of my seat here. It’s pretty surprising too because if you know Japanese history, then you already know what’s going to happen to Tokiyuki even before the reveal. That’s right. The events of this episode are all part of actual Japanese history. Specifically: the fall of the Kamakura Shogunate at the conclusion of the 1333 siege of Kamakura. You would think that this would make for a boring and dry historical anime. However, Yusei Matsui is a masterful storyteller. He manages to weave together a wonderful story centered around Hōjō Tokiyuki, full of laughs, tears, and gallons upon gallons of blood. This is definitely not a story for the faint-hearted, even in the first episode.

Complementing that amazingly historical story is the animation. CloverWorks really went all out for this anime. You can see that in the screenshots where the animation suddenly turns into a fantastical masterpiece like out of a traditional Japanese ukiyo-e painting. It’s just so colorfully stylish that for a moment, you think you’re watching a moving version of that ukiyo-e painting. It’s that level of artsiness that propels this anime into the realm of something great.

The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 “May 22nd”: The Bad

The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 "May 22nd" screenshot showing Hōjō, Suwa, and Shizuku riding away into the night on a white horse.
So artsy that it takes your breath away, really.

Honestly, the second half of The Elusive Samurai Ep. 1 “May 22nd” is so brutally violent and bloody that it more than makes up for the nice and peaceful first half of the episode. So much so that it should satisfy even the most rabid of action junkies. Honestly, you might want to cool down with a more peaceful and relaxing anime after this. I would recommend Astro Note, Spice and Wolf: MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF, My Deer Friend Nokotan, and/or Senpai is an Otokonoko to relax after this episode.

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