The Elusive Samurai Season 2

Episode 4

It's as if the Elusive Samurai gods have been reading my reviews and decided to answer my prayers. Just one week after comparing the Hojo-clan Gang to those zany felt weirdos from The Muppet Show, what does this anime decide to do? It just up and transforms into a live-action puppet show for no reason whatsoever in the middle of the opening scene where the kids reunite with the very much alive Mochizuki warriors. Just like with every other modal switch we've seen this season, the only excuse that the creators of The Elusive Samurai seem capable of mustering is, “We're doing whatever the hell we want with this show, so shut up and enjoy it.” You won't find me complaining. This is an iron-clad rule that applies to literally all stories told across every medium humanity has yet conceived: Everything is better when you add a bunch of goofy puppets.

As tempted as I now am to abandon this review completely so I can go marathon Thunderbolt Fantasy, there are battlefield escapades that we have yet to unpack. While up and abandoning the fort might seem like the work of cowardly fools, we all know that the father of Ayako is no damned fool, and it turns out that falling on the sword to defend such a meager encampment would probably not have been the best way to counteract Ichikawa's assault. That said, our heroes have still left Shinomiya in the lurch, so haste must be made to bolster the supporting troops.

I have to admit that, while my appreciation for narratives that indulge in the grander stratagems of ancient warfare has certainly grown over the years, this episode of The Elusive Samurai started to lose me a little with how much time we spent on all of the maps, charts, and meetings that are meant to help us make sense of this battle. I'm used to having a single gravelly voiced Dan Carlin type usher me through the ins and outs of the battlefield with a bit more dramatic aplomb; by comparison, this is The Elusive Samurai at its fuddiest and duddiest. That's not to say there aren't still some laughs and cheers to be found, but this arc of episodes has me checking my watch more than usual. Now, if all of this exposition was being delivered by adorable little yarn puppets, that would be a horse of an entirely different color…

The highlight of the week is the arrival of the titular Shinano Mask, who is obviously just Yorishige in a bright pink mask that in no way obscures his flamboyant real identity. It's a funny bit, since the tactic amounts to little more that acting so brazenly stupid that Ichikawa gets psyched out enough to retreat, but I won't pretend that I wasn't expecting something a little more exciting to serve as the climax of the episode. I can appreciate how this leads to Tokiyuki's emotional outburst, where he tells his mentor that he wants to be more proactive and useful to the army. The show has spoiled me too much, though. Even though we have a perfectly heartwarming ending to this mostly transitionary episode, all I could think was, “Damn, this would be so much better if everyone was still a live-action puppet.” I will try to compose myself enough to appraise future episodes with as much fairness as I can muster, but CloverWorks can't just give this puppet-junkie a free fix and then decline to sell me more of its product. I still have plenty of equity that I can borrow against, CloverWorks. I'm sure my wife won't mind if we have to sell off some of those precious earrings that got passed down in her grandmother's will. I can scrape together however much cold, hard cash you need if it gives me another hit of that puppety goodness.

Episode Rating:

The Elusive Samurai Season 2 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 BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.