The Elusive Samurai Episode 10 - Evil Is on Its Way

The Elusive Samurai episode 10 aired on Saturday giving fans one of the best episodes of the series so far in terms of plot development. But, like many episodes before it, the episodes drifted away from the dramatic moments when they shouldn’t, making it a little more difficult to take seriously.

The Good

The best part of this episode for me was finally seeing more of the villains’ side with Takauji. We were introduced to him from the start and we saw his battle capabilities in the middle of the season, albeit briefly. Yet in episode 10, we finally get to see some downtime, more importantly with his brother, Tadayoshi.

Of course, the screentime is nice but it’s what took up that screentime that I was completely drawn into it. We finally get introduced to Tadayoshi and it’s already apparent that even he is terrified of his brother. The episode did a great job of setting the course for what’s to come, but really making Takauji as evil as possible before his path crosses with Tokiyuki’s down the line is the best play possible in terms of writing. Perhaps Tadayoshi could even turn against his brother at some point.

I also loved Shizuku’s moment with Tokiyuki. Out of all the characters we’ve been shown so far with some sort of backstory, Shizuku still remains a mystery to both our lovable protagonist and us as viewers. Having some sort of divine powers stirs up many thoughts in my head about who she could possibly be.

But leaving that mystery for tomorrow is something I’m thoroughly enjoying about The Elusive Samurai anime. Tokiyuki’s talk with Yorishige about how they’re currently in the last era for the use of divine powers and that the stronger humans are, the weaker gods become, was something this serious definitely needed.

I’d say one last good thing about this episode in some moments was the shots of certain characters in certain moments. Take for example the ones below leading up to the moment of Tadayoshi seeing what his brother drew in the room. I mentioned in my review for Wistoria: Wand and Sword episode 10 that you can’t simply just introduce a villain, you have to make their presence known. While the one here in The Elusive Samurai was may more symbolic and abstract, it still got its point across in a very creative way.

The Bad

Of course, in The Elusive Samurai style, all of this wonderful plot and character development gets pulled back a bit by the unnecessary humor. If episode 10 didn’t have the “comedic scenes” that it did, I would definitely be giving this episode around a 9 or 10.

Having an 8-year-old imagined as some sort of dominatrix, then ending the episode with Yorishige tied up enjoying god knows what, just seemed completely unnecessary and most importantly weird. It feels like they’re scenes that the characters themselves will forget about and that makes it even worse.

Even though they say they’ll never get that scene with Yorishige out of their minds, I’d be willing to put money on it that they’ll never bring it up again. If they did, then at least it stays consistent with the characters. But if this really was a one-off type of thing with those two in those moments, then it really steered the episode of course looking back on it.

The Elusive Samurai Episode Episode 10 Wrap-Up

The Elusive Samurai continues to show certain story elements that really draw me in to its characters and rising action. The production is already great as is. So if the writing can just maintain some level or consistency around serious moments rather than concluding them with laughs and forced humor, this series can potentially be something incredible.

Episode 10 rating: 8/10

If you enjoyed The Elusive Samurai episode 10 then vote for the episode in our weekly poll! Episode 11 will be released on Saturday, September 21, on Crunchyroll.

Screenshots via Crunchyroll
©Fujino Omori, Toshi Aoi, Kodansha/Wistoria: Wand and Sword Production Committee