Netflix's Samurai Flick From 4 Years Ago Slashed Its Way to a 93% RT Score – and You Didn't Even Notice

In 2021, Netflix released an original anime based on the story of a real person who lived in Japan in the 16th century – the Afro-samurai Yasuke.

Yasuke was not only a man who swung a sword left and right – samurai also implies the status of a nobleman with land ownership, which Yasuke was granted by the leader of Japan at that time, Oda Nobunaga.

The creators of Yasuke found the formula for the perfect anime: put LeSean Thomas, the creator of the brilliant series The Boondocks, in the place of the director, involve the Mappa studio, which is known for its high-quality projects, take the samurai setting, and add some magic.

What Is Yasuke About?

1582, Kyoto. After being defeated by the army of The Dark General, Oda Nobunaga commits seppuku, and the only samurai loyal to him, Yasuke, is forced to put an end to his lord's torment.

20 years later, unable to forget Nobunaga's death, Yasuke works as a village boatman. One day, a local woman asks him to take her daughter, who is suffering from a strange illness, to the doctor. Yasuke reluctantly agrees, but the girl is already being hunted by dark forces.

Yasuke Is Loosely Based on the Real Historical Figure

The plot of Yasuke is loosely based on the story of a samurai of African descent who, according to some researchers, lived during the Sengoku period.

Yasuke came to Japan as a servant of the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano and managed to become a powerful samurai. According to the Japanese chronicles, Yasuke even had his own residence and personal katana.

The Anime Features Impressive and Masterfully Crafted Action Scenes

Yasuke's main storyline is quite simple, but the anime impresses not with this, but with action scenes with an emphasis on realism.

Fights look convincing, you can feel the power and art of sword fighting, nobody jumps on branches or flies through the air – here are only the classic action scenes with blood and severed body parts.

And LeSean Thomas' animation style will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has seen his previous projects – the animation can change from jagged, low-frame to stunningly smooth and detailed.

Yasuke Is a Worthy Title About Samurai

Yasuke is a fascinating series, a test case in the cross-cultural evolution of Japanese anime as an art form.

But it is also an aesthetically pleasing work by the artists of Studio Mappa that takes you through the earthly forests and villages of Japan into a magical world of magic and spirits.