Young Tokiyuki Hojo is a consummate master at hide-and-seek, which wouldn’t be that strange if he wasn’t also the heir to the Kamakura Shogunate. The year is 1333, and Tokiyuki prefers hiding in treasure vaults, jumping from roofs, and running in front of his bodyguards to archery training or his lordly duties. Some at the court of Kamakura posit that this manifests a family trait: the laziness and cowardice that have made his father a puppet ruler, manipulated by power-hungry advisors. Tokiyuki would be happy just with living in the city he loves, but he is destined to be the ruler, since his older brother, the kind, resolute Kunitoki, is illegitimate. Perhaps he would be a better ruler, or perhaps Takauji Ashikaga, a courageous and cheerful warrior who Tokiyuki admires, would be. Is Tokiyuki a coward? Is he a sloth? A girl dressed in temple attire tells him that those monikers are not him, just aspects of the monster he has inside. And the girl’s father, the suspicious Buddhist priest Yorishige Sowa, appears from nowhere to share with him a vision of the future: Tokiyuki will be a great hero. Our young lord is having none of it and runs away as usual, but one day, Kamakura is betrayed and flooded with blood and fire…

There is something special about anime. Every few years, a series reminds me of this feeling, and of the true potential of the genre. I’m happy to report that The Elusive Samurai is one of these pieces: what an arresting first episode! It’s funny, it’s moving, it’s tragic, it’s adventurous, and it gets me fully investing in distant historical figures I know absolutely nothing about. As I write these lines, I’m listening again to the opening: what a banger! From the very first moment, with commanding, colorful strokes, the show manages to build a world that mixes comedy and tragedy, contemporary and historical referents, samurai themes and relatable dilemmas, and deals with them in a unique visual language that is quite unlike anything else I have seen. The comparisons that come to mind are Samurai Champloo, Gintama, Trust and Betrayal and Ascendance of a Bookworm, all four extremely unique shows. The humor is clever and quite tongue-in-cheek, yet it doesn’t undercut the serious moments. I’m fully sold on Tokiyuki’s arc as a “hero who lives,” I find all his relationships fascinating, and I can’t wait to meet the rest of the cast. I’d only add a caveat: don’t be fooled by the innocent tone of the first half; the story can turn extremely somber and gory without warning, with references to horrific violence of all kinds. If this doesn’t dissuade you, I wholeheartedly recommend checking The Elusive Samurai out. Long life the Hojo clan!

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The Elusive Samurai can be streamed at Crunchyroll.