Based on the real-life historical figure of the same name, Netflix’s latest anime tells the story of the African servant-turned-samurai Yasuke, who served Oda Nobunaga during Feudal Japan. The anime does a decent job depicting a few historical moments of what’s documented about the 16th-century Black samurai’s life, but quickly takes creative liberties with the source material by adding power-armored mechs, telekinetic humans, and giant shape-shifting werebears to this epic tale. While the sci-fi fantasy elements are cool to see, they do little to add depth to the characters and only serve as a would-be distraction from the story’s lack of fostering an emotional connection to the protagonist.Yasuke Season 1 Download.
Those familiar with director and executive-producer LeSean Thomas’ previous work, the Netflix Anime original Cannon Buster, shouldn’t expect to see the same quirkiness and upbeat energy depicted in that series here. Thomas’ latest foray into anime means business. With sword fights that leave combatants completely eviscerated, Yasuke is a samurai story in the purest sense.
Animated by the acclaimed Studio MAPPA, the visuals and fight scenes in Yasuke are the main highlight of this anime series. Focusing on the background imagery, 16th Century Japan is vibrantly depicted with sprawling landscapes. The environments and locations Yasuke and the other characters find themselves in adds to each scene’s overall moodiness. Visual cues abound. As the scenery becomes darker and the wind rustles, it quickly becomes apparent our samurai warrior is about to find himself in a fight for his life. An impending epic battle between two opposing Japanese military forces is telegraphed by contrasting colors and glowing lights. Given how detailed these backdrops are and how much texture each locale has, It’d be a safe assumption to say the background artists at Studio Easter drew upon their previous experience working on the visually dynamic Afro Samurai: Resurrection.