Yasuke

Going into this anime, I did have slightly high expectations. With MAPPA having a mvp year, when I saw that they would be animating a series based on Yasuke led by the direction of LeSean Thomas, I was excited. What we got, truly wasn't the story of Yasuke, but rather the story of Saki, flashbacks, mechs and supernatural powers. During the course of the six episodes, there are some scenes that dive back into Yasuke's past, however these flashbacks do not explore that deep into Yasuke's character and motivations, and are just recaps of parts of his Samurai life working under Nobunaga Oda. I did not mind Saki being the focal point as it did make for a very... interesting story although, what I would have liked to see was a story focused mainly on Yasuke's life and his tale. Possibly even with some historically accurate events that took place and scenes that showcase Yasuke's development as a character through the years, rather than random glimpses into his past life. Albeit, with a runtime of six episodes, it would've been hard to accomplish.

When it comes to the cast of characters, the main two that shine are obviously Yasuke and Saki. Some honourable mentions include Nobunaga Oda, Ichika, Natsumaru, Morisuke, and Ichiro. However, with only six episodes, a lot of these characters were extremely rushed and unpolished, which is understandable. With Yasuke being such a unique and interesting character with a mesmerizing story as he is the first black samurai to reach Japan, it's just a bit disappointing seeing that they didn't do more with him, especially since the anime is named after him. I enjoyed every flashback and scene where Yasuke fought, however once again it did not feel like the whole premise and point of the story revolved around him. I also enjoyed Saki's character even though her powers weren't really explained very well, the dynamic of her and Yasuke fit nicely. Would've been nice to see more Nobunaga and Natsumaru screen time as well as some closure on Ichiro.

One of the greatest things about this anime was the soundtrack. When you have Flying Lotus on the staff in charge of the soundtrack nothing can go wrong. The soundtrack that he came up with was masterful and I enjoyed every second of it. I was also pleasantly surprised when I heard that one of my favourite artists, Thundercat, would be performing the opening. They did not miss at all when it came to the music and I even encourage everyone to listen to the full original soundtrack that got released alongside the anime.

In terms of the animation, I really have no complaints. MAPPA did a great job with the art, the character designs, and the fight scenes that were drawn out. I'm not really a fan of the CGI used but when there are mechs and robots flying everywhere on a battlefield, it's to be expected. A lot of the scenery during the downtime is especially beautiful. I still cannot believe how many projects MAPPA has come out with in the past year so props to them for doing a good job even with a heavy workload. OP visuals were very pretty as well.

Despite the many flaws, I did have a somewhat enjoyable experience watching Yasuke. Little things such as the addition of an amazing staff and soundtrack really contributed to my overall enjoyment. I still do believe that a lot of potential was wasted with Yasuke and a more historically accurate story with more episodes would've made for an amazing series. Flying Lotus hinted at a possible continuation of the series on Twitter so there is still hope. My only wish is that they take some time to breathe and learn from the mistakes they made during these six episodes. My ratings change often but as of now I have Yasuke sitting comfortably at a 6/10, which may be even a bit generous.

This is my first review ever so feedback is greatly appreciated! :)