Please note: this review uses the scoring and rating system from MAL, and was copied over from there.

THERE WILL BE SLIGHT SPOILERS

I had seen this in passing on Netflix and was curious so I added it to my list. And when I read it was a Samurai anime, I had to watch it. It seems CGI a bit at times, but is wonderfully animated, with a nice mix of Japanese and American music for an OST. I see so many criticizing this series, but I heavily enjoyed it, but I agree with a lot of them in that it could have been better.

_"A true warrior, above all else, prays for peace. Not War."
"The past informs our future"_

These are two quotes said by Yasuke that gripped me. I love that the writers and staff on this series gave it so much love and attention to detail with how the Japanese feel with the lines characters said, and how they acted weather in Yasuke's past or his present. But the historical bits could have been better outlined and put together.

STORY -- 9.5/10
The simple yet complex story of Yasuke being a Black servant to an English man came across the sea, and then jumping into his guidance under Lord Nobunaga, and seeing him die; then flash forward 20 years to see Yasuke a humble Boatman who ends up helping a girl with odd powers as she's being targeted by everyone is a huge undertaking as far as my brain could follow.

Yasuke played an integral role in keeping himself sane from the nightmares and pieces of his old life he dreamed about and we saw flashes of. And he never really 'left' being himself--a fighter.

I really love the grasp of Yasuke's past to the present day mix to tell the story. But I wish they had focused more on Yasuke and his past with Nobunaga but that's just me and my love of the past of Japan. The seeming aspect of magic here too, is at play and it really captures your eye.

ART -- 8.5/10
MAPPA always hits it out of the park. I loved Dororo and love this animation too. As soon as I saw the art, it had my eye, and I couldn't stop checking out the backgrounds and especially Yasuke and his hair. Being dreads my eyes were so touched with the subtle white lines to show the age that he had become and yet also differentiate his hair so it wasn't a big mess of black.

The way they show close up shots of things and characters really brings out the art, it's lovely. The battle shots are amazing with the timing and the slow motion frames, even the camera turning upside down and all kinds of ways to show meaning behind a character getting killed or the steady pan of a shot from up high. The battle scenes where Yasuke fights were greatly choreographed and beautiful to watch. Though the magic had me scratching my head, mostly because all the bad guys came from different parts of the world and it got confusing for them since this is so short. But it did take me back to video games like Genji: Dawn of The Samurai. and the Onimusha franchise, so it was pretty cool.

In the transitions from the present to the past they're simply stunning and so simple. The quick frame fade from the colorful present to the black and white past and then a slip over of color is just wonderful, it pulls you in and tell you that you're looking at the past.

SOUND -- 9/10
The music at the beginning of episode one was what ensnared me and I was n the edge of my seat listening and straining even to hear the background noise and just be engulfed in a myriad of sounds and tones that really catered to the mood though it was a mix (and a good one at that) of Japanese sounds and music, to more Americanized sounds, almost like a bit of hip-hop sounds (like the opening) and chords which drew me in even more, appreciating how the music complimented the main character, and all the characters no matter if they were dark or light skinned. I might look into the singer who did the OP and OST, his tunes are pretty chill.

CHARACTERS -- 8.5/10
Yauske--I can't say enough about him and his strength and humble actions. He was an African slave that knew boxing, became a Samurai under Nobunaga and then became a Boatman, but could never leave being a Samurai and his honor he always had.

Saki was cool, as the main want of the enemy I can bet she was a favorite of people as they watched, though for me I really liked obviously Yasuke, and Nikita.

The Russian Bear woman. Nikita was AMAZING. She could throttle me, that's all. I did wish the enemies had better development rather than just being kind of 'get-the-girl-back' cookie cutter. Haruto was pretty neat though. Robot that shot ice and was huge. The Priest just rubbed me the wrong way though. Ew.

ENJOYMENT -- 10/10
I really, really enjoyed this series, and I've not seen a well off Samurai anime like this one in a LONG TIME since watching Samurai 7 as a teenager. This is something I can only WISH wasn't by Netflix and had a DVD release coming so I could add it to my collection. It's definitely a favorite of mine and not just because it's semi-historical and Samurai based.

OVERALL -- 8.5/10
I'm easy to please it seems. I recommend this to everyone right now who needs a little trip into Japanese history (though a bit inaccurate) with the show of the generation of Nobunaga, though the main story is set 20 years after, it's still one hell of a ride.