During a Secret Santa event within a community on Anilist, someone recommended the anime “The Elusive Samurai” to me. However, I had been keeping an eye on this anime for quite some time and now had the opportunity to form my own opinion.

>Please be careful if you want to watch the anime, as there will be plenty of spoilers below.

The anime starts off very strongly with a look at the origins of the main character, Tokiyuki Houjou. The anime is bloodier than the opening and the drawing style might initially suggest. Tokiyuki escapes the massacre of his family thanks to his unique ability to avoid training... or rather, to evade his trainers.
Similar to Yona of the Dawn, our protagonist must flee and, with the help of the perverse prophet Yorishige Suwa, build a following to win back the crown. Under Tokiyuki's charisma, a cheerful group of children with a wide variety of talents quickly gather around him.

However, holed up in Suwa's territory and his shrine, the Elusive Warriors have to contend with one or two enemies who could have come straight out of Golden Kamuy. This is because the character designs exaggerate various features such as eyes and ears, and the personalities are also rather unusual.

The humor is similar, which in some cases can be very surreal and even risqué. Graphically, the series repeatedly plays with the contrast between bloody carnage and SM dolls whipping the priest.
The childlike playfulness of the characters is supported by the colorful palette. Even in battle scenes at night, the colors are very dynamic thanks to the blazing torches and splattering blood.

Thanks to Tokiyuki's skills, the animation is particularly impressive in the first three episodes. I don't understand why evasion is portrayed as a kink, but overall it fits in with this particular cast, in which everyone has their quirks.

Unfortunately, from episode 4 onwards, there is a noticeable drop in animation quality due to the increased use of CGI for the antagonists. Combined with the sometimes ridiculously comical character design of the antagonists, this makes it seem a little cheap.

In conclusion, the anime uses tried-and-tested storylines, but brings a certain freshness to them through the unique quirks of the characters. For me, the humor is a little too surreal and a little too violent. I didn't expect so much blood because of the colorful and happy intro. Nevertheless, I was well entertained and would recommend the anime to anyone who enjoyed titles such as Golden Kamuy, Dororo, or Assassination Classroom (by the same author).

A second season has already been announced, which I will also watch.