If there is one thing that disappointed me about “A Perverted Child and Disturbances of the Holy Power,” it is that nothing in the episode even comes close to living up to the insane potential of this episode title. It sounds like we are about to experience a cursed Colored Pencil Shin-chan Multiverse crossover or something, and instead we get a thrilling and occasionally even harrowing nighttime attack on an isolated village that feels like something straight out of the Samurai series. Attack on District 13 Prequel that John Carpenter never got to make. What a shame. Imagine the sick insults Shinnosuke could have thrown at the damn freaks Tokiyuki and the gang are up against this week. Damn, now my brain is poisoned by the thought of what kind of crazy body horror this is Yusei Matsui could with Shin-chan‘s “Elephant” powers…

Wait, that’s right, the new The Elusive Samurai episode. It’s really good! There are few things more satisfying than watching a fierce band of warriors use their tenacity and wits to outmaneuver and outsmart an army of bloodthirsty bastards. Unsurprisingly, The Elusive Samurai does a great job of dramatizing the conflict with the bright red blood, wild action, and wacky humor you’ve come to expect from the series. What I like about the episode is how it combines the atmosphere of the frosty night setting and the driving back and forth between the three different sides of the fight – Kojiro and Ayako teaming up to lure Shokan into a close-quarters duel with Tokiyuki, while Fubuki takes on Shokan’s underlings. It’s great stuff and incredibly fun to watch.

And that’s despite the episode’s odd artistic choices. While the animation is still excellent for the most part, there are some very odd transitions to often clunky-looking CGI models that make me worry about the CloverWorks crew goes through to complete these episodes. I can understand that the horse scenes are computer generated, even if I am not thrilled with how they look; horses are notoriously difficult to animate and there were a lot of horseman combat during this time in history. Some random cuts of Shokan and the Elusive Warriors are completely computer generated for seemingly no reason, and most of them stick out like a sore thumb. There is the odd cut that benefits from the more detailed (and presumably motion captured) 3D rigs, like when Shokan first glares at Tokiyuki after falling into the kids’ trap. Mostly, though, it makes the whole episode seem sloppier than it should be.

Fortunately, the episode is more than able to overcome such limitations with the strength of the fight as a whole. Much of the credit probably goes to Shokan, who is one hell of a badass villain, and that is The Elusive Samuraiis already warped standards. The CGI ant motif is weirder than it is compelling, but the guy’s almost fetishistic love of mutilating war orphans and then selling them into slavery is… well, it’s extremely fucked up, but in a way that fits the insane tone of this anime. The stylized portraits of blood-soaked children projected onto Shokan’s drooling grin are genuinely disturbing, and serve as yet another example of the show pulling back the curtain on its candy-colored video game facade to remind its viewers that this century was just an incredibly shitty time to live in.

It’s also great to see Tokiyuki develop his unique fighting style. I love how Fubuki portrays the boy’s gentle nature as inherently dangerous – even fatal — Weapon. This is a cruel, bloodthirsty, and unforgiving world that the Elusive Warriors fight for. These children lack the wisdom and experience to match their adult opponents in savagery or raw lust for power. What else can a warrior in training do but counter such an evil force with an equally great and opposite force? Kill them with kindness, indeed.

Evaluation:

The Elusive Samurai is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop culture, which can also be found on Þjórsárdalurhis blog and his podcast.