Ever since it was first announced, there is an anime title that I’ve been keeping my eyes on. I waited for the moment when an actual promotional video would get posted. Finally, that day has arrived! At the most recent JumpFesta event, The Elusive Samurai released its first promotional video along with the main cast and crew while reiterating a 2024 release window.
Unfortunately, this promotional video puts the “tease” into “teaser” by only revealing the above information plus character designs. No action footage, barely any story introduction, just those designs with a quick quip from the voice actor.
Speaking of those characters, here’s the cast list (character name first):
- Hojo Tokiyuki: Asakki Yuikawa
- Suwa Yorishige: Yūichi Nakamura
- Shizuku: Hinaki Yano
- Kojirō: Mari Hino
- Ayako: Sayumi Suzushiro
- Kazama Genda: Aoi Yūki
- Fubuki: Kikunosuke Toya
Meanwhile, the crew for this series will be headed up by Yuta Yamazaki at studio Cloverworks. He’ll work off scripts supervised by Yoriko Tomita and character designs from Yasushi Nishiya.
The Elusive Samurai’s Manga Pedigree
You might now wonder why The Elusive Samurai, in particular, is such a big blip on my anime radar. Would it be that I noticed Cloverworks is animating this one, and I’m worried about a Wonder Egg Priority-sized mistake being made? Nah, not really. Is it because I now know that superstar butt-spanker Aoi Yūki will be in the cast? Nope, it’s not that either.
This series is a bold blip on my radar because of one man and one man alone, Yūsei Matsui, the original manga’s author. Also, eagle-eyed readers will immediately note that Matsui wrote one of my other favorite Shonen Jump manga turned anime, Assassination Classroom.
I didn’t immediately gravitate toward this new manga when it first debuted. But then again, I felt the same way about Assassination Classroom until I saw the anime. And all the gaps in my brain started to be filled in. We could look at another fantastic series for everyone to watch in 2024 if Matsui can write a story that is half as interesting and powerful as Assassination Classroom was with The Elusive Samurai and if Cloverworks can accurately translate that into an animated property.
Remember, if you want to collect your own harem of samurais, J-List stocks some splendid figures, including this Erza Scarlet samurai figure from Fairy Tail.
Source: Anime News Network
