MANGA REVIEW | "The Elusive Samurai" - Volume Sixteen
When it desires to, The Elusive Samurai can give you whiplash. This often happens when the tone of the story suddenly changes from lighthearted to brutally dark, something Yusei Matsui’s been doing ever since the first chapter. But sometimes, there can be a comedic whiplash, where a joke and gag come out of nowhere, causing you to laugh after taking a moment to realize what just happened. In Volume Sixteen of The Elusive Samurai, we meet a walking, talking whiplash called Toki Yorito.
Before Yorito shows up, Hojo Tokiyuki must first convince his uncle to stand down. Despite his previous cowardly ways, Yasuie has transformed into a man who’s willing to be the first to run into battle. But he’s frail, with maybe one last battle left in him before Death collects him. That’s when Tokiyuki pulls out the only thing that can stop Yasuie: his mother! And you quickly see just how quick a mom’s wisdom will convince their child.
Afterwards, Tokiyuki witnesses what Akiie’s men are capable of, which causes him to witness the brutality of his allies. But a word with Akiie shows Tokiyuki what it took for the nobleman to tame and train the beasts who follow his path. Although it doesn’t do much to forgive the men for their ways, it does show the importance of necessary evils when the time calls for it. On top of it all, Akiie shows off his more innocent side with Tokiyuki and his Elusive Warriors, as even the most straight-shooting noblemen need to have a moment to relax and have fun.
It’s after this where Toki Yorito makes his grand entrance in The Elusive Samurai. Sadamune’s in the midst of preparing for the next battle, only for Yorito to literally come crashing in and squashing anyone who’s in his way. Bodies are snapped in half, fingers are ripped off of hands, and Sadamune’s eyes grow three times the size they normally are. By the time the scene ends, all you can do is laugh hysterically over what just happened!
The same can be said for the multitude of battles that occur in the second half of the volume. We once again have Sadamune going one-on-one with Tokiyuki, with both showcasing their strengths with the bow-and-arrow. This fight gets so heated that it forces the bug-eyed enemy to whip out his secret technique, one that seemingly takes Tokiyuki out of action. Thankfully, that’s not the case, and how he’s able to survive is too good to spoil here.
Then there’s the fight between Yorito and Akiie. It’s not a Mano-e-Mano fight, but watching how they use their men in battle is fascinating. But the laughs come again with the way Yorito chucks his allies like bottle rockets, as bodies explode in hilarious fashion! Deep down, I know that this should be horrifying, but I can’t help but chuckle at the ridiculousness that’s happening here!
Lastly, there’s our MVP Kojiro. Not only does he show why he’s the Number One duelist, but his means of taking down multiple enemies is mesmerizing. On top of that, Kojiro gets himself a nice battle scar on his face, with his friends more worried over how much of a pain it’ll be for a certain manga artist to have to keep on drawing it rather than for his actual health! (I’m certain Matsui will come up with some sort of idea for it.)
Volume Sixteen of The Elusive Samurai is a thrilling hoot to read. You get some great backstories and a tough new villain with a laughable amount of strength. I’ll be blunt: I can’t wait to see how CloverWorks animates Toki Yorito’s actions, if they manage to reach that point of the manga in their adaptation. Needless to say, it might be even funnier when it’s put into motion!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
