MANGA REVIEW | "The Elusive Samurai" - Volume Seventeen
I can’t remember the last time I’ve come across a more terrifyingly hilarious villain quite like Toki Yorito. His introduction in the last volume of The Elusive Samurai had me shocked in horror by his brutality, and yet I couldn’t help but laugh my ass off when he went over-the-top! It’s a real darn shame that Yorito cannot be a part of The Elusive Samurai for much longer, but we have to keep with the historical accuracies of this manga…for the most part. So it’s kind of sad to see this behemoth of blood and guts get taken out in the seventeenth volume.
With that being said, he does not go down without a fight. And boy, does Yorito know how to dish out the violence! Chucking his own men and using them as missiles is a sight that can only be described as “looney-tunes”. The look of utter defeat on the faces of the soldiers as they’re pierced by Yorito’s sword and spun around is the cherry on top of that sundae of carnage.
But even with that amount of power, the Elusive Warriors and their army have a plan to take out Yorito. It takes some cunning planning, with Ayako using a certain allure to get the enemy following her. But when the time comes for it, Tokiyuki arrives and gives Yorito a goof fight. What’s more, the villain’s helmet finally comes off, revealing a face that’s…erm, let’s call it “vanilla”.
Even after that fight, there’s no time to rest. The next warrior arrives, and the Elusive Warriors know exactly who it is: Fubuki. Under a new name and title, Fubuki winds up being a whole lot to handle for Tokiyuki. In fact, our hero gets so close to death’s door that he reunites briefly with an old friend. (He also gets to experience a 20th-century marvel, but I won’t spoil what it is here.)
However, the fight leads to a realization that even after all this time, Hojo Tokiyuki still has to work to be a better fighter. But as Lord Akiie points out, Tokiyuki can’t just become as strong as Fubuki; he needs to surpass him. Even if it was Fubuki that taught him all that he knew about fighting, Hojo’s task as his student was to become better than him! After all, that’s what most teachers strive to push their pupils to do.
Natsu and Genba have a fun moment in this volume of The Elusive Samurai. The master of disguise ruins any chance for Natsu to return to her previous lord, and he does so in the nastiest of ways. But it’s a good thing that he did, as the Elusive Warriors have proven themselves to be a much better, caring group of people than the Ashikaga. So thankfully, Tokiyuki didn’t lose two allies in his current journey.
It all leads up to the next battle, with the Kono Brothers itching to do some beheadings. They look tough, and their merciless ways have made them notorious within the ranks. With that being said, even with so many soldiers out of commission due to the last couple of fights, the Elusive Warriors have an ace up their sleeves. And she just so happens to have some special powers that could help gain the victory!
We may have had to say farewell to Toki Yorito, but Volume Seventeen of The Elusive Samurai still delivered a lot of solid entertainment. Great fights, unexpected comedy, and even some gross-out gags help make Yusei Matsui’s work a truly fun read. The war seems to never end, but when you have people like Tokiyuki, Genba, and Ayako leading the charge into battle, one can’t help but wish that these fights could maybe stretch on for a bit.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
