Yasuke

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 29, 2021
User Score
6.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 6 out of 23

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User Reviews

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  1. timdrake25
    May 12, 2021
    10
    The action scenes are gorgeous but don't overshadow the story. They do enhance it in my opinion. I enjoyed the characters and none of them felt overly stereotypical. It's definitely a show you have to pay attention to
  2. Rpg89
    May 8, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the best anime watched in a long time. People hating this maybe racist or something else in between.… Expand
  3. HipLogic
    May 2, 2021
    7
    While deeply flawed, Yasuke is still worth your time (especially for those who miss the style and vibe of Nujabes/Samurai Champloo and Afro Samurai)

    I’ve seen a few different criticism for this movie that I’ll address in order fairness/relevance. Unfair criticism: Getting this out of the way since I’ve actually seen people comment on different review sites this as a ‘bad’ thing, so    While deeply flawed, Yasuke is still worth your time (especially for those who miss the style and vibe of Nujabes/Samurai Champloo and Afro Samurai)

    I’ve seen a few different criticism for this movie that I’ll address in order fairness/relevance.

    Unfair criticism: Getting this out of the way since I’ve actually seen people comment on different review sites this as a ‘bad’ thing, so I feel the need to address it—yes, this is an anime that has some themes that deal with class and race. Since Yasuke is the only black samurai of record (as of this review, anyway) that’s pretty important to the story. For most, I assume, that’s the draw of the anime.

    Fair criticisms: The pacing is too fast. The narrative lacks focus (I didn’t know the stakes soon enough, needed better villain introduction/development, I didn’t know why I should root for Yasuke/Saki outside of the fact that their main characters, etc.), and it doesn’t develop the relationships it should, so there’s a lack of payoff in the conclusion.

    Why you might still want to give it try: The animation is truly top-notch. The character designs and the fight animation is on the level of Samurai Champloo and Afro Samurai. Further, the OST is clearly influenced by Nujabes, but does a great job of tailoring it’s sound to aid in creating this stylized, very interesting world interpretation of feudal Japan. Fly Lo created something special with his work on this OST. When it comes to style, this anime is trendsetting. What it doesn’t know in story, it truly makes up for with its style and vibe.

    The sum of all parts equates to a wonderful and well worth your time audio and visual experience that endures through a weakly written narrative.    … Expand
  4. AKthaBeast
    Feb 5, 2022
    6
    Soundtrack by Flying Lotus is amazing, animation is amazing, story is ehh, nothing against any of the voice actors as they did a good job but seeing anime in English never cut it for me....
  5. andrekensei40
    May 12, 2021
    10
    loved the show, great action and animation, the soundtrack is fire, this show is a badass
  6. hiperion40
    May 12, 2021
    10
    Feels like a homage to the anime films I grew up on like Ninja Scroll and Sword for Truth. Takes me back to watching anime on the Action Channel when that existed. As with those there isn't really much here in terms of story, but the great action will keep you around.

Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Most Discussed TV Season of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Salon
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    Apr 30, 2021
    80
    There are far worse critiques a show can sustain than the observation that there's not enough of it, or that it stuffs too many attention-grabbing elements in too small of a space. It simply means "Yasuke" would be better if there were more of it, and either by accident or intentionally Thomas and his collaborators leave enough about this hero shrouded to make room for that to occur.
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  2. The Daily Beast
    Reviewed by: Nick Schager
    Apr 30, 2021
    90
    At once familiar and novel, it remixes disparate parts into a coherent whole, providing a new twist on the archetypal samurai hero. Not to mention that, when it gets down to fighting business, it downright slays.
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  3. Decider
    Reviewed by: Brittany Vincent
    Apr 30, 2021
    80
    The first episode does an excellent job of hooking you in, but it’s the gorgeous animation, fantastic dubbing, and excellent music that’ll keep you coming back for more. If you’ve been looking for a reason to return to the feudal era of Japan, consider this your sign.
    Read full review
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