Yusei Matsui

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Lenni Reviews: “The Elusive Samurai” Vol. 17, by Yusei Matsui

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Tokiyuki and his army head to Kyo where they face the powerful Toki Yorito, and a former friend appears to kill Tokiyuki.

While there is a lot of action in this volume, it doesn’t feel smooth. It’s very “This happened. And then this happened.” but didn’t feel like I was enjoying a story. They felt unconnected, like Sunday comic strips: all our familiar characters are there, but from scene to scene it doesn’t flow. It’s not bad. The tactics and battles are cool to look at, some of the character reveals will raise an eyebrow, but overall, this is just ok. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Elusive Samurai” Vol. 16, by Yusei Matsui

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Tokiyuki heads west with Kitabake’s army but some who are still loyal to Takauji are ready to stop him.

It was interesting to see Tokiyuki have to confront the fact that not every soldier fighting with him is going to be some honorable warrior with high morals. Some are just brutes who enjoy violence and pillaging but he is not in a place where he can be picky about his allies when he’s got a war to win. It’s a worthwhile lesson to learn to work with people where they’re at. This is one of the bloodier volumes as well, since the armies clash and our main cast faces some wild enemies. The battles are well done and are the most entertaining parts of this volume. 2 out of 5

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Lenni Reviews: “Elusive Samurai” Vol. 15, by Yusei Matsui

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Tokiyuki has joined forces with Kitabatake Akiie and Go-Daigo’s southern court to seize Kamakura again but faces a powerful enemy when they try to get through the pass.

Shina is still the MVP. She’s so interesting and cool that the story had to nerf her just to make room for the others. I’d read a side series about just her. The other good thing about this volume is Takauji getting a brain blast to compare being 17 in two vastly different time periods. I think the message rings hollow to prefer being in blood, life threatening battles as a child instead of living in relative peace and worrying about the future of your job with the advent of AI. I’d rather worry about AI than worry about getting shot at, honestly. This was overall okay. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Elusive Samurai” Vol. 14, by Yusei Matsui

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After Tokiyuki’s loss to the Ashikaga forces, he has retreated from Kamakura. Two years later, Emperor G0-Daigo and Takauji are fighting for control of the land.

After a section dedicated to the use of human excrement as fertilizer and bomb-making material, we have Tokiyuki looking for allies so he can take on Takauji and they’re a bunch of weirdos. His new allies even include the son of his enemy, Nitta. It’s a twist for Tokiyuki to have to trust these new people in battle and navigate dealing with so many different types of warriors while increasing his own skills. He’s also not directly in charge, so things have changed for him and it’s nice to see most of this have tactical thinking. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Elusive Samurai” Vol. 13, by Yusei Matsui

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After the loss at Sagami River, Yorishige faces the consequences of supporting the Hojo rebellion. But Tokiyuki refuses to allow it, offering Ashitaka a challenge: If he can kill Tokiyuki, he wins. But if Tokiyuki escapes, Ashitaka loses everything.

I want Tokiyuki to win using all these abilities and lessons we spend 12 volumes watching him learn; to finally see everything come into play and feel satisfying. But, I felt kinda bored reading this one. At least the scene with the challenge was effectively done. Other than some of the creepier enemies I’ve seen in this series, it was nice for a one-on-one with “normal” combatants. 3 out of 5.

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