Yasuke will soon star in a Netflix original anime series as the world’s first Black samurai. The show is dazzling and well worth bingeing, and LaKeith Stanfield is on hand to play a larger-than-life character. All of this will take place in a world full of dark and light magic, as the title character, who has buried his ronin history, is compelled to resurrect the sword. That’s what happens when a freaking werewolf and a robot charge at you, and you have to defend a young girl with mysterious abilities. It’s just another day in Yasuke’s life, as much as he wishes to retire permanently to the peaceful life of a boatman.
One telling detail: Chadwick Boseman signed on to play Yasuke in a feature film before his death, so you know you’re watching a worthy character. Stanfield does a fantastic job as the title character, while writers LeSean Thomas and Nick Jones Jr. take the story beyond the confines of history books and into legendary territory. The animation (from MAPPA, a Japanese studio) is more beautiful than we deserve, the action scenes are flawlessly executed, and the Flying Lotus score will ascend deep into your soul. Oh, and what about that young lady? She’s got some magical kicks. According to the synopsis:
The tale is set in a war-torn feudal Japan filled with mechs and magic, the greatest ronin never known, Yasuke, struggles to maintain a peaceful existence after a past life of violence. But when a local village becomes the center of social upheaval between warring daimyo, Yasuke must take up his sword and transport a mysterious child who is the target of dark forces and bloodthirsty warlords.
