Shin Samurai-den Yaiba

I just wanted to write a short review to highlight just how absolutely out of this world the animation for this show is. Every single scene is gorgeous, the style is gorgeous, the colors, the backgrounds, the chara designs; and there isn't a moment in this series where I'm not enthusiastically nerding out with my animator friends about some inventive smear or impact frames.

I completely understand anyone who's not entirely captivated by the story, it's not high fiction, but what it is is classic, old school, fun and entertaining action with likeable characters.

The only real thing that bothered me is that there are a couple ... of weird scenes surrounding the character of Sayaka who's like 13 in the show, and that could make some, me included, cringe quite a bit.

But if you're looking for a charming show, and you're a fan of good animation, or you, like me, you used to read the manga, I can only recommend this anime.

There's something rather frustrating about Yaiba. It's not a bad anime. It's not insulting, it doesn't take the viewer for a fool, it doesn't even try to provoke. And that's its biggest problem.

Everything in this series seems to have been mechanically assembled: a hero with great potential, a universe of demons, companions with stereotyped personalities, and a plot built on rails we know by heart. Yaiba ticks all the boxes of classic shōnen, without ever trying to break free. It doesn't fail because it tries something risky. It fails because it tries nothing.

Visually, the work is more than respectable. Wit Studio delivers fluid animation, spectacular ... effects and clean art direction. As for the music, it s the atmosphere well. At no point can it be said that Yaiba is “badly made”. And yet, behind this technical quality, there's nothing that vibrates. Nothing that moves, questions or astonishes.

One senses a lack of soul, of intention. It's as if the series existed simply to meet its specifications. For those new to Japanese animation, or simply looking for mindless entertainment, this will suffice. But for others hoping for a more singular, lived-in proposition - Yaiba is likely to leave a taste of unfinished work.

It's not a question of contempt, but of real sadness in the face of such blandness. After all, you can imagine how much talent a studio like Wit could bring to bear on a more audacious work. We can also guess that there are, perhaps, artists behind this project who would have liked to go further.

But here, the result is a series whose greatest quality is to be watchable... and whose greatest weakness is to be utterly forgettable.

If you're looking for a unique work of art, you'll have to .

Preliminary review based on 6 eps -

What is good -
Animation - 8/10
It is enjoyable, nostalgic and fun to watch.

Humor - 7/10
Each episode has humor in it making it enjoyable and wacky.

What is bad -
... Plot - 3/10
The show seems like a story made on the go with a basic high level plot and few characters.
All else seems to be added on the fly with new characters appearing and disappearing in episodes.
The plot makes no sense. The "Protagonist" is not good. The "Antagonist" is not evil.

Character development - 4/10
Giving it a lenient 4 just because they gave some context to life of antagonist and he is the character with most depth.
All other characters are pure caricatures that come and go as needed.

Spoilers -

Antagonist - Onimaru has to be the most sensible practical character on this show.
Literally rooting for him. He was a good academic scholar with kendo as special subject.
His life was uprooted by Yaiba (MC). Then he comes in with an evil sword at his low point.
Even after becoming evil, he remains sensible and practical.
He conquers Govt with force and people with joy, entertainment, peace.
He has sensible understandable goals.

Now let's look at the MC - Yaiba.
Vagabond brat, useless swordsman who causes trouble everywhere he goes.
He creates trouble for the house that shelters him, for the school, for the city, and for his master so far.
If the escalation continues, he might be a bigger threat to the nation, and then the planet by the end of series that the antagonist ever could.
Is he righteous or pure like any "Good" protagonist?
Nope (He could not conquer his evil instincts and lost to Raijin demon twice)
Is he really skilled?
Nope. He just has better instincts coming from a jungle and having an OP teacher in his father. So he is unconventional and street smart.
He literally used tricks/luck/Deus ex machina to defeat almost everyone so far.
Is he clever or strategic?
Nope. He is dumb as rocks.
Does he have backstory so far? Nope