Onimusha

Another alternate history anime that came out in late 2023. Unlike "Blue Eye Samurai", however, "Onimusha" is not as well-polished though it is still entertaining but limited in its very Japanese-style of storytelling, such as too much exposition.

The Good: I do like this version of MIyamoto Musashi in anime. He's flawed, but he's got skill and determination, and he's smart and honorable (in his own way), which makes him the best samurai for his time - and in all of Japanese history and even fantasy versions.

The Bad: It's not a bad anime, but it falls far short of being excellent due to some major technical issues that cannot be overlooked. Chiefly, the story and plot are a bit disjointed and nonsensical, characters are not that well developed, and the dialogue not all that great either. And then there's an annoying kid.

Overall, it's a serviceable anime and a lot better than most that are out there. But compared to the very best ones, such as "Blue Eye Samurai" its flaws become very evident. Still worth a watch.

I was really looking forward to watching this Anime and I am so happy I was not disappointed... I would even go so far as to say blown away by how good it was.

The artwork was amazing; even if CGI was used, it somehow added to the wonderful style, rather than take anything away; which we all know is not easy to do!

Charactures were well created, powerful, or loveable and cheery, or of course, loathsome depending on how you should feel about them.

Voices and music were fantastic... did not skip a single line of credits.

Story was a bit short, meaning I want MORE! But what was there was well paced and exciting. I could totally see myself easily delving into several more seasons and see some of the charactures grow a little more than they did.

Basically a wonderful stand alone with minor similarities to another mind blowing Korean series, Kingdom; but with its own soul and personality.

I definitely recommend this series, with a total score of 8.8.

Onimusha caught my attention in late September when it appeared on my Twitter timeline via the Netflix Anime account. I was impressed by the trailer, particularly the stunning visuals and well-chosen music, which piqued my interest in the show. I went into it with no prior knowledge of the franchise, having never played the games or shown any prior interest in them.

Having now watched the show twice, I'm grateful that I stumbled upon that initial trailer. While the story's premise starts out simple, it becomes increasingly intriguing as the series progresses. The combination of compelling characters and sufficient exposition in the latter episodes makes the narrative the strongest aspect of the show. My main complaint revolves around the pacing, which is heavily action-oriented in the first half of the season and shifts towards a more narrative focus in the second half. Additionally, a couple of plot twists towards the end do little to enhance the story and raise questions about their inclusion.

The anime's visuals are another standout feature. Over the past few years, 3D animation has become far more impressive, with films like "Puss In Boots" and the two Spider-Man movies ("Into the Spider-Verse" and "Across the Spider-Verse") setting the standard. Despite a potentially smaller budget, Onimusha manages to maintain a high level of quality, almost on par with recent stylized 3D animations. It is a bit jarring to see it mixed up with some 2D animation in certain scenes, but I would guess that was due to budget limitations.

The action sequences are also impressive, showcasing remarkable choreography, with just a single exception in an episode that serves as a means to provide exposition. The exceptional music and visual effects contribute significantly to the fights, enhancing their sense of speed and power and distinguishing them with different color schemes. The designs of the Genma creatures are impressive and align well with the overall theme of the show.

Regarding the connection between the anime and the games, I can't provide personal input. However, from what I've read, the adaptation appears faithful to the original IP. As a standalone show, I would easily recommend Onimusha for those seeking action-packed entertainment with inventive fights and a light yet effective narrative, despite a few minor flaws.

I am beyond surprised that Capcom actually gave Onimusha to a team that cares about the source material that they are adapting. This, in my opinion, is an amazing adaptation with superbly choreographed fight scenes and plenty of likable character moments.

The only shred of hope I had for this adaptation came from the fact that Takashi Miike was at the helm of the production as director and he is most likely the reason why action scenes look as amazing as they do. I think on its own, the show is still good, but as an adaptation of Onimusha, it is great.

Animation: To start it off I don't think a lot of people will be fond of the CGI. I had no problem with it because the hand-drawn backgrounds looked amazing and so did all of the fights. There are so many genuinely epic shots and camera angles used here, both in and out of action sequences.

Also, the art style is just super on point, there are some areas where the color grading straight made me feel like I was watching a video of one of the games, especially when it comes to the backgrounds. If they were given a bigger budget I am sure the animation quality would've been 10/10, but it is still great imo.

Story: The story is fairly basic, it just follows Musashi and his companions while they go on an adventure and face various foes along the way. I think many people would rather love to see an adaptation focusing on Samanosuke or Jubei, but what we have here is genuinely good and can be treated as its own "game" because it perfectly fits into the Onimusha franchise.

Character: As I briefly mentioned earlier, the anime focuses on Musashi traveling with a bunch of other characters as they go on an adventure. All of these characters get a lot of time to shine and akin to most of the games all of these are very memorable; I would argue that the show even has some of the best characters in the series.

Conclusion: Amazing action sequences, really likable characters, respect for the source material, & stellar choreography all make this an easy 8/10 for me and as a Capcom adaptation this is like a 9/10 lol, because they never give their IPs to people who care. I hope that this means we might be getting another Onimusha game sometimes in the future.

I'm not 100% certain his to accurately articulate everything I'm feeling and thinking.

I'm glad I finished it before writing a review, however. Though not as bad as I was originally thinking, it isn't exactly awe-inspiring. There definitely are benefits to have the pseudo-cgi anime style Netflix has been developing for quite some time now. I did make the mistake of watching Blue-Eye Samurai first, which just set the bar so high it would have been impossible for anything other than Arcane to surpass it.

If you're an anime fan (meaning accustomed to anime tropes), and are fine with the cgi anime style thing, I imagine you'll probably enjoy it. Go into it with the expectation to see some cool fights and you'll be good.