The Elusive Samurai, Vol. 2: Ogasawara 1333

逃げ上手の若君 [Nige Jōzu no Wakagimi] #2

by Yusei Matsui

In medieval Japan, eight-year-old Hojo Tokiyuki is the heir to the Kamakura shogunate. But the Hojo clan is in decline, and Tokiyuki’s peaceful days of playing hide-and-seek with his teachers come to an abrupt end when his clan is betrayed from within. The lone survivor of his family, Tokiyuki is the rightful heir to the throne, but to take it back, he’ll have to do what he does best—run away!

Now in hiding in Suwa under the protection of Yorishige, Tokiyuki takes on a cover identity—Chojumaru, an apprentice of Suwa Grand Shrine. When Ogasawara Sadamune, the governor of Shinano and vassal of Takauji the usurper, shows up to attend a sporting event at the shrine, he’s not just looking to win—if Sadamune finds any Hojo refugees, he’ll have free rein to take over Suwa completely! Thinking the best way to hide Tokiyuki is in plain sight, Yorishige sends him onto the field to take on Sadamune…

Genres: Manga, Historical Fiction, Comics, Action, Comedy, Graphic Novels, Historical

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 4, 2021

About the author

Yūsei Matsui (松井優征 Matsui Yūsei?, born January 31, 1981 in Saitama, Japan) is a manga artist known for manga Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro. He was an assistant of Yoshio Sawai, the manga artist of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (Shirota Masakage made a cameo appearance in Shinsetsu Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo).

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weiterhin erstmal 5 Sterne - es ist einfach so gut. Ich liebe die verschiedenen Zeichenstile (auch wenn die im Anime noch besser rauskommen) und die Story ist bis jetzt witzig, super ernst, es ist einfach immer wieder so ein krasser Wandel.
Einzig Schade, das die zwei Takauji Underlings im Manga nicht SOOOO ultra hard gay sind wie im Anime x,D it's still gay enough *snort*
(ehrlich, schaut den Anime, beste der Season)

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

I love the historical snippets in this series. The artwork when it is normal is gorgeous, but when it is trying to be shocking or to show violent emotion, it is FUGLY.

So much so that I am really debating if I want to read the next volumes or not. That is seriously how ugly I find it to be. It took me WAY too long to read this because I kept putting it down, turned off by the art.

It's not bad, the story is interesting and the history is fascinating, but the artwork...no, just no.

2, not bad but the artwork turned me off, stars.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate hate hate the art style

[Kyoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine, but I don’t think I’ll continue with the series. The art was the best part, so I’ll probably just read Assassination Classroom instead.

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firmly believing in both hiding within plain sight as well as diamonds only forming under pressure, Yorishige chooses to plunge Tokiyuki directly in the enemy’s main line of vision. Tokiyuki, under the guise of Chojumaru, a new apprentice to the Suwa Grand Shrine, learns how to adapt to new enemies in new ways, under the pressure of failing his allies and forfeiting his life otherwise. Very quickly, he begins to have quite a lot of fun with these new tactics, however, he may be becoming too comfortable, putting himself at unnecessary risks for such a high value target…

I’m not sure precisely what direction I expected this manga to take, but it isn’t going in the direction I thought it would. Things genuinely feel hopeful and somewhat whimsical, with the tone of seriousness and legitimacy behind it all as well. I think that I had expected it to be far darker than it is, and perhaps not quite so unique in terms of character designs. I greatly enjoy seeing new character designs and seeing how different characters interact, regardless of their factions. Sadamune and Genba are extremely fun characters to see, and Ichikawa is quite interesting as well. Even Yorishige and Tokiyuki are evolving somewhat, revealing a hint of new perspective to their character profiles. Thus far, I’m enjoying the extremely unique and whimsical character designs the very most, opposed to the cultural and historical aspects I had originally thought would be the selling point for me.
Oh, and lastly, as I was reading this volume, I took a few brief breaks, one such break resulted in me finding the announcement for The Elusive Samurai anime coming in 2024. What impeccable timing!

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was even better than the first! Really starting to get a sense of the world and the characters. I really enjoy the little exaggerated fantasy touches given to the historical nature. Makes it more entertaining!

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the slow start in volume 1 comes peak TES in volume 2! Both the story flow and art of TES really comes into its own here in the second volume. Story-wise we begin to see various events where Tokiyuki must "evade" obstacles in creative ways (that twist the definition of evade in fun ways).
The art really starts to pop in this volume. The first volume had some unique imagery but the imagery really comes into its own here with fun visual gags and visual tricks. Matsui is also unafraid to change art styles to fit the mood whether serious or comedic (most likely thanks to many helpers he expresses gratitude in the postword).
The story in this volume is also some of TES's most memorable. We get the introduction of memorable villains like the Sadamune (eye guy) and Ichikawa (ear guy). THe early series sets up a bit of broship between the two which fun to read. We also get the introduction to Genba the thief as well. It even sets up more memorable early TES moments like the ant guy and the dual-sword wielder. Not only are the character introductions some of TES' most memorable moments but the events such as the infiltration and the arrow contest are some of TES' most memorable and fun early moments as well.
All in all, TES comes into itself here for a fun read carrying along with some of the most famous early moments to make a jam-packed second volume!

[Fidia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hal yang gak aku dapetin dari Neuro, aku dapatkan di sini dari Yorishige 🤣 akhirnyaaaa sabar ya Yako.

Baca komik sejarah seperti ini bisa dihitung jari, mungkin ini bakal jadi permulaan aku suka genre ini.

Aku merasa cocok dgn mangaka.
Semoga ongoingnya masih lama, biar ada kesempatan baca sampai akhir #eh

Tentang Ganba, ini unik menurutku. Kesetiaan pengikut itu tidak mudah digapai. Beberapa di antaranya masih terombang ambing dengan motif menyertai tuannya. Sifat Ganba yang gini malah nanti bisa jadi cikal bakal mengharukan 🥲

Tapi, pasti para pengikut Tokiyuki bakal diulas satu satu yang berekspetasi gak bakal kalah menarik.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hojo Tokiyuki is hiding at the Suwa Grand Shrine as an apprentice. But when Sadamune, the local governor shows up at the Spring Festival to take part, Tokiyuki is the one put forward to face his challenge. Yorishige, the head of the shrine, also roped Tokiyuki to recruit a local thief to retrieve a royal writ from Sadamune. Why? So Tokiyuki will develop the skills and followers he need to win back the Shogun title. The quest is will the Tokiyuki and his followers survive the tasks? Read and find out!

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title!

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series just isn't for me, which is not at all a commentary on the quality. It's just... very extremely shonen in places, in a way that I can't get past. It comes out most when the art turns to the grotesque to make a point. I don't think I'll be continuing, which is incredibly disappointing for me. I do recommend this to readers who don't mind or like shonen conventions. The main character has a unique hook to him, and the story as a whole seems to be surprisingly history based.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's no Assassination Classroom, but I love that Matsui took a footnote of a person from history and decided to tell his story. The cultural notes (original to the Japanese version of the manga) are also excellent, so I'm willing to give this time to develop.

[BeckyisBookish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idk fam. I like the art style and the history but this volume was boring. The first was gory and everything was happening so fast but now it's like historical Naruto. I'll try one more volume.

2 series with potential out of 5 stories you've read 400 times before

[Kathryn]

Started on first chapter is sport called dog shooting event and it’s exactly like it sounds either horrific images I guess is historically accurate and I know dogs viewed sometimes differently time period and place but I could deal will not be continuing this manga

[ReadingFrog · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

[Raechel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The young lord learns new techniques on how to protect himself and fight. The plot is entertaining thus far. Illustrations have been keeping me interested in the story.

[Sheepy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was much better than the first one for me, I'm starting to like the MC a little and his group.

[Sam Accardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Drew · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried! But I just don't think this series is for me. The dude's eyes were pretty funny tho.

[Aimee Spencer-Kruczek · Rating 3 out of 5]

The over-accentuated features of the villains are a shonen thing that I don't care for...but the story and trials are good.

[Bonnie Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm enjoying the story. It's really fun 🤩🤩

[Elena]

👁️👄👁️

[mouun · Rating 4 out of 5]

from here on the series definitely increases in quality and readability c:

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

[Enairolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

J’avais eu un peu de mal a apprécié le premier tome de part son côté fouillis. Du moins, ce n’est que mon avis et il n’engage que moi. Mais comme je ne m’arrête jamais au premier tome, j’ai continué avec le second tome. Bien que ça ne sera pas mon manga préféré, j’ai quand même pris plus de plaisir à lire le second que le premier. On est loin du coup de coeur mais tout de même ce second tome rehausse mon opinion. J’ai trouvé que c’était mieux même si ce n’est pas encore non plus totalement convaincant pour moi.

Dans ce second tome, le gouverneur de la province de Shinano traque les survivants du clan Hôjô et s’invite dans la partie de tir au chien du sanctuaire de Suwa. Tokiyuki est contraint de le défier au tir à l’arc, discipline dans laquelle le gouverneur excelle…

Comme je le dis juste au dessus, j’ai pris plus de plaisir à lire ce second tome comparé au premier. J’ai trouvé que c’était déjà beaucoup moins fouillis que le tome précédent. Alors que dans le premier tome, j’avais l’impression qu’il se passait beaucoup de choses en même temps, ici c’est plutôt l’inverse. Il se passe des choses mais les unes après les autres. Ce qui nous permet de ne pas s’emmêler les pinceaux. C’est beaucoup plus agréable à la lecture. Mais après comme je l’ai déjà dit, mon avis n’engage que moi. J’ai un peu de mal avec les personnages, j’attends encore de voir vraiment qui ils sont pour me faire un véritable avis. Je ne suis pas vraiment fan de l’humour présent dans ce manga. Ou du moins ces tentatives d’humour, je ne sais pas, je trouve que ça n’a pas sa place ici.

Après un début difficile à apprécier, on est sur une suite qui reste tout de même plus agréable à lire. J’ai quand même envie d’en savoir un peu plus, ma curiosité est clairement piquée pour le coup. J’ai quand même hâte de découvrir le prochain tome, histoire de voir si l’histoire prend un véritable tournant et qui sera encore plus agréable à découvrir. J’attendais avec impatience ce manga, j’en ressors tout de même un peu déçue… Mais peut être que la suite saura me surprendre!

[Rereader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another action packed, disturbing volume. No joke, I did not sign up for the amount of disturbing body horror/ content, but it hasn't deterred me yet. I like how Matsui over-exaggerates the natural traits some people have (i.e. good sight, good hearing) yet making them look unsettling at best and villainous at worst. Over-exaggeration is kind of Matsui's specialty, and when used in conjunction with normal human functions, and you get nightmare fuel like Ogarasawa's eyes that should not be capable of bulging that much. Seriously, his eyes are going to haunt me for a while.

I'm still not totally attached to the main crew, but I do like them a lot and love their dynamic. Seeing Tokiyuki grow little by little is rewarding as well and seeing him work with his retainers is entertaining and heartwarming. The action is dramatic and bombastic and feels like how warfare would go. Something I forgot to mention in my review of the first volume was how much imagery is put in certain panels as well as the paneling itself. I'm amazed at how much effort Matsui puts into the paneling to squeeze as much tension, emotion, and action out of each scene. And the imagery is incredible as well; I find myself taking extra time to analyze certain panels despite how fast paced the series is.

This is another solid volume in a series I'm growing more and more fond of. I know it might not be for everyone, but I'm really enjoying it.

[Darian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume of a new manga series (The Elusive Samurai) is a good follow-up to this new Historical Fiction series. Having survived the overthrow of his Clan and in hiding from General Ashikaga and his minions, Tokiyuki and his Elusive Warriors must gather more allies if they are to eventually take down the treacherous Warlord.

Pros

*Bow contest between Lord Ogasawara and Tokiyuki (in disguise): an inventive way of highlighting the stakes that Tokiyuki must overcome while retaining the charm of a Shonen character

*Cast of characters - A new character, a Shinobi, is introduced. His crass character and infamy were another humorous addition to an often-times mature series.

*Elements of caricature in art style - Yorishige, Priest-Lord of Suwa, was given the spotlight to showcase his humous facial expressions when he temporarily loses his ability to see the future.

Summary
Overall, a good volume to this promising new Shonen series. Onwards to volume 3!

[MajesticalLion · Rating 3 out of 5]

In case you haven't been keeping track, I took a break from this series for about 4 months. It's fine, but it just isn't doing anything for me. I'm catching up for two reasons. People on Twitter keep telling me I need to give it another chance, and I'm trying to find easy stuff to read to hit my 300 book reading goal for the year. Otherwise, I probably would've waited till the series was cancelled. 😕🤷

[Rosenblue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review soon.

[elif sinem · Rating 3 out of 5]

genba is a very welcome addition but not enough to really make the cast pop, which is a shame imo... the chapter this volume ends on is hilarious though.