Not having read the Yojimbo comics, I can’t personally speak as to whether or not Samurai Rabbit capture the spirit found in Sakai’s work. But the show has potential; the character designs from French studio Gaumont all look really good, and compared to how western kids animation can usually look—aka, extremely chatty, offbeat humor and rapid-fire gags—the more deliberate pace that this show seems to have is appreciated. (It probably doesn’t hurt that Sakai is one of the show’s executive producers, so he was able to help guide the series along.) And a rabbit ninja swinging through a city using a mystic yo-yo is just interesting enough to pique interests, surely.
Netflix’s animated output was fairly strong throughout 2021, and they’ve got another potential winner on their hands with Samurai, assuming they let it live longer than two seasons. With how hungry animation fans are for something different, there’s surely an audience that’ll groove with this and get it on everyone else’s radar in no time. And should it end prematurely And if not, the show should at least inspire viewers to check out the source material it’s based on.
Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles will hit Netflix on April 28.
[via ComicBook]
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