Any time Netflix promotes an anime as vigorously as they did Yasuke, you can’t help but at least be a little excited for what is to come. Couple this promotion with the fact that notable names like Lakeith Stanfield and LeSean Thomas are attached to the project, and that excitement turns into a full-on hype-train.
Any time the bar is set that high, though, your show is going to come with a lot of expectations. Unfortunately for Yasuke, it couldn’t live up to them. These are the three reasons Netflix’s Yasuke didn’t live up to the hype.
(Featured Image Source: Netflix)
Magic, Robots, & Werewolves, Oh My!
When Yasuke was first announced, it garnered a lot of attention due to its premise. The show centers around a reimagining of the first African samurai, taking place in a fantastical version of feudal Japan.
It only takes a few seconds into the show to see that the ideas they had for this fantasy world were pretty poorly executed. Instead of an interesting mix of samurai and Japanese culture with magic, it just seems like Yasuke tried to throw every cliche known to the fantasy genre at the board at once with the hopes that something would stick.
There is just far too much going on in the show, as it tries to introduce magic, werewolves, and robots into feudal Japan without any interesting backstory or build-up. It all just feels messy and far too unnecessary, pulling you out of the world it tries to set up as a result.
