Onimusha

I have played hundreds of single player games but never touched the Onimusha games. So i can't compare this adaptation on how faithful it is to the Capcom games. So coming unfamiliar to the lore and story i am generally pleasantly surprised about how good the anime turned out with just a few minor flaws.

Overall i liked this show way more than Castlevania Nocturne which i watched recently too. And the reasons are many. This show had extremely well written dialogues, the pacing was right and the protagonist was very intriguing and grounded. The art style was also fine to me. Nothing spectacular but i didn't have a problem with it at all. It felt unique on its own. It was like watching different sets of paintings. Like it was hand drawn art style and animation. Different doesn't mean bad. The rest of the characters besides Musashi were also quite good, with each one having different personality, motive and skills. The fantasy elements in the show was also done in a way that it didn't feel bloated and it balanced the realistic action fights very well. The action felt 90% on point with only in a few occasions becoming over the top. But i also have to point out some flaws too.

First flaw for me was that the villains were not interesting. The reason is that half of them either didn't have clear motives and backstories for them to care about, or their characters were simply very straightforward and one dimensional. Second flaw for me was that the show didn't took the time to explain some of the lore and mythical elements such as the gauntlet's origins, who made it and when, how Musashi knows about it to begin with and wanted it so badly that he fought countless men risking his life to obtain it and how the monks gave it so easily based on how valuable it was. I would also have liked to see the history and the conflict from flashbacks of the gods of this universe (Oni Vs Genma) and what each one represents with their different powers. A backstory through flashbacks of Musashi when he was young fighting through duels and wars, his training and upbringing and how he became the best swordsman would have been cool to see too, even if it was for a couple of minutes. This would be such a cool idea for a prequel series without having to rely on fantasy elements and the show would work just as good or better in my opinion because Musashi was a very well written character with a great voice actor.

Overall i am satisfied with the show, because it had most of the things i asked for. Great action, art style, voice acting, writing and pacing all amazing with only flaws being the villains and the very little explanation of the fantasy elements, powers and gods of this world. Feudal Japan is such a cool concept to adapt into live action, anime or games that i really hope the trend continues. I look forward to the Shogun live action Remake TV show, Ghost of Tsusima movie but most above all i look forward for the Sekiro anime adaptation that was announced just a couple of months ago. It is very similar in concept to Onimusha . If it has that kind of passion like these creators showed in this show with just higher production values it can easily be one of the greatest animes of all time. The Fromsoftware game that won Game of the year 2019 is still considered one of the greatest action games of all time and one of my favorite games.

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.

As a fan of the games I was at least hoping for this to be decent. And while half of the season is enjoyable with interesting characters and good looking fights, when it gets close to the end, something is missing.

The villain and his minions are very clichéd and predictable, so are their motivations. I also didn't like the setting at the end, although it's a bit reminiscent of Onimusha 3 style wise.

I think if this would have been a game, I wouldn't mind the mediocre storytelling. I mean seriously, did any of the games have serious writing? It was all about the fights with the oni gauntlet which is also underused here. But as a show I would have wanted a bit more depth. Just a bit. Or at least consistent writing.

All in all the show is worth one watch and then I forget about the it and await the arrival of a reboot/new game!

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.

I had no idea that Onimusha was a game. I just picked it out at random to watch, and wow...what a find.

Fans of the game don't seem impressed but as a stand alone series, it is way above average. First off...it is simply gorgeous. The animation has a slightly soft...almost pastel...look that created kind of a dream like effect.

The animation was pretty much flawless. I watched the English dubbed version and I thought the voice acting was spot on.

The story itself is intricate without being overly busy or complicated. A bunch of guys (and a girl) on a somewhat mystical mission...but it was told in a captivating way.

I highly recommend Onimusha. When you watch, it will keep you clicking until you've binged the entire season, so plan accordingly.