Kaze no Youjinbou

Well, let me first say this is my first review so bear with me! I found this anime i this site and after looking all over the Internet and not finding it I spent 20 bucks and bought it.I found it to be a great buy! I really enjoyed the story and the main character. Story:10 It kept me wondering what really happened in the small town 15 years ago. Then just when I thought I figured it out something new would show up and keep me guessing.It had several "small pieces" you could pick up along the way and fit together. Art:7 Sadly its art was a great disappointment.There were a few "still scenes".The characters did not blink as often as they should have. Dont get me wrong the fight scenes were very good and realistic.It was just when they were sitting and talking.So overall even though I hate to I can only give it a 7 for art. Sound:8 I enjoyed the op song and watched it every time instead of skipping it.The dramatic music they would play when someone was killed or a new "piece" was found I thought fit in well with the anime. Character:9 Almost of of the characters are great. Just one character did I want to kill.The fact I can't remember her names shows how much I hate her. She has a crush on George and I guess you could say is the average "stupid teenage woman" you see in anime.Other than her I enjoyed the steady development of the characters and each ones secrets and personality. Enjoyment:10 If you can get past the animation which is not hard to do for such a great anime and the "stupid teenage woman" you can really enjoys putting the pieces together and all the twists that come with this anime. I truly recommend this anime to all lovers of mystery anime. Trust me and spent 20 bucks on it!

I came into this honestly not expecting much. Its clear that its a lower budget anime as most is simply drawn and the action scenes themselves are mostly still frames through out the series, so don't go in expecting crazy action. What really did it for me was the story of this series. It feels like a older 80's or early 90's crime investigation movie. The pacing itself is fairly slow but it always gives you enough to keep you interested (at least me anyways) and doesn't give away so much your disappointed. However by the end it builds up really well and had a satisfying ending. If your willing to look past the budget and sit back and enjoy a nice story you'll like Kaze no Yojimbo. overall: 8/10

Kaze no Yojimbo is a re-imagined tale based on Akira Kurosawa’s movie Yojimbo, the story of a ronin that enters a village only to find it controlled by two opposing gangs, which he decides to play against each other. I have yet to see the movie so this review will not make any direct comparisons. One thing that is clear however is the atmosphere, which despite taking place in a modern setting, could easily fit a samurai or western story. The strong protagonist with no name that wanders in to stir up the community, the rivalling families that strive for power, the thirst for revenge, and to top it off a lost train filled with bricks of gold. It all captures a certain air of je-ne-sais-quoi that makes it charming. With a strong base to build upon, Kaze no Yojimbo starts off as an intriguing series, with a cast of characters that feel human and fleshed out. The show has an over-arching plot that connects nearly all episodes, doing so with sensible pacing, where the stakes slowly get higher in a natural way. There are a few filler episodes, yet smaller things that are established in these episodes are brought up again later, making the series strong as a whole despite some weak individual moments. The soundtrack consists of guitars and harmonicas that would fit any western, creating a mood of being stuck out in a desolate town in the middle of nowhere. Add in some melancholic trumpets for down-time, along with some icy violins to signal danger, and you have a solid soundtrack. The series does well in that it knows when to let the sounds of the environment set the tone, from windy snowfields, to cramped up bars and wild marshes. There is a list of things that hold the show back, the most striking thing being its animation. From the start it is apparent that it suffers from a low budget. Combine this with some strange visual quirks and bad editing, and you will end up with a lackluster presentation, making it hard to get fully immersed. Examples include scenes that lack timing or drag things out to fill the running-time, plus a bunch of distracting pixelated static in the background. This is a weakness that makes it hard to recommend Kaze no Yojimbo as an action-series, considering the low number of action-scenes that actually look good. The main thing that will either make or break the series however is the mystery. The town and its characters hold many secrets, which the main character wishes to dig up. Even the main character’s motivation for doing this is hidden for a majority of the show. A masterful mystery will still be good on a second viewing even when you know the answers. This is where Kaze no Yojimbo has me conflicted. Several mysteries are unearthed throughout the plot, some revelations being interesting, others less so. When the majority of the story revolves around the two crime families struggling for power, the true goal of our main character gets shoved to the side until the latter parts of the show, making the final revelation feel less meaningful. Despite this, the destinies of everyone else caught up in the conflict come to stronger conclusions throughout the series. Overall, Kaze no Yojimbo is a diamond in the rough, a crime-thriller with great atmosphere but lackluster production-values. With more polish to the animation, perhaps a tighter script and fewer episodes, this could have been worth more than one watch. If you can look beyond some sloppy art, this series will serve you a perfectly alright adventure.

Kaze no Yojimbo is mystery and light action sorta show. It revolves around the main character playing two factions against each other while trying to uncover clues. [*]A slow paced mystery with the reward coming at its conclusion. [*]Likable main character with a mysterious past. [*]Not action or romance heavy. More of a drama and mystery. [*]The animation itself feels a bit low budget but I feel like that adds a certain charm to it's old school vibe. [*]Characters are interesting and have their own hidden agendas. [*]Everything wraps up nicely at the end. There aren't any plot holes and such. It all feels complete. I'll be frank about this. If you don't like these slow paced mystery drama type of shows than you probably won't like Kaze No Yojimbo. There's nearly no romance and while there are action sequences that isn't the main focus on the show.

First of all Yeah the plot is slow, the first few episodes are kind of like those episodes added between dramatic animes having too much gore or too much losses you know like akame ga kill, akudama drive level of sorrow. Well, after ending the anime when you look for synopsis you will find that it was never a gang war, just people roped in trying to live better lives with their circumstances. You will understand it if you watch it. But when it gives it GIVES The MC personality is just what you want from MCs there's no DxD, no powerless mc vibe that is common in animes with this kind of art style. The Villains despite looking like H+, too are well likeable you might hate them once or twice but can't help feeling for them

I like this anime enough to write a review for it - a rather unusual thing for me to do! Before I describe what I enjoy about the show, I would like to mention its shortcomings first. The animation is lacking, and the artwork and soundtrack mediocre. Having said that, the animators make up by employing clever directorial choices. The characters are designed unlike your typical anime and can be distinguished between quite easily. Each character has been afforded a unique design. I found them quite likeable and enjoyed the atmosphere the show is set in. One can make the case that there are no filler episodes with every episode revealing a detail or a central character's nature. The opening grew on me over time and the main theme is pretty good though I do not expect everyone to enjoy the opening song. The show feels quite realistic and does not rely on supernatural devices. The entire mystery gets solved and all the questions answered by the end of the show. I would highly recommend this to fans of mystery who do not prioritize animation. It has a good story and great characters. I must have watched this show at least 8 times in last 8 months!

Slow burn greatness! Kaze no Yojimbo is down-to-earth criminal mystery-thriller drama. There is an reason why such shows are so rare in the anime format: if everyone is equally competent, a live action director and actors will obviously create a better and more realistic product than just an animation director alone. That holds true for this show as well, but even in anime format, it is a wonderful work. So, this anime is about a protagonist who arrives in a city searching for a specific person. The city is de facto divided between two criminal clans. Due to the friction between them and the fact that the main character has shown himself to be a tough guy, he gets a job as a bodyguard (justifying the name of the anime), and so an element of chaos is added to the wheel of events that have been going on for a long time, and the city's dark secrets will begin to come to light. This anime has a few "elephants in the room" which makes it very difficult to "sell": Elephant one. This anime looks cheap and features little animation. Yes, this aspect improves in the second part. Yes, the gloomy, drab tone typical for the 00s partially masks it. Yes, the director is highly competent at working within limitations and often even turns them into an advantage. Yes, especially in later episodes, there are plenty of cool stylistic touches. .. But to discover all that, you still have to give a chance to a show that looks very mediocre at first glance. I personally managed to get through this "barrier" only on my third attempt)) Elephant two. This anime is a slow burn, like a very-very slow burn. This isn't a show that hooks you from the very first episode or a specific moment. This is anime that adds value in small pieces but consistently. At first, nothing is clear, but then the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together, plot twists occur, and the tension builds. The main problem with this style of storytelling is that the "three episodes rule" does not work here absolutly, you have to watch nearly half the series to know for sure whether it’s for you or not for you. A few words what this anime is NOT about. It's not an action series and it's not a deeply philosophical anime either. These elements are also present here, but only slightly and in the background. The show's greatest strengths lie in its characters and the story itself, and these two elements are inextricably linked. The characters here are very human and often unexpectedly multifaceted, and also often feel like they're not from an anime at all (in a good way). For example, one of the clans is led by two brothers, but they do not fight among themselves for influence and power, but on the contrary, they have excellent relations and are ready to stand up for each other. They can be cruel to their subordinates and kill them if necessary, but at the same time, in another situation, they can and do rush to save, risking their lives, these very ordinary subordinates. .. and there’s a lot of stuff like this here. Ironically, this description might not fit the main character quite as well as it does the others. Yes, he’s still decent and likeable overall, but at times he’s a bit too much of a Garry Sue (a bit too much luck, skill, knowledge, female attention etc). I also want to specifically highlight episode 13. It is so good that it could be shown at festivals as a standalone short film...the electrified tension in the air there is something! Overall, great anime and really rare gem. 9/10