Samurai Flamenco Episode 22 “Samurai Flamenco, Naked!!” Preview Images and Synopsis

 

The sound of a single gunshot. Haiji has captured Goto to get to Hazama because he wants Hazama to be the hero once more. He also keeps teasing Goto about his girlfriend. Yes. To know I exist, I will be true evil! And he will find what it is he’s been looking for. It’s finally time for the climax of The Legend of Samurai Flamenco!

Are you ready for the end? Is there going to be a final twist? Based on the pictures, who is the real focus? It looks like a lot of this might actually be about Goto.

In the end times, it’s time get something new. Most of the staff are returners. Kurata is writing, Suganuma is storyboarding, Manabu Nii, Michio Hasegawa, Masahiro Yamanaka, Toshie Kawamura, and Masaki Takasaka are animation directing, and Inutsuma Inukawa is directing. But Inukawa is not directing alone. He’s being joined by Takahiro Omori who you may know as one of the main directors of Baccano! and Durarara!! Now that’s a pedigree. Bring it on home, guys!

(Images from Samumenco.com © Fuji TV, Manglobe, Aniplex, and Project Samumenco.)

Samurai Flamenco Episode 21 “Teach Me About Love” Preview Images and Synopsis

In order to stop Haiji, my own existence must end… These terrible things keep happening, Goto and Hazama’s friendship has been cracked appart, all Hazama can do is keep chasing after Haiji. But another new wall prevents him from catching him. Meanwhile, Goto is also lost in confusion. Just to laugh in their face, Haiji begins his next move.

Hazama and Goto throwing each other around might be some of the best animation we’ve ever gotten in this show. I do wonder how this will be resolved. Is Haiji real? I don’t really know or have a guess with this show.

This crew list has a bit of an embarrassing moment for me on here. Most everyone is someone we know. Kurata is screenwriting. Michita Shiraishi is directing. Masaiku Tayori, Katsuhiro Kumagai, Kazuyuki Igai, Michio Hasegawa, and Shunryo Yamamura are all animation directing. But we have two storyboarders. One is Katsumi Terahigashi, but one is someone I can’t find anything on nor am I clear on how to read the name kanji. 「由卯田和季一」 Can’t find anything on this person, so maybe they’re wholly new? Who knows.

(Images from samumenco.com © Aniplex, Fuji TV, Manglobe, and Project Samumenco)

Samurai Flamenco Episode 20 “I Saw a Boy One Day” Preview Images and Synopsis

The peaceful days have been brought to their knees by a single boy: Haiji Sawada. He’s one of the middle school boys Masayoshi confronted during the early day of “Samurai Flamenco.” Sawada goes to face Masayoshi and says, “In this world, you have one last opponent.” His exact words are that he will attack the people close to Hazama one by one. The “Flamengers,” other key points and so on. Hazama moves to stop him, but a terrible secret is waiting to come to light.

So how about that girlfriend Goto’s got? Eh, some kid blew up a building despite world peace, let’s move on.

What show has 5 ADs? This show has 5 ADs. Amazingly, though, this episode has nothing but previous crew. No new guys this time. Takahiro screenwrote, Masayuki Miyaji storyboarded, You Satou directed, and Michio Hasegawa, Masahiro Yamanaka, Kazuyuki Igai, and Masaki Takasaka animation directed. It’s probably not the last major turn for the story to take because the ending could always be a twist. Maybe Haiji is Goto’s long lost girlfriend’s son with the bus driver and only a combo punch between him and Hazama can stop the explosion. That is this story!

(Images from samumenco.com. © Fuji TV, Manglobe, Aniplex, and Project Samumenco.)

Samurai Flamenco Episode 18 “Flamenco in Space” Preview Images and Synopsis

With the revival of the Flamenco Girls, the battle with the prime minister has been defeated. But! The Diet’s true objective, who they really wanted to put down, was not Masayoshi and the world’s heroes. It was his rival, Cosmic Flamenco! All the world’s governments start secretly deciding the next target is Japan! With Masayoshi’s team being thoroughly confused, Cosmic Flamenco prepares to negotiate with “Samurai Flamenco.”

You know, I was kidding with the MGR thing last time. I really didn’t think it’d go that far. I think I might be too naïve. Anyway, Kurata’s on the script. Storyboards are by Miyana Okita, a storyboarder from Date-a-Live. Director is an interesting person being that there’s so little on him. Inutsuma Inukawa, if I’m reading that right, was an ED on Gantz and Ouran. 5 ADs again. I want to say this show has the highest density of animation direction I’ve seen since I started paying attention to the credits of anime. Our returning ADs are Manabu Nii, Michio Hasegawa, Emi Hirano and Masahiro Yamanaka. Our new blood is Kazuyuki Igai, someone with a huge amount of works in AD and Key that one or two examples will do no justice.

Oh, and as a side note, when the synopsis refers to Cosmic Flamenco, it uses フラメンコ星人/Flamenco-seijin. I assume then that there will at some point be some sort of Flamenco Planet. The ultimate evil plan may be to crash it somehow only into Japan. That or there just are already Flamencoians, and I’m misreading the context.

(Images from Samumenco.com © Fuji TV, Aniplex, Manglobe, and Project Samumenco)

Samurai Flamenco Episode 15 “Imitation Justice” Preview Images and Synopsis

Masayoshi now looks upon a man with his own face who calls him “older brother” and himself “Beyond Flamenco.” As Masayoshi trembles before him, “Beyond Flamenco” starts to talk about what “From Beyond” intends. And their goal is…!Meanwhile, the Flamengers, the government, and the police are continuing to fight. What will be the final outcome of this battle with “From Beyond?!”

Well, I can’t say the show doesn’t have my attention. It feels like this twist exists only to give the next twist more weight, and since twists are the fuel this show runs on, I can’t say it isn’t working. To what end, I don’t know, but I’m still here, I guess. The staff this time is almost all old crew. Screenwriter is Takahiro. All five of the ADs, Manabu Nii, Michio Hasegawa, Naoaki Houjou, Masaki Takasaka, and Hitomi Hasegawa, have been on the show before. The new guy is the director and storyboarder, You Satou. Mostly key animation, he has done some episode direction for Mitchiko and Hatchin and House of Five Leaves. Does this mean good things for the show? Answering that would imply I understand what direction the show intends to go in.

(Images from Samumenco.com © Fuji TV, Aniplex, Manglobe, and Project Samumenco)

Samurai Flamenco Episode 13 “Eve of the Decisive Battle” Preview Images and Synopsis

The Flamengers have won the first ever National Hero Award, and now every Japanese citizen is pinning their hopes on them. But after repeatedly fighting From Beyond’s minions, one day all the Mysterious Beings just disappear. They seem to have just given up their “Take over Japan” plan. It’s looking like an omen for From Beyond to go forward with an all out offensive, so the Flamengers start planning their counter strategy, but there’s an unexpected impedement that may put an end to all of this.

After last time, I started to worry that the show’s change in direction to straight laced sentai and seeming shelving of most of it’s previous cast in favor of a host of stereotypes was it being under the impression that having a first half that lovingly mocked the kid who never grew out of his superhero fantasy idea meant that making a straightforward toku show would be building back up what it had previously tried to break down. If that was true, we’d be stuck with the new guys while all the cool kids like Goto got to do all the fun stuff where we don’t get to see. But the summary and Goto and Mari being in the pictures gives me hope that we’re gearing up for another heavy switch.

Adding to that is the crew. Hideyuki Kurata is screenwriting. We’ve got another full house of animation directors, Masaki Takasaka and Akio or Michio Hasegawa returning with Naoaki Houjou, Manabu Nii, and Toshie Kawamura coming in for the first time, but the other two are a point of interest. The storyboarder is Eiji Suganuma, and the Director is Yusuke Onoda. Both of them are coming back from Episode 6, the one where a cash prize is put on Samurai Flamenco’s head and his heroic mettle is tested when he saves a guy who was trying to turn him in from falling off a building. You know, when the show was still grounded. So maybe this a sign for another sharp turn. I hope so.

(Images from samumenco.com © Fuji TV, Aniplex, Manglobe, and Project Samumenco)

Samurai Flamenco Episode 11 “From Beyond” Preview Images and Synopsis

The life or death struggle with King Torture has come to an end, and Samurai Flamenco has resolved to give his true identity over to the media. But just as he’s done that, a transport aircraft shows up and takes Matsuyoshi away, and it seems a mysterious fortress has appeared in Tokyo Bay. It’s just one thing after another. What will become of you, Samurai Flamenco?

So. How did everyone take to the last episode? I’ve seen some mixed reception on how certain characters were treated, and I still think the show doesn’t know what it wants to be. Mari’s superhero desires are systematically broken down, but then Goto knocks a missile over by driving a hummer, with a “New Driver” sign on it no less, into it. I’ve been hearing rumors that the show is going to have a drastic cast shift, and if that’s the case, that might be why these people I don’t think we’ve ever met are so in focus. They’ll be the team for our next season: Samurai Flamenco Black.

Anyway, this episode is again written by Hideyuki Kurata. Storyboarder took some work to find, but I believe it’s Yuuta Wakiichi. He storyboarded back in episode 4 and is the animation director for the OP. Speaking of ADs, this episode has plenty. 5 total. Four people back from previous episodes: Yoshinori Deno, Yuuji Hakamada, Masaki Takasaka, and Saka Ikeda. We’ve only got the one newcomer, and I’m not even sure who it is as two people have the same name kanji. The person is either Michio Hasegawa, a vet with a good mix of AD on things like Titan and key on things like Squid Girl, or Akio Hasegawa, a relative newcomer to the business as a whole with some key on things like Soul Eater and Le Chevalier D’eon. All this under director Toshiaki Kidokoro who has done episode direction on things like Ben-to and Madoka. I hope a team this big can bring us to the truly big climax that can set this show straight.

(Images from Samumenco.com © Fuji TV, Aniplex, Manglobe, and Project Samumenco)