HBO’s Song of the Samurai is off to an excellent start with its first episode, establishing a high-octane jidaigeki story that still manages to feel like anime. The new series is a live-action adaptation of the manga series Chiruruan: Shinsengumi Requiem, created by Umemura Shinya (known for Record of Ragnarök). The story was partially adapted into an anime in the past, but Song of the Samurai is set to be the most extensive recreation of Umemura’s story.

Song of the Samurai feeds the ever-growing interest in the classic Japanese period drama genre known as jidaigeki. Often revolving around samurai culture in pre-Meiji-Era Japan, jidaigeki was popularized once again in the United States with shows like FX’s Shogun, as well as Blue Eye Samurai and Last Samurai Standing at Netflix. Song of the Samurai now serves as HBO’s contribution.

It’s evident through this first episode that *Song of the Samurai *has wholly captured the heart of projects like Shogun. The story follows Hijikata Toshizo, a real historical figure who played a significant role as a leader within the Shinsengumi, a military police force tasked with defending the shogunate during the Edo period. As Song of the Samurai episode 1 kicks off, Toshizo is only a medicine-peddling street brawler eager to develop his strength. He ultimately finds his way to the Rennet Rishin-ryu’s Shieikan Dojo, where he finds family in Kondo Isami and his students.

The members of the Shieikan Dojo are destined to become the legendary Shinsengumi, but Song of the Samurai episode 1 doesn’t quite get that far. First, this group must develop their bond as a family and make a name for themselves at the Kobusho military academy. This means participating in epic battles, which Song of the Samurai delivers through nearly every moment of this first episode. It’s all action and absolutely masterful fight choreography, continuing Shogun’s work in reviving jidaigeki while maintaining the soul of Umemura’s manga.

What immediately stands out about Song of the Samurai is the grounded, realistic visuals. Anime adaptations tend to be loud in this regard, with cosplay-like costumes and wigs that attempt to replicate the art style of the original series. Song of the Samurai doesn’t take this route, instead leaning into the aesthetic of more serious and dramatized jidaigeki like Shogun. This approach establishes a deeply believable image of 19th-century Japan, emphasizing that while Song of the Samurai is based on a manga series, its events and characters are drawn from history.

The grounded tone of Song of the Samurai episode 1 lends the series a sense of authority, but what is truly fascinating is the persistent presence of standard anime and manga tropes. Toshizo is the classic prideful protagonist eager to prove himself and develop his strength at all costs, making up for what he lacks in skill with pure heart and determination. He’s surrounded by other anime character archetypes. There’s the strong and silent type, the glasses-clad intellectual, the young and sweet combat prodigy, the aggressive and rage-filled teen with a sensitive side—all the classic markers of anime are accounted for.

This is reflected in the costume designs for Song of the Samurai as well. The brightly colored, gravity-defying hairstyles have been toned down in favor of a more grounded style, allowing the characters to feel far more real. Still, fans of Chiruruan: Shinsengumi Requiem will have no trouble recognizing their favorite characters, as the costume, hair, and makeup teams clearly went to great lengths to subtly capture the essence of the manga and anime’s original designs.

These classic anime markers often don’t translate well to live-action, as the over-the-top behavior, comedy, and drama can feel a bit too much. Adaptations tend to abandon that anime soul to be taken more seriously as they lean more heavily into that Shogun-like tone. What Song of the Samurai does with its debut episode is prove that this isn’t necessary. A jidaigeki can be grounded without abandoning the fun of anime.

The jidaigeki political intensity, combined with that found-family anime feel, is certainly an asset to Song of the Samurai, but the series places most of its effort on those epic moments of high-octane action. The period in which this series is set is a highly politically complicated stint in Japan’s history. Unlike other stories placed within this setting, however, Song of the Samurai doesn’t give its characters much time to drone on about Japanese politics. The first episode, at least, is dedicated almost entirely to one-on-one battles.

Song of the Samurai episode 1 doesn’t make viewers wait long before they see their next big fight. The story is divided into chapter-like segments, all spread across several years. The characters’ abilities develop quickly, and the story revolves predominantly around the battles that mark the greatest moments in that development. This means that Song of the Samurai episode 1 is, narratively speaking, rather light and best suited to those eager to keep their blood pumping through every moment.

The combat style of Song of the Samurai is particularly notable. Traditional jidaigeki combat (called chambara) is extremely theatrical, functioning more like a slow, turn-based dance than true martial arts. As the popularity of this genre has returned, however, fight choreography has shifted to align more with modern Hollywood-style action.

There are some deeply dramatic and theatrical moments as the choreography requires the opponents to participate in a violent dance.

Song of the Samurai certainly adopts this latter approach, as the fights are high-speed and technically complicated, featuring a flurry of non-stop movements. Still, each fight in episode 1 seems to pay homage to chambara. There are some deeply dramatic and theatrical moments as the choreography requires the opponents to participate in a violent dance. It’s an intriguing hybrid of styles that showcases and almost tributes to the evolution of Japanese historical fiction.

The emphasis Song of the Samurai episode 1 places on intense combat implies that each subsequent installment of this HBO TV show will continue to wow viewers with spectacle after spectacle. At this point in the story, Toshizo and the other members of the Shieikan Dojo haven’t yet found their place within the revolution. Their future in the Shinsengumi is not yet realized. Following this debut episode, there’s little doubt that this anime-inspired jidaigeki adventure will only continue to turn up the volume as these legendary figures in Japanese history develop their strength.

Song of the Samurai ](/db/tv-show/song-of-the-samurai/)

Action & Adventure

Kazutaka Watanabe

Shinya Umemura, Masaaki Sakai