Samurai Harem: Asu no Yoichi - Reviews

Asu no Yoichi a.k.a Samurai Harem is an ecchi harem martial arts comedy series that isn't great but it is kind of entertaining. I may not be a big fan of harem series but I don't mind ecchi if it's not over the top. Despite being having harem right in the title, you don't really get an actual sense of a harem forming in this series. The main character Yoichi Karasuma is in fact surrounded by girls but only two actually make an attempt at vying for his affection while the others are typically there to suffer at the hands of his "ecchi accidents." Despite Yoichi being the main character, he isn't really an important person but the fact that he has Ibuki's attention gives him some worth in this series. Really Ibuki, the oldest of the Ikaruga sisters is the most important character in Asu no Yoichi as the MC's rival and the antagonist are in love with her and the development of her sisters revolve around her in some way. Eventually you begin to feel that Yoichi is really nothing but an obstacle put in place for cock-blocked related comedy and ecchi scenes.


The most interesting character development in Asu no Yoichi will be Ayame attempting move from under her  older sister, Ibuki's shadow. Everything else is pretty much fanservice in some way shape or form with the comedy being kind of bland and the action scenes being interrupted by nosebleeds. The one thing that doesn't mean anything to the plot but it really stands out is the strange shrinking of Torigaya which is never explained and becomes even more strange in the last episode. Speaking of which, the last episode was horrible. I really wanted an answer for Torigaya's weird shrinking but oh well. In the end, there isn't really anything special or note worthy about Asu no Yoichi but I guess if you're looking for an ecchi martial arts series with a poor attempt at a construction of harem, you might want to check this series out.

I started Asu no Yoichi with the idea that it would be just another average fighing anime with  a slight love intrest, such as so many others I had seen.  I found this to not be the case however, as it was more of a slice of life romance with many random comedic
characters, and a large line of unrequited love, without much actuall fighting at all.

The echi theme was alot less pronounced than I expected it to be, and was mostly simple bumping into girls and accidentally touching their breasts, with a swimsuit really being the worst it showed (and even that wasnt too often)

The animation, while not standing out as "amazing" was nothing to complain about, and I found the music to be much the same.

Although I did find Asu no Yoichi to be quite entertaining, I cant say that it was original by
any stretch of the means.  Maybe I have simply watched too much anime, but I can place just about every aspect of this anime to another series, and found myself thinking "wa-san is so much like hige from school rumble..." and "this chivalrous swordsman... Seto no Hanayome... ".   This was a welcome feeling though, as it made me reflect on all the fun (if i may call it that) times I had watching anime alone in my room.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but there was something about the show that i just liked,  and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would highly recomend it to others.

Story: 5

"After learning martial arts in the mountains for 17 years under his father's teachings, Yoichi Karasuma's father orders Yoichi to learn martial arts with the Ikaruga family in the city, as he has nothing left to teach him. The current head of the Ukiha Divine Wind Style Swordplay school of martial arts, Ibuki Ikaruga and her siblings gradually accept Yoichi as a freeloader at their dojo. In addition to domestic problems, Yoichi deals with Washizu's jealousy of Ibuki and Yoichi's supposed relationship and his school life."

That pretty much sums up the whole story. You have a naive guy who is really just Rurouni Kenchin in disguise who has spent his whole life in the woods learning martial arts instead of being a manslayer. He goes to the big city to live with a bunch of cute girls.

While it might not be the most original of concepts for a harem, the whole martial arts thing does throw in some much needed flavor. Asu no Yoichi has a solid first few episodes, but by the half way mark, falls off its mark a little bit. Don't get me wrong, it is still entertaining; it just started to wonder a little too much away from its original premise.

Animation: 7.5

The sisters are pretty and detailed enough for what this anime is. Backgrounds are standard affair. Nothing spectacular to report relating to animation style. Fight scenes are surprisingly good with smooth action and limited cut scenes.

Sound: 7

The sound is nothing special; opening and closing songs are forgettable, but certainly not awful. I am happy to report that the girls’ voices are not as annoying as they tend to be in other harem genre anime.

Characters: 8

The male lead Yoichi is nothing less than a carbon copy of Rurouni Kenchin. He looks like him, acts like him, and might as well be him. The only difference is that Asu no Yoichi!'s Kenchin undergoes practically no character development.

So why did I give this anime an 8 for characters?

The sisters and supporting cast of course! Besides being cute, all the girls are spunky, entertaining, and hilarious in their own way. I especially like the manga writing middle sister Chihaya, and delinquent Ryo Washizu. Don't take the characters too seriously, their back stories are mediocre. However, the personalities and the hilarious interactions between everyone keep the characters fresh and entertaining, and more than make up for the faults.

Overall for harem lovers: 8.5

Overall for everyone else: 7

I am not known for my love of harem titles, especially ones that ride almost exclusively on its ecchi which I feel like has become more common in more recent shows. As such, I can count the number of recent harems I have enjoyed on one hand using three phalanges (fingers).

However, I am a guy who went through puberty, and I do know what any saintly harem/ecchi lover is looking for, even if I don't really understand why. For all those viewers, Asu no Yoichi! is a must watch. The girls are cute, have personalities, and are slightly tantalizing. While not to the extent of Rosio + Vampire, Asu no Yoichi! manages to have its share of cute girls on top of the protagonist; half naked of course. Asu no Yoichi! actually maintains some type of linearity, and also has some truly hilarious moments.

For the people like me who are not exactly fond of modern harem titles, let it be known that I have added another phalange to my harem/ecchi loving hand due to the lovable characters, the comedy, and to a harem that in most instances, manages to keep the ecchi tasteful. If you have some free time, go give this one a try.

Story:

     Typical harem anime, guy shows up in a place (in this case a dojo) that for the most part is filled with girls and they all end up falling for him. 

    Yoichi Karasuma has lived in the mountains his whole life, but is sent into the city by his father. Of course, he is going to stay in a dojo where 4 girls live. It is pretty amusing most of the time. 

Animation:

     Animation is done pretty well. It looks good and things seem to fit well.

Sound:

     I enjoyed the opening and closing themes.

Characters:

     Characters are the usual for something like this. Hardworking older sister who also takes over the role of "mother" to the younger sisters, 2nd sister with an inferiority complex who tries to hide her true feelings, smart/artistic sister who remains aloof and super cute younger sister who is great at housework and cooking. Still they mesh well with each other and with the main male character. Most of the bad characters are very strange or for several of them, don't even make sense.

Overall:

     Not bad for harem anime, I would say above average, mostly because I really like Yoichi and the 4 sisters.

Based off memory. Also, spoilers. (Possible mature language)

Asu no Yoichi... Samurai Harem... generic as fuck.

We've got a mister samurai dude who is new to the city. It provides an effect of comedy. He generically meets all four sisters in odd ways, gets chased by the police and swing from a banner thing. Best first episode ever not really. Samurai Harem, for the most part, had a bit of a bland story. Sure it was enjoyable, but it wasn't very... memorable. It wasn't something I could look back and say "holy shit I remember this."

Uuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Idk. It was good, but that's all I know.

I say this to a lot of anime: bad opening; bad ending. The end.

This show didn't really have the most diverse characters, but they had their own "feel". A blonde tsundere? Generic. A purple haired yandere/tsundere? New. Blue haired loli? Old. Green haired glasses girl? Uuuuh, idk. Yoichi the Samurai........... the only interesting about him is his effort, determination and traditions. Yep :|