English Dub Review: Ishura “Soujiro the Willow-Sword”
Overview (Spoilers Below):
Numerous golems emerge in the city. Amidst the chaos, a swordsman, Soujiro Yagyuu, appears.
Our Take:
The English dub version of Hulu’s latest anime has been a long time coming. It was initially planned for release last month but was nowhere to be found. That is until I found out it was delayed for a later date, much to my annoyance since it hasn’t stayed true to its word. Regardless, it’s finally here, and I get to see whether the wait was worth it.
The series, titled Ishura, is said to take place in an alternate world where the demon king’s defeat launched a new age of “Shuras”, powerful demi-gods who roam the lands seeking dominance amid discrimination toward their strengths and abilities. The first episode focuses on one of the show’s protagonists, Yuno the Distant Talon, who believed that the demon king’s death would bring peace to the labyrinth cities. However, that isn’t the case, as countless robotic machines called golems appear and destroy her hometown, Nagan Labyrinth City, and murder her best friend. Devoid of hope, Yuno is suddenly saved by Soujiro Yagyuu, a cocky yet skilled swordsman transported from another world and seemingly the last member of his clan. Using his speed and swordsman skills, he quickly destroyed the Great Labyrinth, the massive golem, by using its weapon against it.
Although Yuno’s life is spared, she holds a grudge against Shuras, believing that Soujiro could be one of them. So, she offers to tag along with Soujiro to Aureatia, the largest nation in the world, hoping to find someone powerful enough to kill him. So, in a way, Ishura may have burrowed some isekai elements regarding Soujiro being from another world amid its action-fantasy vibes. It’s hard to know for sure since the journey just started. However, regarding its potential world-building and animation style, minus some rough CGI effects, it’s a promising start to what seemed to be another watchable entry in Hulu’s anime lineup.
Do we know if Hulu will be the only entity to have the dub, or if it will be on other platforms, too? The show in general is definitely going to be on multiple platforms.