The following review will contain SPOILERS of the show which is now available on Netflix.


The reason for this is because the show’s message cannot be understood without seeing it as a whole.

The hero begins his story as a pathetic small crime vigilante; such as enforcing litter laws and trash pickup days. He soon graduates to muggers and thugs after his minor courtesies to law go viral and are televised to citizens of Japan.


One would think this would set the tone for the remainder of the series but wait it does not!


Here we introduce the fatal flaw of the show’s entertainment value midway through the season. Continuity is thrown out the window as the show explores different tropes of the superhero world that was not subtle enough to gently segue way the show from the previous tropes.


The brilliance of Samurai Flamenco is that it explores almost every superhero trope popular to the genre.

Would be vigilante turned superhero.

A thinly veiled secret identity

A sidekick; an Inside Man within the police.

A mysterious legacy that reveals the true nature of his origin.

Parents death at the hands of criminals

Rival heroes

Monsters and aliens from space.

Equipment and powers granted by scientist benefactors and beyond.

A superhero team

Giant robot combinations

Superhero team ups

Lost power in gaining new ones

A return to a more retro time

Psychological thriller with the hero is seen is crazy

And more!

Samurai Flamenco is such that it cannot be reviewed based on a handful of episodes but rather must be considered as a whole and what it does for the genre.


It is a showcase or tribute to what the superhero genre contains. without understanding this concept this show is a continuity nightmare at the transitions rapidly from one theme to the next often changing characters in the process.


To be honest, I almost did not finish the show due to being lost its continuity. I found myself questioning the reality of the show; whether or not all the development was contained within the deluded mind of a vigilante hero, or if the producers of the show just got bored of their genre of choice midway through. But having stuck the course, was pleasantly surprised to pick up on what the show is doing. Some of the latest series side plots we’re subtly hinted at earlier in the season. Specifically the never present girlfriend of the show’s sidekick. The first few episodes contained an intro of the sidekick throwing flowers to a cliff hinting at some sort of romantic connection to a deceased person. It was only revealed in the final few episodes after all the crazy shenanigans of the superhero tropes had already been revealed that the girlfriend he had been texting had been missing for years and that he had been texting himself.


Regrettably, other than to present tragedy as a backstory to characters, many of a side plots never developed beyond the reveal. Who was responsible for the death of the hero’s parents, where did the sidekick’s girlfriend disappear to, and how was the final enemy able to do anything he did without powers.


In the end, the show is best seen as a showcase of the superhero genre rather than to be enjoyed for a consistent plotline.


All things considered I enjoyed the experience of the show and rated 4 out of 5. I can’t say that I absolutely loved what it did but I really liked what it accomplished.