History Anime / SamuraiFlamenco

* CurtainsMatchTheWindows: Sort of. The Flamenco Girls/MMM all have eyes that match the hair color of another girl in the group.

* ShoutOut / IncrediblyLamePun:

* {{Bishounen}}: Masayoshi. He ''is'' a male model.

* OffModel: Due to the [[ScheduleSlip problematic schedule]] as seen back in the pre-screening event last September 2013, some of the faces are out of proportion.

Walking home one night, off-duty policeman Hidenori Goto confronts [[NotWhatItLooksLike an apparent pervert]] stripping in an alleyway. Introducing himself as male model Masayoshi Hazama, the man explains that he was actually changing out of his costume, as he is a would-be superhero called "Samurai Flamenco." Escorting Hazama home, Goto discovers how deep the model's fixation on both superheroes and justice runs despite his total lacking of superpowers.

*** The members of the group are full of visual jokes as well; there's one wearing a [[Franchise/FridayThe13th hockey mask]], another with [[MickeyMouse mouse ears]], and one with the same hairstyle as [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Hatsune Miku]].

* GenreShift: [[UpToEleven THREE TIMES.]] It only seems to be a slice of life comedy for the first six episodes. At the end of episode seven, we get actual monsters and actual supervillains. Ones that actually ''kill'' people. But despite the vague SciFi villains we still deal with a hero that is clearly using nothing but his powers as a human to triumph. This all changes in episode 11, when the series becomes full-out Super Sentai. And then, after things settle down with From Beyond and the Prime Minister, the tone shifts ''again'' in episode 19 when the show starts picking apart what kind of person Masayoshi is, [[DarkAndTroubledPast how Goto became a cop in the first place]], and the psychological scars that they have.

* SerialEscalation: An odd, relatively mundane variant. First it was just Masayoshi berating jaywalkers. Then he was taking down muggers. Then he built up to drug dealers. And then it escalated [[UpToEleven damn fast with the introduction of King Torture and From Beyond.]]

* FiveManBand: The Flamengers, who all fit appropriate {{Sentai}} roles:
** Flamen Red: TheLeader
** Flamen Blue: TheLancer
** Flamen Green: TheSmartGuy
** Flamen Black: TheBigGuy
** Flamen Pink: TheChick

* ActOfTrueLove: Moe Morita proves willing to die in ignoble suffering for the sake of Maya. This act of grace on her part prompts a heartfelt apology from the villain, who in turns delivers a scathing BreakingSpeech to Maya for not being sincere in returning the favour.

** As of Episode 16, Moe's crush isn't hopeless any more.

** Then we find out that Goto's "girlfriend" is a delusion, and the he is sending himself the messages. By imagining that his girlfriend would be jealous, Goto may be expressing unacknowledged feelings for Masayoshi.
** Masayoshi and Goto get married in the mobile card game. Its not ambiguous anymore.

* {{Chuunibyou}}: Masayoshi, as well good part of the characters, is considerated in the Evil Eye-type of this Japanese-named syndrome, having the delusions of being a {{Sentai}} hero and starting to act like one in the RealLife.

* EveryoneChasingYou: Basically the entire plot of Episode 6. Samurai Flamenco gets a massive bounty placed on his head for his true identiy, which leads to Masayoshi getting chased around the entire city by mobs of people.

** For comic book readers, this anime seems to be inspirated by ''ComicBook/KickAss''.

* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: The second alien form Masayoshi encounters in episode 18 after defeating Alien Flamenco. When he asks about it, the alien tells him that he'd be more comfortable with a figure that he's familiar with, although the alien changes forms several times during the conversation.

** Masayoshi suffers another one in episodes 15 and 16, after the Japanese government turns on him, along with the other superheroes. With nowhere left to go, and no one to turn to, he lies on a park bench, ready to accept whatever happens to him. Fortunately a homeless man brings him to his tiny tent and offers him food, water, and support which helps snaps him out of it.

* LikeRealityUnlessNoted: As per it's deconstructive, slice-of-life style, akin to ''ComicBook/KickAss''. This is why the introduction of a drug-dealer who transforms into a NighInvulnerable robot-gorilla with a guillotine in his stomach, his phantasm of a boss, and their decimation of a police squad after six full episodes of realism is so...surreal.

* SerialEscalation: An odd, relatively mundane variant variant. First it was just Masayoshi berating jaywalkers. Then he was taking down muggers. Then he built up to drug dealers. And then it escalated [[UpToEleven damn fast with the introduction of King Torture and From Beyond.]]

** The villain [=MMM34=], who's name is pronounced 'Miyamoto Musashi'.

* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Goto is quick to ask why Masayoshi he doesn't just get an ''actual'' job in law enforcement, like as a cop or prosecuting attorney. Masayoshi claims that it's just not the ''same''.

** Moe tells Mari this in episode 16, despite the harsh speech she gave to the the latter and Mizuki.

* NotSoDifferent: King Torture tries to pull this on Masayoshi by showing him his collection of tokusatsu figurines and memorabilia. Apparently, King Torture was just as much a fan as Masayoshi... except he went in entirely the other direction.

* RealityEnsues:
** There's no job-market for superheroes, and the only reason Masayoshi ''didn't'' get arrested by Goto for "defending" society from drunk jaywalkers is because he never got a punch in. However, things have yet to take a particularly tragic turn. The events of episode seven may mean a change to this.
** After Masayoshi and Samurai Flamenco start appearing on TV, a lot of people instantly suspect that the former is the latter's true identity, though part of that is from Masayoshi outing himself as a Samurai Flamenco fan before Samurai Flamenco was particularly popular.
** Flamenco Girl's fighting style, which would be cute and colorful in most MagicalGirl narratives, is instead depicted in a realistic and brutal manner. During her debut, one of the thugs she attacks is visibly terrified of her after seeing her violently dispatch his comrades.
** When the first Toku-style MonsterOfTheWeek shows up, the show takes on a completely different area of realism. The monster murders several police officers effortlessly, and it doesn't wait for Masayoshi to finish his introduction before tossing him aside and nearly killing him, reminding people that often the monsters in superhero shows, when left unchecked by similarly superpowered heroes, are nigh unstoppable killing machines.
** Later on when more monsters show up they get increasingly more over-the-top and are near indistinguishable from the monsters of some of the hammier toku shows, lacking the menace the first monster had. This makes the public more apathetic towards the situation, similarly to many superhero shows when dealing with the subject. This gets turn on its head however when it turns out that the MonsterOfTheWeek was deliberately played up so that it would become a routine to the point of people being desensitized by it.
** When Mari directly challenges King Torture, he stops using ineffectual villains and actually manages to capture her, and he doesn't treat her the way you'd expect your typical dainty DamselInDistress to be treated either.
** The final villain of the series is not the most grandiose, but he comes off as extremely frightening because he focuses on attempting to harm or even murder Samurai Flamenco's allies, and doing so in a very pragmatic fashion -- like throwing them down a flight of stairs or pushing them into traffic.

''Samurai Flamenco'' is a Japanese anime television series by Creator/{{Manglobe}}. Directed by Takahiro Omori, it began airing October 10th, 2013 under Fuji TV's Creator/{{noitaminA}} timeslot.

The anime series was licensed by Creator/AniplexUSA in North America, though low interest has kept it from getting a physical home release. It was later available for streaming on Creator/{{Crunchyroll}}, but the license expired in 2021. Compare ''Film/{{Zebraman}}'', a film with similar themes.

The anime series was licensed by Creator/AniplexUSA in North America, though low interest has kept it from getting a physical home release. Compare ''Film/{{Zebraman}}'', a film with similar themes.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotHeinous: Jaywalking is a nefarious crime.
-->'''Masayoshi:''' He was jaywalking! And smoking on the street! I was confronting an evil villain threatening our city's safety!
** Masayoshi refuses to use an umbrella, because one time in the first grade he stole a classmate's umbrella, and that classmate [[CatchYourDeathOfCold wound up getting sick from having to walk home in the rain]].

** Episode 17: Masayoshi and Goto confront the Prime Minister, only to reveal his IronMan-esque superpowers. After defeating him with much difficulty, Mister Justice reappears, takes off his mask... revealing he was actually an alien all along, every other country has been taken by his species, and the Prime Minister was just gathering power to stand a chance against them.

* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Averted. Masayoshi will start to give little speeches about justice while dressed as Samurai Flamenco, only to have the person he is trying to stop interrupt him. The only time this doesn't happen is in the first episode when he gives a WorldOfCardboardSpeech to a group of teens. They wait until ''after'' he's done to beat him up. When he gives them another speech after beating him up a bit they wait until after he's done with that one to continue beating him up.

* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Masayoshi gives one to the kids. One of them punches him after he finishes and would have continued if Goto hadn't arrived.

** And even From Beyond was just an elaborate plot to help the Prime Minister, who quickly turns on the heroes after they defeat the evil organization. And it turns out he was trying to use it to fight yet a BiggerBad.

** It turns out tokusatsu villains are real. [[HolyShitQuotient ...What the hell?]]

* LoveEpiphany: [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments "Oh, I get it, this is love."]]

* NoStuntDouble: In-universe: It's mentioned that Kaname Joji always does his own stunts. At first, it sounds like it might be an exaggeration, [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome until we see him jump off a moving motorcycle and land on his feet.]]

* {{Chuunibyou}}: Masayoshi, as well good part of the characters, is considerated in the Evil Eye-type of this Japanese-named syndrome, having the delusions of being a SuperSentai hero and starting to act like one in the RealLife.

* AccidentalPervert: Poor Masayoshi is so tired from a night fighting crime, he winds up falling asleep next to a dumpster... where he rolls out into the street and winds up looking up a woman's skirt. [[{{Understatement}} She isn't happy.]]

* LoveEpiphany: [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming "Oh, I get it, this is love."]]

* NoStuntDouble: In-universe: It's mentioned that Kaname Joji always does his own stunts. At first, it sounds like it might be an exaggeration, [[MomentOfAwesome until we see him jump off a moving motorcycle and land on his feet.]]

The anime series has been licensed by Creator/AniplexUSA in North America. Compare ''Film/{{Zebraman}}'', a film with similar themes.

** From Episode 14: "Nice to meet you, Brother". [[MetalGearSolid He's wearing a longcoat.]]

* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Each time Masayoshi defeats one of King Torture's animal minions they blow themselves up.

** After King Torture's defeat, the From Beyond organization takes his place.

%%PLEASE SEE HandlingSpoilers FOR PROPER USAGE SO THEY DON'T GET REMOVED AGAIN

''Samurai Flamenco'' is a Japanese anime television series by Creator/{{Manglobe}}. Directed by Takahiro Omori, it began airing October 10th, 2013 under Fuji TV's {{noitaminA}} timeslot.

The anime series has been licensed by Creator/AniplexUSA in North America. Has a [[Characters/SamuraiFlamenco character sheet]] that NeedsWikiMagicLove. Compare ''Film/{{Zebraman}}'', a film with similar themes.

'''Warning: All spoilers on this page are unmarked, proceed at your own risk if you wish to watch the show.'''

!!Tropes: