Tetsunosuke Ichimura is a fiery youth who seeks to join
the Shinsengumi, the elite fighting force of the Shogunate. As a young boy, he saw a Choshu Swordsman
dressed in black cut down his parents and now he seeks the strength to avenge
them. However, this isn’t a normal band
of warriors Tetsu wishes to join. Though
they may seem cheerful, the Shinsengumi are called “Demons” and “The Wolves of
Mibu” for a reason. In the most
turbulent time in Japanese history, blood is spilt on a daily basis. And if he is to rise to match the ranks of
the Shinsengumi’s greatest warriors, Tetsu will have to learn to shed some of
his own as well.
The Shinsengumi.
Anyone who’s watch Rurouni Kenshin knows them. Anyone who knows a thing or two about
Japanese history knows them even better.
Peacemaker Kurogane…should be about shining a light on these
characters. And though it does a lot of
that in the first introductory episodes, there’s one big thing that hampers
what I hope turns into a really good show…the main character. Well him and the fact that this is a show by
Studio Gonzo and they’re really hit and miss.
They can make good looking shows like Trinity Blood and Vandread. But in the story department, they kind of
fall flat. It sounds like im judging the
show based on the first five episodes alone so I’ll take a step back and focus
on this intro set.
The Shinsengumi presented here are a freaking awesome
bunch. History has seen them painted as
heroes and villans depending on who you ask.
Here, we’re meant to see them as the heroes of the story and it’s easy
to get into that mindset. Despite their
strictness and their ruthlessness in combat, the Wolves of Mibu are a very
tight and likeable group. Characters
like Hijikata and Kondo balance strict rules with heart and cheer while unit
commanders Sanosuke and Shinpachi offer plenty of humor and bad ass battle
moments. The stand out character of the
main group has to be Soji Okita. He make
look feminine and delicate like a flower but WOW can he get intense when he
needs to. The look he gives Tetsu when
he says he is “a child of demons” is bone chilling. And yet he speaks so kindly as a man you’d
never expect to have such a talent for bloodshed. That and his childlike innocence that either
irks Hijikata or soothes him makes Okita the most complex yet likeable
character so far in the cast.
The same cannot be said for Tetsunosuke. Even when you find out his motivations and his tragic backstory, you still have to start each episode with him shouting or complaining about something. It is a freaking miracle he was even accepted into the Shinsengumi at all. It makes me wonder if Hijikata has some underlying reason for letting him in. He’s made it clear he doesn’t want him sent into battle, hence why Tetsu is whining about being his page. Did he know Tetsu’s dad maybe? Anyway, Tetsu is very much the Naruto type of this series, screaming every five minutes about how he’ll become the greatest Shinsengumi swordsman in history without realizing the cost it will take to get there. This is one of the bloodiest times in Japanese history. Those who have seen Rurouni Kenshin know through Kenshin’s backstory that murder in the streets at night was a pretty common occurance. Does Tetsu not realize that he is going to have to kill if he wants his true revenge? Or is he too busy yelling at how this thing and that thing is unfair to realize this? He’s got some growing to do (emotional not physical, I don’t have a problem with him being short). Unlike Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist, he doesn’t seem the kind of character with a focus of steel and the determination of an adult. Tetsunosuke never comes off as more than a brat in these intro episodes…and that’s a problem when he’s the focal point of this story as a whole.
We also get a look at the Choshu Clansman coming into
Kyoto. Since the Shinsengumi are meant
to be the heroes, the rebels are equally easily made out to be the clear
villains. Yoshida carries an air of
darkness, beyond the clothes he wears.
Hijikata outing him as a serial arsonist pins even more red flags in his
direction. Much like history, or Mobile
Suit Gundam, will tell you, there were heroes and villains on both sides of any
conflict. There’s some indication that
Yoshida’s extreme actions might not match up with some other revolutionists of
the time. Perhaps the Shinsengumi
stopping whatever he might have planned is in the best interest of both
parties. I should note we did get a
flashfoward to start the series off, glimpsing the famous Ikedaya Incident that
was a pivotal moment in the Civil War that brought about the Meiji Period. If you know your history, or again watched
Rurouni Kenshin, you know how this ends.
In any case, Yoshida might not make it out of this show. Even if that’s the case, he’ll still be a
tough guy for the Wolves of Mibu to take down.
Lastly, I want to talk about an element introduced early
on that feels more out of place than Tetsunosuke himself. There is a supernatural element that is being
tacked on for literally no reason.
There’s a chance they might want to tap into the spiritual prowness of
Hajime Saito, a name RuroKen fans will definitely recognize. The Saito presented here is a far cry from
his RuroKen counterpart. History speaks
of him as a very spiritual man, whereas RuroKen keeps him more like a Samurai
version of The Punisher. Peacemaker taps
into his spirituality and makes him more ethereal, which would be a good
element to tone down Tetsu a bit.
However, making him fight against zombies possessed by wizards on the
Choshu side seems…just weird.
Overall, if you can tune out Testu’s rantings, Peacemaker
Kurogane has a very entertaining first set of episodes here. The Shinsengumi are the standouts. Their comradere, their philosophy, and the
way they kick ass in such bloody fashion make me wonder why we need Tetsunosuke
in the first place. This could’ve been a
good historical drama and it still could be…though we have a loud mouth Naruto
wannabe and supernatural wizards and zombies too. I’ll hold out hope though, I’m not sorry im
watching this. It’s just sad to think
“it could be better” so early into the run.
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