Peacemaker Kurogane: Belief

1867.  An unexpected betrayal and subsequent battle leaves many beloved members of the Shinsengumi slain.  As the group tries to pick up the pieces, a change in the wind threatens the very future of one of the Shogunate’s greatest fighting forces.  With war on the horizon, Tetsunosuke Ichimura and his brother, Tatsunosuke, along with their best friend, Susumu Yamazki, find themselves in unexpected roles as the Shinsengumi prepare to move out.  All the while, a dark smile from the shadows looms waiting to tear down everything Tetsunosuke cares about, all in the name of vengeance for his fallen master. 

Of all the Anime in the world today, Peacemaker Kurogane was a title I never expected to get a sequel.  The TV Series came out ages ago and has largely been forgotten, whether due to time itself or the possibility that it just wasn’t that memorable to begin with (it certainly wasn’t any Rurouni Kenshin that’s for sure).  So it surprised the hell out of me when I watched the first half of what could be considered a two part feature film finale and I actually gave more of a damn about anything in this story, especially the characters, than I ever did watching the 24 episode TV show play out.

The animation studio in charge of this project should have been the group handling Peacemaker from the get go.  Belief has gotten the best visual upgrade ive seen in a while bringing a TV Series to film form.  Everything from movements to action (of which there’s surprisingly little after the opening bit) looks smoother and more fluidic, a great deal better than anything the series ever dished out.   All of the character designs are intact but everyone looks appropriately older and more mature now.  Makes sense given the time lapse between the events of the show and now.  That’s a good thing too given where we’ve chosen to pick up the history of the Shinsengumi, right at the beginning of the end.  It only makes sense that the animation reflects the overall tone and so far, Belief has done that nicely.

Speaking of upgrades, jumping the series ahead a couple of years did wonders for Tetsunosuke.  It’s clear beyond the height difference that he’s grown as a person and no longer feels like the weakest element of the story (which he very much was in the TV Series due to his constant shouting).  His interactions with the bulk of his Shinsengumi comrades still ring of older brothers poking fun at their kid brother.  But many times it feels like Shinpachi, Sanosuke and especially Saito are speaking to Tetsu on a level of true equality.  He’s not a kid anymore and they see how much he’s changed from bratty page to well mannered young man.  Even Hijikata is showing he cares about his page far more than he used too, kind of makes me wish he and Tetsu had more scenes together.  But one thing that hasn’t changed from the TV series is one of it’s strongest character pairs: Tetsu and Saya.  Young Tetsu was surprisingly always at his best around this mute girl who could figure him out better than anyone and manage to temper his impulsiveness.  Years later, they’ve only gotten better as friends and as a true romantic pairing.  Tetsu is definitely tested in this area, as is Saya, and only the ending of Part 2 will determine if they can make it as a couple.  Short version: I like grown up Tetsu and am actively rooting for him (huh, now that I think about it, this reminds me of how much I despise Kid Trunks on Dragon Ball Z but his Future version is my favorite DBZ character of all time…anyway back to the review).

Belief practically wastes no time getting the stage set for the grim conflict to come, one that will start, if not solidify, the twilight of the Shinsengumi.  As good as it is to see all of the cast again, the somber tone means everyone is on edge and very serious.  Even cheerful Souji Okita is more dire due to his deteriorating condition that brings out the more vulnerable side of Hijikata.  The good times are pretty much gone, as is most of the humor (though that doesn’t stop Saizo the Pig from making a brief and welcome cameo).  And even though there isn’t a lot of action in this film, there is plenty of blood and violence, also vastly improved from the TV Series.  Actually, let’s talk about the beginning real quick.  When I said Belief wastes no time getting going, I mean that in more ways than one.  The opening is a 6 minute montage of a series of events that could have been a whole movie in and of itself.  This boasts rapid cuts (both in editing and swords cutting people down), important characters being reintroduced and one even killed without giving us appropriate context.  There’s action, betrayal, foreshadowing and…yeah it’s a lot and had the rest of the film not have been such a good watch, this intro could have derailed the entire project.  It felt like we were watching a recap of a story we hadn’t seen yet instead of a proper start point.  And unless you’ve watched the original Anime (or are up on your Japanese history), you’re not going to know who anyone is or what the hell is going on or why you should care when (spoiler) gets offed during it.  Which is a shame because there’s so much potential in this opening sequence, in terms of animation, action and story quality…why was it rolled out without a second thought or care?

Peacemaker Kurogane: Belief had the seemingly impossible task of giving me a reason to care about a subpar TV show getting a continuation.  And you know what, it mostly succeeded.  The casually tossed aside and improperly executed intro aside, Belief is a good beginning for the end of Tetsunosuke Ichimura’s story and that of the Shinsengumi.  The story takes better care of its cast and gives great weight to historical events far better than the TV Series ever did at its best.  It actually felt good to see these characters and their original (albeit better looking) designs again and give a damn about what happens to them.  Honestly, I could end this review with continued praise but part of me wants to venture caution because there’s still Part 2 (Friend) to cover and that film has an even greater task at hand: making sure all this renewed interest is not squandered.  Belief set things up nicely.  Here’s hoping it can stick the landing.

7.5/10 (would be an 8-8.5 but they really blew it with that failed intro sequence)

And, as a special surprise, you wont have to check back next week for my review of the conclusion to this tale, Peacemaker Kurogane: Friend, you can check it out right here, right now at the Gundam Anime Corner. (http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2019/09/peacemaker-kurogane-friend.html)