Japan, 1863. At a critical time in the nations history, a
secret war is being waged, not between Pro and Anti Shogunate factions, but by
other powers entirely. The Time Retrograde
Army begins to slip into the time period, determined to alter the course of
Japan’s destiny by any means necessary.
Standing in their way are an elite group of warriors born from histories
greatest weapons. For some this is their
first assignment. For others, this
mission is nothing new. Together,
they’re the only thing standing in the way of the Time Retrograde Army and
their elusive true objective.
Many of my good
friends have been cosplaying historical characters who appear in Anime such as
Rurouni Kenshin and Fate/Stay Night.
They’ve also done some cosplay from the Anime we’re starting today,
Katsugeki/Touken Ranbu. Apparently this
is an adaptation of a hugely popular web based Video Game and this isnt even
the first Anime adaptation either.
However, while the other one might fall under the radar, Katsugeki has
the added edge of being a gorgeous looking new entry into the long list of
similarly gorgeous projects from powerhouse Anime Studio Ufotable. So it’s no wonder these intro episodes not
only feel like a random extension of a Fate/Stay Night story but more
specifically one from Fate/Grand Order (which Ufotable hasn’t touched but
theyre so synonymous with Fate at this point).
That means some amazing action while also leaving viewers with a bunch
of head scratching questions the show isnt in a hurry to answer.
Like I said, the
premise of chosen warriors being deployed through history to keep it from
falling apart is pretty much the same as Fate/Grand Order. There’s talks of unseen Citadels where other
weapon spirits reside, waiting to be deployed into history; a leader who
everyone trusts and who’s orders they follow without question; there’s even an
adorable little Fox mascot who acts as a mobile computer terminal able to pull
up and analyze historical data on the spot for the team. The biggest difference is instead of
warriors, scholars, mystics and other assorted historical figures, Katsugeki’s
cast is comprised of the living embodiments of weapons, such as Kanesada and
Kunihiro being the Katana and Wakazashi respectively of one Toshizo Hijikata,
one of the Commanders of the Shinsengumi (Kanesada even has a Shinsengumi coat
of his own). It’s not a bad way to
change up the time traveling fighting force formula. I cant speak to any of the others but from
what I’ve heard and read about Hijikata, he was a very serious and stern
man. While Kanesada has his strong sense
of duty, he’s also a very lively guy, as is Kunihiro. So it’s cool that these warriors have their
own personalities and their interactions are unique too considering theyre all
from different eras of history.
One of the
biggest hurdles of this premiere is being dropped into the middle of an ongoing
story without a lot of backstory or explanation. What I gathered are the bare basics: The Time
Retrograde Army wants to disrupt Japan’s history and Kanesada and his crew are
there to stop it on orders from their master, Saniwa…that’s it. Who or what the heck is Saniwa and how did he
start this little secret war with the TRA (I’m using that shorthand from now
on). How long has this conflict been
going on? According to a chat between
the group, Kanesada and Yoshiyuki are nearing their 20th missions
while Tonbokiri lost count somewhere in the 50s. Where is this Citadel that gets
mentioned? Is it in the future? On another plane of existence? And just what is the TRA anyway? They seem to enjoy some very Fate looking
monsters and demons out to do their dirty work but what is their deal and who
is running them. As I said in the intro,
Katsugeki isnt in a hurry to deliver answers.
It doesn’t help that a lot of the dialogue surrounding the mystery
becomes repetitive quickly. Just how
many times can I watch team members once against state that the TRA is up to no
good and they need to find out why this time period is their main target?
For all the lack
of explanation, Katsugeki sure as heck wants to showcase how pretty it
looks. This is Ufotable we’re talking
about so it’s a given it’s going to be one of the best looking Anime of the
last couple decades. I know I keep
coming back to this but again, the Fate comparisons cant be avoided, at least
presentation wise. Ufotable continues to
show off the lessons they’ve learned and crafted in their Fate adaptations with
exceptional camera work and well choreographed action sequences that boast a
ton of energy, especially when we see all five fighters fighting together
Avengers style. It doesn’t hide the lack
of answers but it is pretty to look at.
Another strong point in the premiere is the discussion over how much
should and shouldn’t be done when fighting to protect history. I liked Yoshiyuki’s internal struggle to save
the lives of men who are trying to make their country better but are going
about it the wrong way. Some look at
protecting history as just protect what needs to be protected and nothing more,
while others wants to save everyone they can and maybe make lives better. There’s also talk of some kind of Historical
Restraining Force that can mend history from minor infractions like say town
fire spreading farther than it originally did.
There’s good debates over fighting for a better tomorrow even though
sacrifices to maintain the timeline are inevitable and I’m looking forward to
seeing Kanesada’s group being challenged over this possibly in future episodes.
All in all,
Katsugeki/Touken Ranbu is off to an alright start. Ufotable’s stellar animation and near perfect
actions scenes catch the eye along with a promising cast of unique players. However there’s also an air of “Um I have a
few questions about what’s going on” coupled with “Look at the pretty action
and shut up.” I have a bad feeling this
is going to be another one of those I need to have played the game in order to
understand anything that’s going on and I hope I’m wrong. Just saying, like a 5 minute prequel intro
scene would be plenty. Well we’ll see if
Katsugeki/Touken Ranbu can improve in spite of this Next Monday right here at
the Gundam Anime Corner.
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