Bucchigire

Quick. Name a series whereby criminals or villains are used to step up and take on the roles of the hero. I guess many would name Suicide Squad but too bad, Bucchigire is not its anime equivalent. This isn’t anywhere near Nanatsu No Taizai either but whatever. We often hear great stories about the great Shinsengumi during the Bakumatsu period. And I don’t think that many would have thought about a story about killing them off and replacing them with criminals! That’s what happened in Bucchigire as the Bakufu’s revered special police force has somehow been wiped out. So uhm, why the heck use criminals to replace them? I understand if they are short of time to restore order but criminals? You mean nobody else in the Shinsengumi squad, some lowly ranked private is able to step up and take that place? I mean, they’re going to restore the order and peace, right? Hence some sort of credibility is still needed. And not going to undertake some sort of dangerous missions with a high death rate and since they’re criminals, nobody will give a hoot if they died on the mission, right? Oh well, I think sometimes it takes a thief to catch another thief…

Episode 1
Ichibanboshi the petty criminal is caught and about to be beheaded. Not that he likes this sh*tty world anyway. But what’s this? He still lives? Along with other criminals lined up before Heisuke Toudou, they are told that they are supposed to be date but on 18th August, the day the government changed, someone assassinated almost the entire Shinsengumi squad. Hence instead of condemning them to death, they will become their substitutes so as to continue the Shinsengumi’s existence. If they refuse, they will be executed immediately. Sakuya is first to accept the deal since killing is all he does best and now he gets to do it for a living. He will take on the role of Toshizou Hijikata. Next to join is Bo (Sanosuke Harada) since he can eat all he wants, followed by Gyatarou (Shinpachi Nagakura). When one of the criminals refused to be disloyal to his emperor, Sakuya immediately cuts him down. Toudou will report that ‘Kamo Serizawa’ has died. Since Sougen can have this body as he is a mad doctor who loves to dissect, he joins too as Keisuke Sannan. Next up to join is ex-monk Suzuran (Hajime Saito) and then the only woman in the gang, Akira (Souji Okita). Ichibanboshi is left but he refuses to join them because he hates the samurai as they killed his family. Flashback shows they were killed by one wearing a weird mask. Mom pushed him down the river to save him. When Toudou shows the same mask, he also mentions the Shinsengumi is searching for this group who annihilated them. Toudou extends his hand to Ichibanboshi to get revenge on this Masked Demons since their interests align. With that, Ichibanboshi agrees to join and he will helm the role of Isami Kondou, the leader of the Shinsengumi.

Toudou talks to Katamori Matsudaira and Teijirou Akizuki about the ‘new’ Shinsengumi. Katamori needs his help to look after things right now thanks to the declining state of the shogunate. He doesn’t have much hope on them but just enough influence to scare forces not to overthrow the shogunate. As Akira is the only one with swordsmanship, she is tasked to train the rest. Sparring with Ichibanboshi, he doesn’t need a sword and prefers to fight with his feet. Toudou beats him up for this disgrace as a samurai’s soul is his sword. He then has all of them split up into groups to patrol Kyoto. Soon they find an old man with a nasty cut. While Sougen treats him, the rest go to find the culprit. Of course Ichibanboshi and Sakuya hit the jackpot. Although the Masked Demon guy escapes, Ichibanboshi defies orders and goes after him alone. When he sees him about to strike a hapless family, this reminds him of his own trauma. During that moment when he unsheathe his sword, damn it starts to shine like a lightsaber! So strong it breaks through the perpetrator’s sword and his mask, freeing whatever demonic souls inside.

Episode 2
Toudou thinks Kondou granted Ichibanboshi his strength. Flashback shows when the Shinsengumi infiltrated the place, they were all killed by the Masked Demon leader. Toudou was the only survivor and was seriously wounded and managed to wound that dude before escaping. He thinks the souls of his dead comrades might be dwelling in the swords. Everyone attends a blessing ceremony by Haruo Tsuchimikado. The onmyouji can see that Ichibanboshi is like Kondou and straightforward people like him are the most terrifying. Shinsengumi’s next mission is to escort an intellect known as Sakuma Shozan. During the journey, they are ambushed by rebels. The Shinsengumi is all over the place but the rebels are all killed eventually. Shozan then believes he has seen Sakuya before and remembers him as a hired killer who tried to kill him. Sakuya doesn’t waste time to acknowledge that but Ichibanboshi interrupts. Despite calling Sakuya the worst person, he is an important member of the group and that all of them are damaged goods with a past. He hopes Shozan can close an eye on this but Shozan is not so small minded to cling onto the past. When they get to the port, they see American ships testing their cannons. The awesome firepower makes Akira depressed because she devoted her life to the sword and then something new and more powerful might end the sword era. Shozan asks the rest about if they will give up the sword. Ichibanboshi despite hating the sword, will continue to wield it until he avenges his family. Then what? Then he’ll change the world! Shozan is impressed with his attitude but wonders if it will become revolutionary or a nuisance. He hopes to let him meet a person named Ryouma Sakamoto. As they stay at the inn, Akira catches Ichibanboshi practising his sword. He still blames himself for being unable to save his family. That’s why he will be the strongest Shinsengumi member. That night, Sakuya dreams of killing his father because he could no longer stand him beating up his mom. Then he goes to meet an old assassin comrade, Gensai Kawakami. The latter wants him to return to their side but Sakuya claims he has reborn and will follow rules of the Shinsengumi. In that case, traitors will not be allowed to live. As they clash, Ichibanboshi comes by since his sword seems to be tingling. Kawakami warns Sakuya that he cannot escape. Not from them or the guilt of killing his father.

Episode 3
Kawakami will take care for Ichibanboshi but in that distraction, Sakuya kills him. Kawakami’s last words are that Sakuya will always be in darkness. Ichibanboshi asks if all that is true. Sakuya admits he keeps count of those he killed and the first one was his own father. Katamori tells Toudou that he heard from an unreliable source that Kogoro Katsura is up to no good. Toudou gathers his Shinsengumi to go investigate. Ichibanboshi refused to pair up with Sakuya as he doesn’t trust him. Toudou threatens to cut him down and Ichibanboshi dares him. This has the rest mention that since everyone is acquainted with Ichibanboshi, if he intends to replace him, he must kill all of them too. In that case, Toudou will give Ichibanboshi a different assignment. While the rest are out on the streets investigating, Ichibanboshi is paired with Akira in a geisha establishment. Akira dresses up as a geisha while Ichibanboshi as a normal worker. Since he is quite good in his work, everyone takes a liking for him. When Akira stumbles into a rowdy room, this ugly ruffian is Katsura. He thought she was eavesdropping on them but the head geisha, Ikuchiyo claims she is a novice and under her wing. Sakuya smokes out a spy and has him spill out the beans that his job was to spread rumours about Katsura. Once Katsura and his men are done partying, now they get ready to cut down everyone in this establishment because they’re going to kill those who are aligned with the shogunate. Innocent or not, you’re dead. Akira claims she is the only spy and to spare the rest but Katsura wants to be damn sure, so just kill everyone. With Ichibanboshi barging in, it seems he managed to get everyone else to flee. How the heck did he know? Was he eavesdropping too? Soon, the rest of the Shinsengumi are here to take down the rebels. Because Ikuchiyo can fight well, Akira notes she is not an ordinary geisha. However she escapes and it is hinted that she is actually a man in disguise. Akira is left to fight Katsura who continues to badmouth women. This is when Akira realizes her fate to join Shinsengumi is to cut down scumbags like him. Her sword starts to shine as she cuts him down. In the aftermath, Akira tells the rest that this isn’t the real Katsura but an imposter committing evil under that name. The real one was impersonating as Ikuchiyo. That night as the Shinsengumi sleeps, looks like some fellow officers are going to kill Bo and Gyatarou in their sleep.

Episode 4
Luckily with all those noises, the rest wake up to see what’s happening. Eventually one of them is captured while the rest escapes. Sakuya is supposed to torture and make the spy confess but Ichibanboshi objects to it because it will make them no difference than bandits. But once the spy hears about Sakuya killing his father and others, suddenly he will talk! Toudou reports to Katamori about the Choushu spies infiltrating the Shinsengumi and the strange swords they carry. It is believed many receive them from orphans. Since there are so many orphans in the capital, it will be impossible to find out who. Toudou knows one of the members has ties with orphans and is their boss somewhat. We see Gyatarou returning to his ‘kids’ as he tries to find more info about the perpetrator. He believes orphans are used because kids with no parents are most likely to do dangerous jobs. Then he sees one of the kids, Tomekichi and finds him distributing the swords. Of course he wants to know the guys behind this so he allows them to follow and watch what he does. Akira goes to see Katsura and thinks he is the one who sent those spies to kill them. Although he admits they are from his faction, however they are rogues and doing as they please. Plus, they are working with those Masked Demons. Since their interests align to stop them, Katsura wants Akira to work with him in exchanging info. She can think about it and give her answer later. Gyatarou and co witness Tomekichi handing out swords to orphans. And then meeting up with those spies who tried to kill them earlier on. They move in and beat them up for more info. That night as they position themselves awaiting for the possible Masked Demons, Tomekichi leads Gyatarou’s group to a hideout to the Masked Demons he is supposed to hand over the swords. Tomekichi goes in to do the usual. After handing the swords, he asks for his rewards but the Masked Demons are going to kill him instead. Luckily the rest barge in and attack. Meanwhile Sakuya is going to face off with this Masked Demon, Rashomaru but is outwitted instead. When Tomekichi is taken hostage, Gyatarou and Bo’s weapon shine. This allows Ichibanboshi to rescue Tomekichi. The Masked Demons then hand the swords to Rashomaru. Ichibanboshi recognizes him as his family’s killer and goes to chase him. While furiously trying to cut him down, he cuts off his mask and the big revelation… It’s his younger brother, Tsukito! Why am I not surprised? Thought he was dead, huh? Well, maybe Tsukito is dead. Because now he goes by the name of Rashomaru, the leader of the Masked Demons.

Episode 5
Rashomaru further says he killed mom and then lets Ichibanboshi hear the cries of their parents in this sword. As Ichibanboshi reels from the shock, Sakuya comes to cover for him but Rashomaru flees. We see Sougen experimenting with the swords and corpses but all of them are just normal. Nothing detected about the substance that made them so special. Later with Suzuran, they visit Mokichi (the old man who got that nasty cut). However his health suddenly turns for the worse. His body shows no signs of abnormality and sadly he dies. Sougen can’t stop thinking about this and wants to dig up his body to dissect but I don’t think his daughter will allow that. After Suzuran helps a Christian pray at the grave, both reveal why they were caught by the government. Suzuran secretly held Christian services but was caught. Sougen was conducting dissections on corpses and making euthanizing medicine. Both also have different concept about death. While Sougen believes there is nothingness after death, Suzuran believes there is the soul. When Suzuran’s sword seems to tingle, the soul of Mokichi points towards this building, Shirakawaya. They report to the rest that it might have something to do with Masked Demons. Ichibanboshi would definitely love to jump into this but is told off they have no evidence and must gather info first. Also, Toudou wants him to sit this out since he has lost his cool after learning Tsukito’s circumstances. Akira sees Katsura for info about Shirakawaya. He says they are selling kerosene at high prices. Sakuya confronts Ichibanboshi that if he isn’t resolved to kill Rashomaru, he will do it instead. As he has fought Rashomaru, he can tell he has lost his humanity a long time ago. Also, if he gets in the way of the mission, he will not hesitate to kill him either. Those who can’t follow orders must be dealt with immediately. Sougen talks to Suzuran about the weight of the soul. 5 momme lighter is the observation. This leads him to think souls are like electricity. Invisible but its power moves objects. Could it be that Masked Demons are trying to collect and store souls as a power source? When they go up to the gates of Shirakawaya, they are surrounded by Masked Demons. Not sure how that fight went but they return all beaten up. So this is enough proof for Toudou to issue an attack for tomorrow night? Of course Ichibanboshi will have to sit this one out too.

Episode 6
Ichibanboshi goes drinking. Obviously he isn’t happy he won’t be in on this raid. Already drunk and talking about the importance of family, Hikojiro Uchiyama come to drink with him and shares the same sentiments. They become great buddies soon after. As morning arrives and they part ways, we see Hikojiro going into Shirakawaya. He talks to the Masked Demons and wants to cut ties. Of course he won’t tell anyone about this. So they just let him walk? That night before the raid, the Shinsengumi discuss, Shirakawaya as a place manipulating kerosene prices. They have never been caught since the town’s magistrate AKA Hikojiro has been pulling strings. Therefore he must be taken alive and made to confess his crimes. As Shinsengumi raid Shirakawaya, they find nobody and nothing of importance. Until they notice a hidden metal door that leads to a secret under passageway. Aside the creepy painting, they trek further and see a weird machine. Rashomaru welcomes them and starts the machine. So what does it do? Well, they’ll find out when they die! Rashomaru tries to kill them from the shadows but they’re too skilled. That is when he decides to burn the place and lock them here. At the same time Ichibanboshi defies orders as he comes running to Shirakawaya. He stumbles into Rashomaru locking up the metal door. It seems Ichibanboshi will not fight him but wants to also save his friends. Rashomaru is sick of his sheltered life. So he calls out Hikojiro and gives him the key to the door. He wants Hikojiro to kill Ichibanboshi and doing so, he’ll accept the deal to cut ties with them. Run away, and his sister gets killed. And Ichibanboshi must kill Hikojiro for the key to save his buddies. Ichibanboshi still doesn’t want to fight so Rashomaru tells him off that killing a friend is nothing because he had to kill his mother! Flashback shows that after father got killed, the baddie told Tsukito to kill mom if he wants his life spared. Hikojiro is ready to kill Ichibanboshi to protect his sister. Meanwhile the trapped Shinsengumi need to find a way out quick before the flames get them. Sougen has an idea by using explosives. But warns of the oxygen rushing in will cause more intense flames. So they’ve to run through the explosion. Yeah, this part is no sweat. Once they get out, they see Ichibanboshi just killing Hikojiro. Oh damn, they were a second too late! Rashomaru got away, Hikojiro is dead and Shirakawaya burning to the ground means all evidence are also gone. This sucks. No wonder Toudou calls for the disbandment of Shinsengumi.

Episode 7
With the possible disbandment of the Shinsengumi, they might revert as criminals and get beheaded. Toudou talks to Katamori about this embarrassment but is given 3 days for the Shinsengumi to regain their honour or they’ll be disbanded. After all, this is something that Toudou can’t fix even if he takes his own life. Sakuya confronts Ichibanboshi in prison to tell him to steel his nerves to kill his brother or else. Sakuya then returns to the rest to tell of Teizo Miyabe. He heard the blacksmith has sharpened his sword as well as his comrades. This means this anti-shogunate extremist from Higo domain has returned to the capital for another insurrection. As they are about to go investigate this, they receive news that Ichibanboshi has escaped his cell. Having no time for this, Toudou will let others look for him while the Shinsengumi continue their investigation on Miyabe. Suzuran confronts Sakuya being the one who served Ichibanboshi his meal. Because he threw the bowl at him (but missed), Ichibanboshi used the shards to break through the wall. Did Sakuya show him a way to escape? Sakuya says no. The Shinsengumi are out finding more info. Akira learns from Katsura to visit the ink wholesaler at Masuya to ascertain themselves if Miyabe is linked to the Masked Demons. Then he trolls her with a kiss as payment. Rashomaru is seen making arrangements with Miyabe at Masaya. The Shinsengumi comes knocking so they flee. The Shinsengumi then enters a warehouse filled with weapons. Starting a war? Miyabe’s associate foolishly attacks them but is easily taken out. Time for Sakuya to torture some info out of him. Meanwhile Ichibanboshi goes to see Okayo, Hikojiro’s sister at his graveyard. He reveals what happened and obviously, Okayo wants to kill him. He stops her knife attack with his bare hands. He understands her feelings but hopes she can wait as he wants to clear Hikojiro’s name. She tells him on the day he died, he told her to leave the city when the festival begins. That’s because there will be a huge fire then. The same info is told by the associate as the weapons are meant to start a fire and then escort the emperor out of the palace during the confusion. This is to prove they are the true loyalist forces. Ichibanboshi returns to Shinsengumi with renewed motivation to stop the fire. Because of his determination that he will accept whatever punishment that comes after (including seppuku), Toudou is assured of his sincerity and allows him to rejoin the group.

Episode 8
Katsura’s men are arguing about the Aizu and Satsuma side doing as they please so they need to overthrow the shogunate and protect Japan from foreigners, blah, blah, blah. Even if the Masked Demons lent them some weapons, Katsura believes they are being used. The Shinsengumi split up and begin their search. Sakuya’s side stumble into a room where it is believed the fire will originate. Noticing the same painting, they realize it is a map and overlapping it points its precise location. Meanwhile at Ichibanboshi’s side, they are raiding Ikedaya where Katsura and co are at. After finding some hidden weapons, they know this is the place. Hence a weird waiting to ambush scenario before it blows up into a big brawl. Akira sees Katsura and fights him personally. However he praises her beauty and skill while noting she is worthy to be his wife. He kisses her and escapes. Sakuya finds a man dropping gunpowder in the midst of the festival. As he interrogates him, he isn’t afraid to die and has the ball start rolling. By the time the rest find the explosives, too late, it explodes. Fire slowly spreads throughout the city. That man is going to blow himself up too but luckily Sakuya slits his throat. With all the fire and dead people, Rashomaru gathers all the souls into his sword. Katsura returns to his base to report his men getting attacked. However they must not go help and must be abandoned since they don’t want to risk war with Aizu. Ichibanboshi gets to fight Rashomaru again. Ichibanboshi offering him to join Shinsengumi as atonement. Of course he won’t. As he is about to kill Ichibanboshi, Toudou takes the blow instead. Despite Rashomaru claiming the Shinsengumi is fake and substitutes, Toudou stands on his principals and the good points this Shinsengumi has. With the rest coming by, Rashomaru escapes once again. Not yet time to die? As Toudou will be out of action for a while, he passes the leadership to Ichibanboshi. He isn’t confident at first but after Toudou spouts all those positive points, blah, blah, blah, not that Ichibanboshi gets it but yeah, he’ll do it. By the time the Aizu reinforcements arrive, the Shinsengumi force them to become firemen to put out the flames. Don’t want the flames to reach and burn the palace, eh? The fire is put up when morning comes. Big loss. However this won’t get to Ichibanboshi as he is going to start fixing things. Not sure how long it will take but yeah, there’s always that first step.

Episode 9
Kyoto gets rebuilt again with the Shinsengumi’s help. More Katsura-Akira romance trolling because now this guy says he wants to marry her. He finds out her real name as she divulges her past that she thought her parents wanted her to take over the dojo so she trained herself hard with the sword until she became a good instructor. Then she found out they didn’t want a strong daughter but a son to take over the dojo. Katsura doesn’t care about her past and all. He loves the woman before him and can end her loneliness if she marries him. Of course, she doesn’t need to give an answer right now. Meanwhile Suzuran finds those maps in the masks of the dead Masked Demons. Ichibanboshi and Sakuya talk. The former believing Tsukito will return if he changes this world. But he might have to kill him if it comes down to that. This has Sakuya admit and reveal why he killed his own father. It was to protect his mother from the abusive bastard but that night after he killed him, mother took her own life. He ran away in shocked but was picked up as a hired killer. There is a saying among hired killers that the world looks differently if you kill a thousand men. How does it look now? Well, Ichibanboshi says perhaps he should try counting those he saves from now on. Rashomaru talks to his boss about the failed arson that didn’t gather enough souls. However he is pleased that the experiment went well and their goals will soon be achieved. He gives him the next mission to kill his own brother. But first, there is an obstacle he must eliminate. Rashomaru goes to kill Shozan but the latter wants to talk more about his boss. After learning their ambitions to put soul into the swords to protect countries from foreigners, Shozan believes that is why their plan will never work. The age of samurai will soon be over and all that matters is that they have to think for themselves. He asks Rashomaru what he wants to do. No, not carrying out his boss’ will. Think about it yourself. But too late, Rashomaru kills him and believes it is too late for him for he has become a demon. Suzuran reports his findings to Toudou as he believes the maps are more than just arson locations. Toudou leaves it to him to investigate the rest. Katamori calls the Shinsengumi and tells them that Shozan is dead. However he left a message and that could probably the Masked Demons blowing up foreign ships. Hence the Shinsengumi’s next mission is to head to Sakai Port in Osaka to prevent that.

Episode 10
Rashomaru running through all the people he killed. He claims their souls will be used to help this nation. Then he stumbles into his parents. Yeah, a bad dream. In the Choushu domain, Katsura manages to change the domain lord, Takachika Mori’s mind to fight and expel the foreigners since they need to learn from their past that their outdated weapons will do no good. Of course the retainers are still bent in expelling the foreigners and have their own plan. Shinsengumi is in Osaka as Sougen’s fluent (?!) Engrish has him learn that the Americans did receive local bomb threats. However they received them so often that they don’t even consider this a big issue. When the Shinsengumi spot some strange shadow in the water, they realize too late it is those Masked Demons hiding underneath as they swim towards the ship. Yeah, they just throw all those American sailors off because their souls aren’t going to be used in their weapons? The Masked Demons hijack the ship and start blasting away, causing everyone to think the damn foreigners are attacking them. So how can the Shinsengumi catch up to that big ship? Sougen remembers Shozan creating some speedboat prototype but was shelved due to some lack of materials. Now with Suzuran’s electric staff, the motorboat zooms away closer to the ship.

Rashomaru has his men sink them but Suzuran’s steering skills are just superb. This on the first go? But they’re going to crash into the ship, right? A great timing from the cannon has them fly in the air and the Shinsengumi land on board. Too bad about the motorboat, though. Then as they start fighting, suddenly the Masked Demons retreat. Turns out the Choushu side fires strange cannons that sink the huge ship! It is believed they want to show that this type zero weapon is Japan’s might and perhaps to provoke others to start a war. Rashomaru tries to escape but Ichibanboshi won’t let him so they start fighting. He claims his parents are weak but Ichibanboshi disagrees and instead calls them strong as they sacrificed their lives to save them. Rashomaru refuses to believe this (though, showing signs of panicking). When a shot hits directly at them, Rashomaru sinks. Something tied to his feet so he resigns to his fate. Ichibanboshi saves him. He did so to save Tsukito. Because Rashomaru has drowned and is dead. To show his appreciation, Rashomaru escapes with his men. Hey, at least he let his brother live, right? Katsura receives word that the Kusaka side is marching towards Kyoto. After witnessing the great type zero weapon, looks like war is going to break out and more lives will be taken. The Masked Demons’ boss is rallying his men how they will expel the foreigners and reborn their nation with this new weapon.

Episode 11
Toudou is making a fuss since the rest won’t allow him to go into battle. Getting a taste of his own medicine? Then they turn their attention to discuss those maps from the Masked Demons. Meanwhile Rashomaru has a lot on his mind especially on Ichibanboshi’s words. So much so he breaks his own mask and wants to leave. You think the boss will let him go? Yeah, he casts his spell on him and believes his destiny as fated by the stars will have him continue their noble cause. Akira sees Katsura who once again reveals that there might be an imposter inside the imperial court that is allowing this war. When he went to object to his Choushu men about the war and remind them that this would make them enemies of the palace, they told him that it is the imperial palace who are providing them weapons. It means they are trying to also tear Kyoto from inside. As the Shinsengumi gathers more maps, they still have no clue in what it means. That is when Katsura shows up and wants to join their side to stop his men from going to war. As he reveals the Choushu’s main army at Mt Tenno is planning to head to Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine, this gives Suzuran an idea as he arranges the maps. Why, call me an uncle’s monkey because it turns out to be a huge pentagram. Yeah, why the f*ck am I not surprised?! This star shaped pentagram is based on some onmyouji ritual and the plan is to burn along its lines. As the Shinsengumi head to the respective points, they see the Choushu army firing those spirit weapons. Suzuran can tell those spirits are crying. Katsura is shocked to see some of his men committing suicide to give their lives to the spirit weapons. Toudou goes to tell Tsuchimikado to evacuate but sees him tinkering with a familiar machine in his room. So nobody has entered his room before?! Safe to say, Tsuchimikado is the perpetrator who killed the original Shinsengumi. Too bad Toudou can’t touch him. Protected by some barrier. Tsuchimikado plans to have Japan reborn by waging war locally as well as against foreigners. To do this, he resurrected some legendary monster onmyouji named Abe No Haruakira to do the job. Don’t look now because Haruakira now possesses Rashomaru as the burning completes the pentagram lines.

Episode 12
Rashomaru still has his consciousness as he is fighting Haruakira’s total takeover. He reveals Tsuchimikado’s reason for taking him in and raising him was for this purpose to revive Haruakira. Ichibanboshi doesn’t care for all that since he will save him and the city. Too bad the monster is too strong for them. Sakuya think this is fate and they are resigned to its destiny. Ichibanboshi refuses to believe it and will create his own path. For once, Sakuya agrees with his stupidity since he too would like to try that. Sakuya then gives his hourglass to him seeing after killing a thousand people, the world didn’t change. He would like to follow his advice of counting the people he saved. In that case, Ichibanboshi is his first, right? Meanwhile the Choushu army is trying to storm the imperial palace but Katsura’s side is providing some resistance. Can they as the Choushu army has got those spirit weapons! All the Shinsengumi converge to face off with Haruakira whose muscles and organs are slowly regenerating. Their combo easily takes down the monster. That easy?! Tsuchimikado senses this failure so he sacrifices himself to fully revive Haruakira. Now he’s an onmyouji old geezer. Once again that is short-lived because Rashomaru decides to become strong and did what his mom did. Yup, he kills himself. Just like that, Haruakira dies as the souls disperse. This means those spirit weapons are useless now and the Choushu side is forced to retreat. Ichibanboshi says goodbye to Tsukito and praises him for being strong. RIP, little brother :’(. In the aftermath, Ichibanboshi is seen praying at Tsukito’s grave. The same with Toudou as he tells his dead colleagues about the substitutes’ success and wants to continue watching over them. Choushu has been declared the enemy of the emperor and will be punished. This means Katsura will have to lie low for now. But he still wants Akira’s answer. She’s not giving him and leaving him hanging! That’s for all the times he embarrassed her. Okayo becomes a teacher for the orphans. Katamori notes that now Choushu has withdrawn, there are still suspicious movements from the Tosa and Satsuma domain. Hence they need to rely on the Shinsengumi for more patrols. And here they go to keep the peace of Kyoto!

Impossible Imposters
And so the legacy of the Shinsengumi lives on. Imagine having ex-criminals leaving a very good impression of the organization and the ones who are now keeping the peace. In a time when the Ghostbusters weren’t even formed yet, who are you gonna call when something strange is in your neighbourhood? Yup. That’s right. Nobody else but our substitute Shinsengumi.

The story started out interesting at first and it looked promising. But unfortunately I have to say that as the series progresses, it started to decline. I’m not saying that the decline is sharp or even going at a free fall rate, but it felt the series has descended into just your ordinary run of the mill good vs evil story. In fact, quite a cliché one too. I mean, eventually the antagonists are your typical single dimension villain of wanting to become rulers of Japan or the world by picking a fight with everybody, creating havoc everywhere in the meantime while stopping them and their ambitions is a group of ragtag heroes. And the villains doing so with their super secret weapon AKA infusing souls of the dead in their weapons? Now where have I heard this before? Noragami. Guilty Crown. Can I also consider Soul Eater, Naruto and Yu Yu Hakusho too? Feeling so original now? Please note this is an originally written anime so I can see what they’re trying to achieve despite borrowing elements of Suicide Squad or Nanatsu No Taizai but at this point, it isn’t good enough. Furthermore, I also felt the plot somewhat lost itself when it turned into some weird cat and mouse game between the Shinsengumi and the Masked Demons. The former always running here and there, trying to get the latest info to sniff out the latter. Although only the small fries are taken out and the wicked activity of the day is stopped for now, overall the Masked Demons are still a step ahead.

It still boggles my mind that a group of criminals on death row were made to replace a respectable organization on short notice. Because, aren’t there any other capable officers in the Shinsengumi up for the job? Don’t understand Toudou’s logic in doing this even if he is short of time but if he intends for the criminals to die if they screw up, then it doesn’t matter in the first place because it will still give Shinsengumi a bad name. Imagine a respectable Shinsengumi officer died, TWICE! Oh man. This is so humiliating. So I suppose the only logic other than for reel entertainment is to show us that even criminals like them can turn over a new leaf and prove themselves when given a second chance. So if they can do it, why can’t you? Of course for them it is either a new life or death. So even if they are the dregs of society, they are still human just like everyone else. If circumstances had them turned into criminal ways then, the also can be applied for them to turn back to the right path.

Either way, thank goodness this is set in the past where the internet is not even an idea because with limited communication, people are ready to accept whoever the Shinsengumi are. Which makes me think if the original Shinsengumi were operating in the shadows considering normal citizens accepted the substitutes. This shows they don’t know how the originals look like and this works in favour for our petty criminals. I guess normal people back then too weren’t highly educated because really, when you see this substitute bunch of Shinsengumi, they look like a group of weirdoes and delinquents than someone who gives off a respectable and reputable aura. I mean, take a look at Ichibanboshi. This scrawny punk is the leader of Shinsengumi? I know, it’s not good to judge a book by its cover but seriously, back in those days people are more judgmental than today. Okay, maybe I’m wrong as those times were much simpler. But you get the point I’m trying to say. Nobody knows how the Shinsengumi looks like and knowing them just by their names creates a lot of leeway at least for this series. Convenient.

As for the characters especially the new Shinsengumi substitutes, I have mostly mixed feelings about them. The problem is that with only a dozen episodes, the real enemy is the screen time as it tries to juggle between the story as well as fleshing out of the characters. While it is interesting to note that many of these guys have their own past and it is intriguing to know how they became criminals (or at least labelled as one by the government), all that is mostly just whizzed through. Of course, I don’t want a draggy flashback that last for episodes. Thus I am in a dilemma if they should have dedicated a little more screen time for them. Otherwise they somewhat felt a bit, uhm, empty? Like Ichibanboshi as the main character, he gets the main focus but even so, that isn’t as deep as I thought it would be. Sakuya and Akira have some cut scenes too but just enough to let us know. Whereas Sougen and Suzuran’s past was mostly a quick mention and if your ears weren’t paying attention, you would’ve missed it.

Despite Shinsengumi being a single organization, they split up the characters and pair them up. Perhaps easier for us to understand? For instance, hot headed Ichibanboshi is always with emotionless Sakuya. The latter keeps insulting the former and calling him Bakaboshi. They are like oil and water and don’t work together at the start. But when you’re together for this long, they’re like an unwitting combo. And being too long with each other too, Sakuya has also been infected with his ‘dumbness’. Not that he dislikes it now. Then there is this Gyatarou and Bo pairing. I don’t think they’re the comic relief of the group but they are certainly in the running for one. At least they are quite casual and jovial when you have a big retarded guy and a scrawny oji-san who has unlimited connection with the orphans. The more interesting pair is Sougen and Suzuran because of the clash of their different beliefs. Imagine putting a scientist-cum-doctor with a religious holy man. That spells like trouble but surprisingly, both of them work very well and complement each other. Especially Sougen being the mad scientist and the excuse for him to create inventions that is way ahead of its time. And what’s with Suzuran with his playboy attitude and deadpan jokes? Yeah, these 2 are truly interesting.

Odd one out Akira as the only woman in the team, it feels like they want to troll us with some possible romance with Katsura, sometimes whom I want to refer as the eighth member of the Shinsengumi. This part feels somewhat unnecessary but it’s like they need to remind us that Akira is a woman masquerading as a man. Hence when all this is over, she need not stay masculine and hence can resign to her feminine features. The only man who will accept all that is your playboy Katsura who is trying to win her heart bit by bit with his somewhat cheesy lines. I can see why Akira is always flustering. Maybe a few more times to break down her armour and her heart is all yours!

Toudou might sound like a grumpy and bossy provisional leader of the new Shinsengumi but I suppose this is necessary because he is dealing with criminals at first. If he doesn’t put his foot down, they’re going to step all over his head. There’s that possibility. Even if the new Shinsengumi draws closer and becomes somewhat like family, Toudou still maintains his distance and professionalism. Most likely this unpleasant face of his is due to the fact of his regret of not dying with the rest of his original Shinsengumi comrades. I assure you, being alive does more wonders than being dead. Had all Shinsengumi members died that night, the Masked Demons would have already engulfed the world in war and perhaps the end of the world already in sight.

The most shoehorned character (if I should consider it so) would be Rashomaru FKA Tsukito. We need some sort of reason why Ichibanboshi is most motivated in his fights. Ah, his little brother whom he thought was dead. Now that he is on the other side, hence this clash of ideals and brothers feuding with each other. It gets a bit annoying after a while to see Ichibanboshi and Rashomaru clash so many times but their fight is never settled as the latter escapes. And then there is Ichibanboshi’s resolve for his little bro to come back to the path of light, which gets a bit draggy after a while. You thought Rashomaru would be a stubborn old goat because he sounded like believed in the strength of the strongest and not the weakest. And then suddenly what do you know, he develops a conscious after a near death experience and even more so after being saved by his brother-cum-enemy. Just like that he wants to leave the Masked Demons?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! This guy should know better! Because they don’t want some tragedy of Rashomaru being killed off and dying like a dog, hence the plot of shoehorning him into this vessel for a resurrected monster. So it’s not Rashomaru they’re fighting. Cut down this monster and we can save him too. There. Killing 2 birds with 1 stone. How convenient. Unfortunately to give him the ultimate redemption and atone for all his sins, they still kill him off because it would be weird if he becomes a new unit captain of the Shinsengumi. And why am I not surprised the f*cking big boss of the Masked Demons is Tsuchimikado? Got to surprise us with a character who only appeared once to make us forget and then down the road, tadah! Surprise! I’m the big bad baddie you’re looking for! Thank goodness the Shinsengumi don’t have to dirty their hands in killing him. Yeah, noticed how Rashomaru and Tsuchimikado killed themselves? Though, both deaths had different repercussions.

Action scenes are pretty passable but nothing that would put you on the edge of your seat. It’s an action series so you have to see the characters swing their sword or their modified weapons. Most interestingly, Suzuran and his electric powered blade. I’m sure we’ll be bored if we have everyone swinging swords. So leave that to Ichibanboshi, Sakuya and Akira while you have Sougen using mostly explosives, Bo and his big brush (?!) and Gyatarou and his guns. The oddest part is seeing their swords glow in their assigned colour codes because it makes it look like one weird lightsaber. I suppose it’s to signal the dead original Shinsengumi’s soul in them but it’s pretty forgettable. Just nice to look at and a temporary measure for the weapons to become super invincible and cut through the hardest steel whatsoever. While there are some gory and bloody moments too, it felt rather mild to me. Rashomaru’s weapon looks WTF because I thought he was carrying an oversized USB drive! Really!

Art and animation are pretty standard. However with the very colourful vibes of the characters, sometimes it makes the whole thing look somewhat cartoonish. Yes, our main characters are so brightly coloured and even somewhat colour coded that it feels like they are, uhm, sentai warriors but without the mask and suit? Sorry, not good a reference. Perhaps the thin cell shading technique also makes this look a bit cartoony. And all those Masked Demon goons look the same. I don’t know, do they have some cloning technique or something? Otherwise they could’ve just mass produced armies and take over the world too. CGI is also used but mainly on those soldiers. They’re not really noticeable if you don’t focus too much on it. Not the best but also not the worst. On a side note, doesn’t Toudou look like a meaner version of Yoh of Shaman King? Even Suzuran’s pointy tail hairstyle reminds me of Ren. Doesn’t Tsukito look a bit like Faust? Am I seeing some sort of trend here? Oh right, I read the designer for Shaman King helped designed the characters for this series. So that’s why the character designs look so familiar. The backgrounds and backdrops are okay but sometimes they look a bit like sketchy. This anime is done by Geno Studio who did Golden Kamuy and Kokkoku.

Voice acting is also passable as I only recognized Shinichiro Miki as Sougen and Sho Hayami as Tsuchimikado. I mistakenly thought it was Nobuhiko Okamoto behind Suzuran’s voice. One of those less angsty roles that makes him sound close to gay. Too bad it’s Yuuto Uemura (Amajiki in Boku No Hero Academia). I also thought Takahiro Sakurai was Sakuya but I was wrong again as it’s Shunichi Toki (Hakaru in Taishou Otome Otogibanashi). Other casts include Gen Sato as Ichibanboshi (Enju in Kaizoku Oujo), Taku Yashiro as Rashomaru/Tsukito (Ryuuji in Darwin’s Game), Sumire Uesaka as Akira (Sanae in Chuunibyou Demo Koi Ga Shitai), Wataru Takagi as Gyatarou (Genta in Detective Conan), Fukushi Ochiai as Bo (Kimura in Karakai Jouzu No Takagi-san), Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Toudou (Mikado in Durarara), Shintarou Asanuma as Katsura (Tsuda in Seitokai Yakuindomo), Yuusuke Shirai as Katamori (Sojun in Show By Rock!! Mashumairesh) and Nobuo Tobita as Shozan (Pekoms in One Piece).

The opening theme, Icchiban Hikari! Bucchigire by Takanori Nishikawa is an upbeat rock piece to get you into the grove and action pace of the series. I have nothing against it but doesn’t resonate with me. The ending theme is also a badass edgy rock theme infused with a bit of hip hop element, Danzai Democracy by Jizou Sonzai Name-less. I slightly prefer this one over the opener. Oddly for the ending credits animation, somehow it felt like they couldn’t commission anyone to do it so they just have somebody taking their cameras walking around the streets of modern day Japan while having neon light sketches of the characters’ outlines all over the place. Please make up your mind if you want me to go sightseeing in Japan or watch some light show of the series’ characters. This style seems to be somewhat similar in another anime in the same season: Kumichou Musume To Sewagakari. Is this some trend going on?

On a trivial note, there is a very short segment at the end of each episode. It feels so out of place because this part is supposed to be a short comedy sketch. Very short. Lasting about 15 seconds, we see the characters doing somewhat funny stuffs. Unfortunately it falls flat for me. The joke ends abruptly because of the limited time. Sure, I do get what the joke is intended and meant to be but the way they present it and considering how short this segment is, it mostly comes off as WTF than LOL. So strange. Before your mind can sink in, it’s already over. I wonder why they need to put in this part at all. Like as though somebody had this idea to make this series as comedy in the first place but that idea was shot down and this small piece is just a token of appreciation for that. Yeah.

Overall, this series had some potential and I really wanted to like it. But it was bogged down with clichéd stuffs and although in the end it didn’t turn out to be a big disaster, it still felt that it could have been slightly better than this. After all, the most famous anime Shinsengumi still goes to Gintama, another samurai themed anime but filled with wacky nonsensical parodies. In terms of the samurai genre, this series just ranks mediocre (Samurai Deeper Kyo being an example of f*cking bad) and it’s just sad that they tried but it still isn’t good enough (my, such high standards are we?). It is still an interesting concept to use a group of villains and turn them into heroes although I wonder at this point if it is going to be milked to death. Because now reimagine when the real Avengers or Justice League gets wiped out and replaced by Marvel and DC villains! Imagine Lex Luthor is your new Superman, Joker your new Batman and Thanos your new everybody! Boy, we’re gonna be so confused and scared! Of this reimagining, that is!