As spring approaches Kyoto, history begins to unfold…
Summary:
Ibuki is on the verge of death when he’s “saved” by Serizawa, the current head of the Roshigumi. He awakens into the company of the bishonen paradise, and is forced to stay, in order to “thank” Serizawa. Things would be fine, except for the fact that tensions are high in the group, as Serizawa- to say the least- is a total asshole.
Impressions:
It’s finally here! I was really impressed with animation quality, after all, I watched through ALL of Hiiro no DerpyKakera last season, and my eyes almost didn’t make it. @_@ Such a terrible show. Oh, Hakuouki, Hakuouki- the behemoth of the otome gaming culture, synonym for the Twilight fandom on North America.
Yes, I said Twilight.
Guess who?
Reimeiroku is the third installment in the Hakuouki anime, and is the prequel to the other two seasons. Where are season one and two of Hakuouki are about the height and demise of the Shinsengumi, this prequel, well, is about its forming as the Roshigumi. Differences include lack of dead fish-like female lead, and Kondou is not the head- but it was a really enjoyable episode, nonetheless. I’m really biased, since I’m a HUGE fan of the franchise, but I think, this adds a bit more analysis to the show. Since the game this is based off is not licensed, this might be the only other alternative to playing the game in Japanese, or reading walk-throughs.
This the face of a total douchebag. Please refrain from punching your screen.
Serizawa is portrayed as the less than forthcoming samurai head of the Shinsengumi. He drinks, he hits on women, and he’s just an all-around not-nice person. Hence him making Ryunosuke his “dog” after treating him isn’t that far-fetched…but Ryunosuke was starving, and has nowhere to go, what’s he to do? Hang out with Okita, the yandere womanizer; Heisuke, the earnest one; Shinpachi, the party-goer; and Harada, the most normal out of the lot. I really enjoyed his portrayal, because despite his overall oily-manner, he was characterized strongly by his actions. Hitting on women is fine in this show…just do it tastefully. Or else you get Hijikata on your tail.
ZOMG and Hijikata and his “demon eyes”…he faced down Serizawa, despite being his subordinate with nothing but his eyes…I can’t wait to see how they portray how Hijikata came to trust Kondou so fiercely. AND SAITOU-KUUUNNNNNN WHY YOU ONLY GET 15 SECONDS AT THE END OF EPISODE HNGGGHHHHH.
The opening was beautiful! It kept with the theme of the sakura, explained all you needed to know about the story. Demons. Drama. Pretty men.
The Roshigumi is not as together as it should be, which will become apparent later in the show. If the only way they can get manpower is to bribe people with food and drink or beat them into submission, it’s not going to end well for Serizawa.
KYAAAA~ Kondou and Hijikata under the moonlight.
I can only recommend this show within limits. As it is a “reverse harem” show (though, this label is questionable), a lot of it geared towards the female audience, with all the BL connotations and fanservice-y shots. I really like the direction the show is taking at the moment, but I hope you can at least try your hand at the Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan before you try this series.
Possibility of watching: I wanted this RAW, MAN. RAW. BEFORE SUBS CAME OUT. O u O /
Possibility of blogging: Likely
[adsenseyu2]