Anime Peace Maker Kurogane

[Dagger]

I just saw the first episode of this show, and I can't even remember the last time I was so excited about a particular series. If you like Rurouni Kenshin, you'll probably love Peace Maker Kurogane (it takes place shortly before the beginning of Japan's Meiji Era). Who knows, it might start to fall apart in later episodes--for now, I'll hope that it lives up to its initial promise.

From what I've gathered, the storyline revolves around an energetic, good-hearted fifteen-year-old named Tetsunosuke. He wants to join the Shinsengumi, but doing so may ultimately force him to abandon his humanity. While Tetsunosuke is a little bit irritating (and in some ways reminiscient of both Yahiko and Naruto), he does seem to possess a more thoughtful, mature side. The first episode of PMK contains an impressive amount of both character development and action.

To be perfectly honest, the action is what really makes this show. Rurouni Kenshin has a few good swordfights (such as Kenshin's first duel with Saito), but PMK's battle scenes--I say "battle" because many of its action-oriented sequences involve multiple people, rather than a mere two opponents--puts them all to shame. Its animation is as good as that of the Rurouni Kenshin OAVs (Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal and Samurai X: Reflection). PMK also happens to be equally bloody and graphic, so despite its young protagonist, this series is most definitely not for kids.

Okay, so PMK's action is beyond fantastic, but so is its music. Its soundtrack is incredibly versatile and encompasses everything from guitar-heavy opening and ending songs (I predict that the latter will become just as popular as FLCL's Ride On Shooting Star) to bittersweet classical pieces that perfectly complement the show's more serious scenes.

If you've seen or heard of Peace Maker Kurogane, I'd love to discuss it with you. For those of you who haven't, I urge you to acquire its first episode (at the very least) through whatever means possible.

~Dagger~

[Hittokiri Zero]

Yeah i've been watching Peace Maker Kurogane from Day 1 of it's release by Anime-One, although now I follow the Anime-Keep fansub distro. This is really a great series like Kenshin in many ways but different as well (PMK contains more humor than Kenshin did/does). I've only watched up to episode 8 (i must remember to thank my brother for deleting episodes 9-11 off of my pc -_-), and yes the few battle scenes that have been shown are good, sadly most of them are very short too =\. While at first the show seemed to follow more of a realistic historic past type presentation after watching the episode where Saitou fights the "Zombie" samurai it's a little hard to tell where this series is going... Although the one thing I can say is i'm liking it. =). I'm also reading the manga VIA MangaCity.net you might want to consider downloading that as well Dagger.

[haruno_sakura]

I've also been watching Peace Maker Kurogane (I prefer the Lunar fansubs XD), and I absolutely love it as well! It did remind me a bit of Rurouni Kenshin, though with a lot more blood and swordfighting right away, as well as more humor.

I absolutely love PMK's Okita! He's so 'unmanly' as they like to say in the series, though I love the contradiction between his gentle side and his manslayer side. It totally gives him such dimension ^_^ His eyes are pretty freaky when he's in killing mode o.0

And Dagger, I totally agree about Testu-kun! He does remind me of Naruto as well, especially with his never-giving-up attitude. He does get slightly annoying but I think that's part of his charm ^_^

~haruno_sakura

[Dagger]

I've only seen a few more episodes of Peace Maker Kurogane, but I'm still quite infatuated with it. Its comedic sequences are starting to grow on me (compared to Chrno Crusade's, they're actually rather brilliant), and I love how the show portrays Saitou.

In Rurouni Kenshin, Hajime Saitou is a serious, semi-evil character who has little tolerance for braggarts or fools. Peace Maker Kurogane's Saitou may have a similar character design, but his personality is almost completely different. He speaks in a low, forboding monotone and has a bizarre habit of materializing when other people least suspect him to appear. And although his swordsmanship is very much respected, he's simultaneously one of PMK's funniest characters [i]and[/i] an absolute terror on the battlefield.

Hittokiri: I haven't gotten around to downloading the manga yet, but I've seen scans of some of its covers, and the artwork looks quite spectacular. So I'm definitely looking forward to reading it. Heh, I'm also watching the Anime-Keep fansubs (what can I say, I really like their work ^_^).

haruno: Okita is my favorite character, hands down. He's such a nice guy--well, except when he's slaughtering people--and he's ridiculously pretty to boot. I've also started to get used to Tetsu's personality; he had far more spaz attacks in the first episode than he does in any of the other ones I've seen.

~Dagger~

[Hittokiri Zero]

damn j00 all wait nevermind x___X I really have to get back into downloading anime i've kinda really stopped because I have finals coming up and my bro is always downloading stuff so my downloads go at like 5 kb per second -_-. But speaking of Saitou even though that one episode where he fights the "Zombie" is all i've seen of him, i'm really starting to like the way he's portrayed almost better than in RK... ALMOST ^_^. What's annoying me a little though is there hasn't really been that much of Tetsunosuke in any fight scenes =|. It gives the anime a sense of realism as he's not a great gifted swordsman or anything but at the same time watching him do "nothing" (not literally nothing but you know what I mean) has gotten a little boring on me, not that the series is boring but sometimes i'd just like a little more action in the series. Most likely as the series draws to a close i'll probably get what i'm asking for ^__^''.

[haruno_sakura]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Dagger IX1 [/i]
[B]In Rurouni Kenshin, Hajime Saitou is a serious, semi-evil character who has little tolerance for braggarts or fools. Peace Maker Kurogane's Saitou may have a similar character design, but his personality is almost completely different. He speaks in a low, forboding monotone and has a bizarre habit of materializing when other people least suspect him to appear. And although his swordsmanship is very much respected, he's simultaneously one of PMK's funniest characters [i]and[/i] an absolute terror on the battlefield.

haruno: Okita is my favorite character, hands down. He's such a nice guy--well, except when he's slaughtering people--and he's ridiculously pretty to boot. I've also started to get used to Tetsu's personality; he had far more spaz attacks in the first episode than he does in any of the other ones I've seen.

~Dagger~ [/B][/QUOTE]

I absolutely love Saitou in PMK! I had been waiting for him to show up in the series, and when he did, I was quite surprised with the differences between RK's Saitou and PMK's Saitou. It is pretty freaky when he starts seeing things no one else can. And Okita is my favorite character as well!!! I love him and the complexity of his character, even though he seems so simple at first. He can appear naive at times and yet he has a sort of wisdom when he gets into manslayer mode LOL. Another favorite character of mine is definitely Saya. I just think she's adorable LOL.

~haruno_sakura

[Dagger]

Heh, I can't help loving Saya either. She's so sweet and pretty.

Now I understand how all you crazy Naruto fans feel. ^_~ PMK is just so darn good. I would have been happy if it had retained the same level of quality that's found in its first episode, but Peace Maker actually [i]improves[/i] over time. Its animation never becomes sloppy, and even practice fights and training sequences are exciting to watch.

PMK has the intensity of Rurouni Kenshin, the emotional range of Fruits Basket, seiyuus as good as Gravitation's, and some really delightful character designs. All in all, I can't wait until this series is released outside of Japan. By producing both Last Exile (an eye-poppingly awesome show) and Peace Maker Kurogane, GONZO proved that it's definitely a force to be reckoned with.

On a different note, do either of you know how long Peace Maker is supposed to be?

~Dagger~

[Hittokiri Zero]

To be honest I have no idea how long the series is, and for those of you interested I'm planning on compiling a kind of comparison list type object between the characters in Peace Maker Kurogane and The RK universe, in specefically the RK Tsukiohen OVA. It was kind of odd how I didn't pick up on this until yesterday after rewatching Tsukiohen that the same Okita in Peace Maker Kurogane is also in Tsukiohen, sure like Saitou he's portrayed a tad differently yet I just found that interesting and felt like noting that. Not only is Okita in the Tsukiohen but since the majority of PMK characters were real many of them are also in Tsukiohen =O. Another interesting thing I found is how in Tsukiohen your getting the view of the Chosou loyalists and they are somewhat portrated as the "good guys" while in PMK it's the opposite and the Shinsengumi are portrayed as "good" and the Chosou are portratyed as "bad". Okay once again i've gone kinda off but i'm really just typing what's on the top of my mind right now x___X.

[Dagger]

[quote]To be honest I have no idea how long the series is, and for those of you interested I'm planning on compiling a kind of comparison list type object between the characters in Peace Maker Kurogane and The RK universe, in specefically the RK Tsukiohen OVA.[/quote]

I would love to see something along those lines. If I were more knowledgeable about Rurouni Kenshin, I would try to compare and contrast it with PMK myself, but I think I should probably leave that task in your hands. ^_~

Oddly enough, I didn't even realize that Okita was featured in Tsukiohen. Because PMK basically tells the same story as the Kenshin OVA, but from a vastly different point of view, I feel as though they complement each other rather well. It's difficult to be a fan of two extremely similar shows (such as RahXephon and Evangelion), but Kenshin and PMK don't necessarily have to "compete" for the same audience. I hope what I've said makes some modicum of sense, heh.

Some sites I've been to seem to indicate that, like Scrapped Princess, PMK will be twenty-four episodes long. I was sort of hoping for a higher number (thirty or forty-something, perhaps), but you know what they say about quantity and quality.

~Dagger~

[Hittokiri Zero]

[quote]Oddly enough, I didn't even realize that Okita was featured in Tsukiohen. Because PMK basically tells the same story as the Kenshin OVA[/quote]

Your basically right in that it is the same story or to be more exact same time frame and same events playing out only from the opposite point of view. Keeping that in mind making PMK a 24-26 episode series actually seems quite plausible. I wouldn't be surprised if the only large event/arc portrayed in the series is the Chosou (sp?) radicals attempt to burn kyoto to the ground. Atleast from the manga that seems to be the major storyline (so far) in the plot; I still have to fix bittorent and download more episodes (past ep 7) but that kind of seems to be what the anime is aiming at as well.

*More thoughts off the top of my head ^_^*

Oh well I deifnatly PMK has the potential to be a 40-48 episode series but maybe that's just me x___X. On a side note Dagger or anyone really, I know in episdoe 7 Saitou fought the "Zombie Samurais" and talked to the dead spirts since then has there been anymore mystic/pure unrealism to the series? [Just wondering really =)]

[haruno_sakura]

As for Okita being in RK, he actually makes a tiny cameo in one of the episodes as well as in the OVA. I'm not quite sure which episode it is, but it's when [spoiler]Kenshin is confronted by Saitou again, and starts reminiscing about his first encounter with him. The episode starts off with the Shinsengumi running around and we see Okita (who looks a little like Soujiro, except with a top knot) talking to Saitou before Kenshin shows up. I think it's in episode 28 or 29? I'm not quite sure but it's just before Kenshin decides to go to Kyoto to confront Shishio.[/spoiler]

As for H.Zero's question about those mystical scenes after episode 7, there are quite a few...There are several occassions in which [spoiler] two guys talking to each other in complete darkness. However, they're illuminated by spotlights, but I still don't know who they are and what role they're playing in the anime. Also, when Saito spars with Tetsunosuke, he always sees something behind Tetsu-kun like fire and such [/spoiler]. I can't quite remember much more.

~haruno_sakura

[Dagger]

I thought I'd mention that episode 15, "Song," is [i]brilliant[/i]. I never expected that Hijikata (of all people!) would nearly make me die of laughter. Up until "Song," he's such a serious, dangerous character, and I feel as though PMK's director took a huge gamble by portraying him in a more comedic light. However, I also feel that his gamble succeeded wonderfully--I watched this episode three times in a row, and even then couldn't stop cracking up.

Although PMK's plot is unfolding rather slowly, I've really grown to care for its characters. I'm convinced that by the time everything comes together, the deliberate pacing and gradual development will definitely start to pay off.

So far I only have one big complaint about this series, and that's Hotaru. She's probably intended to be an annoying character, but my hatred of her is a little bit too intense. I sincerely hope that Okita runs her through sometime within the next two episodes.

~Dagger~

[haruno_sakura]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Dagger IX1 [/i]
[B]I thought I'd mention that episode 15, "Song," is [i]brilliant[/i]. I never expected that Hijikata (of all people!) would nearly make me die of laughter. Up until "Song," he's such a serious, dangerous character, and I feel as though PMK's director took a huge gamble by portraying him in a more comedic light. However, I also feel that his gamble succeeded wonderfully--I watched this episode three times in a row, and even then couldn't stop cracking up.

Although PMK's plot is unfolding rather slowly, I've really grown to care for its characters. I'm convinced that by the time everything comes together, the deliberate pacing and gradual development will definitely start to pay off.

So far I only have one big complaint about this series, and that's Hotaru. She's probably intended to be an annoying character, but my hatred of her is a little bit too intense. I sincerely hope that Okita runs her through sometime within the next two episodes.

~Dagger~ [/B][/QUOTE]

I highly agree with you, Dagger! Watching Episode 15 was just hilarious! It was rather painful as I'm also sick, and everytime I laughed, I ended up in a coughing fit! I think this does well in building Hijikata's character further, because so far, all we've only seen is his intensely serious side, and I think it's about time that another dimension of his personality is shown. I don't think I've ever felt sorry for him before because he scares me a little, but [i]Song[/i] proved that he's just more than a dangerous man...He's also got a softer side [spoiler]writing horrible haikus![/spoiler]. Tehehe! Ah, just thinking about it makes me want to laugh again!

Hotaru...well, I'm actually not that annoyed with her to tell you the truth. I don't think I've seen enough of her to really form a great opinion of her, but judging by the preview for the next episode, she's going to make another appearance...I wonder if they're actually going to develop some sort of romantic subplot between her and Okita-san? *dies* T_T I won't be very happy with that, but I guess we'll see how they play it out in the next episode (30 min before it finishes downloading, yay! ^_^)

~haruno_sakura

[Dan Rugh]

I watched the first episode a little while ago... one of my new favorites. While I was watching, I thought "Hey, Tetsu reminds me of Naruto." I guess I wasn't the only that thought that heh. The pig, as I told haruno_sakura, is my hero.

When I found out that the purple-haired woman was Okita, I was like "Aaaaaaah. They made Okita a girl in this show?!" But strangely enough... it [i]is[/i] a guy. Okita was very different in Samurai X than the one from Peace Maker. He was at the end of the Betrayal OVA after Kenshin [spoiler] kills Tomoe and meets the Shinsengumi (including Saitou) in the streets.[/spoiler] I really like how I can compare Peace Maker Kurogane and Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X... very interesting stuff. :)

I think I will gradually watch the episodes of PMK through BitTorrent and definitely buy the DVDs when it comes out on import.

[haruno_sakura]

Yes!!! Another PMK recruit! ^_^ Dan, I think you'll be very surprised by the differences between the Saitou of PMK and the Saitou of RK. They're really quite different from one another.

This show just gets better as it progresses, and stranger now that I've seen episode 16! o_0 If anyone has seen episode 16, I would love to know your thoughts about it!

~haruno_sakura

[Dagger]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by haruno_sakura [/i]
[B]This show just gets better as it progresses, and stranger now that I've seen episode 16! o_0 If anyone has seen episode 16, I would love to know your thoughts about it![/B][/QUOTE]

Episode 16.... where to start? It's pretty much packed with important and portentous events. I guess I'll begin by mentioning my favorite humorous moments, and then later delve into the more serious material.

I love the part where Okita puts Saizo on top of Tatsu's head, prompting yet another one of Tatsu's frequent spaz attacks. He seems to have so much fun tormenting the poor guy. I almost had a heart attack when Ryoma (is that how you spell his name?) [spoiler]dropped his loincloth onto Tatsu's head, and then proceeded to glomp him. Ryoma may be slightly insane, but he has the ability to magically turn any scene into fantastic comic relief.[/spoiler]

On a different note, I'm quite curious about [spoiler]Okita's evil twin.[/spoiler] Have you come up with any theories regarding who he truly is?

EDIT: Attached my PMK banner. >_>;

~Dagger~

[haruno_sakura]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Dagger IX1 [/i]
On a different note, I'm quite curious about [spoiler]Okita's evil twin.[/spoiler] Have you come up with any theories regarding who he truly is?

~Dagger~ [/B][/QUOTE]

I actually have no idea who he truly is, and I've been trying to make sense of it all, but no go. I actually felt terrible for Hotaru when she interacted with [spoiler]Okita's evil 'twin'[/spoiler] because she [spoiler] has such a cute crush on Okita that to see her think he's really evil makes me feel sorry for her. She may seem a little ditzy and all, but I actually don't find her that annoying LOL ^^;;[/spoiler]. Anyway, whatever he is, he's going to cause big problems for the Shinsengumi for sure, and particularly for Okita. I can't wait to see the next episode, and I hope things turn out alright for Okita, especially since he's my favorite character ^^;;

~haruno_sakura

p.s. The interaction between Okita and Tatsunosuke is just hilarious!! Dunno why, but my slightly overactive imagination wants to see shounen ai LOLLLL. >.>

[Dagger]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by haruno_sakura [/i]
[B]Dunno why, but my slightly overactive imagination wants to see shounen ai LOLLLL. >.> [/B][/QUOTE]

Whew, what a relief! I thought I was the only one.... ^_^;;

PMK's training scenes are consistently great. I'm normally not a fan of motion lines--they tend to look rather cheap, and only end up distracting me from the action at hand. Yet the motion lines in PMK actually add something to its animation. (A sense of [i]motion[/i], perhaps? Poorly put, but I can't think of any other way to describe it. They seem to lend those sequences a certain kind of depth--without resorting to CG, as GONZO so often does.)

Anyway, the sequence in which Tetsu [spoiler]defeats Heisuke[/spoiler] is among my favorites, second only to all the times he's sparred Okita. It's wonderful to see him [spoiler]start to make some serious progress, and he does show off some really nifty moves.[/spoiler]

In regards to the shonen-ai vibes (and believe me, I've been getting a lot of 'em ^_~): What do you think of Suzu's....er, admiration for his master?

~Dagger~

[JazzLady22]

Hey everyone! Sorry I can't join in the actual discussion, as I haven't seen that much of the show (YET!) But I thought I'd give my opinion.

And that opinion is... wow. And I mean [I]wow[/I].

That incredibly inarticulate does not at all sum up the wonderful new love I have found in this series. So far in the four episodes I have seen, I've gotten great action sequences (the first sparring match between Okita and Tetsu comes to mind), an impressive amout of character development you'd be loath to find in many other anime beginnings, a nice gradual pacing (some animes give the first episodes all they have, and save nothing for the end), and a few new crushes for e. Yes, I love Okita. I admit it :) Hijikata is very, very cool, Saya is so adorable I could melt, and Saitou managed to crack me up and freak me out in the same episode!

PMK, for me, pulls off things that Rurouni Kenshin never quite accomplished. Things like consistancy in the animation and storyline. Don't get me wrong at all, I love RK to death, but sometimes it tends to feel a little episodic. I like when animes have a more or less solid flow. And as for the art, I haven't yet noticed one time where you might think, "Did the artists take a vacation?"

Although there is no villain truly defined yet, the episodes of PMK I've seen so far all seem to have purpose behind them other than just character introduction. I am truly psyched about this anime! Now, if episode 5 would only hurry up...

[Dagger]

I'm [i]so[/i] happy that you like this show, Beck. ^_^

Anyway, the villains' identities will soon become clear--although very few of them are your typical anime bad guys. Just don't expect PMK to have a rollercoaster plot. While every single episode assists in establishing and strengthening the storyline, it moves along at a relaxed pace. One of my favorite things about PMK is that one can simply sit back and enjoy it. The series metes out character development, plot advancement, action and plain old humor in carefully balanced measures, so that none of these four elements ever threatens to overwhelm the others.

I can't wait to hear what you think of Episode 15, heh.

~Dagger~

[JazzLady22]

Episode 15... ohhhhhh my God... :laugh:

I can see why it's your favorite, Dagger! That was possibly the most HILARIOUS thing I've seen in an anime. Leave it to Okita to orchestrate a thing like that! Loved the whole, "Okita-san," "Tetsu-kun," "Okita-san," "Tetsu-kun," ... exchange (and then as soon as Hijikata shows up, Okita just prances off and leaves Testu to his fate, hahaha). Poor Hijikata-san. I've watched it quite a few times, it just cracks me up.

Ryouma is a scream as well. His random English, his insane mannerisms... the way he and Tatsu interract is just hysterical.

On the shounen-ai content: I'm getting some MAJOR vibes between Okita and Hijikata! In episode 17 especially, when Hijikata said that [spoiler]Okita had been in his (Hijikata's) room until very late. *Evil grin* What was going on in there, Toshi? And later on when he was so concerned about Okita... I could have melted.[/spoiler] What a cute couple!

As for Suzu's admiration for Yoshida, I was willing to let it go as just admiration, nothing more. That is, until his little speech in episode 13... just a little [I]too[/I] complimentary. I don't think anything is going on, per se, but there's definately something going on in Suzu's head...

I just finished 17, and I'm still a tad confused. I still think Okita [spoiler]had some kind of connection with his "twin," because when they had their little confrontation, Okita looked visibly nervous. And that evil lipstick guy was never really explained either![/spoiler] And since I've heard that there are 24 episodes, I'm still wondering where the climax will lead. Perhaps something to do with the opening scene in episode 1?

As for Hotaru: If she whimpers, "Okita-sama" one more time, I swear I will run her through myself. With her little "oh-help-me-save-me!" attitude, she's rather hard to like. Although I must admit, it was kind of cute when she drew the picture of the two of them, but even so, if she gets together with him, I may have to commit seppuku... x_x

Now that I'm on the same page as you guys, I'd love to have a little discussion. Where should we start?

[Dagger]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by JazzLady22 [/i]
[B]Poor Hijikata-san. I've watched it quite a few times, it just cracks me up.[/b][/quote]

Haha, my favorite part may be when Hijikata walks menacingly towards Shinpachi and Sanosuke, [spoiler]gnawing on a cucumber rather than on his usual Gandalfian pipe. He then proceeds to say something like, "That's not good. When you're lucky enough to get vegetables, you have to take care of them. Am I wrong!? You want to hear it? You want to hear my poem after EATING A CUCUMBER??"[/spoiler]

Only he could make those lines sound even mildly threatening.

[quote][b]Ryouma is a scream as well. His random English, his insane mannerisms... the way he and Tatsu interract is just hysterical.[/b][/quote]

I completely agree. It's hilarious how Ryouma leaps [spoiler][i]naked[/i] from an upper-story window, swathed in steam from an apparently lengthy bath. He of course ignores his condition in favor of glomping "Dragon Boy." I also love Tatsu's expression as they start to sprint away, and he wonders, "Why am [i]I[/i] running?"[/spoiler]

[quote][b]On the shounen-ai content: I'm getting some MAJOR vibes between Okita and Hijikata! In episode 17 especially, when Hijikata said that [spoiler]Okita had been in his (Hijikata's) room until very late. *Evil grin* What was going on in there, Toshi? And later on when he was so concerned about Okita... I could have melted.[/spoiler] What a cute couple![/b][/quote]

Yes, I've become a huge Okita/Toshi shipper. I was hoping you'd enjoy hearing that line! ^_^ I find it interesting that (at least in later episodes) the show's focus starts shifting from Tetsu to the senior members of the Shinsengumi--mainly Okita and Hijikata. The preview for episode 18 makes me suspect that Ayu-nee and her brother will also be given larger roles.

[quote][b]I just finished 17, and I'm still a tad confused. I still think Okita [spoiler]had some kind of connection with his "twin," because when they had their little confrontation, Okita looked visibly nervous. And that evil lipstick guy was never really explained either![/spoiler][/b][/quote]

Maro (the evil lipstick guy) may have some kind of greater importance, but I'm not entirely sure. It could be that his purpose was largely to introduce [spoiler]Okita's evil twin.[/spoiler] If Maro's story doesn't get any more closure than what we saw in episode 17, then.... well, there's always the manga. ^_~

[quote][b]And since I've heard that there are 24 episodes, I'm still wondering where the climax will lead. Perhaps something to do with the opening scene in episode 1?[/b][/quote]

I'd say that's a pretty safe bet.

[quote][b]As for Hotaru: If she whimpers, "Okita-sama" one more time, I swear I will run her through myself. With her little "oh-help-me-save-me!" attitude, she's rather hard to like. Although I must admit, it was kind of cute when she drew the picture of the two of them, but even so, if she gets together with him, I may have to commit seppuku... x_x[/quote][/b]

Hotaru definitely has her endearing moments (especially towards the end of 17, [spoiler]when she inadvertently frees Okita, Saitou and Hijikata),[/spoiler] but I still can't help seeing her as a threat, so to speak. Hopefully her attachment to Okita will be played for laughs--in my opinion, she's a bit young for him anyway.

I enjoyed watching the [spoiler]geisha[/spoiler] episodes, mainly because they showed [spoiler]Saya and Tetsu reaching out to Suzu and forming a tentative sort of friendship with him. As all of them have rather tragic pasts, I feel that they are particularly well-suited to become friends.[/spoiler]

~Dagger~

[JazzLady22]

Please, PLEASE, keep this thread alive, people!

Episodes 18-20 impressed me beyond reason. They abandoned the usual, comedic approach, and instead offered insight into the real tragedy of the characters' lives and relationships.

"Rain" and "The Sky" might have taken place consecutively, but emotionally, they couldn't be more different. In "Rain," they alternated screen-time between most of the characters, generally using this time to show what was going on in their lives at that point, and on occasion reavealing things about the characters' personalities that you never really saw before. I particularly liked the scene between Akesato and Yamanami, it was very touching, and VERY bittersweet, especially if you know what happened to the real Yamanami (historical fiction can be a drag, can't it?)

At the end of 18, and transitioning right into 19, they start to really develop a relationship that had only been hinted at thus far: Ayumu and Susumu.

[Spoiler] I held out hope that Ayu-nee would survive, personally, so it was even more devastating for me when Susumu found her. I was never the biggest fan of him, but when he really showed how much he cared for his sister, I felt genuinely sorry for him. And when you were offered a bit more insight into their relationship as he was reflecting on something she said to him, you truly understand him a lot better. His scene with Tetsu on the rooftop made me cry. I think the tentative relationship that forms between them in episodes 19 and 20 is one of my favorites so far in the series. [/spoiler]

And now, we are waiting for episode 21, especially after 20 was such a cliffie. I think, after this, the focus will start to shift back to Tetsu and Tatsu a bit more. [Spoiler] After all, looks like Yoshida traumatized the poor kid again. [/spoiler] I shall be anxiously awaiting episode 21... *taps foot impatiently*

[Dagger]

Oh, I won't let it die. This thread is my baby. ^_~

Anyway, I just finished watching episode 20. In terms of sheer physical violence, it took Peace Maker Kurogane to a whole new level--even though the most brutal moments occurred off-screen. I thought it was very smart of the director to show [spoiler]Masuya's blood slowly accumulating on the floor,[/spoiler] as simply watching him get beaten up wouldn't have been nearly as creepy or effective.

....Speaking of which, Hijikata-san can be a scary, scary man. I actually gasped at the part when [spoiler]his face is momentarily replaced by Yoshida's.[/spoiler]

Isn't it difficult to imagine that Tetsu, Susumu and Suzu are all the same age? This makes the conflict between Tetsu and each of the others even more dramatic, but I have a hard time convincing myself that Susumu isn't as old as Okita. >_>;

To backtrack, Episode 19 is [i]amazing[/i]. Several scenes forced me to break down in tears (which is a very rare event indeed), and I laughed hysterically as I watched the brief comedic sequence during its very end. I was pleasantly surprised to find that PMK's artwork has either remained consistent with that found in its first episode, or sometimes (as in #19) grown even better. It's a great show on all accounts, and I can't believe there are only four episodes left.

Since it's ending so soon, my main worry is that certain characters--particularly Saya--will end up being neglected. But I have faith in PMK's creators. ^_^

~Dagger~

[Guest keyblade master]

I have never heard of the anime but the way you people talk about it makes me think it must be good. Can someone help me and tell me if they sell this anime and where at please? I have one last request can anyone give me a small summary of what its about please if it isnt to much trouble?



THANKS ALL