Anime Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto

[Dagger]

God, what a title. :animeswea

Iroha is a series which, like virtually every other anime that deals with historical Japan, takes place toward the end of the age of the samurai. The main character is the taciturn Akizuki, who was previously a bodyguard to Sakamoto Ryouma (but Sakamoto is already dead at the beginning of the first episode).

Anyway, Akizuki becomes involved with a traveling theatrical group who put on controversial plays--and, on the side, seek revenge against the killer of their leader's parents. Throw in a bunch of foreigners, historical figures of varying levels of prominence, the requisite supernatural elements, and you've got yourself a plot.

Iroha is interesting on a couple of levels. So far, it's much more about the setting than about the characters. In the five episodes that I've seen, the plot has chugged along nicely, but what keeps me watching is the complexity of the language, the different types of speech patterns used by different characters (I have no idea how difficult this show must be to translate), and the exhilaration of trying to stay afloat amidst a soup of historical names and references. The serious tone and lack of wild hair colors also make for a pleasant change from the norm.

Oh, and the action is pretty impressive. It's not that it seems to have a substantially higher budget than other recent, good-looking action series, but the fight sequences go pretty heavy on the kind of zany choreography that you tend to only see in brief flashes in other series. The battles in episode five are a good example of this.

~Dagger~

[AzureWolf]

[COLOR=maroon]Although I haven't seen a single anime in well over a year now, I will now come out of my abstinence with this show, simply because of its name.

Downloading, will discuss after watching. Muahahaha![/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][COLOR=maroon]Although I haven't seen a single anime in well over a year now, I will now come out of my abstinence with this show, simply because of its name.

Downloading, will discuss after watching. Muahahaha![/COLOR][/QUOTE]
Haha, well, I guess that's as good a reason as any. :animesmil I hope you get something out of watching it.

~Dagger~

[r2vq]

[quote name='Dagger']what keeps me watching is the complexity of the language, the different types of speech patterns used by different characters (I have no idea how difficult this show must be to translate)[/quote][color=#007520]First off, yes, I have been watching Deathnote. I just haven't had the chance to post in that thread yet. ;)

Second, I've had this series in my download folder for a while now, but only last night watched an episode. I don't know if there's something about samurai anime that make me giddy, but I haven't felt this way about a series since Peace Maker Kurogane.

Third, how can anyone disagree with what is quoted? I watched the episode to help me relax after a long day at work, but with the formal introductions, the blunt samurai tongue, and the [b][i]English[/i][/b] (not Engrish!) my brain couldn't rest. I'm just glad I didn't watch this as a RAW. =)

I really like the costumes in the series. Particularly Yuuyama's and Akidzuki's with their mix of Eastern and Western styles. I think I'll try to cosplay the latter's... hmm

-r2[/color]