Hakuouki

Title:Hakuouki
Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan
薄桜鬼
Overall:Rent
Keywords: , , , , , , ,
Notables:
Upon learning that her father disappeared, a teenaged girl dresses as boy and travels to the city of Kyoto in hopes of finding him. On the first day in the city, she happens to witness a sword fight between some samurai and some demon warriors. Taken into custody by the samurai, she learns that they are the Shinsengumi, a group who know her father and are very interested in learning why his hospital clinic burned down so mysteriously a month before. With no family or friends to turn to, she is forced to count on the dashing and handsome members of the ↗Shinsengumi to further her search.

Based on Idea Factory's Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan romance adventure game aimed at female players. The story of the 2008 Sony PlayStation 2 game centres around a female protagonist and the historical Shinsengumi samurai group in Kyoto during the 19th century.

Animation by Studio DEEN
12 TV Episodes.
See also: Hakuouki Season 2
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Rent 9 8 8 8 8 8 Dreamer [series:2316#2279]
Who'd ever think that "Dating Sim Spinoff" could be used as a keyword for this series. Think Basilisk but not as dark and more realistic. It's a winner if you enjoy swordplay and historical settings.

Art, Animation & Character Designs
Artwork was excellent. It was a bit on the darker side more times than not, but even then, it had some vibrant and rich colors. Details were crisp and concise. Our character designs were equally as good and highly detailed. The only gripe, albeit minor, was that some of the characters looked a bit too similar and at times, I got a bit confused in who was who. To compound the problem, we have a fairly large cast as well.

Music
The OP was a pretty nice rock-pop piece with female vocals. I actually like it. The accompanying artwork was very well done, rich and vibrant. The soundtrack had some interesting pieces. Most were on the dramatic side with trumpets, violens, and other string instruments. More or less orchestra style. Nice and fitting music. The ED was a nice soft piece complementing the OP.

Series and Episode Story
After seeing the first episode through, I figured I picked up a winner here. This had some great sword play, some really cool characters and for the most part, our fight scenes were pretty realistic. As for the plot, we follow a band of warriors who are essentially hired swords for the emperor. What makes the plot interesting are the various factions involved in plot twists and secrets from all sides. The series does well to balance the various pieces... including giving balanced screen time to the various characters in our group (Shinsengumi).

One thing I like about this series is the realism. For example, some of our characters, and not just the "fillers", actually get killed off or seriously wounded. And the one thing I didn't like about the series is how so little episodes there are. But then, by the end of the series, you'll realize that it's just the begining and there's at least another season to come. Well, there better be because it just abruptly ended... in mid-travel (our Shinsengumi).

Overall, this was a good pick. Good cast of characters, great action, good plot (so far) and good pace in building the story and plot twists. I'll definitely pick up the next season.

Last updated Tuesday, November 16 2010. Created Tuesday, November 16 2010.
Unevaluated Silence [series:2316#2939]
I liked the action part, which is more realistic than most; however, it is kinda short for me to pass a good judgment. The large cast suddenly thrown in my face is a bit disorientating, and I realize that the story may easily turn cheap and cheesy. However, I will hope for the best, and give this series a fair chance.

Last updated Monday, April 12 2010. Created Monday, April 12 2010.
Unevaluated Stretch [series:2316#628]
(One episode watched):

This seemed like a sort of reverse harem situation, in which one girl finds herself confined in a strange compound with a bunch of hot guys. Perhaps girls would be eating this up, but I got a little bored as the bulk of the episode consisted of dialogue without anything more happening action-wise. Some rather bizarre people showed up early on, and I would have liked to learn more about what's going on there. Of course I can't expect every show to be tailored to me. While it lasted, the action was realistic and startling. I suppose I will watch another episode or two in order to see if anything interesting happens.

Last updated Saturday, April 10 2010. Created Saturday, April 10 2010.

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