Peace Maker Kurogane

Peace Maker Kurogane is a historical action series based around the Shinsengumi; the Japanese police force active in the Edo period, perhaps now popularised in the West by the success of Gintama. Like many of its anime counterparts, the series is only loosely based on actual events, with much of the material taking an episodic, comedic route.

We follow Tetsunosuke, a young boy set on joining the Shinsengumi in an attempt to seek revenge on the man who killed his parents two years earlier. As far as revenge plots go; it's fairly typical, standard fare. As events heat up, however, the story begins to fall in ... line with history, with much of the action and drama centered around the Ikedaya incident. This affair was a clash between the Shinsengumi and a band of politically agitated ronin, which occurred in July, 1864. The story presents a splendid blend of historical and original material, with some events united more seamlessly than others. In-between the dotted story episodes are a variety of episodic ventures, which contain many of the series' most comedic moments, or at least aspire to. There's a little toilet humour and a couple of cheap punchlines, but for the most part, the comedic beats hit home. The story comes across as an entirely comprehensive piece, despite lapses in development, and while the premise comes across as cliche and overdone, the payoff is a satisfying and compelling watch.

The animation and art style complement each other well and the cinematography, while not overly complex, doesn't miss the mark. The action sequences are well choreographed, exquisitely animated and a wholly enjoyable experience. Gonzo do a fine job - watching Peace Maker, it dawned on me how much of a shame it was the studio now have such little presence.

The music is, for the most part, fairly forgettable. It doesn't come across as out of place or wrong - in fact it suits the setting well, with a variety of different tracks to emphasize certain moods or actions - but it never really pushes the boundaries of what can be accomplished.

With its roots in the historical Shinsengumi, the characters in Peace Maker -- for the most part -- are based on real people, albeit heavily edited in appearance and personality. Due to the inclusion of many comedic elements, the characters exert what I imagine are incredibly different characteristics to their historical counterparts. Nevertheless, the characters come across as an interesting bunch and are fun to watch. The character development isn't the most notable aspect of the series, however, and the characters lack a certain well-roundedness and portray only a select few attributes; the villain especially is rather one-dimensional. Appropriately, the leading character Tetsunosuke grows the most, and his journey at least has a sense of progress. Despite shortcomings, though, the cast are a rich, varied and exciting element that add a certain flair to the series.

Overall, Peace Maker is a thoroughly enjoyable watch. A fine blend of action and comedy not so unlike its could-be cousin, Gintama. Certain changes prevent it from being an entirely historically accurate show, but the original material is well written and well presented. Though perhaps not as memorable as it could have been, with a harmonious blend of comedy and action, it's a series entirely worth watching.

Wanna hear random? I was voting in a hot anime guys poll and I didn't recognize one of the candidates, so I looked him up (it was Susumu). And stumbled here. I read the synopsis, glanced at the rating, read the review... and thought, "Eh, why not give it a chance?" I think you should be thinking the same thing. ;)

Right now, I think my opinion is a little colored by how surprised I was by this anime. As I chain-watched episodes of this show, I kept on thinking things like: "Wow, I am actually really enjoying this"; "Why didn't ... I hear about this before?"; and "This is really good" in this surprised tone. I mean... I had never heard a peep about it before and I was just checking out a character picture to see decide if the guy was hot or not. But it ended up being really good. Funny, huh?

Story: I'd categorize it as a historical drama that uses action as backdrop, meaning that the plot and the characters are firmly in the forefront. There's definitely action (and it's exciting and occasionally graphic) but it isn't the central focus; it just helps fill in the finer details... it isn't action just for the sake of having action, you know what I mean?

When I first started watching and I saw Tetsu trying to join the Shinsengumi, I thought it was going to be like History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi -- a lot of training, a few fights, some comedy beats... and what I got instead was a compelling drama about identity and coping with your demons, along the lines of Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen (but younger, louder and generally more light-hearted). Set in the same time period as Rurouni, the era itself already is soaked in questions of identity and tradition vs. progress. It was surprisingly mature and well developed in both the depth of the characters and the breadth of the issues they tackled: the burdens of violence, the cost of peace, what shape do the scars of our pasts really take? And though I was personally rooting for one side, I don't think either side was actually labeled good or evil. I appreciated that the show seemed to be acknowledging that there isn't always a right or wrong -- sometimes there's just a conflict. There's also a nice serving of funny moments and conversations scattered throughout the storyline that are well used by the author. They either let you get to know the characters better or help make them more cute and loveable. Sometimes they break the tension so you can finally exhale. And most importantly, there was a weight to the story, which I attribute to good craftsmanship, that sucked me in. Things that mattered to them mattered to me too and I really wanted things to work out and go their way and... I just felt really invested in their story and I don't think that happens without really good storytelling.

The only nitpicky thing I could complain about, story-wise, might be the way that some of the storylines resolved. But I don't really want to go into detail because it might give things away... so, I'll leave it at that.

Character: A lot of the generic sort of stereotypes when it comes to a group of soldiers/police/etc. are represented here as well. Those familiar cliches rear their ugly heads again. I didn't mind, to be honest, because I did really like two pairs of characters particularly and those characters were executed well enough to keep me occupied. The first and most important is definitely the brothers, Tetsu and Tatsu. Their relationship was so interesting to me because it was different from anything I had seen before and yet so completely plausible for their circumstances. (I never know how much detail to go into or not go into and what constitutes a spoiler -- sorry!) Sure, it was exaggerated sometimes, for humor, for emphasis, whatever, but the heart of it rang true and when you realize what the root of the relationship actually is, it's, like, "Whoa. That really makes sense." ;) The second and much more ancillary relationship doesn't actually exist in the show, it's more of a similarity of character (that the show actually points out as well) between Hijikata and Yoshida as leaders of opposing factions in this turbulent and vicious time period. I thought it added something nice to the balance and the honesty of the story and the absense of "right."

Animation: Generally, I liked it. I wouldn't say it was outstanding. Or even above average. But it good. And it suited the story and the characters, I think. It's actually a pretty decent collection of good looking guys... too bad about the mullets. ...Did they actually wear mullets or was this just some very peculiar style choice by the mangaka? Some the action sequences were well done, I thought. No where near the caliber of the action in Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen, but as good as or better than the usual anime fare, I think.

Enjoyment: It's an odd thing because I feel like I was more interested and invested in the show than I can adequately explain. Maybe it's just me and my taste and this anime just happened to hit the right buttons. I don't know. But after I finished one episode, I immediately wanted to see what was going to happen next. And then I wanted to watch the one after that. And I didn't want to watch anything else. So even though I might not have done a great job explaining myself, I would probably suggest that you watch the first episode and see how it strikes you. If you like it, keep on watching -- I don't think it will disappoint you. If you hate it, well... at least you know, right? If you're ambivalent, watch another... and maybe another after that, until you make up your mind. ;)

P.S. The only thing about the voice acting I have to say is that it was fine minus two guys who were doing their impressions of Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter. I kept on checking to see if it was the same guy on MAL (it isn't) and it was driving me nuts just because they weren't as good at it as Hisoka's actor, Hiroki Takahashi.

Well this is my first review and everything might had been said but I think I'll try my best.

Story: It's one of the two best anime I've seen on the beggining of the Meiji area in Japan around 1865. In "Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen", the side of the Ishin Patriots is presented, but in Peace Maker, it's the side of the Shogun clans. Everything happens in a small periode of time from the encounter wiht the Shinsengumi to the end.

Art: Well, if you don't like blood, violence, injuries, or ... you won't like it so much, but it's well done. It's more colorfull than some violence ... anime, but the drawings keep the serious atmosphere when it's needed. The long serie of Rur. Kenshin didn't make such a good job.

Sound: Well, There isn't anything special, but it supports well the transitions between action and comedy.


Characters: For a 24 episodes anime, a lot of characters are presented and most of them are developped. They have their own personalities, but nothing too flashy or new. I liked the similarities between the two leaders. They look alike and it revels how much each side is acting the same way to achive two different goals.

Enjoyment/Overall: Well, a very good anime with a lot of actions and progression.(typical of shoumen) Very well done, fun and interesting to watch. Less comedy than in Kenshin (long serie) but still fun by parts. Well to say the truth, this anime cost me a mathematics exam!
It's very good, adicting...

Is Peacemaker Kurogane is an undercover BL series? I have to wonder because On the surface this looks like a regular shonen samurai anime, like Kenshin, but as you watch more episodes and see more of the characters you notice one underlying theme....a lot of the characters are either ambiguously or overtly gay. I have no issues with BL anime and things of that nature...but then again, I don't think like a teenage boy. So be warned this show may not look like it but there is a whole lotta homo-eroticism going on in this story. If you are able to move past that particular ... issue then you have the second hurdle of credibility to deal with; a boy who's 15 but looks [and acts] like 8 wants to play big, bad samurai and joins the Shinsengumi in order to avenge his parents' murder. Did I forget to mention this is a comedy?

~Art
OH the art and animation is fantastic! Let's not even pretend like Gonzo never does a good job with animation! If animation and fight scenes are your cup of tea then this show delivers. Just the opening scene of this series alone will tell you just how masterful the animation work from the Gonzo studio really is. Very smooth movements from the characters, detailed fight scenes and excellent use of CGI for clean, panoramic-style angle switching and 360 3-D rotation. But what I love about anime from this era is the attention given the costumes. I love all that fabric for the robes/kimonos and the various colors, patterns and styles and how they are draped over the body....especially geishas, their costumes and jewelry are the best. But I also love the look of the long-haired samurai.

~Sound
The music of this series is of the typical shonen variety. Not really singing as it is a bunch of guys shouting and cheering and chanting “Yeah!” or “Come ON” “Let's GO!” or “Kick it!” and other such chants they think are American. This is done to the back-drop electric guitars and rock music to further appeal to the young [American] male....though with all the gayness in the series, I don't think it will be such a hit with that particular demographic. Since I don't really fit into that category, I mostly find this type of music annoying....however I did catch myself chanting along and bopping my head to the beat sometimes so I guess the music for this particular show was alright. I watched this show in English and I must say I really liked it in English [Texas drawl and all] I found it to be charming but I think it's definitely something you would have to get accustomed to. So it's a safe bet that those anime fans that dislike dubs will surely hate this one with all the Southern accents.

~Story
Honestly this a show is only mildly successful with it's conflicting layers and it's experimental attempt at mixing-up genres. Peacemaker tries to bridge too many gaps and the juxtapositioning of a number of opposing styles and costumes all becomes a bit too taxing to the viewer. Mixing tragedy with humor and slapstick, having a little boy run around with samurai, standard patriarchal violence mixed with veiled homo-eroticism and then you have the distinctly Asian aesthetic [anime] mixed with the philosophy [and distinct audio] of the West...making them both SAMURAI and COWBOY at the same time. It's all a little bit genius and a little bit insanity, which can easily overwhelm someone watching this series...if not turn them off completely. Still, all complications aside, this show is very funny in parts that will make you LOL with sad in parts that will tug at your heart and truly terrifying moments. Also the narration flows pretty smoothly and is quick-paced. If the stuff I mentioned doesn't turn you off from watching this series then you won't get bored, you might find it as entertaining as I did.

~Characters
As I said earlier there is a slight hint of homo between the characters in this series if you really look that them closely and their interactions. Some of it is overt while others...not so much. From what I understand about the samurai era....there was a lot of that type of relationship going on between the warriors and I think the creators definitely flirted with this idea, a little bit.
Tatsu definitely has some sort of weird brother-complex for his younger sibling Tetsu, this is most assuredly watered down with humor...however the underlying context has been set for those who choose to explore that particular dynamic.
Then we have the cross-dressing ninja spy, Susumu, who dresses like his sister Ayumu who is also a spy....that acquires information by flirting sleeping with the the opposing forces [read between the lines and connect the dots].
And then there is Soujiro, who's beauty and sexuality is even more ambivalent than that of Susumu's! Soujiro, who never confesses he's gay...has a doppleganger assassin who is fully out of the closet.
Hijikata and Soujiro...their relationship just screams SEME/UKE [GAY!] i.e. Hijikata vouching for Soujiro's whereabouts “He was in my room till late in the night” hhhhhmmmmmmm 'kay...The same Hijikata to whom a beautiful female's charms had no effect and led to her demise...need I say more! There ARE hetero-guys and females in this series and they are the majority...however this is considered normal and therefore non-remarkable or fascinating.

~Worth It?
Even though I may have criticized this show on the harsher side, I actually did like this show and admired it's attempt at cross-platform appeal. I think the main requirements for being able to enjoy a show like this would have to be the ability to suspend logic and have an open mind.

Peace Maker Kurogane
This anime is byfar, brilliant! Even though the anime is maybe about 5-7 years old, It's still great to watch!
The anime reminds me of Naruto / Nabari of it's cheeky-ness with it's Main Character. This Anime has everything you'd want, (in general). Like, well in my opinion, how i really like'd this anime was from how the main character acts. Very likeable, very very likeable, for instance - He acts his age! And he's a bit shorter than he usual, which makes me believe that he's 12 and not 15, which makes it the whole more enjoyable. Remember how kids now-a-days act like ... they're invincible? Heck, 12/15yrs old isnt much of a ways back for me. . . Anyways onwards to the Rating!
-
Story :
I'd like to give the story maybe, about an 8.
I give it an 8 because IT IS VERY GOOD! It starts off introducing you to the main plot, and it goes from there! I'll give the basic over-view of the anime, It's about a 15 year old boy. He had a difficult past, and he has an Older Brother who is very very over protective (brings into comedy), and how they are with eachother when 2-3 episodes in happen, is very enjoyable to watch.
The other bit of the story is about the clan that he's joining, He tries very hard to get in because that's apart of his goal to get stronger! - Now people know where i'm getting at, I'll leave it at that!
-
Art :
Yeah, the art is a bit edgy, probably because this anime was made in the what, 2007 area? It's not dull, but it's not like the graphics that we have now, It's perfectly made though, Throughout the episodes, Through the funny ones, Through the Sad ones, It's never had one mistake! It totally made sense and i enjoyed every bit of it And i still am thinking about it, just remembering the beauty of the anime.
So i give the Art a 7, it is good, but it's not what we have today, But it is, good, if there was a good / very good inbetween, I'd give it a
[ 7.5 ] !
-
Sound :
OK, So the sound, yes the music fits perfectly, BATTLE MUSIC! YEAH!, but it's not like the music you'd hear in naruto, It's a bit. . . more serious, not as hypey, but still good. And, the music actually matches the atmosphere of the episodes, FUNNY, SAD, BATTLE-TIME events, It matches them all, So i give the sound an
[ 8 ]
-
Character :
Yes! I love'd the characters! The main character, oh man was he enjoyable to listen/watch! PERFECTLY Resembles a kid of that age, Assertive, Naive, Innocent, Happy, and he has the - Not-a-Care-in-the-World - Attitude! Now, moving onto the supporting/other main characters, Yes!
Protagonists, very likeable, they have their own roles like what you'd expect in any anime, BUT! The way how Matsuda Akio (not sure if he's the one who made it lol) articulated each character to be, How every character has their own way of acting . . Like there's some Jokers who are so funny!, There's a guy who cares alot, There's a guy who Cares (secretly!) AND He's a really...funny..dark guy too. There's more too, YOU HAVE TO WATCH PEACEMAKER!
Now for the rating, YES, I give it a . . .
[ 10 ] Couldn't ask for anything better!
-
Enjoyment :
Wow we're already at the Enjoyment?! YES!
I loved this anime with all of my heart, it reminds me of those older days of when i was a kid, I bet this'd remind any of you out there of those old days when you'd play outside in the beautiful weather, Blue Sky, Just run around with your friends!
BUT That's not all! Hah, This anime surely was a thing for me to watch, Like i said, I Enjoyed it with all my heart! If the things that i've said above didn't catch your eye, then FINE! I'll make it catch your eye!
The anime was by far, something you'd never expect a samurai anime to be like, Maybe it could be like Kenshin, HOWEVER! Kenshin wasn't a 15 year old kid was he? This right here, THE AGE, Certainly makes it different and a much better experience to view and watch how a kid handles things, or should i say, Lives!
For the rating, I GIVE THIS A . . .
[ 10 ]!
-
Overall :
Now it's time for the Overall. . . OKAY!
Summarzing all of the points i've made . . . I shall bring it all up into one big conclusion!
Peace Maker Kurogane. . . An unbelievable Experience for me, after watching
Nabari no ou, and Naruto, it has certainly in my dearest opinion, passed both of them combined, In other words, IT WAS BETTER THAN NABARI & NARUTO!!!!
I've Laughed, I've Cried, I've sat in my chair thinking, " Yes! I can't believe this is happening!, OH MAN, i can't believe that just happened! . . . WHAT?! HAHAHAHAHAHAH WOW didn't see that coming " And even more!

So, this anime is very very underrated, Not manye has ever given it a try, And i'll let you all have a little secret of mine . . .
I've started the anime, Watched the Opening, thought to myself "wow, is this legit? Seems...kinda boring..."
*10 Minutes into the 1st Episode* "OH MY GOD I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS ANIME!!!!!!! "

So, hopefully, you guys will try this anime, It's really in-my-opinion, could end up like how Hunter x Hunter ended up. . .- an underated anime, *few months later* BAM! Hit's the big screen, Yes it could end up like that even though this anime is a few years older than our time now. (i've checked and it's about 10 years old...2003-2004) BUT IN ANY CASE
The Final Rating for Overall . . .
[ 10 ]!!!
-
This concludes my Review, It is the first one i've ever made and i hope you all have read through it and given this anime a chance! I am 100% sure you will not be dissapointed!, Maybe 99.9% . . . if there's someone out there who's very hard to please -_-.

Peacemaker Kurogane is just what we needed after the three seasons of Rurouni Kenshin. Not at all as long as the previous and took an approach to telling the tale of the Shinsengumi. Not many shows seem to do this as most are focused solely on other tales during the period of which this takes place.

PMK takes us on a journey with a fifteen year old boy who has an axe to grind. Tetsunosuke Ichimura lost his mother and father as a young child, and now wishes to join the Shinsengumi in order to avenge them. His elder brother Tatsunosuke joined as the bookkeeper ... and has no intentions of allowing his brother to fight. However Tetsu is lively and headstrong which finally causes him to force his way as Hijikata's page boy


One of the main things I like about this anime were the characters. A lot of the cast was very distinct and different with no cookie-cutter aspects. I highly enjoyed how the two brothers played off each other be it they were totally different. Even the dangerous Toshizo Hijikata had his hilarious moments as did even the calm Yamanami. The best part is these people are based off real people which makes watching it almost a treat!

Animation wise everything was done nicely as to be expected of Gonzo Digimation. We saw what they did with Chrono Crusade after all so we know they can deliver. The detail put into such things like their clothing and their surroundings was very well done. As far as dubs or subs go? I can go either way but I know the english voice cast to a degree and therefore am a bit more loyal to it.

The only reason I gave the story a 9 is because I felt they could have done a bit more with other characters. I guess we'll never see a season 2 right?

Before I start don't get me wrong, this was a good anime. Unfortunately, I think most people think it is a great anime and I want to point out the reasons why it isn't.

Quick background, Tetsunosuke joines the Shinsengumi to avenge his dead parents. This starts as your typical serious revenge story. So far so good, he is eventually let in after an emotional scene. Then there is a mix between extremely lighthearted moments and absurdly dark moments.

This is my first complaint. It does have some excellent moments (the scene with Susumu and Tetsunosuke on the roof is one of the better ... tragic anime scenes I've seen) but the blend between silly and insanely dark is just distracting. I feel like the anime lacks direction.

This leads to my second complaint: a ton of things happen that I don't understand. There is black magic type stuff, there are scenes where I can't tell if they are imagination or they actually happen, there are things that happen which don't seem to flow logically to the next scene. All of these serve to confuse me about what is real and what is a metaphor or something.

This of course leads to my next complaint: why were there so many dropped plot points. I think the anime had lots fo awesome moments but there were a lot of things brought up that weren't completed. I'll give it slack because there was definitely a play for a second season that never happened but I still thought tons of things that came up weren't explained and I was left wondering what they were all about (some were major and truly left me frustrated).

My final gripe is that I don't know where thr story goes next. Most anime that have a "proper" ending at least give you the impression of the next steps. I guess this one just didn't really feel the need because I had no idea what would be next in store.

All of this aside, if you can forgive these story points the anime is good. The characters are all done well, there is a TON of emotional moments and enough silly moments to break up the tension. For those of you who don't mind an anime lacking a clear direction you may greatly enjoy this!

Story 6 / Art 7 / Sound 6 / Character 8 / Enjoyment 7 / Overall 7

Peacemaker kurogane... A very good anime based in the japanese history as the most of the "samurai-genre" animes, nice art tho it is not a new anime, it is a production of 2003 so i expected worse animation. The scenario was good tho it was this usual scenario of a kid wanting to avenge his parents, the good part here is that the kid is not obsessed with revenge but most likely obsessed with being stronger and overcoming his weak points. Nicely put the characters from the japanese history, the demon Hijikata- the leader Kondo and Okita were splendidly attached together in this anime

Good sound... ... Great characters and very unique i'd say, also with some characters being soft-hearted or weak this anime shows us that the Shinsengumi were not just some murderers ronin.

the episodes in the end were awesome, if this anime was from the start like this i thing it would be one of the best but that would go against of this anime's principles (Peacemaker) so if anyone starts this anime thinking that he/she will watch a lot of fights and splatter from the start he/she is deadly mistaken, there is more comedy than fights in those 15 episodes from the begining but it was good and enjoyable.

At first, I loved this anime. I hate the voice acting though. I don't think it's something that a lot of people would hate, but I did. The Japanese voices weren't that great, and the English ones were worse. But that's not the point. lol

I bought all of the DVDs for a really cheap price, and then watched them in one day. Despite the poor ratings I gave it, it's actually really fun to watch. And it's addictive to watch when you first see it. At first, I thought it was amazing. Until a few weeks after I had watched it all.

It just seems like ... there should have been more episodes. To me, it seems like to tried to squish an anime that should have been like 50 episodes into 24 episodes. or 26. I can't even remember how many there were. lol The story seemed like they weren't focusing on something specific and the creators didn't try their best.

Even though I'm giving it a bad review, I do recommend this anime. It's very fun to watch, and the characters are interesting. But if you're looking for something with a really well done story line, you should watch another anime.

Peace Maker Kurogane Review:

the storyline was good dealing mostly around psychological trauma and how people go about dealing with it in there own way. there is sword play in this anime but it isn't the main focal point.

i found that this anime captured emotions very well which is essential when making a story mostly about trauma.
the sound was well done. in the traumatic scenes this anime
was very good at adding just the right amount of sound to make it that much more intense.

Overall this was a very good anime if you enjoy watching intense psychological trauma ... and everyday life... with a hint of sword play.