The Hakkenden

More often than not, anything with a period piece setting has an artificial, glorifying gloss painted over it. And this is a problem with Japanese period pieces in particular since there was never anything beautiful about a culture where atoning for mistakes involved other men watching as someone stabbed themselves in the stomach and attempted to slice diagonally across (FYI, this is how Shigurui begins, complete with intestines hanging out). The samurai period in Japan was a cruel one, and that's what these two series capture superbly. Shigurui would have been described as an 'ultra violence' series, had it came to be during the OVA boom years. Stylised, unflinching brutality where violence is the main focus as samurai kill, maim and/or dismember each other. Hakkenden isn't quite so... extreme since its focus is more on its supernatural / symbolism / broship plot, but there are numerous scenes where blood splatters, hands/heads are cut off and - yes - a belly-cutting suicide scene. A web of grim misery connects the characters, and Shigurui has that same grimdark tone; albeit with a far darker, more depraved edge than Hakkenden. read more 

Based on the book/play more or less 

Both are set in the Warring States era and have a relationship with some of the most (in)famous events in Japanese history, though Hakkenden is more based on real lived characters, and have Nobunaga as the main villain that lived during the time! 

another 13 ep series with an easier story to follow. Better animation too. 

When finishing up The Hakkenden I noticed some similar themes to the ever-popular Wolf's Rain. One major similarity is that they both deal with dogs or wolves on a quest to fulfill their destiny. Where Wolf's Rain features wolves disguised as humans, Hakkenden features half-dog/half-human warriors. In Hakkenden the goal of the warriors is to break the curse on their family and put an end to the evil Aboshi, who can be compared to Lord Darcia in Wolf's Rain. Similarly, Cheza from WR can be compared to Hamaji/Fuse in Hakkenden. An interesting feature of both is that they each have the following line somewhere in the anime: "Who are you creating paradise for?" (paraphrased) They may not be entirely similar and their themes may not adhere to the tastes of all anime watchers, but if you look carefully enough you will see some striking similarities. Both are pretty good, but I would say Wolf's Rain is by far much better than Hakkenden, though longer. read more 

Good oldschool anime. With violence, demons and great atmosphere.