Bakumatsu Rock

"10/10 it's ok" - IGN

Seriously though ... eh it's good.
Overall it's pretty generic show, but the few things that make it different really make it fun.

Story: 7
It's a pretty generic story, boy makes friends, boy makes enemies, boy fights enemies, enemies are too stronk, boy wins with some bullshit like the power of love (or in this case music).
What makes it stand out is the message: You do you. It's about liking what you like and not shitting on other people for liking something else. As long as they enjoy what they're doing and are passionate about it, let 'em do it, unless they're hurting ... other people.

Art: 6
Again, it's pretty generic. There's not much to make it really stand out. There's some pretty interesting character designs, but the bad CGI scenes really bring it down.

Sound: 8
The show's about music, so you'd expect it to have good music. The pop songs are pretty generic, but not bad, and pretty catchy. The rock songs are kinda watered down and silly, but they're a nice break from the so-sweet-you-get-diabetes music in a lot of anime. They've got solid riffs and quality drums, not to mention the fact that you can actually hear the bass.

Character: 6
Once again, pretty generic. You've got your standard protagonist, standard tsundere, standard nice-guy, standard psychopathic antagonist, and some pretty standard man-service characters. The character development was surprisingly good. It wasn't the standard - "oh no I'll never defeat this enemy! I've just got to believe!" *power level doubles* - that you get from some shonen, but the characters actually changing their attitudes and learning.

Enjoyment: 9
This is where it shines. It's a genuinely fun show, especially if you're a fan of rock music. It's pretty funny and upbeat, and a generally exciting show. I really enjoyed the in your face rock'n'roll attitude most of the episodes had and I identified with the struggle of trying to like a heavier, non-mainstream, genre in a social climate dominated by the mainstream.

Overall: 7
If you do the math, the numbers average out to 7. The word attached to 7 is also a perfect description, good. It's a good show. It's not great, but it's not bad. It's good. I wouldn't say that anyone absolutely needs to watch it, you're not really missing much if you don't, but I'm also not going to discourage anyone from watching. You're definitely not losing out if you decide to watch.

Short/fast review

Do you like your logic in your anime? Well there are none in this one. Till about episode 8 with out picking small logic problems, you can still watch this anime using your brain. But wait till you reach point when everything starts happening at random. Then you need to turn of your brain and don't even try to understand what is going on, why and how. Even ignoring all music/magic rules (if there was any), everything else made no sense. Its like 10 people came in one room and tried to put everything they could think about plot and put it in ... on place. And i mean everything: friendship, hatred,courage, fear, trust,betray, you name it. And in one episode? Why not!

Main character reminded son goku from DBZ (not smart and strait forward) Kinda rare pick for main character, but it was refreshing. others were there just for being.

Strong point of this anime would be music side, if you like rock music. There were few good songs, so it was possible to stand watching it till the end.

I won't recommend it for nobody, save your time and do/watch something/ anything better.

Bakumatsu Rock had an interesting concept. From the first time I read anything about the show, I was convinced I was going to like it. Rock n' Roll versus J-Pop? What could be better? A story about musical ronin combating a controlling government that uses pop-idol groups to make people submissive sounded like a really cool idea. Once I actually started watching the show my hopes were disappointed to a degree, as what I had idealized for the show certainly wasn't going to match up with reality.

Regardless, it was a pretty fun watch.

It made a good effort at being dramatic while never quite taking ... itself seriously, ready to throw in a dumb joke or two to remind you what anime you're watching.

Its art was acceptable. It didn't do anything very memorable, but its sometimes bizarre character designs and a few interesting CG moments (mostly) prevented it from being boring.

The characters remained almost entirely one-dimensional throughout the show, with any developments in their attitudes or actions being heavily predictable. However, since their base characteristics (i.e. being rebellious rock stars) were enough to keep one's interest, it wasn't really that much of an issue.

All of the above, particularly the premise itself, would have probably landed this anime a 7 in my book. Unfortunately, the show takes a hit with what I see as a glaring fault: what they were playing was barely even rock. I was extremely disappointed with the music in this show. The entire plot is based on the rebelliousness, soul, and passion of rock n' roll, yet many times it was hard to tell the difference between the protagonists' music and the pop-idol music they were fighting against. The "rock" of Bakumatsu Rock was the most simplistic, light-edge, vocal-centric version of the genre they could have used, which certainly isn't at all reflective of the spirit of rock. From the first time the main character played a song, my enjoyment took a huge plunge. I had gone into the show expecting to hear great music battling bad music, creativity battling standardization, excellence battling mediocrity, individuality battling the hive mind. Instead, my ears were met with two "different" styles of music battling to the same tune. Pop-rock versus pop hardly makes for an epic encounter.

That being said, the show still managed to be entertaining. It also had some parallels between its fictional government-controlled music scene and the music industry we have now, though the lessons felt rather hollow in the face of what music was being presented as artistic. All-in-all, Bakumatsu Rock was worth watching if you don't really have anything else to watch, and are craving to watch a show wherein pop-idols get what's coming to them.

Just don't expect any Foo Fighters.

Well, this anime was certainly amusing to say the least. Bakumatsu Rock takes place during the Edo period where apparently electric guitars, spotlights, smoke screens, and rock existed. Let me say first, this is a completely illogical anime full of bishounens. But I am going to forgive all of the illogical-ness in the anime because it was funny in a ridiculous way. However be warned that you definitely won't like it if: one, you can't stand illogical animes, and two, if you don't like bishounens.

The story is simply about Ryōma Sakamoto who has a passion for rock and tries to perform in front ... of people, but get rejected constantly. He meets these other two passionate rockers, and together the three rockers overthrow this craze called Heaven's Song. Thats it. That's all there is to the story. All of the other details include slapstick like comedy, upper body nudity whenever the characters are rocking out, and somewhat catchy music

The art is undoubtedly good. The rockers are drawn very bishounen like, so it draws in the targeted female fan base. The only annoying bit about the anime is how much they use the same animation scene of the boys having their shirt... ripped? shredded? magically shredded? off. Also the random moments of CGI bugged me a bit

The sound is okay, borderline good. The opening "Jack" by Vistlip was very good and the ending was alright. The songs are catchy though and the instrumentals were okay, not very memorable.

Oh goodness hmm the characters. Well there certainly wasn't anything deep to them. The creator clearly showed what kind of person they are right off the bat and none of them have a dark past to reveal. I found some of the characters charming, but others not so much. The characters are solid and easy to read through.

I wouldn't say that it was funny by content but funny because of how ridiculous it is. I wouldn't give this anime something higher than a 7 because the plot and characters were not the greatest, but hey the plot isn't meant to be taken seriously and is just meant to give out some laughs. Bakumatsu Rock is a good way to pass time or a nice break after watching some serious toned animes. Since the story, characters, and music were just okay, I give this anime a 6 because of the laughs and the art style.

Bueno let's ROCK! Btw, this is a repost, co'z the mods said so.

Ok, so the 12 episode of this musical anime has ended, so without further adieu, I hereby present my ratings for each of this anime's category:


Poor 3.

Story- Basically, it has a very shallow plot, now , I don't know if the plot can be compare to a video game since according to Wikipedia the series was originally a video game that was adapted into a manga and then anime, well either way the historical aspect of the anime was a complete desecration of Japanese history. Clearly, this anime's plot was more on ... the musical aspect than anything else, so it really does deserve a "Poor" score because of its desecration of Japanese history

Pathetic 1.

Art- Ok, though this series'' creator does have a lot of PASSION in making this, unfortunately it lacks FASHION with the character's wardrobe and frankly it kinda makes the main cast ( with the exception of Sōji Okita and Toshizō Hijikata) kinda makes them look like a bunch of old homosexuals who has committed a horrendous fashion crime, there is also that American in the very last part of the last episode whom clearly is somewhat of a trap who can be describe as a fashion terrorist which frankly for me was something that I gave a fuss about.

Good 7. Let's ROCK!!!

The rating is for the opening, closing and the Heaven's song that were played during the course of this anime, that I like.


Decent 4.

Character- Despite of the character's fashion crime, I still find them entertaining however In my opinion for giving this category a 4 stems from the fact that the character's were merely singers than actors, no need for me to explained each of the characters since there's no point to it when more emphasis was given to their songs that their portrayals.


Fair 6.


Enjoyment- my enjoyment for this anime was solely base on the songs and that's as far as I can explain it.

Overall- well it's not bad, but not that good either, let's not forget that this anime was purely musical and everything else about is where just adding some form of climax, it maybe a time waster or maybe not, but to me I just enjoy the songs, and that's as far as I can explain it, so don't expect more from me.


Let's Rock & Roll!!!!!!

There are only very few Animes that I will write a review for so I hope you enjoy this one!

The story of Bakumatsu Rock had an overall good story with some plot twists added inside. The story transitions well and became a well written story where everyone is in suspense and then finishes with a dramatic heart-racing story.

The art was good and I think it could have been a little better, but I think that the art was very well expressed throughout all of the duration of the anime. The art really sticks with you and stays with you throughout the anime, so it's really ... something to enjoy.

The sound overall was amazing. The music that plays, the type of songs that changes with the character, and they all fit that character perfectly!!! It's amazing on how the music flows right along with the feeling that the story provides.

The characters were overall a perfect blend for the story. The characters matched what the story was and depiction of the characters help further the story and urges to find out more about them seem to rise too.

I enjoyed the story quite well! I found some parts dragging but then you see them pick up in the next episode or minute and you feel fine about those parts afterward. The point I'm trying to make is that, I stood with it throughout the whole duration of the season and I can only say it was worth it.

I recommend Bakumatsu Rock to those who like a good story, music, and some plots that shock you and maybe even sadden you! The action in this anime was okay and I believe that those of you who read this review and have not seen Bakumatsu Rock will try it and either agree with me or disagree with me completely but I hope that you all enjoy Bakumatsu Rock one way or another.

Ah, "Bakumatsu Rock". At the start of the season, I was really excited to watch this lovely piece of work -- mainly for the music since I am a big fan of animes in that genre. However, what I got wasn't quite what I expected.

Ryoma is voiced by Taniyama, Kishou (known for many characters including Jean Kirstein [SnK] and Shinomiya, Natsuki [Utapri]). I was surprised by his take on Ryoma, I'd never really heard Taniyama's voice like that. Not only was he a believable rocker, but his voice can seriously knock out the heavens (heh. Get my joke?). Boy can that man sing! I'm not ... going to talk about the other character cause I don't know them as well, but all the main characters' voice actors did a wonderful job!

Now. The thing I hate most about Bakumatsu is the historical inaccuracy. This is the 19th century. How in the world did they have microphones in 1853! And the all time unanswered question -- WHERE THE HELL IS RYOMA'S AMP?! *cough* Excuse me *cough* Another quite unfortunate this is that fact that the animation sometimes switched to 3D during the instrumental part of songs. This really saddened me because 3D animaton really hasn't progressed enough to do this without it looking odd. I also have to say that giant rockets (almost rocket ships) most definitely did not exist in Japan at this time either. This is all.

"Bakumatsu Rock" did, however, imply deep messages on the off occasion. The main message is a tribute to the real Sakamoto Ryouma who changed Japan in an unbelievable way. This story is mostly about doing away with an oppressive government (with the power of rock and magical tattoos). Friendship plays a big part in this series (more like loyalty), but besides these rare cases, the show is basically just comedy relief.

If you're looking for an anime to waste you time on, here you go. Pick up "Bakumatsu Rock", keep your expectations low, and have a good watch. The comedy and art style will keep you coming for more. This is a trap, though. The prettiest fish isn't always the yummiest (and I don't even eat fish). This anime is dangerous for those who get bored quickly, and those who look for a good, sophisticated anime. Like I said, this anime's only purpose is to be a comic relief. And with that out there, I can say I disliked this anime very much! I had high expectations, but what I was met with was rather disappointing.

-

Story - 4
Good enough for a silly anime with no purpose, but almost trailing on the end of "childish."

Art - 6
The artwork was actually very lovely. Nice tones (almost No Game No Life-esque), plain scenery, and sexy men. The men are on the more buff side (I like lean men). Again, there were 3D animations mixed among the regular 2D, and that just wasn't very appealing.

Music - 8
The music is pretty good. The voice actors do a great job of singing. I can't say it's real rock, though. This anime says that they got their rock from America, but it sound more like modern Japanese rock than anything (which I love dearly). The lyrics aren't all that deep, but nonetheless singable.

Character - 6
The only thing you need to know about the characters is "passion, passion! Let's rock out guys. It's like the best thing evar!!!" That's basically all the development given.

Enjoyment - 5
So very let down. It was around the third episode where I started becoming disinterested in the series. However, I was already too far in to quit. So I kept on watching, and here we are today.

Overall - 5.8
This anime is very average in terms of basic plot, story line, and characters. It's nice for an adaption of a video game (cause they always seem to mess those up), but not for me.

This is my first review I've ever written, as this has been the only anime I've ever watched that I've felt I needed to say my piece on. As a pretty big Edo Period fan and history buff, I enjoy watching a wide variety of anime that takes place from this era. I specifically love the Shinsengumi and their story, and when I saw Bakumatsu Rock, I was excited for a light hearted story featuring them. As for the story, yeah, it's pretty light hearted. The plot is like a really bad car accident. You want to move along but you can't seem to look ... away. The best way to describe this anime is... an experience.
This anime is somehow a dumpster fire of disaster and by far the worst anime I've ever watched, but yet, it's literally fantastic and warrants no less than being rated a solid 10. There were times where I was physically crying because I couldn't even comprehend how one anime could be so garbage, but I was so enthralled in each character and wanted all their dreams to come true. Is this an anime I'd recommend? Absolutely not. Never. But, if you're looking for an absolute ride of an anime that makes you question every choice you've made up to this point, this would definitely be the anime for you. Rock on.
Update: The quality of the anime increases tenfold around episode 8

I'll try my best to keep this short. This anime is ridiculously horrible. From generic everything to very weird CGI to just very wrong mistakes (an example would be Hijikata who has 3 nose holes for some fucked up reason). However, it is so horrible that everything is too funny. Every time I watched an episode I ended up laughing my ass off. For some reason this anime is just pure fun to watch.
If you want an actually good anime with eye-catching animation (although the character design is not bad) and an interesting, coherent, slightly complex plot this is definitely not for you and ... I advise you to steer away.

Otherwise, if you're utterly free, give it a whirl and you might end up actually enjoying it like I did.

If you feel like watching something short with lots of handsome guys playing music and losing their tops, this is your anime. Fairly enjoyable overall though I wished they added more songs and character movements during their performances, it tends to get extremely boring when each episode shows them moving and singing to the same thing over and over.

Characters are hands down original and amazing. Ryoma is just.. so lovable and silly. Each character had their styles which made this series worth watching.

The ending however got me a little confused, the American dude appearing? Was there going to be a Season 2? Or was ... it a hint for the OVA? (which I haven't watched yet)

I would've love to see some fan server with Ultra Soul and Dark Cherries but oh well.

Enjoy your bishie guys in this 12 episode musical anime during the Shogun era which.. doesn't make any sense haha!

This anime in three words: stripping, guitar playing samurais. This pretty much sums up the whole series. But let me go into detail before you go hate on this series.

First, the plot. Basically, it's set in the late Tokugawa period, where Shinsengumi was still a thing and rebels were everywhere. And what do you know? A hot guy takes a stand and fights against the current rule by... Rock? Seriously, it's like they played madlibs when they wrote the plot. They literally just swapped the current facts and placed crazy themes. I wasn't even sure if there was a plot. Everyone was just singing, like ... in a friggin' musical! Also, I don't think there was a need for them to strip every time they played a song. And I don't care if it's fanservice because it ruins the atmosphere.

The characters were... detailed, at least in their design. Their personalities were mediocre, but their concept design wasn't bad. But other than that, they're just disposable.

As it's a musical, it's expected that they play cool and memorable songs, right? Well, it's cool, I can tell you that. But memorable? Nah.

Art style was okay. Abs were nicely detailed. No homo.

In the end, I was left confused, thinking that it might have been the most cringe-worthy anime I've seen as of writing this review. If you like stripping, guitar playing samurais, then be my guest. But this anime did not rock on for me.

Bakumatsu Rock was a shot in the dark. A leap of faith. A risk-taker. Too bad they were all just, ultimately, a well-thought intention.

Bakumatsu Rock differs a bit from its peers within Bishounen realm, in the way that this particular anime series tries to blend historical element, action, music, fantasy, and fan service for females and cook it as one cohesive hotpot for the audience to enjoy. I personally had a good feeling that the scientists at Studio Deen had understood exactly the risk and the ridiculousness the story they tried to bring: re-telling the legends of real-life rebels and Shinsengumi as idols as they ... wage war between one another to decide, once and for all, whether (gasp!) rock 'n' roll genre could fit in alongside procedural J-pop landscape. However, with the right execution, this campy narrative could have become something special. Take a look at UtaPuri and its campiness-- anything is possible. Unfortunately, Bakumatsu Rock failed to rise to such occassion.

So what exactly that goes wrong with this series? There are several flaws such as the low quality of the music itself and the antagonists that are neither compelling nor are they terrifying, but the biggest flaw of them all is how it wraps its entire saga. Without spoiling too much, the last three episodes are a serious belly-flop-- it is as if as they entered the final act, Studio Deen got overwhelmed by the risk that they had taken in the first place and then decided to wrap it up without giving the finale much thought. In fact, I would go so far as to recommend the Bishounen loyalists simply watch the first nine episodes and then stop. The old saying goes, "all's well that ends well". Well, this one does not end well.

#felixlovesanime

Story: 3
Art: 7
Sound: 3
Character: 4
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 5

With the whole MALpocalypse going on, I went on my profile to find out what was on there in the first place. Apparently, about 4 years ago, I wrote a review on this anime but it got deleted somewhere along the way. At first, I couldn't for the life of me remember what this anime was about, but when I watched the trailer I remembered IMMEDIATELY.

This anime was pure trash, but there's a twist so hear me out. The story makes no sense whatsoever. The man who wrote this show and got a producer to actually make it is ... a literal genius. Thinking about how in the world he convinced anyone to put money into this blows my mind. Why nobody stopped this show from being green-lit is beyond me. It kind of tries to tell the story of overthrowing a shogunate, but instead it's rock music overthrowing pop music?? I guess???
The songs aren't even catchy though, I'd never want to listen to any of these songs more than once. The only thing that wasn't outright bad about this show was, in my opinion, the character design. The protagonist, Ryouma, has red hair that's cellshaded with a green/blue-ish color which I think is a really interesting palette to use in an anime. Normally you'd expect that in concept art but not in the actual anime.

That being said, this anime is the PERFECT guilty pleasure.

Some people busy themselves with determining what a "good" anime is, defending their personal favorites against others' critiques and artfully riposting with criticisms of their own. I can get swept away in that sometimes, but it is shows like these that remind me why I watch anime in the first place: it's FUN! It doesn't have to make sense, the songs don't have to be catchy, there doesn't have to be character development or good storytelling!
I have to admit, I watched the anime weekly as it aired so I didn't have to sit through hours of cringe in one sitting. But at the time, it did exactly what all anime do for me; it provided escape. It doesn't matter how crappy it is, if it kills time then why the heck not! I don't always want to have to break my brains over deep, complicated, psychological anime. Sometimes I just want to be whisked away and get a few good laughs in. That is exactly what Bakumatsu Rock will do for you. No more, no less.