Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran

As years pass, things change. So do anime. Once, most anime series that people watched were lighthearted series that for the most part concentrated on the fun. Now, many series are trying their hardest to be ambitious and be the next big thing. It is no way a bad thing, and from it spawns many wonderful titles, but sometimes one can get tired of it all.

So people look for things that are just plain fun to watch, like those Jackie-Chan movies. Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran delivers just that, in its short glory.

--Grade: 7, + 1 extra point for great characters and enjoyment: 8--

The show greets its ... viewers with a traditional Japanese styled song, instead of what the viewers usually expect. Even the presentation of the opening is a reminiscence of old Japanese TV series, and it goes together with the series really well, taking the series' setting and mood into consideration.
The OST itself isn't anything amazing, but it does its job well without getting in the way.

The animation is what you can expect out of a TV series at the time, and it does take a big dip in comedic parts. However, the director, Daichi Akitaro, is pretty skilled in making the most of it until he can bring out his trump card: action scenes. His action scenes are amazingly fast paced and wonderfully choreographed, bringing out the best in the characters. Why can't real sword fights be this cool?

The main characters are tastefully designed and are very attractive. They spare Meow the stereotypical Chinese double bun and the verbal tic of aru, which is nice. Ran looks graceful and pretty, but looks formidable enough to be taken seriously. Unfortunately most characters don't get this treatment and look very comical, but it is forgivable.

The characters themselves are very likable. Meow actually manages to be funny without going into the annoying area that hyper idiots usually go into. Ran is, in one word: awesome. She is amazing swordswoman worth respect yes, but her antics are just really interesting to watch. She doesn't care about hiding her sex either and prefers to address herself as the beautiful wanderer who happens to pass by. There's just something really cool about someone who doesn't care about what others think.

Ran and Meow kick ass, literally. Meow doesn't get as much screen time to show off her martial arts skills but it's understandable as it's Ran's show.

The series is episodic and while they are enjoyable none of them are anything amazing. Now that was what I was expecting and I'm fine with that, but I am disappointed that they did not go deeply into the duo's backgrounds and only hint it. Understandable, but I'm sad I cannot learn more about the characters I've come to like.

One of the biggest things I search for in anime is enjoyment and Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran delivers just that. Doesn't try to be ambitious, but just does well with what it has and does a great job of it. Newer generation of viewers who watch only the latest shows might not have the patience with the series, but for older viewers it is a series worth watching, just to go back for a while.

Leaving life to the wind perfectly describes Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran. The series follows the traveling swordswoman, Ran, and her partner Meow (or more likely, Miao) as they move from town to town, stumbling upon troubles and fortunes at the whims of fate and coincidence.

Story & Characters:
There isn't a semblance of a central plot, it's not particularly dramatic and its episodes are a bit formulaic. Perhaps it is this simple, and gentle approach to story telling which forgoes the dramatic and melodramatic that makes this series so easy to enjoy. It's safe; you know what to expect, and no pretentious philosophy lessons or ... painful corny moments pop up to ruin the action-comedy in its simplest form. Of course the trade off is that the episodes become quite predictable, but the characters are amusing enough to make their light-hearted adventures enjoyable despite that fact.

Both Ran and Miao are foolish in their own ways. Miao is quite simply dense. She's often flattered by Ran's thinly veiled, backhanded compliments. Ran on the other hand, is blunt to the point of tactlessness. She doesn't give due respect to anyone except inn managers, and only because they bring her sake. Alcohol is her one worldly desire, and it's a fervid desire at that. Her laid back nature and simple wants hide her incredible skill with the sword, but unlike similar characters in Kenshin or Vash, Ran isn't much of a hero. Her laissez faire attitude extends to her morals as well. She'll punish wrongdoings, but only if it takes place in front of her eyes, and the way she passes off desperate pleas demonstrates her "out of sight, out of mind" stance regarding justice. The rather rigid formula of the episodes are all based on these character flaws. Miao will help anyone with a decent sob story while Ran refuses and looks for alcohol instead. They separate; Miao eventually realizes she's bitten off more than she can chew and Ran will come to the rescue, possibly because she can no longer let whatever evil was taking place slide, but more likely because she ran out of sake money and needs a loan from Miao.

The humor is similarly repetitive; playing mostly off Miao's idiocy and Ran's social impropriety. With only 13 episodes, it manages to scrape by without getting old. The ills of society Miao and Ran stumble upon, from drug dealing, extortion, swindling, amongst others, create enough variety in both situational humor and plot to keep the series somewhat fresh. I wouldn't recommend marathoning Tsukikage Ran though.

Animation & Music:
The 70's Asian pop opening and endings along with its 80's, Rumiko Takahashi look hides its age well. I did a double take when I read it was made in 2000.

Ran's bouts are fast and concise (at times to the point of being anticlimactic), not particularly well animated, but at the very least, fully animated, with no still screens or cut outs. While most of the characters wield the Katana with two hands, Ran only uses one, hacking with it like a machete. It's a nice fit to her unorthodox nature, and her dislike of Samurai. Miao fights hand to hand, but her martial looks look awkward at best, ridiculous at worst, though still commendable for being fully animated.

The music is a complete throw back. Not only the OP and ED, but also the regular BGM's, many of which even sound like they were recorded in old studios. They bear that slight fuzziness in the higher notes that typical of older recordings. To go to that extent for its classic appeal is impressive.

--

Watching too much Tsukikage Ran at once will exacerbate its repetitive nature. On a sparing watch schedule, Tsukikage Ran is action comedy distilled to its purest form. There are no fetish characters, no social-political comments, just some nice good-guy vs. bad-guy action dealt by a classic boke tsukommi comedy duo.

Perhaps it's because I grew up during a time when the formulaic western was popular, but half hour stand alone episodes of our heroines going into a town and (in most episodes) doing something to put things right, appeal to me.

When so many anime have an opening pop theme this opens with a more traditional sounding enka. It may be the only anime where I never skipped the opening song.

Some of the fight scenes were done quite well, being moderately realistic sword work. (Save for the lack of blood and, as seen in the opening scenes, the ... common trope of bad guys lining up to be killed, rather than attacking two or three at a time.) The characters were likable, though sometimes Ran reminds me of an Eastwood in the Man with No Name films, if he suddenly become like a little boy when offered liquor. Meow is the goofy sidekick. I think I had at least one loud guffaw per episode.

It was an underrated show and I wish there were more episodes. As others have said, simple but very enjoyable.

Tsukikage Ran is about a female samurai and her fellow female martial artist travelling companion in pre-industrial era Japan (Edo period? I'm terrible with the exact dates of these period pieces). It's a very goofy take on the genre, with everyone acting all cartoony and pulling exaggerated facial expressions and cartoon dust clouds, and the animation plays it suitably free and loose during those areas. However when a fight is going down, suddenly the animation takes this huge jump in quality and every punch and jump and sword swing is meticulously detailed, which makes these scenes far more exhilarating and exciting than the goofy set ... ups should really allow them to be. I have a sneaking suspicion that they animated the same moves for each fight, but I like the illusion so I never bothered going back to check that. Also the character artwork avoids the issue that plagues other 2000-era anime where they don't do the shading on the face correctly, making it look like they haven't got any chins. It's like the 2000 equivalent of noses disappearing in current day anime.

I had Tsukikage Ran described to me as 'fluff', and that's certainly the case. Each episode is a standalone story in which the two lead characters wander into a town in the search of sake and get themselves involved in some sort of local kerfuffle. The stories are usually brain-meltingly black and white. Some kid has gotten themselves involved with the local yakuza in an attempt to earn money for whatever. The head yakuza characters are almost always hilariously slimy evil caricatures. I'm convinced they got the same guy to voice the villain in every single episode, with the same low slimy voice in which he wrung his hands and ate babies using a spork and stuff like that. The reason they're eating babies and not, say, drinking blood from the caved in skulls of their enemies is because they're usually totally incompetent losers who get instantly turned over by the main characters when they stroll in, usually just trying to mind their own business.

So it's not a particularly deep anime, but it works because of how well realised the two lead characters are and how well written their dialogue is. The writing is seriously sharp in this regard, and often caught me off guard with little turns of phrase, such as "that's not my baby, I'm so pure I make flowers bloom" and other lines like that. I particularly love the hypocrisy the lead samurai girl Ran has when faced with a potential drink of alcohol. She could have her pride shoved into the dirt, the clothes taken off her back, the yazuka hiring her to kill a family of eleventy billion, and she would try to justify to herself that it's OK and the right thing to do if it was her only method of getting her hands on a bottle of sake. I also love her slightly egotistical side, such as how she refers to herself as 'beautiful' whenever she introduces herself. I've never been a particularly big fan of the all-serious, all-knowing superhuman characters like Captain Harlock or Black Jack, and Ran felt like a subversion of those types of characters. She acted all-knowing and all-serious and usually ended up saving the day, but that hubris she has made her more flawed and therefore more entertaining as a person.

Ultimately though, being as shallow as it is, Tsukikage Ran doesn't do a huge amount to ever get me too invested in proceedings. Lets do an obvious comparison to another Edo(?) era anime that plays it pretty fast and loose with historical accuracy: Samurai Champloo. Like Champloo, each episode is fairly standalone as the characters travel from place to place. However there is a much stronger character focus in Champloo that gets you more emotionally attached to them. As we learn about their pasts, we learn more about why they're travelling and who they really are. Tsukikage Ran doesn't really have that. There were a grand total of 2 episodes where we get to learn about the characters pasts somewhat, and even they tell very little about who they are or why they're travelling. Now that may indeed be the point. They're travelling for the sake of travelling. It just doesn't make them particularly interesting.

Still, Tsukikage Ran is plenty enjoyable. I would have liked an English dub, because although it wouldn't have gelled with the setting, I would have been able to zone out as I watched it and do other stuff. It's not a show designed to demand your undivided attention. You have it on in the background, picking up the witty lines here and there, and the plot for each episode is either so simple or so trivial that not picking up on the details will barely affect your enjoyment. In a way, I'm criticising Tsukikage Ran for not being something it was never trying to be, as it was only ever meant to be light entertainment, and it achieves that with flying colours. It just means there's a limited amount of enjoyment I can get out of it.

This anime Aired in the year 2000 So its a little old, people tend to watch airing anime thats understandable, As I was relaxing I Stumbled and found this anime, Being a Huge samurai Fan I knew that i was Going to Enjoy Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran...

Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran is More a Comedy relief I found myself laughing.
Ok so the Characters are sooo freakin Hilarious Ran the Main character has some habits that i find amusing( as you start watching the anime you'll know what i mean) Hint: SAKE!!!!
Just so you know i Thought Ran was A guy just like some random characters ... in the anime.

There is a Huge thing that you should Know, Do not watch this anime for its story line. The Whole series Episodes are very random and some dont even connect.Maybe one or two episode but theres only like 13 eps. Another things theres 13 episodes!! so this anime is so Duable.

Meow her so called Side kick is a martial artists and adds more to the addition she usually refers Ran as Sis.

Dubbed Version : Warning i watched this anime in dubbed so if you find it in subbed i do not know the enjoyment Will be the same. I on the other hand dont mind dubbed version anime so i had no complaints.

So my friend said that he felt the ending was horrible, I thought it was amazing even though there really not much of a actual real ending. I will miss Carried by the wind and all its random complexs.

The concept of this anime is great Many might find this anime anoying but thats only because it a so called old anime,ONe big reason i watched this is because some one recomended me to watch this, so ill do the same watch this. Take a Chance And see if this anime is actually good That is all.

YOU WILL NEVER GET BORD WATCHING THIS ANIME,WISHED THERE WHERE MORE EPISODES OR ANOTHER SEASON OR A REMAKE BUT WITH THE SAME MUSIC STYLE,SAME AWESOME ENGLISH DUB ACTORS OMG THEY WHERE TERRIFIC,brought the characters to life and portrayed there personalities and emotions correctly and had the comic timing perfectly"you haven't watch this anime yet then it is "UTTERLY INEXCUSABLE" what kind of a ignoramus are you????"sorry that was the character RAN talking not me :3 to say the truth this anime is very special to me and very close to my heart after all this was one of those animes that got me in ... to anime loving and become a devoted fan of it.its like i grew up with this anime.this is what i felt...so it was the year 2005 (i was 15 years old)that i watched anime for the first time and it was on animax this anime got my attention the most and got me hooked don't know why it just did.NOW I KNOW WHY CHARACTERS- i was inspired by the main character RAN of how powerful she was,brave,out spoken,the way she talked strait forwardly,so laid back but very intelligent and kind to her friend meow.she do care about her but doesn't show it much(and love her money too..but its second nature)SHE IS A TSUNDARE character i would love to be.i think i connected with her and meow that why i like it so much.it was telecast as THE SAMURAI GIRL ON ANIMAX so from that day i remembered the name and when i got the new PC in 2011 first thing i did was searched for this anime but the name was no where to be found then i searched wiki then i got the real name and finally i was reunited im so happy after long time i get to watch this anime.
STORY-OK this a adventure,comedy,slice of life anime with awesome action and a hit of drama about the characters past not too deep and not too shallow just the right amount of seriousness.it about two partners(MEOW-cute,strong,with a golden heart and no brains,RAN-beautiful strong tsundare samurai) who stumble upon trouble in towns and living as free as possible.ART-has surprisingly good quality(made in 90-2000) and is very fast and swift in fight seances.nice and beautiful backgrounds crisp clear animations wonderfully top notch.SOUND-is very special i love the OP THEME SONG WITH THE ENCA MIX(listen to it so much that i know the lyrics) it was fresh experience to here,very rear to hear something that great and uncommon and old historic enca with and awesome up tempo melody EN them song was so smoothing and cool you just want to clap your arms and sing with it(i have never hear such a new approach to songs like this even these days).its normal calming sounds but when things get serious that sond change drastically without you knowing it(it should be like that so we pay attention to the story and to move with the plot) ,in fight seance it was superb.(it was matching the edo period and has a lot of drums and up bit tempo so you will want more to hear)
i enjoyed this anime to my very core it was extra special and nostalgic to me but when its over you will miss and love the characters so much...i grantee it...if you want action with comedy and hint of romance then kick back and chillax and watch ran and meow kick some ass like no other enjoy :3

風まかせ月影蘭 - Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran is a light-hearted samurai series in the style of a Jidai-geki, whose main objective, besides the depiction of a beautiful historical setting, is entertainment. The comedy is refreshingly simple or better, not exaggerated and therefore convincing. A series that, despite its low popularity, is worth a sneak peek.

Story: simple, but on the other hand it doesn't try to be more than it actually is (7/10)
The simple main story revolves around the two main characters Ran and Meow, their random encounter and how a really good friendship develops through the shared adventures. One could argue that a day by day slice ... of life plot is not the most exciting, aside the missing of originality as well an sophisticated storytelling. Even though this isn't entirely wrong, the series is still a lot of fun. The idea that strong women, even though they were born in patriarchal times, still assert themselves, is beautifully implemented in this anime. A relaxed samurai lady and a martial artist roam together through the beautiful landscape and experience adventures in the Edo period. Even if this idea is more or less philosophical, it contains a slight reference to parody. And it is also often used in later anime, for example in "Oda Nobuna no Yabō", which is also a pretty good anime by the way. But if you are looking for a historically correct anime, with good character depiction and excellent visuals, to be honest, then Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran will not convince and you should skip it.

Characters: The two main characters are also the main force of the cast (7/10)
Due to the episodic structure of the series, the secondary characters appear in only one episode. The characters are usually described sufficiently so that they fulfill their roles well in the plot. But you shouldn't expect great depth and background story.
A few of the minor characters are nevertheless interesting and therefore briefly described as well.
Tsukikage Ran:
Ran is an attractive woman, but she also has some of the attitudes of a ronin. She goes wherever she wants and is almost always broke. Only thanks to her Katana skills and Meow's generosity that she can avoid getting into trouble, by skipping out on the bill. She loves drinking Sake. Besides her calm nature, Ran has a sharp tongue and is blessed with wisdom. She cares for people in need, even if she doesn't want to interfere, but with the sentence "that's not excusable" she makes it clear that the current situation makes her angry as well as disturbs her sense of justice. And then her Katana speaks for her. Interesting and somewhat unusual is her handling of the sword, she always uses it with one hand. That's interesting, because the sword could be a Tachi because of its length, but it's not so strongly curved and moreover Ran carries it, with the edge up, on the belt. In this context a Uchigatana should be considered. This could be supported by the fact that Ran uses the sword with one hand. But the sword in the anime is a bit too long for a Uchigatana. The Uchigatana was used as a second sword because of the shorter edge, especially for fighting in a smaller space. Considering the time, the Edo period 1603 - 1868, it is probably a Katana. This describes Ran's individual character very well that she carries a two-handed sword, and use it only with one hand. I'm sorry for this little digression, I got a little carried away.
Meow:
She takes over most of the comedy and it makes me laugh, although comedy is not usually my cup of tea. Meow is a Chinese martial artist who can defend herself quite well with her Iron Cat Fist style. She is kindhearted, quite bold and also a bit gullible. So she is always drawn into the affairs of others, intentionally or not. The friendship between the two women is quite interesting. It's clear that Ran, takes advantage of Meow again and again but on the other hand, Ran respects Meow also for friendliness and determination to help, so that she also stands by Meow when she's in trouble. Normally, I find the impulsive character of the comedy-ninja, who always gets into something by chance, rather annoying. But here I can laugh about it. That's because the balance between comedy and characterization has been handled well here. Meow's character wasn't ridiculed in favor of comedy, as is unfortunately often the case with many of the later anime.
Minor characters:
Mei:
She is a childhood friend of Meow and was put on the wrong track by the death of her parents and, became an opium dealer. The fact that the two former friends meet again under these circumstances can only end tragically and Episode 9 offers exactly that. Although the episode is a bit theatrical, it is both touching and like a fresh breeze, as episodes 5 through 8 lack a little drive.
Stephanie:
She is, as the name already suggests, a European foreigner who has a very strong interest in the Japanese culture and especially would like to be trained in the use of the sword. Her portrayal, with the imposing appearance and the slightly unrealistic ideas about Japanese culture, underlines the parody character of the series. Nevertheless, a balance was found in her role as well, because apart from amusement, she is the only one who succeeds with her strength to confront Ran as a very serious opponent.

Visuals: Art somewhat simple, but fight choreography well done (7/10)
The production qualities of art and animation are somewhat simple for a Madhouse production. The character design of Watanabe Hajime does a good job of making the main characters attractive, but criticism can be addressed to a large part of the supporting characters, which look rather generic and simple. To be honest, I'm fine with that. A deep and complex colours scheme would only feel a little awkward next to the simple narrative. The simplicity of the colours and shadows goes well with the amusement offered by Meow's hyperactive comedy and Ran's carefree-coolness. Apart from the fact that the art is simple, it's still done right, like the play of light and shadow. On the other hand, in my opinion, a very pleasant aspect with regard to the art department is the complete absence of fan service. Some may miss it, but this way it definitely fits in well with the overall picture.
The animation furthermore offers choreographically very nicely animated fight scenes. The fighting style of Ran with its excellent sword maneuvers represents very clearly and precisely the techniques of Kenjutsu from which the modern forms of Iaidō and Kendō developed.

Music: funny but generic, yet with some nice musical accents (6/10)
The BGM was composed by Sahashi, Toshihiko and consists mainly of historically interpreted pieces of music played on the corresponding traditional instruments. However, there are also some jazz-like pieces that seem a bit out of place in a show that tries to capture the nostalgia of an old samurai drama. But if you consider it as a parody, it fits well into the overall picture.
The OP "Leave it to the wind" is sung by Akemi Misawa as an Enka. Enka is a musical genre that is almost exclusively produced in Japan and is basically most comperable to traditional folk music. Akemi-san is a well-known and popular Japanese Enka singer and actress. As so often, the lyrics are about loneliness, longing and of course Sake. That's why the song in the opening credits sounds so authentic and fits perfectly to an anime in the style of a "Jidai-geki".
The ED "Leave it to the wind 2" sung by Yasuhara, Reiko is more contemporary. The soft voice and the sound of a banjo make the song a catchy tune.
The dubbing actors did a good job to give the characters an appropriate voice. Besides the main roles of Yasuhara, Reiko as Tsukikage Ran and Okamura, Akemi as Meow, I also liked the voice of Fuchizaki, Yuriko as Sakura very much. Unfortunately, both the lip synchronization and some of the sound effects are not always convincing.

In short, Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran is really entertaining and offers fun. If you're looking for a samurai anime that isn't exaggerated and yet entertaining, then you've come to the right place.

Thanks for reading and have fun watching.

I've heard Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran described as "fluff", and I'd say that's accurate. It's a very light-hearted, relaxing anime, despite being about martial arts and action. Kazemakase is the kind of thing I'd put on while I fold some laundry or something. That being said, Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran has no illusions about what it is and it does it very well. It doesn't try to be anything more and doesn't need to be.

One thing that stood out for me was Ran's character. If you watch a lot of anime, you might have noticed that a lot of series really seem to struggle with realistic ... female characters. Ran, I felt, is believable. She's got more than one side to her personality, but isn't so convoluted or simple that she's unbelievable as a character. She's probably my favorite female character in any anime, which is saying a lot, because while Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran is good, it's not even in my top 10 anime.

This is everything I ever wanted in an anime: Women protagonists surpassing men physically and in skills without ever sharing the screen time with male protagonists. And there's fights in every episode, unlike '"Seirei no Moribito".

Ran is also an amazing female character, unique and well-defined: She has a passion for sake, but unlike all the other drunk female characters, she's very collected, cool and smart, she don't let pass any detail. And the best part is that she's very handsome. She doesn't have lady qualities, but she isn't scandalous either.

And then you have Myao, that gives more life to the anime and serves as the ... counter-part of her friend.

10/10

It was a good show more or less, but it had so much more potential that wasn't realized. No backstory on where Ran came from, no real underlying message or conflict either. It's like an unfinished version of Samurai Champloo when it comes to wandering, penniless ronin and chance encounters while walking across the countryside.

Then again, the lack of blood and more adult themes in this show probably indicates it wasn't meant for a mature audience and so the sophistication of the plot likely wasn't a priority.

The art, sound, and character development all felt like it came straight of Rurouni Kenshin given the time ... it was made, so it's at least pretty decent. I'd only watch it when I have nothing else to watch though.