Original TV Anime 'Meiji Gekken: 1874' Announced for Winter 2024

by DatRandomDude
Dec 9, 2023 5:00 PM | 14 Comments

Television channel BS Shochiku Tokyu opened an official website for an original television anime titled Meiji Gekken: 1874 on Friday, revealed the main staff, cast, key visual (pictured), and a promotional video. The anime is scheduled to premiere on January 14 at 11:00 p.m. on BS Shochiku Tokyu.

Cast
Shizuma Orikasa: Yuuichi Nakamura (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Shurashin Kyoushirou: Satoshi Mikami (Double Decker! Doug & Kirill)
Sumie Kanomata/Hinatsuru: Tomoyo Kurosawa (Houseki no Kuni)
Senri Kuroki: Lynn (Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo)
Takehiro Hiramatsu: Kazuhiro Yamaji (Shuumatsu no Walküre)
Ryuuzou Moriya: Katsuhisa Houki (One Piece)

Staff
Original Creator: Tsukasa Sakurai (Ryuusatsu no Kyoukotsu director), Naoki Tozuka (T.P. Sakura: Time Paladin Sakura series composition)
Director: Jin Tamamura (Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry)
Series Composition: Naoki Tozuka
Character Design: Sei Nishikiori (Ryuusatsu no Kyoukotsu), Masayori Komine (Angolmois: Genkou Kassenki)
Music: Shuuji Katayama (Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?)
Studio: Tsumugi Akita Animation Lab
Production: Crunchyroll

Synopsis
Year 1874,. Shizuma Orikasa, once a samurai of the Aizu Domain and now working as a rickshaw puller, embarks on a quest to locate his missing fiancée, Sumie Kanomata. However, an unexpected turn of events thrusts him into the ranks of the newly established police force, entangling him in the pursuit of a conspiracy aiming to topple the government.

Simultaneously, the Moriya yakuza clan welcomes a guest, Kyoshiro Shuragami, a proficient swordsman. Within the clan, which is linked to the mastermind orchestrating the government overthrow, Kyoshiro strategically positions himself for personal gain.

This sets the stage for the unfolding drama of destiny between Shizuma and Kyoshiro, where ironic encounters and separations await Shizuma in the course of his journey.

PV

Official site: https://www.shochiku-tokyu.co.jp/special/meijigekken1874/

Source: BS Shochiku Tokyu official site

Meiji Gekken: 1987 on MAL

14 Comments Recent Comments

Historical dramas and period pieces in general, whichever other genres it ends up encompassing, are definitely a major part of my wheelhouse and we don't get enough of them in anime. For those set in Japan, I especially like ones set in the late 19th century in or around the period of the Meiji Restoration, Satsuma Rebellion, etc. and the way they portray the ideological conflict between Westernizing modernizing forces who wanted to set up a new bureaucracy and technologically-progressive state which expanded its foreign trade and could serve as a world-class polity to compete with the European imperial powers in East Asia and globally on one hand, and the "rejectionist" traditional forces who thought this was spitting on native culture and revoking ancestral legal rights and privileges, including landholding claims. This was only fairly briefly touched relative to the overall runtime, but I found portrayed well to add a lot of context and substance to series like Rurouni Kenshin, Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi, etc.

That doesn't serve as any form of guarantee that it'll end up being some spectacular thing or even reasonably decent, naturally, but it's certainly enough to pique my curiosity to at least give it a shot.

Dec 12, 2023 12:15 PM by WatchTillTandava

@TitanInsane Lmao caught me off guard as well, had to re-read that part for a couple of times.

Looking for his gf's boyfriend.

Dec 11, 2023 6:39 AM by Ramkec

Most of the Crunchyroll Originals weren't good (the exceptions were Tower of God and In/Spectre), so I don't have huge hopes for this one.

Dec 10, 2023 7:49 PM by malvarez1

@RobertBobert, indeed it looks very similar to Kenshin! We need more historical series!

Dec 10, 2023 3:28 AM by Memore

keep in mind that it has fantasy themes
don't get misguided by the genre section

Dec 10, 2023 2:38 AM by Chika_tetsu

Wait a new anime announcement this late? There's less than a month left till winter 2024.

Dec 10, 2023 1:19 AM by MegamiRem

@TitanInsane I would venture to guess that he is looking for him as a missing loved one, and not with the goal of bringing them back together, lol.

Dec 9, 2023 11:30 PM by RobertBobert

"His girlfriends' fiance Sumie Kanamoto". Unexpectedly progressive for an anime set in 1870's Japan

Although looking at the trailer it looks like it means his friend's fiance, although I could be wrong.

Dec 9, 2023 11:27 PM by TitanInsane

why do i feel it will be like Gibiate

Dec 9, 2023 10:32 PM by kratos960203

The trailer and poster gave me some Kenshin and Jokers vibes. Also, I haven’t seen such big synopses for a long time. The story will clearly not be the simplest.

Dec 9, 2023 8:25 PM by RobertBobert

Old_School_Akira said:
Crunchyroll produces anime now?

They've been producing anime since 2015

Dec 9, 2023 7:53 PM by MadanielFL

@Old_School_Akira That was an anime they announced as a Crunchyroll Original back in February 2020.

Dec 9, 2023 7:21 PM by DatRandomDude

Crunchyroll produces anime now?

Dec 9, 2023 7:11 PM by Old_School_Akira

An anime set during the first years of the Meiji period? Sounds awesome! Same goes with its plot, as described in the synopsis.

Dec 9, 2023 6:28 PM by Adnash