Reviews

I usually NEVER watch anime that involve historical setting and older anime design, but after getting hooked on the 1st episode and finishing the entire series in 3 days, needless to say that I'm glad I picked this one up. This was exactly the type of anime I needed to cleanse my palate after watching one too many Rom-Coms where the pairing I root for neglect to get together...AGAIN! This was a simple Romeo & Juliet story set in the Edo era, but what I appreciate is that the story doesn't necessarily revolve around the love of the couple. I mean, when there are Shinobi with a bunch of different 'magical' powers, a 400 year grudge, and political manipulations the story has a host of other places it can veer towards. Don't be fooled though, NO ONE lives happily ever after. What really drew me in were the deaths: it was never as simple as a sword to the heart or even super ninja fighting. Each death was different and, dare I say, beautiful? Near the end when there are only a few people left on either side I was sad to see some characters go though. The only reason I didn'tgive this series a solid 10 was because (SPOILER ALERT) I felt that Gennosuke should have gone on a complete rampage once Oboro killed herself and killed all of those high ranking political manipulators in the Tokugawa government. I know peace came to both clans after EVERYBODY died, but I still felt a bit gypped. Thanks to this series I won't be so reluctant to venture into historical anime with older design aesthetic.