Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa.
Banana Fish.
... and Angolmois: Genkou Kassenki.
Most of anime tell us what we want to listen.
These three ones don't give a fuq what we want or want not be told to us.
They tell us the truth.
'Course they make some compromises in order to scratch the greatest piece of that pie so-called "teen audience target" they can(comical exaggeration at Tonegawa, simplistic cool action in Banana and epic embellishment at Angolmois).
But they don't allow that to mingle with the main purpose of stories they are telling us.
I can imagine the marketing producers' desperation in front of these projects:
-"O Lord!! Why we can't get a regular 3rd Kaiji season??... Boys will not buy this satyrical black comedy about business men!!"
-"...but please, make the main characters less gay!! Or at least put them into some regular Yaoi scenes, beg you!!. Nowadays fujoshi will be confused with all of that tense 80s seinen violence!!"
... or, in this Angolmois:
-"Actual Ancient History?? You mean with real events, historical characters, true localisations and all of that boring stuff that school guys hate that much??... Are you sure wouldn't be better to introduce it as a boy who travels along time, with power-up skills and we sell it as an Isekai? Ok, ok, don't you look at me like that... it was just an idea... (a good one, I bet)".
At least, Angolmois is abled to summon traditional national japanese "humble chauvinism", wich helped to impose its vision.
Kadokawa Anime is making a point to display an accesible background for the serie through a set of videos and articles... tryin' to make Old Japanese History more appealing for young generations.
They are not the first to try this during history of anime.
Probably, this is best shot made, so far.
They tell us the truth about what happened in those remote ages, so far I know about it.
How people thought, the way they valued life, death, social classes, religion and the sense of what they were and what they were fighting for.
Even the hatred enemies (the Mongols), are presented as human beings, so right or wrong about what they did as same japanese characters.
There's someone deeply moved about Classic History behind this anime (yeah, the mangaka... but not him alone).
Trust me... I know my own kin when I smell them.
Sure, animation should be better but the way they tried to sustain a regular quality each episode with none of those "1st and last astonishing episodes + lamely animated middle chapters" so often seen most of today's anime, makes me guess it's more a question of lacking budget that a bad production planning.
Ambiental music inside episodes is not the type I'd choose for that kind of work but I'm not complaining: It works fine enough.
The OP "Braver" I unusually liked it; Straightener has never been my rock band cup of tea. I can't deny the good level of this song, though.
"Upside Down" (SHE'S ending) I positively adore it.
This anime is realist, thrilling, charismatic, inmersive and relatable.
It may have unconditionally my axe.
Addendo: I'm proud of myself: I displayed a huge brick of a review without even mentioning that filter effect.
Addendo2:...oh, wait...
