Pros: If you're into ikemen, then this is a fine show for indulging your fancies. In fact, there's a gratuitous episode where the shinsengumi need to get topless for a physical. However, the pros end there. Beyond the beautiful faces, there's not much else. As there are many characters packed into 12 episodes, you never really get to know any of them.
Cons: I'm not sure what they were thinking when they thought they could pack all that Japanese history into a dozen episodes. At any rate, it's not good as a historical anime. It's also no good if you're trying to watch it for romance or drama because there isn't enough of it. Again, way too overarching, packing all the characters and years of history. Character development is also lacking. Even the main protagonist, Chizuru, falls completely flat by the last episode. She actually started the series somewhat interesting, but as the plot unrolled, she regressed more and more until she was just a damsel in distress that cried and became a helpless ornament in the fighting scenes. Sigh.
Take away: Watch this show for the ikemen, and expect nothing more beyond their handsome faces. (Sadly, even their good looks were not enough to entice me into watching Season 2.)
