"愛"しています

Peace Maker Kurogane is one of very few anime series actually based on the Shinsengumi, despite them being a huge part of the Edo period and Japanese history. If you're specifically looking for an anime based on the Shinsengumi, you probably won't find anything better than this. Mainly because Peace Maker is hard to beat.

Peace Maker Kurogane follows a young boy (Tetsu) who joins the Shinsengumi (the Japanese police force during the Edo period) to seek revenge on the man who killed his parents two years ago. It all sounds so typical and what you would expect in the samurai genre, but Peace Maker's story is that little bit more interesting because a lot of it is historically accurate. The story follows an actual event, that being the Ikedaya incident, as well as many other things that actually happened during the Edo period. Not all of Peace Maker's episodes contribute to the story however, I wouldn't call them 'fillers' or any of that jazz, but at times they do seem unnecessary. Although these certain episodes are usually comedy based, and Peace Maker easily succeeds in making you laugh. So some may seem unnecessary, but that doesn't make them not good. The beauty of Peace Maker is that one episode could be a whole joke that contributes to the story in no way at all, but the episode after that can be dramatic and action packed. A sudden change, but it always feels right. It always works. There isn't a time when these 'unnecessary' episodes feel out of place.

One of the most amazing aspects of this series was the animation. It easily adapts to whatever mood is conveyed and it never fail to impress the audience. During the first action scene I thought holy crap this is amazing, but it kept getting even better, and then even more better! It's easy to tell that Gonzo's samurai anime is quite a bit above average animation wise, with the likes of Afro Samurai and Samurai 7. Gonzo obviously do not lack on the action side either, with the likes of Gantz, Hellsing and Last Exile. There is a scene in one of the later episodes where one of the main characters is chopping down enemies while the camera is panning around him. It's hard to explain it, but when you see it, it will amaze you straight away.

The sound effects are what you would expect to hear in a samurai based anime. Blood splats, sword slices and stabbing sounds to name a few. The sound track is made up of various different songs. Each one suiting a different type of moment or mood. The music, I thought, was actually quite good. I found myself listening to various different tracks over and over again. I wouldn't say that it is very memorable though. You'll have forgotten about it in a week or two after finishing the series.

There is a wide assortment of characters in Peace Maker, and much like the story, nearly all of them are based off of real people that actually existed during the Edo period. The members of the Shinsengumi are all historically accurate, and all have very similar personalities and appearances to how the history books describe them. It's thanks to the creator of the manga that the characters are all so accurate though (since this anime is based off of the manga called 'Peace Maker', thats right, it's not actually based off of the manga 'Peace Maker Kurogane', that is the sequel to the first manga that this anime is based on, confusing, I know), a lot of effort was put into reseaching them, so thank you Nanae Chrono! Moving on from the fact they're historically accurate though, all of the characters are unique in a good way, and you'll most probably have a few favourites. The villain in this series is also such an interesting character, and even more interesting because the guy was actually a real person. It's insane to see and know about some of the things he attempted. Being based on real life history really adds a whole new element to the characters of Peace Maker, as well as a whole new element to the story. You'll most probably find yourself researching the characters real life counterparts after you've finished the series, they are people you actually want to learn about.

I started and finished Peace Maker throughout three nights, and there was never a time where it didn't fail to impress me. I mentioned the sudden changes that can occur in Peace Maker earlier, but it really does work excellently. One episode you can be in tears laughing, then a few episodes later you can be in tears crying. Later on the series gets very serious, and very dramatic. Which is usually the case in samurai anime anyway, but it totally took me by surprise. I loved everything about Peace Maker, and I'm left wanting more! Since the manga does have a sequel, there could be a possible sequel to the anime in the future, so I'm looking forward to it if there is, but unfortunately I can't confirm anything. I personally would definitely recommend Peace Maker to a fan of samurai anime, or anyone looking for an action/comedy series. If you watch it, believe me, you won't be disappointed.

If you enjoyed the anime, you might also want to read the manga. The story is basically the same, however it's still worth reading. The unnecessary episodes that are in the anime are no where to be found in the manga, and the manga is definitely a more serious and direct approach at the story. It doesn't have a moment where the plot isn't moving, unlike in the anime, and in some respects the manga is even better than the anime.

.

To watch anime:  http://www.zomganime.com/peacemaker-kurogane-episode-1/

To read manga:  http://mangahut.com/manga/Shinsengumi%20Imon%20Peace%20Maker

To read the real history of the characters and Shinsengumi:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinsengumi