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Rating: 8.3/10 & 8.3/10

Impressions:

Oh goddamn, four episodes went and got subbed without me even noticing.This whole series so far seems to be going through an orderly cycle every episode, consisting of a play, fight and some more background information given. With this though, it may seem a little repetitive and hectic, though hopefully there will now be variations in execution in later episodes as the story progresses. Akazuki is a little disappointing, as he is not nearly as skilled or strong as I envisioned him. He is meant to be the Eternal Assassin, though currently he seems nothing more than a mere samurai who is strongly drawn to the Lord’s Head. Surely he has some secret power or something. At least with the introduction of more characters and things starting to make sense now, the show can make a turn and stray from the cycle of predictable events. One thing that’s been lacking is character development between the protagonists, especially Akazuki and the girl…dammit I forgot her name!

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Popularity: 13% [?]

Impressions:

Finally, this show is getting more bloggers, and it definitely deserves it. This show is awesome, even when there are no action scenes. The story is captivating, and the number of characters introduced already liven the experience up. I highly recommend this to anyone who hasn’t seen this series yet. If you love historical setting anime, action, or anything with a good story, this is a must. The quality is quite high and the animation pretty consistent. There’s also some supernatural parts to it, and they should come up more often as the story progresses, since it seems that it has a lot to do with Akizuki and his mission. Akizuki’s background is revealed a bit too, as his master and sensei(?) are introduced in episode 3. That episode spent most of its time developing the story and introducing some new characters, including the villains. Episode 4 had a bit more action, and we get to see the integration of guns (since the age the anime is set in is meant to be the last that included samurais and swordsmen).

OP: [Kouya Ruten] by FictionJunction YUUKA
Download *right click – save target as* (TV size mp3 – 2.06mb)

ED: [Ai no Tsurugi] by TAKAKO & THE CRAZY BOYS
Download *right click – save target as* (TV size mp3 – 2.06mb)

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Popularity: 10% [?]

Impressions:

So, that ugly guy from last episode isn’t a main enemy or anything. I thought it was strange that such an enemy would be introduced so early in the series; it was the fact that he seemed so powerful and evil! I was a bit disappointed with the fight this episode. I had been hoping for some more action after the little teaser from last episode, but the ugly guy’s only move turned out to be the swinging uppercut thing (I can not remember the names of anything at the moment!) His demise was also short and unexciting. At least with Samurai Champloo, I got some really cool sword action, so hopefully this show will start improving its battles when the enemies get harder. I wonder if the lead has any special powers. Since there’s already some supernatural occurrences, it’s not unlikely that he won’t develop (if he doesn’t already) a move like the ’swinging uppercut thing’, only much grander. The other characters should also get a bit more influence in a fight if they’re going to be helping the lead. There is also a chance that the lead will part ways with the other guys as he really holds no debt to them again, but the girl seems to be an important character so she at least should stick around.

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto

Episodes: 26
Genres: Action, historical, shounen
Studio: Bandai, Sunrise
OP: “Kouya Ruten” by FictionJunction YUUKA
ED: “Ai no Tsurugi” by TAKAKO & THE CRAZY BOYS
Official Site: http://www.irohanihoheto.jp/

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Popularity: 15% [?]