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assiah's Peacemaker Kurogane Manga Review

Peacemaker Kurogane

Peacemaker Kurogane manga Review

A period piece set in Kyoto during the twilight of the Edo period, Peacemaker Kurogane tells the story of a boy, Ichimura Tetsunosuke, who joins the Shinsengumi in order to avenge the deaths of his parents at the hands of an influential Choshu clansman, Yoshida Toshimaro.
There, he learns that if he is to taste revenge, he will have to cast aside his humanity and become a demon in spirit;
this is thus the tale of a boy forced by the circumstances of his time to grow up and embrace his destiny.

Credits: shinsengumi

Story & Playability

The first half of Nanae Chrono's PEACEMAKER, this manga is loosely based on historical fact. It focuses on a young boy's -- one Tetsunosuke Ichimura (actually a real person, mind you!) -- thirst for revenge and how he becomes a member of the Shinsengumi and how he trains to be a demon to succeed.

Imagine this: a cute little puppy in a nut house full of goofy sometimes perverted other times homicidal and the rest just darn crazy swordsmen. No kidding. It's comic relief. Then again, it's about the lives of the Shinsengumi, and it does not end well. That's a given. And it's not really original.

But even so, gut-splittingly hilarious as the characters are -- from the Comedian Trio's antics to Saitou's creepiness to Okita's sanguine to Tatsu's apologies, I-can-make-a-bloody-list-I-tell-you, they have their moments. And it just breaks your heart and you are not human if it does not make your eyes water. And to think they can be so cheerful and content and happy amidst the brutal violence in their lives, they can also be incredibly touching. With Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker, Nanae Chrono spins humor and angst and heartwarming very beautifully together.

Admittedly, there are some chapters whose shifts are choppy, and it pays a lot of attention on Tetsu's growth. It's cute, it's sweet and weird and out of this world, but it's entertaining. And honestly, it has a whole lot of depth if you care to explore it.

Spoiler (show)

An example perhaps, is Tetsu's sort-of-teacher and friend and adviser, Shinsengumi's First Army Unit Captain Okita Souji. He is seen as this childishly playful, girlishly pretty, naive and mischievous young man who is likely prone to be distracted by bright colors and loud noise, plays with children, eats a lot of candy and has a pet piglet.

In truth and subtext, Okita is self-deprecating, he is actually quite selfish, and he hides everything behind his smile. He doesn't fight for noble causes like revenge or honor or any sort of belief. In fact, it's hinted that his only reason for being in the Shinsengumi was to fight alongside his brothers-in-arms and their beliefs are what he stakes with his life on his sword.

He thinks himself a demon's child, and while there's pride to his swordsmanship, it doesn't mean he likes killing. It's his job, and he's damned good at it, and even worse, despite this, he believes that his very existence as a samurai is a mistake -- no thanks to Hijikata, and that, because of his weaknesses, he is a burden to his friends. The reason he is flawed as a warrior is similar to why he's very dangerous as a teacher. His inability to control his strength is more like his inability to differentiate a friend from an enemy in battle. This could be because he doesn't dehumanize his enemies. And so, Okita is actually a very compassionate individual.

And that's just one character.

Rating: 8

Graphics

To be honest, as pretty as Nanae Chrono's art is, sometimes it just shifts. To my eyes, there are three levels: crudely-pretty, normal-pretty ....and so-darn-pretty. Yes, I'm very original.

If that doesn't make sense, I'm terribly sorry, but that's how I see it. Although, really, the transformation happens more with the next half, PEACEMAKER Kurogane, the anime and the official illustrations from the art book.

Anyways, the art is cute and lovely, and while the drawings appear stiff on certain occasions, it somehow fits the storyline. It's kind of like -- the art, on whatever level it is, fuses with the emotion in the script and story, and it just feels right. There are repercussions with historical fact, but hey, it's loosely based, and this is manga.

It's pretty anyway, so. (o^^)b Hello, bias.

Rating: 10

Sound

The sound could either be awesomely entertaining or horribly juvenile. It could be genius -- or utter failure.

The Opening and Ending Themes were... strange, to say the least. I suppose it fits the whole "loosely-&-wildly-based", "comedic" and "heartwarming", but I don't believe it captured the depth of the story. It certainly made a foothold in character-wise, but I truly fail to see the connection between the songs and the story. I admit, however, that the ending theme, Hey Jimmy! by HAV is pretty catchy.

Anyways, if you listen to the OST of the anime while reading the manga -- there's this modern touch that's apparent in the storyline. It's fitting, and it's rather emphatic. And entertaining as well.

Rating: 7

Fun

One, it was funny.

Two, it was touching.

Three -- just. Ouch.

All in all, it was very entertaining.

Rating: 8

Final Verdict

8.1667 (good)

Reviewed by assiah, Jan 09, 2011

Comments

  1. Warpten29 Jan 11, 2011

    The anime looks, good enough.

    merged: 01-14-2011 ~ 09:43pm
    Thanks for the unique review!

  2. SchRita Mar 20, 2011

    I'm happy you liked it! Same goes for me.

  3. kuryuki Apr 23, 2011

    I think this is one of those animes that needs more viewers xD

  4. lupinchan Apr 27, 2011

    huh yea i for one dont feel that way becuz it was just a waste of time

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