The blue wolves of Mibu (for as soon as the extra liberal English title is healthier than the literal translation) is an outlier for me in some ways. I imply, it began actually late, positive, however that is okay. Quite the opposite, my expectations had been greater than I might simply justify. Not a vastly acclaimed manga, and To daybreak (Yasuda Tsuyoshi’s earlier work) was fairly mediocre. Nothing particular in regards to the studio or director (though author Ihara Kenta and composer Hayashi Yuki are very distinguished names).
Regardless of that, even in a really busy season, I did Oh no Miburo virtually on the high of my second degree of expectations. I can solely boil it down to at least one premise: this collection simply looks like an ideal match for me. A boy joins the Shinsengumi of their nascent days, Kyoto 1863. A human story about this fascinating interval in Japanese historical past is certain to be a draw. And aired for a similar motive because the Kyoto arc of Rurouni Kenshin makes it doubly so. It is not that animanga hasn’t coated this broad subject of loss of life, however on paper Yasuda’s tackle it appeared fairly attention-grabbing.
I appreciated this premiere, though I am unable to say I used to be blown away by it. I see numerous potential, however for now it is primarily that: potential. Nonetheless, it was an enchanting watch. What saved repeating in my thoughts was the outdated expression ‘the successful aspect makes historical past’. I believe that is usually true within the West, however – as I actually consider it – much less so in Japan. Definitely the Heike are a romanticized individuals, regardless of – even due to – dropping the Genpei Struggle. Houjou Tokayuki and his clan, fondly remembered by many regardless of their overthrow by the Ashikaga. Oda and Hideyoshi, legends regardless of Tokugawa’s eventual victory. And in relation to the messy interval of the Boshin Struggle and the Meiji Restoration, partisan opinions are everywhere in the map (and animanga displays that wholeheartedly).
Nobody exemplifies this greater than the Shinsengumi, the titular Wolves of Mibu (Mibu is a district in Kyoto, house to the Mibu-dera Temple). They explicitly fought on the dropping aspect – they had been fiercely loyal to the shogunate. But right now they’re extensively seen as heroic figures. Or at the least tragic – loyal to the purpose of their very own destruction. Whether or not you see them as heroes or villains is essentially a matter of interpretation – and appears to rely extra on one’s character than on their views on the shogunate versus imperial rule (or democracy).
Rurouni Kenshin paints the Shingengumi in a fairly nuanced means. Considered one of their commanders, Saitou Hajime, might most likely finest be known as an anti-hero RuroKen. Peacekeeper Kurogane paints them in an total extra optimistic gentle because it follows a younger boy named Ichimura Tetsunosuke who joins them in his early teenagers. In a way, the premise of Oh no Miburo appears broadly the identical, however there are necessary variations. Probably the most notable factor is that Ichimura Tetsunosuke was based mostly on an actual particular person and the hero of this collection, so far as I do know, is totally fictional (which facilitates the writer’s path to direct his destiny within the desired path).
That hero is Chirinu Nio (Umeda Shuuichirouconsidered one of anime’s present it-boy seiyuu). He’s a boy of about 13 who lives together with his adoptive sister Iroha (Natsuyoshi Yuuko) and the obaa-san who takes care of them (Sadaoka Sayuri) at her grilled mochi stall Chirinuya. Apparently, Chirinuya is clearly based mostly on the 2 outdated ones abura mochi stands outdoors Imamiya Jinja (400 and 1000 years in the identical location), though I am unable to discover any historic ties between them and the Shinsengumi. Someday two ikemen, Hijikata Toshizou (Azakami Youhei) and Okita Souji (Ono Kenshou) seem as clients.
In fact, these names ought to be launched to anime followers. The background right here is that the Shingengumi as we all know them had not but fashioned at this stage. Okita and Hijikata had been members of the Roushigumi, the 19 members of the Shogunate Guard who accompanied Tokugawa Yoshinobu from Edo to Kyoto, who stayed behind when it was disbanded. They had been resented by many locals as outsiders and troublemakers (we see that taking place right here), and that is the place interpretation begins to play a giant function. That is fiction, and right here they’re each charming (nicely, Hijikata is a grumpy bear) and broadly heroic.
As for Nio, there may be at the moment no clarification for his placing blonde and blue-eyed look. He’s an especially good and observant boy, which the 2 Roushigumi instantly discover. Nio deliberate to take over Grandma’s Chirinuya, and Iroha has already been chosen for eventual adoption right into a rich household. However the two would-be Shinsengumi captains use Nio and Iroha as eventual bait to lure out the abductors who’ve focused native kids – acts which might be wrongly laid on the Roushigumi’s doorstep. This seems to achieve success, however Nio sees by means of it.
I believed Nio’s response to this (and Hayashi’s accompanying soundtrack) was a bit excessive if I am trustworthy. And total the subtlety wasn’t a lot to see right here, not surprising from the mangaka To daybreak. The animation and artwork had been extra “advantageous” than placing, though I did just like the character designs and total Kyoto 1863 regarded good. However total, I believed this labored fairly nicely, and it positively drew me into the story and Nio’s function in it. I’d anticipate this model of occasions to rely extra closely on fiction than others, however that in itself is not an issue; it would all come all the way down to execution. However with a place to begin that’s so exactly in my candy spot, my threshold on that entrance will truthfully be fairly modest. I can be disillusioned if Oh no Miburo will not make it, even in a busy season like this.
