The people of the continent of Piena have lived in peace for years. They are secure in the knowledge that the Demon God and his army are confined to a large land mass off the coast only connected to Piena by a small, easily defended isthmus. A legend also states that when the Demon God revives, six heroes will be chosen by the goddess of fate and will rise up to fight the demons. The heroes are given the moniker The Braves of the Six Flowers. The two main characters in the story are Nashetania Loei Piena Augustra, the crown princess of Piena, and Aldet Mayer, the self-proclaimed strongest man in the world. We follow Mayer, Augustra and the other braves on their mission to fight the Demon God. The story sounds straightforward, right? But what we think is simply an action anime takes a psychological turn when seven heroes appear at a small temple near the border of the demon lands. You need to remember that there are only supposed to be six. Mayer must fight for his life using his physical strength and intellect against several unique fighters in his attempt to discover the imposter who could be working for the demon army.

We have some really obvious comparisons between Rokka no Yuusha and Anglomois. The first is a relatively peaceful country under threat of invasion from an overwhelming enemy. We have a princess in each story, Nashetania in Rokka who is a great warrior, and Teruhi-Hime in Angolmois. Teruhi-Hime hasn’t proven herself a great fighter but she has proven her bravery to fight by her willingness to be on the front lines. The second is the rogue character. Aldet Myer seems to be a clever man who uses his skill, strength, and intelligence to defeat his opponents, yet he is an unknown quantity to the princess and the established heroes. Kuichii Jinzaburo was exiled from mainland Japan for a crime and is new to the island. He was stripped of his status and from the moment he got off the ship considered a prisoner. Kuichii Jinzaburo, however, will become the princess’ and possibly the island and Japan’s savior. Angolmois seems to be a straightforward show about military tactics with some romance thrown in. Rokka, on the other hand, has a lot of plotting and scheming with some great superpowered battles. You should enjoy both.

The Kativarna Empire’s imperial might is waning. Kativarna is rotting from the inside as the nobles and royal family become corrupt, using the government to enrich themselves instead of serving the people. The empire decides to go to war with the Republic of Kiokia, a war they think will bring easy glory. Kiokia, on the other hand, has a different idea of how the war was to go and fights back. The republic adopts new tactics and technology that help them fight the Kativarna forces to a stalemate. Ikta is a brilliant young officer who is a believer in the new philosophy of science. He hates the empire for its corruption and reliance on illogical religious dogma but has no choice but to serve. He and his fellow officers become the favorites of the young princess Chamille Kitora Katjvanmaniknik who trained with them at the officers' school. The young princess bets that Ikta with his new philosophy of science just might help change the nation.

The story of Alderamin on the Sky and Angolmois are both stories of war and often fighting against the odds. We find in many moments that Ikta and his comrades are outnumbered with their backs to the wall and have to find a way to stay in the fight. The plot of Angolomis is built on the concept of fighting the seemingly unstoppable foe. We also know this is anime because we have a princess in the mix. The two stories have princesses and each one begins fighting for her life while balancing ideas like duty and honor with the realities of the world. The heroes are a little similar, though I wouldn’t bet on Ikta to beat Kuchii Jinzaburo in hand-to-hand combat. Ikta wouldn’t bet on himself either. Yet the two protagonists seem to have a very realistic approach to what can be accomplished on the battlefield and are both willing to get creative to find a way to win. If you like smart military men, Ikta is your guy and Alderamin on the Sky is your anime.

Pop quiz: You’re a 17-year-old Japanese high schooler and you fall back in time. Where do you land? Answer: The Warring States Period in the court of Oda Nobuna (Nobunaga), of course. Sagara Yoshiharu is just that kind of young man. He not only time travels but finds that Oda Nobunaga, the fearsome samurai warrior hellbent on unifying the country, is actually Oda Nobuna, a fearsome samurai princess surrounded by fearsome female samurai generals, who is still hellbent on unifying the country. He fills the role of Kinoshita Tokichiro, a.k.a monkey, and becomes her indispensable advisor and love interest. We follow Sagara as he uses his knowledge of the future to help Oda Nobuna unify the Japanese and possibly change history along the way.

The Ambition of Oda Nobuna and Angolmis: Record of the Mongol Invasion are both works of historical fiction. The Mongols did invade Japan in 1272 and they were the favorite to beat the Japanese – at least on paper. The Ambition of Oda Nobuna mentions real battles, castles, tactics, and people. We are, however, given a lot of fiction in both of these shows. Yes, Oda Nobuna was a man, so that show goes without saying. The idea of a samurai leading people of Tsushima to fight the Mongols could be true, so we did a little research and couldn’t find anything on Kuchii Jinzaburo that wasn’t a reference to the anime or manga. The battle of Tsushima Island did happen when the Mongols landed 1,000 soldiers on the beach on October 5, 1274, and were engaged by So Sukekuni, the administrator of the feudal province. If you like your history and don’t mind a few liberties taken with the story you should check out The Ambition of Oda Nobuna.

A gateway is discovered on the moon that allows people to jump to Mars. The people that migrated to the red planet seeking a better life mainly find just dirt and rocks until a scientist uncovers an ancient technology called Aldnoah. The super science of Aldnoah lets them wield military power on a massive scale. The discoverer of Aldnoah declares himself Emperor and states that the Martian or Vers Empire, as it was called by the ancients, should conquer their former home for its abundant resources. A war breaks out and the moon shatters, with the fragments showering down upon the blue planet nearly destroying the environment. The war becomes a cold one and in the three following generations the Martins no longer consider themselves humans, but Martians, creating a great divide between the two peoples. A second war begins as the Martian knights decide that dominion over Earth is their right. The attempted assassination of Princess Asseylum of Mars is just the excuse they need to resume their invasion. We watch childhood abruptly end for teenagers as they have to take up arms or face extinction. Inaho Kaizuka and his friend are tossed into the battle. We follow a web of political intrigue and heroism as the story takes shape.

The two stories are absolutely comparable despite the obvious difference that Aldnoah.Zero is science fiction that features Martians and mecha and the other one set in the 13th century. We are dealing with native forces attempting to repel much larger and more powerful forces. The Mongols, historically speaking, were an unstoppable force. The Mongol army was able to conquer the unconquerable and when they set their sights on you it was usually time to surrender. We see the Martians take on that same role by having superior weapons compared to the people of Earth. A princess plays a big part in both stories. Princess Asseylum is one of the main reasons the forces of Earth manage to hold their own in the early stages of the war by fighting after finding out it was the Knights that ordered her death. The lead male protagonists are both highly intelligent. We think Inaho might be one of the best tacticians we’ve seen in anime, the best thing is the science he uses to defeat enemies is often real. The story may be set in the future but the story of Aldnoah.Zero is timeless.

A peaceful day in the business district of Ginza, Tokyo is suddenly interrupted by the shrieking of dragons in the sky and the howl of soldiers clad in armor running through the streets. The modern civilian population first is caught off guard, then is in a panic and made easy prey for the spear-wielding foot soldiers. The casualties would have been much higher if Youji Itami, an off-duty Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) officer, hadn’t taken charge of the situation and began coordinating a response with the police. The invaders had traveled through a dimensional gate that appeared on the streets of Ginza. The JSDF secured the gate and sent in an expeditionary force to what they designate as the Special Region. The army is sent to neutralize any potential threats that may use the gate to invade Japan. We find Youji Itami and his squad in a medieval fantasy landscape where the JSDF’s military might quickly shifts the balance of power with its ability to defend or strike any threat with overwhelming force. We enter a world of adventure and politics as Itami their native allies and the Imperial Princess Pina Co Lada work toward peace between Japan and the people of the Special Region.

In this case, the story isn’t about the underdog fighting off the evil invaders. The empire in the Special Region bit off more than it could chew when it attacked Japan. The Japanese could wipe out the empire in minutes but they don’t. Japan wants to come to a peaceful solution so both sides can prosper. Itami is an excellent soldier as well as a great leader for his squad. He attempts to never let on how skilled he actually is and is constantly underestimated, much like Kuichii Jinzaburo. We know from the way Kuichii Jinzaburo is initially treated that because he is an exile from the mainland the soldiers treat him as something less than a man. The princess, in gate, is a knight in her own right and wants what is best for her people even if that means being humble and accepting that the Japanese could destroy them in the blink of an eye. She doesn’t see herself as needing to be protected. We believe that even though Teruhi-Hime doesn’t think she needs protecting, she probably does. The two stories are filled with strategic planning and we’d consider both to fit firmly in the military genre.

The kingdom of Kouka seems an idyllic place filled with happiness and peace, especially to the sheltered princess Yona. She lives her days at ease and in luxury surrounded by attendants and doted on by her father. Her illusion of peace is shattered when she sees her father the king murdered by her cousin Su-won. The sheltered princess flees for her life. Yona is accompanied by her devoted bodyguard and soon learns the truth of the kingdom outside of the castle walls. A world of poverty and corruption surrounds her and she learns fast that her returning to the throne given the state of the kingdom may never happen. She is eventually joined by several extremely capable warriors who help her be both sword and shield for not only the people abused by the system but for the country as its instability makes it a target of invasion.

We couldn’t help but draw a couple of comparisons immediately when we watched Angolmois. The first of which is an idyllic land invaded, in this case, the island of Tsushima off the coast of Japan is invaded by the Mongol horde. The second is the princess. Yona is a sheltered princess who has to grow up fast to survive, the same goes for Teruhi-Hime who for all her confidence isn’t nearly ready to succeed her father, even if that was allowed. The third is the trusted general, for Teruhi-Hime it’s Kuchii Jinzaburo who feels indebted to the princess for treating him with respect and giving him something to fight for. For Yona, it’s her bodyguard Hak Son who can not only lead men, but fight, and will never betray her. The two stories may even have more similarities, as the Angolmois is only four episodes in as of writing. We’ll have to see. We do however recommend Yona of the Dawn for amazing storytelling about a riches-to-rags princess that learns what to value by having nothing.