Welcome to the Tensho Period
- Episodes : 12
- Genre : Action, Historical, Samurai
- Airing Date : October 2018 - December 2018
- Studios : Studio Deen
Contains Spoilers
Bakumatsu Introduction and Story
Bakumatsu beings with Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogorou on the hunt for a legendary treasure that is said to grant riches and manipulate time. The pair sneaks aboard a warship in order to steal the item, but things take a turn when they are captured. With some quick thinking, Takasugi's bombs, they are able to escape and make their way back to their own boat. Takasugi and Katsura open the box they stole to reveal a strange looking pocket watch. Unfortunately for them, the pocket watch is immediately stolen from them by a ninja, forcing the pair to head to Kyoto for some answers. After an incident at Nijo Castle Takasugi and Katsura find themselves transported to a new world, not unlike their own. With the help of some familiar friends, Takasugi and Katsura set out to fix time and return it to the way it once was.
1. Character Designs
Easily one of Baumatsu's best aspects, the character designs are all wonderful. Thanks to the anime's otome game roots, most of the characters found throughout the series are good looking men. Despite the large number of characters the anime focuses on, each one manages to have a unique and interesting design that keeps everything looking fresh and interesting.
2. The Music
One of Bakumatsu's greatest strengths is its soundtrack. The songs perfectly matched every moment of the show from the upbeat comedic moments to the high-intensity action sequences, every scene is enhanced by the soundtrack. The anime also features some very nice opening and ending themes.
1. Boring Story
While the premise of the story is interesting, the anime ultimately fails at building upon the interesting world it creates and provides a bare-bones story that doesn't live up to its potential. Most of the problems with the story come from the lack of detail and fleshing out of the characters motivations and the reasoning behind different events in the story. The story just doesn't dive deep enough into its large cast of characters to show that there is substance to any of them.
2. Lackluster Visuals
When it comes to the visuals, Bakumatsu is all over the place in terms of quality. There are some nice looking aspects like the character designs and some of the more fantasy inspired places, but for the most part, the backgrounds all look incredibly plain. With dull colors and little going on in the background, the world hardly feels alive and realistic. While the visuals may not be the worst around, they certainly don't do Bakumatsu any favors.
3. Too Many Characters
Bakumatsu brings together some of the most recognizable characters from Japanese history, but it may have brought together too many. On the surface, bringing together all of thee characters could be quite exciting and make for an interesting story, but we often end up having most of the characters doing nothing at all and ultimately only being around for the eye candy. With so many characters introduced and almost none of them getting any development, we have tons of cool looking characters with no substance to them.
Final Thoughts
Bakumatsu does many things well that make it feel like a worthwhile and interesting anime. However, the anime also gets in its own way at every turn, not allowing you to enjoy it at its fullest potential. What did you think of Bakumatsu? What was your favorite and least favorite part of the series? Let us know in the comments.
Author: Robby
