Known by its other title, Bucchigire, this series from the studio behind Golden Kamuy tells the tale of seven criminals who are chosen to take the place of the Shinsengumi, who have all been killed. Now, these criminals take on the names of dead men and go to work defending Kyoto from criminal influences and a mysterious criminal element, all with the help of their magical swords. The last bit sort of comes out of nowhere, but that’s par for the course with this show. To label it a “historical anime” would feel like calling The Last of Us Part II a tourism guide to Seattle. The premiere episode packs so much into the opening salvo that by the time the opening plays halfway through it, one could be forgiven for thinking that the second episode started.
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The Replacements
All seven of the main characters take on the titles of previous Shinsengumi officers who were all real people. Fans of Rurouni Kenshin might suspect as much when they hear Hajime Saito’s name, that character having been based on the real man. Bucchigire is even less interested in accuracy, but the characters themselves aren’t bad at all, apart from the criminal part.
Part of the benefit of such a lightning-quick pace is that it introduces each of its characters and lays out their skills and personalities in no time at all. They aren’t the most three-dimensional at first, but their designs are striking and their quirks add a nice variety. No one feels like a replica of another.
The central two characters early on are Ichibanboshi and Sakuya, who are consistently partnered with one another and who butt heads constantly. It’s your typical “loud and headstrong fighter and quiet precise killer” dynamic that has been popular since Samurai Champloo. The emphasis this time is on their opposing views of their profession.
Ichiban detests swords and only uses them to save people, whereas Sakuya has grown accustomed to killing as an assassin and can do it without hesitation. The rest of the cast are quickly likable as well, with few of them relying on their swords as their primary weapons. Sougen, a doctor and tinkerer, utilizes bombs and even constructs a weapon from another character’s broken sword.
All the cast’s introductions were so enjoyable and thorough that the biggest worry is whether the story can adequately expand on them as the story progresses. As it is now, the episodes following the premiere have slowly focused on more of the members’ backstories, but they can feel underwhelming or so serious as to clash with the tone.
The Uncertain Target Audience
At moments when stories spell out the messages of plot points and individual scenes to an explicit degree, stories can leave an impression that they are being spoon-fed. In stories aimed at adults, this can feel like an insult to the audience, but in media for younger audiences, it can be effective if not the most creative.
This bears bringing up when discussing Bucchigire’s story, as it’s quite difficult to gather who this show is for. In episode 2, a fight between the Shinsengumi and some bandits goes poorly on account of bad coordination. It’s a message about the team not being in sync that is made excruciatingly clear.
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It could simply be that the dramatic tension is at the mercy of the pace, which moves a mile a minute, but it gives the impression that this series might be for children. That is until the brain recalls the blood and violence up to that point, and suddenly there is more confusion. Episode 3 hints that a formative trauma of Akira’s past was an attempted sexual assault where she killed her attackers.
So it’s not exactly a family show, but regardless, it’s hard to think of whom this show is for. Its characters are entertaining and a delightful byproduct of the absurd premise, but the story pushing forward is at risk of losing steam without a strong hook. What makes Bucchigire worth watching?
The Art and Animation
Without knowing that Bucchigire is a show by Geno Studio, it could easily be confused for a show by Studio Bones (My Hero Academia). The color design and the way that color seeps into even the line art creates a visual style that is nearly unmatched this season. It looks like a blend between the character designs of Bungo Stray Dogs and the color pallet of Demon Slayer.
It’s a shame that - at the time of writing - not more of the animation staff has been listed online, though such details are sure to come soon. Anime from lesser-known studios or projects without the same talented key animators can often look cheap, but Bucchigire’s lows in visuals speak to how conservative it can be to deliver on its high moments.
In delightful news, Bucchigire marks the anime debut of Japanese animator Nihira Hajime, who has produced hands down some of the coolest cuts in these first few episodes. Their Twitter page is one to keep an eye on as the season continues for more rough sketches and behind-the-scenes glimpses at their work.
Bucchigire isn’t an anime that will pull viewers in because of its narrative, and its characters, while amusing and fun, are at risk of wearing thin in intrigue. All that said, this series has looks that can kill. Just the ending credits alone are a celebration of the colors these characters carry into every wacky battle.
Just as it is easy to underestimate a show, it is an extra punishment to overestimate it. Bucchigire is a quirky show and a pretty one, but it also might just be plain uninteresting to those who don’t find fascination in the weirdness alone. Still, for the sake of the apparent passion driving this series - an original series at that - it’s worth keeping an on this one, even if from a distance.
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