Peacemaker Kurogane

Peacemaker Kurogane is about a young boy named Tetsu who joins the Shinsengumi to avenge the death of his father. At first, Tetsu thinks he would do anything for revenge, but he soon finds that part of becoming a "demon" is destroying your own soul.

As Tetsu becomes a part of the Shinsengumi, he meets other members and enemies, based on real people from Japanese history. The show constantly swings between terrifying battles and complete silliness. It's also full of shounen-ai subtext.

My Grade
Plot- B The plot of the anime is a little rushed, and several arcs never get completed. There is also one completely filler episode, which is too much for such a short series. Sometimes, the plot gets confusing. Otherwise, though, the plot is intriguing and makes you think long after the series ends. The show is obviously not the most historically accurate account of the time period, but it's a great story told through the eyes of the youngest member of the Shinsengumi.
Characters- A All of the Shinsengumi members that are featured in the show are awesome, but some of the enemies are a little rushed, including an Okita Souji lookalike who gets practically no screen time. One thing I really liked about the characters, though, is how the "bad guys" were not all bad. They weren't just hulking monsters like the bad guys in Kenshin often are. Instead, they were people with relationships and goals just like the Shinsengumi members.
Humor- A The show is really funny, but sometimes the humor comes at inappropriate times. Every once in a while, the jokes go on too long.
Ending- A- The ending is really good, don't get me wrong, but there are a lot of loose ends. I know the manga goes on, but the show goes pretty far off from the manga, from what I've heard. The ending is beautiful, though, and it seems natural that the show would end the way it does.
Dubbed or Subbed?- I didn't watch it with dubs at all because I liked the Japanese voices so much. Okita's is especially perfect for his character, being done by a woman. Suzu's voice sounds remarkably like Mayo Suzukaze (the voice of Kenshin), even though it isn't her.

Who would like Peacemaker Kurogane?
Well... I'm still not sure what sort of people the show was geared toward. There was definately shoune-ai for the girls, and plenty of obligatory shirtless samurai scenes. Then again, there WAS a lot of gore, especially at the end. I think it's a show that most anime fans will like. I'd recommend it to anyone who liked Rurouni Kenshin, actually, because Kenshin gives a bit of background on the Shinsengumi and the Meiji Restoration.

Reviewed by Supergeekgirl

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