“Peacemaker Kurogane” is a historical action/samurai/comedy anime, and quite enjoyable as a shorter piece of work that doesn’t take itself quite as seriously as most do.
Anime about the Bakumatsu period aren’t found amass on the anime market, but there are a couple. Most of those take an overall serious, dramatic tone. The time was just like that--both chaotic and cruel. (Even if Rurouni Kenshin isn’t set primarily in this era, Ruroken lovers out there might know what I’m talking about.)
“Peacemaker Kurogane” is serious and dramatic, too, and a bit bittersweet to top it off. Yet that doesn’t mean it doesn’t take its time to insert some comedy here or there. In fact, its historical background does take a backseat for comedic purposes at times--which might not make for an awesomely consistent storyline, but which at least makes for entertainment. And when it’s back on track, it does capture that historical feel quite well and even incorporates a few twists.
A bit less welcome is the quite open end. It does that better than quite a few anime that just break off like that and you wonder for ages ‘when’s the next episode gonna come out anyways?’, but there’s no doubt that a number of questions is left unanswered. The manga goes further, taking a darker direction after the anime ends, but that one went on hiatus as well a while ago, so for now, we’re stuck with open ends in any case. (Argh.)
Slight episodic-ness and an open end aside, “Peacemaker Kurogane” by no means is a bad anime--it’s fast-paced, and as such stays intriguing throughout. There’s drama, there’s action and comedy, there’s bits of romance, there’s tragedy, so I’d say the majority of viewers would find at least something to enjoy in here, too. It might not be the best or the most effective Bakumatsu-setting anime; for all its quirkiness, it could in fact rather be labelled as the oddball among those; but it’s enjoyable, it delivers in action, emotion, and comedy all the same, and where its plot part might not be all that effective due to a number of side tracks, it can’t be called generic either.
The characters--what can I say? They are, for the most part, interpretations of actual historical figures. And where they might not always stick too tightly to what’s known of their historical counterparts, they come across as believable overall, and those slightly-over-the-top traits do add to the series’ atmosphere, both bright and dark. The characters might feel a bit funny if you know about the historical background and the characters’ actual historical counterparts, but if you don’t let that bother you, they’re quite finely done. Drama and character development are definitely there, and the dynamics are quite fitting.
The dialogue is definitely well-done overall; the voice acting is certainly up there, and the script flows well. The for a good part dialogical comedy only helps it along--it’s quirky, it’s funny, it’s not too stupid, and when there’s no comedy, the script conveys the drama and emotions quite well.
The animation might not be entirely up-to-date, seeing as “Peacemaker Kurogane” aired in 2003, but it’s still pretty good. The art, though it tends to slip into goofy-ness in gestures and facial expressions, works with intense colours and clear line-art; the background music is ordinary, but good; and the opener and closer, where distinctly not traditional, fit oddly well. The action is quick and only slightly exaggerated, and PMK isn’t afraid to show blood either.
“Peacemaker Kurogane” is an oddball. I at least have yet to see another Bakumatsu-period anime that combines action, comedy, drama, tragedy, and even touches of romance in this way, and makes it work and entertaining to top it off. It’s not as serious as most historical anime out there; it’s not without its plot problems either; but it’s enjoyable, something to lay back and spend a rainy day watching. The action is there, the comedy is there, the emotion is there, and if it’s a bit over-the-top here or there, that definitely fits its overall atmosphere.
Personally, I still like the manga that bit better. It goes further than the anime; it’s more serious, more tragic also, and I’m a sucker for the serious, dramatic stuff. However, I can’t deny that the anime’s pretty darn good in its own rights, and a relaxing change from most the historical stuff out there.
“Peacemaker Kurogane” might not be perfect, but if you want a more humorous glimpse into history, with well-done drama, some tragedy, and a good amount of action in it, I’d recommend to give this a try. It might be short, and might not appear entirely complete, but it’s enjoyable nevertheless.
Cheers!~ (
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