There seems to be a lot of samurai series coming out based on the warring eras period. I accidentally stumbled onto Sengoku Basara when I was looking for the Slayers Revolution episodes on Funimation's Youtube channel. After a number of lunch hours of boredom at work, I decided I would try watching an episode just for something to do. Immediately I was hooked. This show is basically an anime of the Samurai Warriors games on PS2 and XBOX 360.
I won't go into whether this show is completely historically accurate because (a) I don't have all the facts, and (b) I don't want to move away from the coolness of this show based on history. For the most part this show is 12 episodes of skirmishes in a huge war. It attempts to present the story from the perspectives of the different factions participating in the war as well as show their crossroads with each other. I'm sure we can all agree that pretty much any game or show we have seen up to this point has Oda Nobunaga as a demonic warlord and everyone else is trying to get rid of him. This show is no different in that respect.
I found a lot of the character designs were similar to those in the Devil Kings game on PS2. There was some comedy thrown in here and there which made some of the show a little lighter to watch at times. A lot of the dialogue is intense so the comedy helps to keep the show watchable without going overboard and making it goofy.
I have to commend the writers on not holding back killing off main characters. As much as I like to see a character through to the end of a show, it keeps things interesting by letting a few disappear or die here and there. I found this to be a strong point in keeping the show watchable and also tie the story together in a timely manner. With 12 episode series, often times I find that the writers try to wrap everything up in 2 or 3 episodes. I found the flow here to be more consistent and it didn't leave me feeling like I got let down when I reached the end.
I have to highly recommend this show to anyone who is into samurai style anime. There are good combinations of traditional samurai style fighting along with some more modern aspects like some of the weapons. A good melding of past and advancement with an excellent story to back it up.
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I really liked the animation style and the vivid colours of the characters in this show. My only complaint is the sometimes superhero style fights with the flying through the air stuff. Though I can't tell if that is meant to be taken literally or if they are doing it to emphasize that its the champions fighting. Otherwise its pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteI have to completely agree with you about the animation style and the colours. They were both very rich aspects in this show. Personally I thought the "superhero" fights were a nice touch. Primarily because this was a way to demonstrate the warriors of power. For those who have played the game, the fight where Yukimura and Date fight with the excessive battle aura and super high jumps reminded me a lot of the musou specials that are used in the Devil Kings and Samurai Warriors games as a show of power.
ReplyDeleteI just watched this show for the first time recently and while I never played the games I loved this series. It was lots of action mixed with some humor. I highly enjoyed it and wouldn't mind if they made a 2nd season.
ReplyDeleteYou're in luck...There is a second season and an OVA between season 1 and 2.
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