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I hope I'm doing this right :3 Just finished Hakuouki Movie 1, and wow! It was pretty darn good! Now I want to see the series it's based off of! And the other films.

I won't got into to much detail until the discussion starts, but I really liked characters. I also thought the atmosphere was really well developed! The pacing wasn't too slow, or too fast, so it was pretty easy to follow what was going on (though, the large cast made it a bit hard for me to remember everyone's names XD)

Did anyone else have a chance to watch it today? What are your thoughts?

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I love, love, love this movie and all the characters and everything Hakuouki related 💜 This has always been one of my favorite movies/animes. Hijikata, Souji and Saitou have been some of my favorite characters ever. (I like them in the show Peacemaker as well which is based on the Shinsengumi if you like this you might also like Peacemaker if you haven't seen it.) 

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Ah! That's the series it's from! I didn't realize that. I've heard a lot of good things about Peacemaker!

I really enjoyed how likable the main cast were :3 And...long hair anime mens are a personal fave XD

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So, I just watched it as well. I can't remember their names though so I'll mostly refer to them by description 🙃

Like @Blue Dragon I thought the atmosphere and pacing was great! Also the art style was fantastic which made it a lot more enjoyable for me!

It was interesting to see a different side of the whole 'Tokugawa vs. Meji' war thing which they already had in Rurouni Kenshin. Kenshin was more one of the modernist in that sense and the Shinsengumi were (as far as I know) more on the traditional Tokugawa side (although I know very little about Japanese history). I always think non-Japanese people like me don't get a lot of the references because we don't know Japanese history well enough.

Anyway, coming back to the actual movie. The whole drinking the water of life transforming you into a fury or not was really interesting! But I think they could have build up on that a bit more. Maybe show a bit more the side effects and how it changes people. It's also interesting in a way that you see those traditional sword fighters, who would rather die than continue without the ability to fight, resort to some 'outside' help while at the same time probably refusing to use 'western' weapons like guns.

At first I thought it would be realistic, but that whole devil/demon thing surprised me and I thought it added quite a lot to the movie. And how they made it art-wise was magnificent! I kinda felt like Chizuru would at some point unleash more of her powers, but let's see what'll happen in the next movie. Also, I'd actually would want to know more about the whole demons who have been living there for centuries and the whole history behind them.
What felt a bit strange to me was the whole thing in the end with the long-haired main guy who also turned into a fury. What I mean is the whole romantic aspect. I don't know, for me it wasn't really present until then, so it felt a bit abrupt in a way. Maybe it was just subtly there and I didn't get it though.

In a nutshell, I think it was a great movie and I kept thinking that there probably has to be another part. Turns out there is, which I'll definitely watch as well :) 

Edited by Illusion of Terra
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17 hours ago, Illusion of Terra said:

So, I just watched it as well. I can't remember their names though so I'll mostly refer to them by description 🙃

Like @Blue Dragon I thought the atmosphere and pacing was great! Also the art style was fantastic which made it a lot more enjoyable for me!

It was interesting to see a different side of the whole 'Tokugawa vs. Meji' war thing which they already had in Rurouni Kenshin. Kenshin was more one of the modernist in that sense and the Shinsengumi were (as far as I know) more on the traditional Tokugawa side (although I know very little about Japanese history). I always think non-Japanese people like me don't get a lot of the references because we don't know Japanese history well enough.

Anyway, coming back to the actual movie. The whole drinking the water of life transforming you into a fury or not was really interesting! But I think they could have build up on that a bit more. Maybe show a bit more the side effects and how it changes people. It's also interesting in a way that you see those traditional sword fighters, who would rather die than continue without the ability to fight, resort to some 'outside' help while at the same time probably refusing to use 'western' weapons like guns.

At first I thought it would be realistic, but that whole devil/demon thing surprised me and I thought it added quite a lot to the movie. And how they made it art-wise was magnificent! I kinda felt like Chizuru would at some point unleash more of her powers, but let's see what'll happen in the next movie. Also, I'd actually would want to know more about the whole demons who have been living there for centuries and the whole history behind them.
What felt a bit strange to me was the whole thing in the end with the long-haired main guy who also turned into a fury. What I mean is the whole romantic aspect. I don't know, for me it wasn't really present until then, so it felt a bit abrupt in a way. Maybe it was just subtly there and I didn't get it though.

In a nutshell, I think it was a great movie and I kept thinking that there probably has to be another part. Turns out there is, which I'll definitely watch as well :) 

Yeah, it was really cool to see the opposite point of view with the supporters of the Shoganate! I mean, to be honest, we often do only really see the benefits of Western influence, but not always how it also tore the culture apart a bit. I think many of Akira Kurosawa's films did a great job depicting the ronins who no longer had lords to serve under (probably my favorite was Sanjuro and Yojimbo.) It's sometimes hard for Westerners to realize just what impact we had on Japan. I was watching a video of "Get in the Robot" on YouTube, and while I knew the didn't care so much about nudity pre-Edo (I think it was Edo when the Emperor demanded to Westernize,) I didn't know that the government actually invaded people's homes and confiscated the "pornography" from the citizens! And this was mostly due the Western Judaeo-Christian influence against nudity and "lewd" imagery.

Sorry, I got off topic a bit XD I do that.

I really agree that I need more information on the demons and Chizuru's powers. I hope we get to find out why, besides obvious prejudice against humans, the oni hate humanity. More development on why they feel superior, beyond the "we're stronger" thing. And I really want to see more of her power! She's a frickin' demon, and she couldn't do anything but heal herself. That aspect was a bit of a let down. But! I realize we'll probably see more of it in the story to come :3

The love story...hm...I mean, I think it's going to be a touch forced, but I kinda figured they were going to ship the two main characters. Hijikata's a tough guy with a heart of gold and she's the soft gentle lady who's just bound to win him over XD I hope, if they're going that route, they develop their romance organically :3 I think it could definitely work, as she's shown to him that she, like him, honors the warrior's code. I think one thing that may be what's won him over is how without knowing he's eavesdropping, she's constantly shown her loyalty and dedication...ideals that I feel he values above all, which may have been why the Shinsengumi sided with the Shogun to begin with, and ultimately abandons them as they depart from that ideal.

I dunno...I can't wait to watch the next film, though! Did you say there were three movies?

 

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The point about her honoring the warrior's code is pretty convincing I think. Hadn't thought about that :) 

I don't actually know how many there are. I've only heard of two but not sure if there might be something like a special episode that is the continuation of the movies but is not actually considered a movie. But I guess after watching the second movie, we'll see!

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Okay, so long week but here goes.  Yes, keeping up with everyone's names is exceptionally hard in this anime.  There's just so many men and just not enough time to learn about everyone.  In consideration of the movie, it seemed to be scenes from the anime that were clipped shorter to fit the series in an hour and a half of screen time.  That said, the nostalgia of it hit me hard and they got the pacing right.  I had always felt that the series had an issue with pacing (seemed too slow sometimes then too fast) and this seemed to resolve all those issues even though they had a lot to compress. 

 

@Illusion of Terra Yeah, the series does actually explore the use of the elixir and it's actual side effects in depth.  In fact, the individual members of the Shinsengumi are explored in far greater detail in the series.  I always felt Sanan in the anime series to be quite dark and manipulative, but here in the movie you barely see that side of him and you certainly don't get to see the Jekyll/Hyde effect of becoming a fury.  And @Blue Dragon, I believe Chiziru's importance and abilities are also shown a bit more in the anime.  In actuality, a female devil is rare (if I'm remembering the anime's lore correctly) so there are additional reasons as far as "breeding" goes for the other devils to have a keen interest in her.  It isn't simply prejudice, but that the longer she is there, the less time she could be forming a compatible relationship with one of her own kind.

 

I really felt the war was underrepresented...but likely from a lack of time.  If you enjoyed the movie, you will likely love the series :) You can also purchase these usually for only 4-5 bucks during the Sentai sales (keep an eye out for the sales if you are interested), with the series being a bit more (~10ish or so?), so it's actually a good buy too.  Not too painful on the wallet if you catch a big sale.  If you are interested in reverse harems (which is what Hakuoki is), Sentai is actually a good producer/distributer of them (moreso than others for sure) and a prolific producer for them.

 

One other thing that I like about it is that there is an English dub.  I know not everyone is interested in a dub, but it's nice to listen to and very well done voice-acting wise.  I had forgotten how theatrical the entire series is.  And, the romance isn't really big in the first season of the anime.  It builds slowly, like the trust that has to build with her joining the samurai, so those of you who were kind of surprised at the end...that's okay.  The general rule in reverse harems is "he who scores the most screen-time will likely get the girl" and that holds true here too.  That said, the slow build is nice.  It puts the war and her vulnerable position within the group at the forefront and makes the romance more believable.  Like admiration turned longing as opposed to "you're hot, my heart jumped when I saw you, let's hook up!" that you get in a lot of anime.  Not sure if anyone else paid attention to the time stamps, but every scene has a month and year so you can get a feeling for how long things have been developing in a direction.

 

I will say, I missed a few scenes, which were probably things I should have paused for, but I was cooking.  I think someone didn't die like they were supposed to...and the lack of plot armor for the Shinsengumi is another thing I like about it (although, when a favorite of mine dies I do get upset).  It really helps to charge the emotional stake you have in the anime when no one is really all that safe.  Tragedy is a good thing here.

 

Oh and from a historical perspective, they do try to stick with history as far as the characters go.  For instance, Okita having tuberculosis.  That's spot on.  My end feelings on it were that I'm happy I bought it and it was good to watch and remember.

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I think 2 movies, 3 anime seasons. Really expensive if you buy from Rightstuf (even on sale) but very affordable if on sale direct from Sentai. I actually got the rest of the movies and seasons in the last Sentai sale to catch up my collection. Worth it to me. If you are interested in the games (and would rather pick your own man)  they are on the ps3 and the psp. I had heard the ps4 would get one but i have yet to see it.

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  • 1 month later...
On 8/3/2019 at 1:47 AM, Illusion of Terra said:

@Beocat It's great to have the perspective of someone who also watched the series. Sounds like I'd enjoy it. So I am seriously considering watching it after the second movie :)

I second this!

Also I am extremely sorry for the delayed response! I got really overwhelmed in August with comic crossovers, YouTube, and keeping up with my webcomic (which...I'm uh...doing the revamp and keeping the story going at the same time :*( )

We also just spent last week out of town, so I didn't have a chance come in here and comment.

 

On 8/2/2019 at 10:23 PM, Beocat said:

And @Blue Dragon, I believe Chiziru's importance and abilities are also shown a bit more in the anime.  In actuality, a female devil is rare (if I'm remembering the anime's lore correctly) so there are additional reasons as far as "breeding" goes for the other devils to have a keen interest in her.  It isn't simply prejudice, but that the longer she is there, the less time she could be forming a compatible relationship with one of her own kind.

 

I really felt the war was underrepresented...but likely from a lack of time.  If you enjoyed the movie, you will likely love the series :) You can also purchase these usually for only 4-5 bucks during the Sentai sales (keep an eye out for the sales if you are interested), with the series being a bit more (~10ish or so?), so it's actually a good buy too.  Not too painful on the wallet if you catch a big sale.  If you are interested in reverse harems (which is what Hakuoki is), Sentai is actually a good producer/distributer of them (moreso than others for sure) and a prolific producer for them.

 

One other thing that I like about it is that there is an English dub.  I know not everyone is interested in a dub, but it's nice to listen to and very well done voice-acting wise.  I had forgotten how theatrical the entire series is.  And, the romance isn't really big in the first season of the anime.  It builds slowly, like the trust that has to build with her joining the samurai, so those of you who were kind of surprised at the end...that's okay.  The general rule in reverse harems is "he who scores the most screen-time will likely get the girl" and that holds true here too.  That said, the slow build is nice.  It puts the war and her vulnerable position within the group at the forefront and makes the romance more believable.  Like admiration turned longing as opposed to "you're hot, my heart jumped when I saw you, let's hook up!" that you get in a lot of anime.  Not sure if anyone else paid attention to the time stamps, but every scene has a month and year so you can get a feeling for how long things have been developing in a direction.

 

I will say, I missed a few scenes, which were probably things I should have paused for, but I was cooking.  I think someone didn't die like they were supposed to...and the lack of plot armor for the Shinsengumi is another thing I like about it (although, when a favorite of mine dies I do get upset).  It really helps to charge the emotional stake you have in the anime when no one is really all that safe.  Tragedy is a good thing here.

 

Oh and from a historical perspective, they do try to stick with history as far as the characters go.  For instance, Okita having tuberculosis.  That's spot on.  My end feelings on it were that I'm happy I bought it and it was good to watch and remember.

I'm so glad you commented! Chizou's importance makes a lot more sense now! I do want to see the rest of the films and the series. (it may take me a while, though!)

Edited by Blue Dragon
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21 minutes ago, Blue Dragon said:

Also I am extremely sorry for the delayed response! I got really overwhelmed in August with comic crossovers, YouTube, and keeping up with my webcomic (which...I'm uh...doing the revamp and keeping the story going at the same time :*( )

We also just spent last week out of town, so I didn't have a chance come in here and comment.

It's all dandy dude. I've also been gone for most of August. It's great that you did revitalize this thread, because I had forgotten about it.

 

So, who's game for Movie 2? If you guys are in, I'll post it in the Anime Movies Thread, and who knows, maybe other's will also want to watch it :) 

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1 hour ago, Illusion of Terra said:

So, who's game for Movie 2? If you guys are in, I'll post it in the Anime Movies Thread, and who knows, maybe other's will also want to watch it :) 

I was MIA for movie 1, so I’m gonna have to catch up. But let’s plan on it!

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Oh! I hope the storm doesn't hit you too hard! 😧 When I lived out in the country (growing up) just about every storm knocked out power. We had to make sure we had back up plans for food just in case. It was a massive pain (but there were good things about the country, too.)

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I live in the Midwest, U.S. (Chicago time.) Fridays after my dudefriend gets off work we go out to eat...so I probably will be able to watch it in the evening on Friday (maybe around 8pm.) So I'd probably be able to comment/post on Saturday :D

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